Looking to gain more exposure as an artist? We have a large readership of active fans, producers, artists, and industry insiders. We want to help present new talent to the world.

Just send an e-mail over to beats@beatstatus.com

Be sure to include:

1. 2 or 3 songs to original beats attached (128 mp3’s please) – NO MORE THAN 3
2. A good pic
3. Your location
4. Your most recent project and where it’s available (iTunes, MySpace, CDBaby, etc)

We’re not biased to any one type, just make sure the music is hot! Unfortunately due to volume of submissions, a response cannot be guaranteed. We will contact you if we’d like to feature you.

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Need to get your Kanye Fix? Whether it’s the goofy dancing, the ego, or just the hot beats, we all want to see him. You can’t deny that he’s a great entertainer. Maybe he took the Auto-Tune overboard, but hey, even Nas put out Nastradamus so I guess we can give everyone a pass. Anyway, onto the videos…

1. Kanye West & Timbaland remake “Stronger” (apparently it was re-mixed about a dozen times)

2. Kanye West making a beat on “60 Minutes”

3. Kanye West Making “Good Life”

4. Kanye West – Unknown Beat (Older Video)

5. Kanye Making some flute beat – (from “Stripped”)

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A new series I want to bring onto the site, we’ll call it Hardware Hacks. Up first…Getting the 8 output board for your MPC 2000 xl for much less than the $180 – $280 price from the normal outlets.

The normal MPC 2000 / 2000 xl 8 output board is model Akai IB-M208p. The S-Series samplers (s-2000 and s-3000) use a board model number IB-208p, (no M – I’d imagine for MPC). The cool thing about this is that it’s the EXACT same board, just on a different mount.

You can pick up a board for closer to $100 (I found a new one for $90, just in an old box), or you can find an old s-2000 that has the 8-outputs installed an pull it from there. Those can be found anywhere from $10 – $100.

Notes:

1. You’ll have to extend the IDE cable (34 pin) in order for it to reach the connector. This isn’t terribly difficult, just be careful not to break the pins or you’ll end up taping and gluing the plastic connector.

2. You’ll have to either purchase some washers and screws that fit onto the plugs.

3. For extra support, you can use old PC parts to help stretch it out.

The Hack:

1. Get your board – whether that means pulling from the old Akai, or just takin it out of a box.

2. Crack open the MPC, bottom panel only needs to be taken off.

3. Replace the IDE cable on the 8-output board with a longer, standard 34 pin IDE cable. MAKE SURE all the holes are open. A lot of old floppy drive cables have a hole plugged for some annoying reason. The best cable to use is probably the one from the MPC Internal Floppy Drive if you still have it.

4. plug the Ide cable in to the motherboard.
DONE!

Here are a few pics nabbed from a post on this topic over at MPC-Forums.

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I mean what else can you say? It’s about time Jay flexed his muscles and proved his influence in the game.

It’s kind of strange that Kanye who is king autotune these days gets a co-production credit (last I heard) along with No ID. Plus in the song, Lil Wayne doesn’t really get ripped like he deserves to be.

Obviously you’ve got guys like T-Pain who that was his style coming in, but you can’t turn on the radio without every song being auto-tuned. But on the subject of this track…great beat, great message, just hope it works.

Is Jay-Z really leaving Def Jam? Anyone know if the rumors of Jay starting something new with Lyor Cohen are true? I guess so with the cameo and all.

Also, some more good news: Jay’s 11th solo effort, Blueprint 3 is slated for release on September 11th, 2009. I guess that’s some kind of message.

All I can ask for is a couple of Dj Premier tracks, at least some Clark Kent or Buckshot…something. After a few disappointing albums, Jay needs to get back to Blueprint form.

Blueprint 1 – Classic

Blueprint 2 – If it would have been one disc, it would have been a great album

Black Album – Good, but coulda been better

Kingdom Come – Okay

American Gangster – Not a big fan

Blueprint 3 – Classic? If DOA and Brooklyn Go Hard give us an idea of the way Jay is going, then I’m excited about it.

Maybe, just maybe, Jay-Z will be able to bring Hip Hop back.

Oh and is it just me, or does Jay-Z look like Pharoah Monch these days?

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Supreme | Birmingham, AL

If you’re looking for head-nod music, you need to check out Supreme. As soon as you hit play, you can’t help but start moving. Supreme has a very soulful, jazzy style that he pulls off very naturally. His sound is most reminiscent of something like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Q-Tip, or dare I even say J-Dilla, but still the sound is unique. Supreme can give you a mellow out beat or bring in the heavy drums as shown in the snippets above. A mark of a good producer is just that, VERSATILITY, but still keeping your style.

Supreme’s specific blend of hip-hop, jazz, funk and soul is most likely what led to his placements.He has had the pleasure of working with artists such as Raheem Devaughn, Amp Fiddler, and W. Ellington Felton. Those guys are definitely no light-weights in the music industry.

What contributes to the unique sound of Supreme could be his gear. The arsenal consists of a great blend between old school classics and new school conveniences.

• Akai MPC-3000
• Rhodes Elecric Piano
• Proteus PK-6
• Reason
• Tascam 2488
• Adobe Audition

Looking at the quality of Supreme’s track and his success so far in the industry provide further proof that it’s not all about having the latest gear, it’s about working what you’ve got.

You can find Supreme online at:
www.the-eargasm.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/supremebeats
www.myspace.com/supremeonline

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Want to be featured on our site as a featured producer? We’ll be highlighting 2 producers each week exposing you to our growing audience of artists, producers, and industry insiders…and it’s FREE to you.

