how I make beats artists actually like 🔥

the first (and most important) key 🔑 is to remember what you're trying to do:

make a beat an artist will like AND be able to use.

That's the goal, and we can't forget it 🧠.

it's not enough for them to say,

"your beats are hard!'

I want my artists, agents, and A&Rs to be so inspired by my beats that they want them right now.

that's how I got the new sync deal I told you about in yesterday's message,

and that's how my new single with Deontá Genius was born 🔥.

Later this week, I'll let you know more about what Deontá and I have planned for our music in 2024.

for now, I just need to give you the gems on how to make more appealing beats,

cause, based on yesterdays beat review, this is actually a tough thing to do.

even when I review beats in discord, I notice it's hard for producers to make appealing beats. 

& I took like half a decade to figure it out 😅.

So lemme try to save you a few years of straight up torture.

Main Idea 💡 - Strip the beats down... like wayyyyy down

(pls read 'The Creative Act' by Rick Rubin for the full context of this philosophy, as I'd have to yap quite a bit to defend it).

And if it helps even more, here are 3 things that helped me make my beats more appealing 👇

1️⃣ ) use 1 to 3 chords, MAX.

3 is maximum, and if you're just starting out or struggle, stick with 1 (2 at most).

a shocking amount of popular music is just 1 or 2 chords.

there's a reason.

try exploring ways to expand your uses of 1 and 2 chord progressions,

before you try longer and more complicated progressions (this video can teach you how I do that).

2️⃣ ) STOP making counter melodies.

I wasn't too sure when I started saying this last year.

now I'm sure.

I've been in the studio; I asked.

they don't like counter melodies often, and will ask you to take it out because it's distracting their flow.

I've notice that even sample makers like Frank Dukes (now known as 'Ging') don't really do counter melodies.

they'll create harmonizing layers (one or two, at most, as to not complicate the piece), 

but rarely will you hear a good sample maker tossing on a pointless counter melody. 

since I'm not at their level yet, I'll just follow what they do

(this method of mirroring top performers has worked well for me so far, which is why I'm suggesting it to you).

3️⃣) artists DON'T CARE about drums.

they literally don't even hear them (unless they are a producer, which is why we have that famous clip of Trav saying nothing matters but drums).

as long as the drums are clean, hard samples (like in Centerfold),

and as long as it's all mixed well (the templates and presets in Elysium can help you there),

they aren't gonna care about the ridiculously complicated hi-hat glitches or the hours it took us to select a snare 😭.

It just needs to be good.

Travis Scott beats are a great example of productions designed to be appealing.

I cooked one up this morning for my next beat EP,

and you can peep that banger here 🔥 - it'll also demonstrate my thinking behind this process.

I hope this all makes sense.

(but hop in discord if you wanna ask me anything about this topic). 

Blessings,

Chu