Hip Hop is one of the most popular music genres in the world. Here are 6 tips on how to make Hip Hop beats with video tutorials included.
The 3 basics you need to make beats:
Related: Music Production Courses Online
1. Select the Right Tempo
Hip Hop beats are between 75 and 100 beats per minute ( BPM ). Trap beats usually have higher tempos.

2. Start with Drums
Music producers usually start a beat by creating a drum pattern. Hip Hop beats usually consist of kick drums, snares, and hi-hats.
Choose quality samples. Quality drum samples are the building blocks for any professional-sounding beat.
You can also start a beat with a sample or melody. Follow whatever inspires you the most.
3. Add Melodies
The melodies are the instruments that are played over the drums. The instrument can be a piano, synth, bass, strings, live instruments, and more.
Add multiple melodies to make the song sound fuller.
If you don’t have real instruments, you can use VST instruments.
Related: Free VST Instruments
4. Add a Bassline
The bassline is another melody or riff at a much lower tone that plays under the main melody.
The bass in a beat can be synth bass or bass guitar.
Bassline Tutorials:
- Hip Hop Basslines for Beginners
- Tips for Creating Basslines
- Bassline Tips & Tricks
- Metro Boomin Shares Kicks & Bassline Tips
5. Create Variations of Your Beat
Create different patterns of your beat that can be turned into the intro, chorus, bridge, and verse.
Related: 30 Best Websites to Make Beats Online For Free
6. Arrange Your Patterns
Arrange your different beat patterns into a full 3 to 5-minute song for music artists.
Here are the most common Hip Hop song structures:
Intro – Verse – Hook – Verse – Hook – Verse – Hook – Outro
or
Intro – Hook – Verse – Hook – Verse – Hook – Verse – Hook – Outro
Those are the very basics of making a Hip Hop beat.
If you listen to most successful Hip Hop beats on the radio, you’ll notice that they’re not necessarily complicated.
Hip Hop is mainly about vocals, so you will want to leave enough space in the beat for the music artist’s vocals/rhymes to shine.
Additional Beat Making Tips
- Don’t make your beats monotonous. Add a drop after every 2 or 4 bars. You can always change this later on after you’ve added your synths.
- Another important aspect that you should take notice is to not overcrowd your mix with too many sounds. You should regard the spaces between sounds with the utmost importance.
How to Make Hip Hop Beats Tutorials
How To Make A Hip Hop Beat (FL Studio )
This tutorial is by Ric of RicandThadeus showing you his process of chopping a sample as well as making a Hip Hop Instrumental.
Sikwitit Making a Hip Hop Beat in Reason
How to Make a CHILL Hip Hop Beat ( Ableton Live)
In this video Chris Punsalan makes a Chill Hip Hop Beat using Ableton Live.
Piano Hip Hop Beat Making Using Native Instruments Maschine
Traumah Makes a Beat In Reason
Music Artists Who Can Produce
Bruno Mars , Tori Kelly , Omarion , Tinashe , T-Pain , Justin Timberlake , Pharrell , Ryan Leslie , Phil Collins , J.Cole & Kanye Wes.
Related: How to Make Beats
Do you have tips on making a Hip Hop beat?
If so, please share in the comment section below.
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