Kanye West: How To Be A Successful Music Producer

How to be a Successful Music Producer
Music in this generation has been deprived. This has been said because in the time this generation lives in; music has lost its meaning and the real sound of soul. Through long research these facts can be found that proves so and can also teach, the new generation about the history of music. One important thing these books, websites and many other sources teach is that music is more then just a sound; it is more then just notes. “To some, music is a way of life”- Sound of Soul, music is all they know. To them, music is how they express their feelings and thoughts. During this research, it shows a lot has changed. Even before the 1930s. To record one song multiple characters were needed, like, an A&R
manager, professional song writer, different agents, and staff engineers, but since Hip-Hop, Rap, Rock and other genres have become popular, the record producer has the option to either do everything himself or hire a staff to work with on the things he is not really good with. (The History of Music)
Now days when a song is playing over a radio station the first thing a person would automatically ask is, who is the artist singing or rapping? Instead of thinking of things like, who is the record producer or what record company the album or song was made by? Because really they are the ones putting their sweat and blood into the songs, as time went on record producing become more and more popular. Record producing is now so popular that a record producer can make over a million dollars from just one record or song. Of course record producing is no joke, it is just like another job, they have to be good at it, they have to work hard and make sure everything they present to the public is to perfection. Most record producers know how to play some type of instrument but it is not necessary to know how to play one. Some of the things a record producer do need to know are how to read music, how to read and operate a base board, the differences in microphones, the different techniques to cover a microphone to give the song the sound or voice that the record producer is looking for. And also a record producer need to be people friendly because they are going to be going out recruiting new talent for the label they are working for, or just for their first album or song and man other things. These things are all important because, these are very essential to the song. Different genres of music need different equipments, and that is something record producers most know. (Garland, pg.20-37)
One famous producer in the music industry that fits this profile very well is Kanye West.
Kanye West style brings a whole different genre to music itself. His music inspires the sound that most up coming producers look for to put in their projects. Most producers or artists will make an album with five tracks or songs on them. Such an album like this is known as a sample album. With five or less songs on them, they would contain both full songs with words and others are just instrumentals, or songs without words. Kanye West has exceptional production skills. He has work with famous rapper such as; Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Pharrel, and many more. Every album he has produced for himself or has worked on, basically any song he has created, he has done them all from scratch, attacking every project with background research. He does his research by buying old plaques and albums, and he listens to all of them to get ideas. That is how his songs are created. He also recruits and handpicks who he wants on the album or song before hand. He is the perfect example of how hard it is to make it in the production industry. Because he made it big by not producing songs only but also by rapping on his own instrumentals that he has created. He created an album and put it on the market and that made him famous, now he has gone back to the producing phase and still makes billions every year. He shows how much work and dedication is needed by this industry, he shows that not everyone just makes
it on the first try, one need to work at it and try and keep on trying. Because not everyone is going to believe in the work or album handed to them, because not every recording labels are going to listen to the demos they get, after all they to get about 50 to 75 demo tapes a day, and that is a lot of demos to listen to. For them to be interested, the demo they get have to literally jump out at them when they first see it. (Payton & Rait)
One other famous music producer that lights up the stage whenever he does something or anything really is Sean “Puffy” Combs. Even though he became famous in 1997, he was well known before that. If anyone had ever listened to a rap or hip hop song in the 90’s, most likely it was or partly produced by Diddy as he likes to be called now. Before he was rapping, singing, or dancing in songs or even acting in movies, he was making beats. Combs became famous because of the late-famous Notorious B.I.G, also known as Biggy, and Biggy Smalls. Biggy was a master with his words, till this day no one can stand up to his greatness. If it was not for Biggy today, Combs would be nothing. It all started for Combs when he was an intern at Uptown Records. He soon dropped out of college, and turned his internship into a full time job, when he was named Uptown Records talent director. For him that was the best choice he had made in his life, because that is how he came across Biggy. The first time he met with Biggy, he listened to his demo tape, it was not anything special, but Biggy’s character brought the attention to Combs. Right after listening to Biggy’s demo, combs asked Biggy to freestyle for him right there and then, and that is how it all started, after everything was said and done, they signed the papers and biggy was now not only part of Uptown records but also Combs’ up and coming record label Bad Boys entertainment. After working on Biggys first album comb decided it was time to split from uptown records, and time to fully commit himself to Bad Boys’ entertainment. (Payton & Rait)
Now Combs is one of the richest men in the world. It all was made possible because of of his hard work, and determination. Record producing made the way for Combs, it opened up doors, he never thought would open for him. Because of his producing skills, he is now an entrepreneur. Now he has his own clothing line, record label, even has his own brand of drinks, and owns a club in downtown Manhattan. (Payton & Rait)
Yes record producing is not a very good choice of career, because of the time, effort and money needed for such a career but the few that do choose it, when they make it, they make it big. Because once a person has the title record producer, that person automatically has all these different doors open for him.
Today in the record producing business, more record producers are needed, but now record labels ask that producers do not just focus on one genre of music, but all genres of music if it is possible. The more genres a producer listens to, the better for the
produce.
Because when one focus on one genre, the creativity is limited, the producer would not be able to come up with a lot of work for a long period of time. At a point the producers work will eventually be the same thing but with tweaks to them. Timberland is the reason for those requests now. Because not only those he make Hip-Hop songs, he also has bands in pop, song writers, and rock bands, such as the Fall out Boys, and his newest band One Republic. Timberland has had his songs at the top of all different charts. With this going on the record labels want to make more money. That is why it better to listen to all different genres of music, and plus that makes the experience fun. Kaney West and varuis other artists also write their own lyrics. For example, Kanye Wrote this for the song “Jesus Walks,” “I ain't here to argue about his facial feature or here to convert atheists into believers I'm just trying to say the way school need teachers the way Kathie Lee needed Regis that's the way yall need Jesus.” After writing this piece for the song, he had to make sure it goes with the beat he had
create