Hip-Hop recordings and demos

What qualifies me to write about making hip-hop? As artist management, I get countless mp3s, mixtape and youtube links sent to me everyday. I have released hip-hop on my label and recorded rappers in the studio. Apart from that, I am just scratching the surface of the genre .......

Unsuccessful promotion

• YouTube videos accapella singing or rapping with a major artists track that you are playing through your earphones
• Beats that take endlessly loop around the same 5 second segment from start to finish.

Pre-made beats
There are many producers out there who make excellent beats that are available for a few pounds/euros/dollars on a non-exclusive usage. That means other people can buy and use the same beat. Buy the beat - don't use the website sample especially when it includes the beatmaker's name check spoiler.

Here are just a few links

• Laztech Productions
• http://www.5starbeatz.com/
• http://www.mixscapeproduction.com/
• http://www.popbeats.net/
• http://iLL-it.com
• www.subconsciousbeats.com
• www.buyabeat.com
• Grand Riggty
• Misunderstood Beats
• Dizzee Sounds
• FisherBeats

Quality
Check what quality the beats are delivered from the various producers. Ideally they should be MP3's with a bit rate of 320kbps. An MP3 compressed to 128kbps is really too lo-fi.

There are other options too. Some will also let you buy the individual parts for re-mixing (still non-exclusive) and also if no-one else has bought it you have the possibility to buy an exclusive beat for a few hundred dollars or more.