3/4 time, etc.

[essessbe]

i was just curious -- is there a reason why there aren't more rap/hip hop beats that are in 3/4, 6/8 etc.? is it too difficult/restrictive to rap over? also, does anyone have any examples of great songs that are in these different time signatures? thanks.

[BobbyTheProducer]

There was a good number of 3/4 time rap songs in the early to mid 2000s when soul samples were coming back. I think it just went out of style with that whole sound, not to mention most rappers couldn't pull off the flow. Also awkward to dance to so I'm sure that's another reason.

[trannycrackhorse]

A lot of the New Jack Swing era stuff is in 12/8, and there quite a few Dungeon Family, Outkast and Goodie Mob (Still Standing) tracks in 12/8. Because the majority of hip-hop has the snare on the backbeat (beats 2 and 4) of 4/4, it would be confusing to use 3/4. In 12/8 you would place the snare on beats 4 and 10 to replicate the backbeat. It would sound like 1 2 3, 4 5 6, 7 8 9, 10 11 12. 6/8 could work if you treated it like half a bar of 12/8. For an adventurous rapper it could be interesting to try a hip hop waltz in 3/4. You could put snare either on 2, 3 or beats 2 & 3.

[essessbe]

Originally Posted by trannycrackhorse

A lot of the New Jack Swing era stuff is in 12/8, and there quite a few Dungeon Family, Outkast and Goodie Mob (Still Standing) tracks in 12/8. Because the majority of hip-hop has the snare on the backbeat (beats 2 and 4) of 4/4, it would be confusing to use 3/4. In 12/8 you would place the snare on beats 4 and 10 to replicate the backbeat. It would sound like 1 2 3, 4 5 6, 7 8 9, 10 11 12. 6/8 could work if you treated it like half a bar of 12/8. For an adventurous rapper it could be interesting to try a hip hop waltz in 3/4. You could put snare either on 2, 3 or beats 2 & 3.

yeah....i was thinking you could even go simpler than that and heavily emphasize the "1" with alternating kicks and snares while utilizing the 2 and 3 for accents. there are just so many cool melodies you can do with the time signature (think stoner metal) it seems like a shame to let it go untapped. perhaps something new to explore.....i dont remember the track Still Standing but i'll have to go back and give it a listen. thanks.

[piperopigeon]

i make hip hop music and i love experimenting with time signatures. here's a track i did in 7/4. i've also made a lot of songs in 3/4, 5/4 and 9/8. i wish more commercial dance music would branch out from the traditional 4/4 format.

A Little Girl | Elevated

[trannycrackhorse]

I was referring to the album Still Standing, there's a track towards the end in 12/8.

"was thinking you could even go simpler than that and heavily emphasize the "1" with alternating kicks and snares while utilizing the 2 and 3 for accents"; you're basically talking about a slow 12/8 or 6/8 where the eighth note gets the beat, say around 100bpm. The beat would go like this : kick 2 3 snare 5 6 kick 8 9 snare 11 12.

You could technically write that in 3/4 as: kick 2 3 /snare 2 3 / kick 2 3 /snare 2 3 but the rapper would hear those 4 bars of 3/4 as one of 12/8, and it would take them 4 bars just to complete a phrase (not even a rhyme)

[drethe5th]

@ Bobby the Producer
Is correct. 3/4 is a hard flow to pull off and not very dance friendly. However using it breaks monotony and is refrrshing to hear when done well.

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[G. Kaye]

Hard to rap over 3/4, but if you are interested in making a song in 3/4 why does it have to be a rap song?

Make whatever you want.

[CaseyMartin]

Drew Money did Right Thru Me for Minaj in 3/4 and it flowed fine. Maybe it should be the rappers who should learn to cope with new beats, instead of the producer curtailing his product for the rapper. I'm actually really tired of hearing hip hop in 4/4. Props to all of you guys out there experimenting with other time signatures. Like somebody else already said, it's really refreshing.

[G. Kaye]

Originally Posted by CaseyMartin

Drew Money did Right Thru Me for Minaj in 3/4 and it flowed fine. Maybe it should be the rappers who should learn to cope with new beats, instead of the producer curtailing his product for the rapper. I'm actually really tired of hearing hip hop in 4/4. Props to all of you guys out there experimenting with other time signatures. Like somebody else already said, it's really refreshing.

Is that a rapping though? More like sing-rapping to me.

btw, remind me never to search for another nicki minaj song on youtube. I searched for one song and now my "recommended" sidebar is flooded with all of her songs, lol.

[essessbe]

Originally Posted by G. Kaye

Hard to rap over 3/4, but if you are interested in making a song in 3/4 why does it have to be a rap song?

