Producing Your First Beat Tape

At the end of December, I had a desire to make beats and produce music, but not just any music, underground Lo-fi Hip-hop. Some of you may ask what that is, but today, Google has an answer for almost everything.

My desire to make lo-fi beats and produce came from a passion to make music that encourages others to have or develop faith in God; And with everything that's in the Lo-fi scene, the goal is to infiltrate and bring the gospel to the scene. Part of the agenda for success is to become skilled in beat-making, which requires lots of practice, time, and lately, little sleep; having said that, I'm an amateur. I've never produced anything before with software programs like Ableton Live or FL studios, but I'm encouraged by this meme I saw the other day of a little boy riding a rocking horse and in the background, there's a shadow which shows a knight riding a unicorn and the caption which says, "all champions were beginners first." I find this image and the dream of making this kind of music compelling me to persevere.

Consistency is key, determination and passion are the energies required to go above and beyond and to be unique. I even find that, in the process of making my first beat tape, my music doesn't sound typical of the Lo-fi genre, but I like how it sounds. I have moments of creativity but there are times where I wonder if that creativity will land me in a limbo between genres or a new genre that doesn't have an audience yet.

I guess that's part of the process; creating music because one loves it, not because they want someone else to.

This beat tape is called The Dead of Winter and basically, it’s supposed to feature themes like the incarnation of Jesus Christ, hope, and whatever else comes to mind. I have tracks that are without samples or are completely abstract, such as “The Dead of winter,” Sunflower Dojo,” “Incarnate,” “Sonrise,” and “Becoming.” I have to say that my plans for releasing this tape are focused on getting the project copywritten before releasing it on SoundCloud, primarily because I don’t anyone to steal my music, but at the same time part of me wonders how to promote and build anticipation for what is coming.

I remember watching countless videos on YouTube on how to release music so that one doesn’t flush their opportunities down the toilet by releasing music too soon or too late. And yes, that’s a thing. Because I know there are thousands of other artists who are probably more skilled or have more content, I know that building an audience will not be easy, but I know that with the right tools and at the right time, and more importantly the right spirit; recognition and money will come through. I know sound fame-seeking and perhaps a little greedy. But I don’t want more and more money and attention, I just want some. There’s a difference. Let the one who has wisdom, understand.

Back to what I was saying earlier, my advice to my fellow musicians is, always remain confident in making YOUR own music, music that you like. I think the demon that destroys creativity is over-imitation. When musicians start their careers or their hobbies in making music, there's the tendency to try so much to sound or emulate another artist but I believe the keys to finishing my first beat tape is resisting the temptation to be like some other artist. In the end I’ll know, if I'm successful and I make a decent revenue from my work, I know it's because of creativity and individuality, not someone’s style.

Follow me on IG: @Become.selfless to check out my progression.