This week's episode of the EconoMix podcast (available here) features hip-hop/electronic beats. In hip-hop, the "beat" is the non-vocal portion of the song (it would be would be less-than-accurate to say it's the instrumental portion of the song, since the beats are usually produced using samples and electronically-created sounds rather than conventional instruments), which is often interesting and complex enough to be consumed without a vocal track.
Rap beats, in contrast, are usually not intricate or dynamic enough to be appealing without vocals. The beats used in most mainstream rap songs rely on volume and intensity to get the listener's adrenaline pumping, which limits the range of emotions they can convey. Also, the level of musicianship that goes into the production of most rap beats may be limited, and rap often seems to be more about theatrics than music. (I'm On A Boat (Feat. T-Pain), a catchy mock rap song from a recent SNL skit, is a perfect example of this.)
Many people seem to categorize rap and hip-hop together, so hip-hop often isn't given a fair chance. In beats from both genres, each sound -- whether sampled, created electronically, or recorded -- has to be painstakingly manipulated and mixed together to create the final product. Hip-hop simply seems to take full advantage of this production process, and the result is beats that are often far more intelligent, layered, and dynamic than those in rap.
For the record, the intent of this post is not to malign rap music, but rather to simply distinguish it from hip-hop. When listening to the beats in the podcast, try to appreciate the various moods and influences you can hear. Enjoy!
Podcast available here (track information below)
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I am going to post another comment once I finish listening to the podcast a few times through but I wanted to say right now that you talk about moods and I definitely hear moods. In the track after Accordion (is it the Four Tet remix?) I hear amazement and wonderment under a starry, wintery sky. I really like Jasmine Blossoms because I see a bright, spring day, a slight breeze, and a young, energetic person walking confidently down a city street, just strolling and smiling, feeling upbeat and like life has a lot to offer and things are going well. It has a youthful sound to me, I like the cascading/waterfalling sound of the guitar/piano as it adds the element of "I'm young and stumble sometimes" but as the music "reflects" back upward after tripping down, you get the sense of a young person who is learning from their mistakes and making better of themselves. Really just a cool beat, as much as I like MF Doom I actually prefer this instrumental without the accompanying lyrics (I forget at the moment what lyricized track this beat belongs with off his other album).
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