How to Make Rap, Hip Hop and Trap Beats: That People Will Actually Buy

The best place to start? Fruity Loop Studio 12. It’s a great place to start when you want to make rap beats software work for you. It’s perfect for beginners, or those with experience. You can easily learn as you go.

So, if you want to know how to make rap beats fl studio, read on!

The best way to get your hip hop beat structure right is to understand it.

The sequences layout are the three ingredients making up the drum loop, giving it a beat a head snapping, bouncy vibe. In order to create the right vibe, they should be placed consistently. If your drums are jumbled the listening experience won’t be enjoyable.

The tempo should be between 80 and 120 bpm, dependent on the style and mood. Typical hip hop songs are structured as follows: introduction, 1st verse, chorus, 2nd verse, chorus, 3rd verse, final chorus, and outro.

Rap versus are typically 32 lines, or 16 bars, the chorus is 16 lines, or 8 bars. It’s not set in stone, but it’s the typical structure.  

Audio loop- many beats have a sample or single loop that’s repeated throughout the track and then has a slight switch up before the 3rd verse. The loop should be toned down so that it doesn’t interfere with the vocals.

Melody- to catch a listener’s attention you need a catchy melody. While some knowledge of music theory would be helpful, it isn’t necessary to produce a great beat.   

Bass Line- the bass line bonds the beat with the drum loop, and almost forms a harmony of sorts with the melody. A sick bass line is a must.

Sound Kits - the more sounds you have, the more creative your beats will be. No one will buy beats that sound dated, or lack crispness. You need well mastered, high quality sounds.

Finding a good Hip Hop drum kit or sound pack can be tricky. Some places have them for free, while it's worth your dollar to buy some.

Listen to rap instrumentals to get a deeper understanding and feel of how it comes together. Pay attention to the sounds that different rap producers use. Experiment, because the more you do that the more ideas you will have about drum patterns and instruments. If you have a great melody, drum pattern, or sample that doesn’t fit into the beat you’re working on, save it for another beat.

Once you start making beats you’ll find it can be addictive, it’s exciting and it’s an easy way to lose track of time. It can be a long process and to make it amazing, you need to be a bit of a perfectionist with your beat. It will be worth it, though, when you make something from scratch and see it sell.