Youtube debarge stay with me

The Producer

DJ, producer, engineer, and emcee,DJ Quik (David Blake) in the lab (studio).

The Producer

Who a music producer is and what they do is a source of confusion both in and outside of the music industry. In a 2004 interview at the Red Bull Music Academy, Bob Power, mostly known for his work as an mixing engineer in Hip Hop circles, gives a really good description. Pay attention to the nuances of what he is saying.

But anyway, the role of a producer is really interesting. Some producers know music inside and out. Some producers don’t know a note of music and they are incredible producers. Some producers just have money. Some producers know music but not in traditional ways. Some producers, and many times in hip-hop, are beat creators. These, and all combinations of these, have become very valid concepts of what a producer does, and it’s fascinating. A lot of old school musicians – and again because hip-hop was really the fulcrum, the point at which a lot of things changed, about popular music and how it’s made – a lot of old school people, including

2/25/2021 The Producer : MUS 17 - Hip-Hop - Green [WI21]

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engineers, got really resentful when hip-hop came around. Because they say, “Oh, A. This isn’t music, B. That’s not the right way to do things, C. They don’t know about X, Y, Z, so they don’t deserve this...

Read and Task: To really grasp the meaning of the above statement, I want you to read portions of an online article by Complex Magazine, entitled "The Best Hip- Hop Producer Alive, Every Year Since 1979 (https://www.complex.com/music/2020/02/best-hip-hop-producers) ." You will look at the online resource Discogs to check album credit information. You will then be able to have an idea of the production style the individuals you are studying.

Read: the beginning of the Complex article. Stop right before "Sylvia Robinson." What did you read in this material that relates to what Bob Power said?

Read "1980: Rocky Ford and J.B. Moore," in Complex. Then, read the album credits (https://www.discogs.com/Kurtis-Blow-Kurtis-Blow/release/9217871) for the Kurtis Blow album. Look at the credits for A2, "The Breaks." Listen to it again if you need to.

According to Bob Powers' description of different kinds of producers, how would he define the role of Ford and Moore? What did they do, as producers, in terms of creating the track?

Read "1982: Arthur Baker," in Complex. Listen: to "Planet Rock." Planet Rock (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlUQsC8ECk)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlUQsC8ECk)

What is the tool Baker used that became a staple for music production? What did Baker do for the R&B/Pop group New Edition? Did he help Afrika Bambaataa in a similar way?

Read "1983: Larry Smith," in Complex. Listen: to "Sucker MCs"

https://www.complex.com/music/2020/02/best-hip-hop-producers
https://www.discogs.com/Kurtis-Blow-Kurtis-Blow/release/9217871
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlUQsC8ECk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlUQsC8ECk
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Sucker MCs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIQ1s4lXi0E)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIQ1s4lXi0E)

How does the texture of the beat on this track compare with the previous two?

Which is more sparse and which is more dense? According to Bob Powers' description of different kinds of producers, how would define the role of Smith?

Read "1991: DJ Quik," in Complex. Listen to "Tonite." Tonite (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3uRLZk2AvM)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3uRLZk2AvM)

How does his wide knowledge of music factor into his production style? How does Quiks' skill-set differ than Ford and Moores'?

Take Note: Sean Combs aka Puffy Daddy or P. Diddy was included in this article, tangentially. It was a noticeable, but understandable nuance. Easy Mo Bee, The Hitmen, and others who worked with Combs making beats deserve attention, but the way Combs is framed in the Complex article speaks directly to how Hip Hop producers are defined.

Combs came to prominence after the emergence of The Notorious B.I.G (Biggie, Christopher Wallace) in the early 1990s. His style of producing was not the standard for 90s Hip Hop. His style mirrored producers outside of Hip Hop--similar to Atlantic Records R&B producer Jerry Wexler. (https://www.atlanticrecords.com/posts/jerry-wexler-godfather-rb-18831) Puff would inform his artists on song content. In the studio, he coached vocals and decided on which versions to keep. He'd advise his beatmakers on what sounds should be added or subtracted in order make the track more attractive to the listener, even

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIQ1s4lXi0E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIQ1s4lXi0E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3uRLZk2AvM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3uRLZk2AvM
https://www.atlanticrecords.com/posts/jerry-wexler-godfather-rb-18831
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though he couldn't execute the task himself. Although he doesn't play any instruments, and cannot use tools to make beats, he can take an idea about a song from start to finish. Most of all, he always has insight on what people would like to hear.

At one point in time, if a one didn't make beats, then one was not valued as a producer in Hip Hop. However, the skill-set of creating hits has always been valuable in the music business. His input into the success of Biggie, Mary J. Blige, and more, ushered in the mainstreaming of Hip Hop.

Listen: to "One More Chance (Remix), and the sample source by DeBarge here (https://www.whosampled.com/sample/1234/The-Notorious-B.I.G.-Faith-Evans-One- More-Chance-Stay-With-Me-(Remix)-DeBarge-Stay-With-Me/) . Combs had the idea to make the song, using the sample, but The Trackmasters (https://www.discogs.com/artist/121765-Trackmasters?type=Credits&filter_anv=0) , who were a part of his production team, made the beat.

https://www.whosampled.com/sample/1234/The-Notorious-B.I.G.-Faith-Evans-One-More-Chance-Stay-With-Me-(Remix)-DeBarge-Stay-With-Me/
https://www.discogs.com/artist/121765-Trackmasters?type=Credits&filter_anv=0