Make whatever you want.

duly noted....however, i agreed to start a project with a local rapper...been writing a ton of beats and have a lot of melody ideas in 3/4. (gained a lot of inspirado from the new uncle acid and the deadbeats. i kinda fell in love with the overall fell of it and thought that it would translate quite well into the hip hop world)....i ran some past him and it was too uncomfortable for him to rap over.....just got me thinking. also, thank you all for the examples of songs in other signatures....very cool to hear.

[CaseyMartin]

Originally Posted by G. Kaye

Is that a rapping though? More like sing-rapping to me.

btw, remind me never to search for another nicki minaj song on youtube. I searched for one song and now my "recommended" sidebar is flooded with all of her songs, lol.

Haha. I know what you mean. I probably need to delete that off of my history before my roommates give me hell.

[Igotsoul4u]

3/4 is not to friendly but more of a 12/8 kind of vibe works better so you have the feel of 4 beats but those 4 beats have a triplet feel. its basically like having 4 measures of 3/4 string together where the downbeat of each measure is accented. i did not say this well at all

[KT1]

I think minaj is dope. And totally agree rappers need to fix up. Check out outkast loads of time.Sig.

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[Johntron512]

Just has someone try to rap over this beat I'm working on, he couldn't really catch it.

Can you rap to this?

http://soundcloud.com/onemil/jackinese-v1-0

[Dayl]

Because the DJ's hate mixing that ish in the club and if it dont get played in the club................

[KT1]

I agree but once again convention is governing music..

It's a little frustrating that the same people moaning that all rap sounds the same etc etc..are not willing to step out of the little production box they are in!

If you want music to change then challenge sterotypes. I love 4/4 and i love 16 bars but i refuse to be confined by it. I will do whatever feels good.

By the way i love threads like this! Looking forward to seeing what people think..

[Dayl]

haha yeah.... even 12/8 messes with people, seen it happen lol.

[beat you down]

it turn rappers off.

[KT1]

Originally Posted by beat you down

it turn rappers off.

I suppose if you're intention is selling music and your clientele is a rapper then i can understand why one may conform. I have worked with rappers that have no issues working around different time sigs and im sure many can. Its an art..

The last time a rapper said (True story) - 'i cant rap to this my BPM is 100' . My track was a classic hip hop 4/4 16 bar at around 90bpm. I explained politely that he should prob just go home and never contact me again.

:D

[Dayl]

"Yo homie..... I got that crack.... sure fire Banger type Ish! *plays waltz

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[Retrofreak]

Nas, Eminem, Outkast and recently a few Grime acts in the UK have dabbled in 3/4.

[G. Kaye]

Originally Posted by Johntron512

Just has someone try to rap over this beat I'm working on, he couldn't really catch it.

Can you rap to this?

http://soundcloud.com/onemil/jackinese-v1-0

this beat isn't 3/4

[G. Kaye]

I forgot how great that Nas Heaven song was, but his rapping parts kind of ruin it for me. I like the beat and hook, shoulda developed that hook into an full r&b song w/ no rapping.

[Sheldon Mack]

If I'm not mistaken, The song "Lift off" on watch the throne was in 3/4 or 6/8. At first it was my least favorite then it grew on me. To me Jay-z sounded awkward rapping it, I think that might be why his verse was so short. They switch the song to 4/4 at the end I thought that was pretty cool.

[Thestate]

There's a song off of eminem's most recent album....I think its 3/4 or 6/8. It has pink singing the chorus... May be called "won't back down"

Long story short em kills it, as usual

[kemijo]

Originally Posted by G. Kaye

I forgot how great that Nas Heaven song was, but his rapping parts kind of ruin it for me. I like the beat and hook, shoulda developed that hook into an full r&b song w/ no rapping.

A friend of mine, Agile, produced that track (edit - apparently along with Saukrates, I'm just finding out). If I remember the story correctly (he told me years ago), that beat was originally an R&B song for Jully Black...he was working with her in the studio and Nas was in the next suite...he came in and heard it, and said he had to have it...your people call my people etc. I was hoping it would get more shine than it did, definitely one of the best joints on that album.

[basmartin]

Originally Posted by G. Kaye

this beat isn't 3/4

It´s 6/4, it´s similar.

[KeMiKaL]

3/4 hip hop?? lol wtf!! I knew alicia keys pulled some weird time signatures on her albums but 3/4?? that would be sooo weird

[Storyville]

Originally Posted by Johntron512

Just has someone try to rap over this beat I'm working on, he couldn't really catch it.

Can you rap to this?

http://soundcloud.com/onemil/jackinese-v1-0

I can freestyle to this

I love weird rhythms.