Finding Style

In the hip hop community the strength of any good artist is with-in their style /flow. To have the ability to constantly change it up and refine ones that have already been created. One of the hardest parts in hip hop is finding the right beats /tracks that compliment our tones, flow, and level of aggressiveness. Basically the overall style of how an artist raps. This job also falls to a hip hop producer. Their main focus is to find an artist with a sound they like for a certain piece of music they've created. Finding a style is not easy and can take a long time to perfect. To find your own style you have to be sure of your abilities as an artist, and understand you cannot please everyone. First off, you need to feel comfortable with what you are trying to talk about. You can achieve that by practicing constantly, writing, and reading often. I find the problem to be a good amount of artist fall into a trap of trying to sound like whats on the radio or in there iPod. We all have to step away from the "Whats hot" attitude and be adventures with in our creatively. Using the radio and or other artist as a form of inspiration is a good thing. And can be a great measuring stick to base your own music off of. Use it to get a feel for what the majority of people like ( beats, trends, fads, etc…). Something I think is a useful tool to test ones skill level and abilities is to add your own interpretation to existing tracks by remixing it or just rapping over the instrumental. And this can create a familiarity to a new listener. Basically the fact of the matter is, most people do not care much for beats and artist they have not heard before. And remixing an existing popular song can help bridge the gap between you and many listeners. Bringing a different rap style to an already know track can be the driving force in gaining popularity. 

The best bet in creating your own style is simple. Be your self. Start off by using slang you use consistently. Then from that point take your rap style and attach it to the way you dress, live, and act. It's a lot easier to listen to someone and like them if they look the part. Being an artist is living what you talk about. It also means using your imagination to create a picture of something larger then life. Our goal is to create a world people can relate to, understand, and dream about. So, by using words and places they have knowledge of can draw in listeners. Don't over do it, keep it simple and sounding good. There is no need to go out of the way and use words you never use on a day to day bases. Because when you are on a track you will be exposed. It may sound good after the first initial recording, but most likely you will find weakness later on, and so will listeners. 

We cannot forget its more then what you are saying, it's how you say it. Number one goal of a rapper is to sound fly, fresh, ill, or what ever term you feel comfortable using. Second, is the message or what you are trying to say. Its simple, you can talk nothing but bullshit lyrics with no substances and sound amazing doing it and get respect. Or you can have the most powerful message with a weak style and no one cares. I can mention how important it is to practice and allow your "flow" to fit the beat. It is a puzzle. Never force anything in music. Let it be natural and free forming. If your punch line, multi's, or wordplay don't fit the syncopation of the beat or sound exactly out of place then remove it and try again. There is no shame in asking for help. Getting a new set of ears on any project is a great thing. Just fight your feelings of being upset if someone disagrees with you. Do it early in the song making process, so changes can be made easy.

When it comes to others judging your music and or style, you have to take everything with a grain of salt. Never get to comfortable or down on your self. Some people just don't like what you have to say. And it's not personal or even make them a "Hater". Everyone has a right to their own taste in music. Take all criticisms and work with them, don't run away from it. We are all different, live different lives, and like different things. Hard work and the ability to not take criticisms personal is what separates the great achievers from the ones who don't make it. If you have a passion for music, or whatever your art is, keep at it. But make it your own. With that you will find the people who will enjoy what you have to offer. If at first you don't succeed, find another beat, paint another picture. Just don't give up. Never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone to work with new artist or styles of music. This should be your goal as an artist. To consistently grow and test your abilities. 

Last tips: Be prepared before you lay down anything in a studio. Do not waste others time. The engineers, producers or artist you're collaborating with. Remember we all have our own lives, so time is money. Next, if you plan on putting your material up online, remember it will be heard. Practice tracks are unbelievably helpful. They don't have to be the best of quality. You just need to hear what you sound like and how you're saying things. Sometimes ideas in our head don't sound what we think even if you practice out loud. So recording a rough draft will allow you to experiment with tones, delivery and rhyme patterns with little to no cost. It will also help with breathing and pronunciation, which is a huge part of style. You do not want to all mush mouth or stumble over words. I have heard one too many artist that would sound amazing if they just prepared a lithe. Instead of having a good song, it's mediocre and sloppy. No body starts off the best. Its hard work, patience, and practice. If it was easy, everyone would be successful at it. Your art is something to be under construction constantly. Day in, day out, you should be thinking of ways to learn something new and improve what you do already. It's not part time thing, but an all the time life style. Well if you wanted to make something with it. 

When it comes to music I feel nothing is ever complete. Any true artist will tell you there is always something we want to change and think we can do better. A lot of the times we have to let it be, because it will consume you. Which can turn into a curse of a perfectionist. Take that little extra time to get it right and you will save time, money, headaches, even heart break. Never let anyone discourage you from doing what you want. But at the same time, take what you do very serious. Hone your craft and build a style that is your own. Nobody can ever take way your style that you worked hard creating and will most likely copy what you're doing because they are to lazy to create their own. And never forget we are selling what we've been through and have understanding of. Not what you think people want to hear. Our interpretation's what we are trying to sell. So don't let it be unpaired and sloppy. Take pride in being different and stay away from being the latter or a plain rip off of someone's style. Moral of the story is, be your self and never give up.

TAPS Guevara

OfficialTaps.com