BeatTips From Production Master Amir Said (Exclusive Interview)

Eight years ago beatmaker Amir "Sa'id" Said wrote the first version of his bible for beatmakers, "The BeatTips Manual", and nearly a decade later he's still adding to his original opus with the recently published 5th Edition. Featuring over 400 pages of production knowledge, ranging from a list of the best beatsmiths of all time to in-depth equipment breakdowns and much more, "The BeatTips Manual" is so expansive we had to sit down with Said to find out the story behind his masterpiece.

RefinedHype: "The BeatTips Manual" is nothing if not expansive. What inspired you to write such an epic book?

Said: Well, five things. First, my most fundamental purpose in writing ‘The BeatTips Manual’ was to preserve the beatmaking tradition. The beatmaking tradition has a rich heritage that many people aren’t really familiar with, and I feared that, if nothing was done to thoroughly explore and preserve this tradition, it would be lost or consumed by another music tradition. Second, I wanted to draw more attention to the fact that beatmaking, as a music compositional method, has increasingly become significant around the globe. Third, I wanted to stem and/or neutralize the increasing tide of misleading and false information about beatmaking and the most critical factors that surround it. Fourth, I was inspired by the chance to reconcile the history of beatmaking with the current state of hip hop/rap music in general. In this regard, I was inspired by the potential of being able to unify and expand the broad community of beatmakers. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I was also inspired by the prospect of writing and publishing the most comprehensive, relevant, and accurate book on the beatmaking tradition. To that end, I was interested in helping to establish some level of uniformity and consensus regarding the core aesthetics, concepts, and terminology of the beatmaking tradition.

RefinedHype: This book is certainly a work of love. Who and/or what caused you to fall in love with hip-hop?

Said: Ha. “Labor” of love is right… I think what caused me to fall in love with hip hop/rap was its self-reliant, “do-it-yourself” rebel appeal. That’s what I identify with, and that’s what has always made hip hop/rap a backdrop to my life.

RefinedHype: The digital age has certainly changed a lot in the music industry. How has digital technology changed beat making?

Said: Digital technology has changed a number of things in beatmaking. Perhaps most notably, digital technology has changed the sheer speed in which many beatmakers are able to make beats. There’s a huge difference in being able to record multiple individual tracks directly into a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, etc., as opposed to recording to let’s say a 2-inch analogue tape machine, which most people personally never owned anyway, or a 4-track cassette tape recorder. Digital technology has also increased the level of accessibility to beatmaking; it has made beatmaking more accessible to people than ever before. I would also have to say that even though digital technology has dramatically improved some things in beatmaking, it has also—in some ways—trivialized the integrity of the beatmaking tradition. One thing that can not be overlooked is the fact that digital technology has created a lot of “short cuts” that have undermined many creative processes and elements in beatmaking. Along with the “me now” cultural ethic, many of these creative short cuts have conspired to create what I call the “instant beatmaking skills syndrome,” wherein some people believe that they can actually have beatmaking skills “instantly,” without any serious effort. For real, some people equate downloading a program or buying a piece of state of the art gear with actual beatmaking skills. Wrong. Beatmaking, like any other musical process, takes a serious amount of time, effort, study, and practice. What you put in is what you’ll get out. I think, in some ways, digital technology has overshadowed that very fundamental fact.

RefinedHype: What hasn't changed? Are their fundamental elements of beatmaking that are timeless?

Said: What hasn’t changed about beatmaking? The drums! Your drums still have to be on point; that’s absolutely fundamental. Another timeless element of beatmaking is style. Although many beatmakers—even some of the well-known ones—have taken to biting and copy-catting other beatmakers’ sounds and styles, coming up with your own unique style and sound is fundamental to beatmaking. And one of the most fundamental elements of beatmaking that hasn’t changed is the importance of study! Studying the beatmaking craft will always be timeless.

RefinedHype: Last words? Shout outs? Confessions?

Said: Beatmakers unite! Stop thinking that “placements” are your only way to get on. YOU are the best way to get on. Get with other beatmakers; join beatmaking forums like The BeatTips Community; release your own projects; don’t chase anybody down in their lane, instead create your own lane and drive in that. The placement game is rigged, and you have no control over it. But you do have control over your own direction and destiny.

You can order the book and find a plethora of other production tips on Said's site www.beattips.com.