Our friends (and former officemates) at Skillshare debuted this inspiring video today. Check it out!
Excited about this! Check out our former office mates and current office neighbors Skillshare. Family Records is the first ever company to integrate personal development through Skillshare education into their benefits package.
Hip Hop Beat Appreciation 101 (General History)
Now this is quite different from Family Records’ music output, but I thought I’d share for those with varied taste!
I’m excited to announce that I am teaching my first @Skillshare class, “Hip Hop Beat Appreciation 101”, together with my buddy Paul Cantor who has written for XXL, Complex, Vibe and Scratch Magazine, and produced for members of the Wu Tang Clan and more. Only 15 tickets, $15! Grab them now. More here. - Wesley
Hip Hop Beat Appreciation 101 (General History)
From two turntables and a microphone in the 70s to chart-topping hits made on Garageband in the present, Hip Hop Beat Appreciation 101 will take you on a journey through the history of hip-hop beatmaking. It will explore how the funk and disco of the late 70s informed Whodini and the Run DMC-era of the 80s. How drum machines lead to boom bap and the domination of jazz music in hip-hop. How Dr. Dre brought the synthesizer back to rap and how Swizz Beatz and Timbaland expounded on it. How Diddy created the middle ground between high and low art in sampling and how the South used the sounds of an antiquated drum machine— the Roland TR-808— to change the entire sonic landscape of hip-hop. Finally, we’ll explore how hip-hop’s beat making evolution influences popular music today.
The class will feature the breakdown of select records from prominent eras in hip-hop production as well as a demonstration in recreating these tracks. By breaking down the music to its core elements, we aim to show the science behind creating hip-hop and how it has evolved. More info and tickets here.
Mike of our new office mates Skillshare hard at work, or maybe taking a break to analyze his fantasy football team that might tie with the Family Records in our last pre-play-off week!
