Do I have to be a DJ to be a good hip hop beat maker?
May 11th, 2010
Beat Makers That Sound Professional
It seems that many great producers, like DJ Premier, Just Blaze, Pete Rock, DJ Shadow, etc, were/are DJs as well. Is being a DJ a prerequisite for being a good beat maker? Not saying that I would hate to be one, but for now I cannot afford another turntable (only have one right now).
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- DJ Premier Blog | The Only Fansite Approved by DJ Premier » Blog Archive » Kanye West Wants Three Premo Beats On His Upcoming Album
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Posted in Free beat makers vs. Pro beat makers | 
Tags: Beat Maker, dj premier, dj shadow, pete rock, prerequisite, producers, rock dj, turntable
your question doesnt make any sense.
to make a hip hop beat? if you want to make beats and sample and produce your own stuff other equipment you might want to invest in are midi pads, trigger fingers, keyboards, even programs like ableton and reason, mics, etc to produce.
If you just want to mix vinyl to vinyl or even cd to cd. and blend songs. you need to learn the basics.
im not sure if you have it down yet, because if you have 1 turntable its hard to practice beat matching and learning to ride the pitch, cuts etc. But if you want to be ghetto and practice. play a song from the computer and blend into the song playing on your radio or your computer.
What separates all those dj’s are their style when they rock a set. If we all dj’d but just blending every dj would be the same and every mix youd hear from all those dj’s would be just like anyone else.
To be a good dj is like being a good bboy or mc. You gotta show style. style is what separates you from the next dj. Things you might want to learn how to do is cutting, blending, mash ups, firecrackers, doubling the snares, fades in and outs (sorta like an echo). This is whats gonna give you off the ill mixes.
and no you dont have to be a good beat maker for any of this. If you have an ear for music thats a plus. because most newer dj’s dont do this anymore since everyone has resorted to serato/torq/openscratch/traktor/virtual dj, so alot of music has come from limewire.
What those dj’s that you just mentioned especially the turntablist dj shadow they crate dig. Thats how they come up with cuts and tracks that no one has heard of. alot of dj’s do it now for just the fame.
when you decide what you wanna do, you gotta ask yourself. are you gotta be a turntablist? or a club dj? turntablist perform this as an art from scratching, beat juggling, answering and talking to each other with the sounds from the turntable. Club dj’s are those cds you hear, the mainstream kanye west mixes which the help of samplers.
but just remember that if your gonna spin, the best dj’s do it for the love of the music. as an expression. others do it for the title of dj. Without dj’s, there arent mcs, bboys, or even graff artists. no elements of hip hop.