The only hard part about running Audible Hype is this: I’m trying to out-do myself every time.  After the first installation of our series on advice from hip hop production veterans, I wanted this to be like a textbook...that didn’t suck...about dealing with sample laws and the business side of making music.  From Large Professor to Cut Chemist to The RZA himself, this is a collection of the best quotes I’ve found from reading thousands of pages about hip hop history and business.  I eat books for reals...but the real winner is you.  Enjoy.

Click to Continue

Here’s a long overdue article: one of the most common questions I get is about how to prepare for releasing a hip hop album.  Here, I’ve laid it out with picture and diagrams and the tools you’ll need.  Since this is Audible Hype, that wasn’t enough, so I’ve also got contributions from Dru Ha and Godamus Rhyme.  Enjoy.

Click to Continue

Willie Green found his way to my headphones with his recent instrumental album ...Of Heroes and Villains, a Backwoodz Studioz release.  When I got in touch with him for an interview, I found out he was also an experienced professional, and he was working an a short documentary video about the making of his album.  Willie Green puts in work and here we’re talking organization, no-budget promotion, and how the market for instrumental hip hop is looking in 2009. 

Click to Continue

Sorry for the one week pause, party people.  We’ve migrated servers (I told you August was Nerd Shit month) and it took awhile for the hiccups and SNAFUs to disappear.  I’ve been itching to drop this interview for awhile now, because it is awesome.  I’ve already interviewed the Madison hip hop scientist Man Mantis once before, and this is a richly detailed follow-up interview.  We’re talking about the recording and mixing process for the latest dumate album, We Have the Technology, and going in on the technical, practical side of using the Akai MPC as a tool for both composition and performance. 

Also: thank you and welcome to all the new readers.  I have so much new material lined up it’s absurd.  Although I always think it’s cheeseball as fuck when people say it, but for me it’s become the simple truth: Hip Hop is my life.

Click to Continue

By reader request, Audible Hype is going to start including a lot more articles for producers.  The format here is exactly like the DIY Hip Hop Business Master Class: a collection of the best gems of advice, sourced from dozens of different interviews.  The next two installments will be topical (addressing Sample Laws and Making Dope Beats, respectively) but this first batch is decidedly random.

Please leave a comment if you dig it...and leave a comment if you don’t. Reader feedback is how I’m running Audible Hype, folks...your voice counts for a lot.

Click to Continue

I’ve interviewed Falside once before, for DJMSP.com—he’s probably one of the most focused and driven 20 year old guys I’ve ever come across.  So when he contacted me about his new beat tape, Bugs In Ya Teef, I figured I’d do another short interview.  Here, we’re digging to self-promotion as a beatsmith and how to pace your marketing when you run the whole operation.

Also, stay tuned for a few open questions to regular Audible Hype readers.

Click to Continue

This detailed discussion with Madison producer Man Mantis has a genuine wealth of information, so I’m running it to kick off a week of material focusing on hip hop production.  Mantis is behind the MPC for Madison, Wisconsin live powerhouse dumate (all lower case, no typo) and Stink Tank, and he’s been elevating his hustle in 2009.  This means staying busy, keeping humble, and even teaching school kids the art of making beats. Meet the Man Mantis.

Here, we’re going deep on sample culture, the creation process, and the 10,000 technical details that professionals eventually learn.

Click to Continue

In addition to Audible Hype, I’ve been running a hip hop production site for one of the World Around Records artists, DJ Multiple Sex Partners.  My work there has been organizing sample collections (free downloads) and doing interviews with dope, professional-grade producers and beatsmiths.  Lately the quality level has been through the roof, like recent talks with Man Mantis, HipGnosis, and Falside.  Drummer / graphic designer / blogger / producer Objektiv One also made an impression...and then he whipped up a bunch of custom photos of his home studio.  I figured this was so good it should be on Audible Hype.

I’m grateful for this interview—Objektiv One is a rigorously organized and ambitious dude with a lot to teach about hustle in 2009.

Click to Continue

I’ve known of Scroll for many years now, and he’s always impressed me because he never stops moving. I didn’t appreciate how important that was until I grew up a bit: Scroll was always involved with whatever scene he found himself in, not only as an artist, but also booking shows, promoting, even doing volunteer shitwork postering for other local acts at 2 am in the morning.  These days, Scroll is making a name for himself all over again as a solo hip hop orchestra.  Doing gigs with 2 Akai MPC samplers and an assortment of other toys, building richly layered beats right in front of his audience—needless to say, that kind of act makes an impression.

Here, Scroll opens up about his years of experience, the endless frustration of doing independent hip hop, and his possible transition to artist management.  This is a mix of rants, gems, and gear porn—enjoy.

Click to Continue