Just send an e-mail over to beats@beatstatus.com

Be sure to include:

1. 2 or 3 beats attached (128 mp3’s please) – NO MORE THAN 3
2. A good pic (preferably with your gear)
3. A gear list
4. Your location

We’re not biased to any one type, just make sure the music is hot! Unfortunately due to volume of submissions, a response cannot be guaranteed. We will contact you if we’d like to feature you.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Dj Premier is more than a legend to us hip-hop fans, producers, and artists. If there was a movie about the “Golden Age” of Hip-Hop, Primo would definitely be doing the score. His contributions to the game can be seen with every great artist of our time. From Jay-Z’s ‘D’Evils’ and ‘So Ghetto’ to the Illmatic classics, then the Gang Starr stuff, and the list goes on and on.

One thing though, is that some of Premiers best work slipped through the cracks. Whether it was because of an outshining “commercial” single, or a lack of promotion. While the beats may have definitely peaked at a point in the early 2000’s, Premier stays relevant today as evidenced in the list below as well as with the new Ludacris – MVP track.

Even some tracks with great artists just never really got the shine they deserved. Now we change that!

NOTE: To all the hardcore Primo fans (like myself) these tracks won’t be new to you, but there may be a few gems you completely forgot about.

1. Ras Kass – Goldyn Child

2. Jaz-O – The Love is Gone

3. Royce da 5′9″ – BOOM!

4. Brand Nubian – The Return

5. CNN – Invincible

6. Rakim – Waiting for the World to End

7. Fat Joe – That White

8. All City – The Actual

9. Sauce Money – Against The Grain

10. Group Home – The Legacy

11. Craig G – Ready, Set, Begin

12. Big L – Intro (The Big Picture)

Get a copy of Dj Premier – Slept On Classics Vol 1 for your iTunes

DOWNLOAD

Look out for part 2 coming soon! Any suggestions? Drop them in the comments!

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An oldie but a goodie, circa 2006. This is just a real dope collab track. One of those “just go get em” tracks. No hook, just hot rhyming the whole way through.

Kicked off by the legendary Killah Priest. It’s actually from a Sav Killz project, featuring Da Evangillest and more. Produced by the Hundred Proof Music collective.

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Freeway f/ Hezekiah – As I’ve Ever Been

Produced by the World Famous ODDISEE!!

Even as a philly dude, Freeway hasn’t really impressed me since his first couple of singles, but I must say, this thing is crazy. I think it’s just the compliment of a REALLY REALLY HOT beat and Hezekiah doing his thing on it that makes it great. Freeway is the kind of guy that needs help. He’s good, but not a Nas, not a Ludacris, he can’t really carry it all himself, at least not to me.

This is one of those bangers that you hear and think “Where the f**k did that come from?” It’s that hot.

Want to download it? Go over to Oddisee’s blog for the link.

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In the market for a second hand MPC? Chances are if you’re an MPC user, or if you’re on this site, you’re always on the lookout for new gear. Check out these 10 options that you might not be aware of. The world doesn’t revolve around eBay, and chances are you’ll get a better deal at one of these sites

1. Future Producers Forum

A very large array of individual users selling/trading their gear. You’ll find a lot of the usual low-end gear, and you can also find some MPC’s pretty easily.

2. MusicGoRound

A long-time favorite where I’ve found gems for years. Picked up my Digi 001 from there about 5 years ago for $125, back when the 001 was worth more than that. Pretty much anything you could ever want they’ll have for you. If you’re looking for any of the Recession Gear pieces, you’ll find them here or you’ll find them nowhere.

3. Daddys Junky Music

Daddy’s used to be a pick-up only chain in the Northeast but a little while back they started doing mail order like every other online retailer. Thank god for that one! Now you can find amazing deals that are updated daily. They usually have a ton of MPC’s at any given time…hopefully this post doesn’t stop that.

4. UGHH Producer Board

One of the longest standing Producer communities on the web. I’ve been a member for about 10 years now (for real, since 1999) and it’s a very cool and trustworthy group. Not always a lot for sale, but if you put up a request, you can usually get it. I found my MPC-60 through UGHH and I sold my MPC-4000 through UGHH

5. Guitar Center Used Gear

So when you think Guitar Center, deal doesn’t usually pop in your head. But there are some deals to be found in their Used Gear. I once walked out with an MPC-60 and an ASR-10 for $850 from a local Guitar Center. Best bet is to call the store and make an offer.

6. Craigslist via SearchTempest.com

Craigslist is nothing new, it’s a classic medium for finding gear. If you’re selling, watch out for the lowballers! If you’re the adventurous type, try SearchTempest. You can search every craigslist site at once. You’d be amazed at what people in Kalamazoo are selling, and most people will ship if you PayPal it.

7. Kijiji

Not as popular as the classified monster craigslist, but still gets a decent amount of listings, especially if you’re in a big city. Just check it out, it can’t hurt.

8. Rogue Music

Last but not least. One of the all-time greatest music stores. I purchased so much from these guys over the years and everything was great. Can’t say enough about them. Good prices, great products. I’ll always have love for Rogue since they were where I got my SP-12 Turbo for $350 back in the day. Now they have one for $750 w a drive…oh how I wish I had $750 to pay for that right about now..

That’s it for now, get searching! And when you need any accessories or customization, be sure to visit the store!

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