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Hip-hop beatmakers often remain in the shadows. While not all sample producers are as secretive as Madlib, the famous loop artist, even the most talented ones usually operate in the background. Ultimately, their main job is to create a musical backdrop, like set designers in a rap theater. In this regard, they are radically different from rappers, who strive to be the center of attention.
Large Professor, the host and producer best known for his stint with Main Source and collaborations with Nas, DJed at a J Dilla tribute event at Nublu.
While beatmakers often become DJs, even they, for all their power in the scene, have historically played the role of atmospheric creators who must be both visible and invisible. While artists like Kanye West, who rose to prominence as a beatmaker, and Metro Boomin, a superstar producer, often perform as performers, the basic dynamic remains largely intact. Still, the producer plays a key role in what hip-hop is. In its early days, rap was a turntablism; the carousel was a technique developed by DJ Kool Herc that cut away the rhythmic pauses in soul records, leading to sampling, the art of reusing parts of a record to create something new. Sampling became the foundation for rap music as an acoustic and lyrical medium. As rappers became more commercially popular, their status began to increase while that of beatmakers began to decrease. It often seems that the recognition beatmakers receive does not match their enormous influence.
Zarz the Origin and Saywordstaz?! perform “2 Scorpios” at Donut Lounge, a monthly event celebrating beatmakers and DJs from around the world.
Sourse: newyorker.com
