take on Just Blaze's december fourth

[benjammin]

Sampled the same song, That's How Long by the Chi-Lites...anyways, this is what i came up with...
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/song...songID=3138281
please give me some feedback

[gullyjewelz]

the beginning is hot!!!

i kinda like the track -- although the base line seems a little uninspiring . . . those horns are "right" though -- hype and motivating

i like the drum pattern. the "guitar" sound [or whatever that instrument is] is also movin . . .

i think the bass line needs more jazzyness to it

[crunkthanamug]

I think anytime youre gonna try to sample the same song someone else did --(and THEY were quite successful...) You HAVE to do it BETTER than they did hands down. I agree with Gully about the bassline needing work, but no matter how you change that...December 4th still shits all over it. Just keeping it REAL.

[NickSpringfield]

I'm diggin it. At first I agreed about the bassline, but after a few listens, it kinda works. It's completely different than Just Blaze's version with a whole new style added. It'd make a nice mixtape cut for some industry cat to spit over.

I really don't have anything bad to say about it. I'm not comparing it to Blaze's version at all so as a stand alone track, it's good.

-Springfield

[gullyjewelz]

actually i dont recall ever hearing the just blaze version -- i was only droppin comments as the song sounded -- my only problem was that the horn section was so nice--it had style and pizazz--the way it "bounced" back n forth between notes -- n the bassline was just . . very laid back . . . slowly transitioning from one note to the next . . . i would like both sections to have that "edginess" to them--

i really dont care what just blaze did wit it!!! (lol)

[crunkthanamug]

OK -- for those of us who may not know... The beat Just Blaze did (Dec 4th) is on Jay Z's Black Album. When I read the title of this thread, it led me to believe the author was trying to out-produce Just Blaze with this sample. Thats why I made the comparison. I mean it'd been different if JB slacked off, but he didnt...he KILLED it! I dont even know WHY youre tryna to do this. Whats next??? Are you gonna redo the lenny williams sample from overnight celebrity? Realistically, I would just move on to a sample no one has blown up yet -- and FLIP it sumthin serious. IMO, no SERIOUS artist on the come-up would even want to be on a beat like that -- There's no place for it to go.

[benjammin]

to the last poster: i guess i can see what your saying, but i never said I was trying outdo Just Blaze...i just liked the sample, and wanted to see if i could make anything decent out of it. Mind you I'm fifteen, do not consider myself a producer yet, and the only equipment i have is ableton live(a ddecent program, but im guessing Just Blaze has more). Also...just look at the sample, the song is called That's How Long by the Chi-Lites...Blaze just copied and pasted whole phrases from the song, didnt do ytoo much chopping. Again, it wasnt me trying to outdo him. It was MY take of the sample.

To all of the others who actually gave soem constructive criticism, thanks alot. The bassline could use some work, i just did the whole beat in like half an hour and didnt feel like making anything other than this loop. Im getting midi keyboard controller soon though, so hopefully basslines will be easier for then.

[NickSpringfield]

I say just do what you do. I go back and find samples that have blown up and try to mimmick them sometimes or just try to flip it in another direction (such as you) all the time. It's fun and I always learn something new. I see nothing wrong with messing with a sample that's been used already.

Yeah, and I agree that Just Blaze didn't do much with the sample on his version. It was a tight prase to begin with... he just introduced it to another audience.

Keep doing your thing...

-Springfield

[crunkthanamug]

Originally Posted by benjammin

Sampled the same song, That's How Long by the Chi-Lites...anyways, this is what i came up with...
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/song...songID=3138281
please give me some feedback

Look, youre making me out to be the bad guy, and that not even the case. This quote is all you gave us to work with (it aint say nothin about you being 15 with no equipment). What i gathered from it was REASONABLE. And when Im HONESTLY giving you what you asked for, Im not being constructive??? You dont have a keyboard to do anything interesting as far as composition, so what kind of feedback do you REALLY expect? I know youre a beginner -- We all gotta start somewhere... But the people who are sugar-coating just trying not to hurt your feelings are really doing you a dis-service by not telling you what's what. If youre serious about being in the industry you need to be more comfortable accepting negative feedback, because EVERYONE will get more than their fair share of it by the labels/radio/and listeners.

[benjammin]

i know i know... i was gonna come back later and say somethin cus i realized i was sorta bein a biznatch. anyways, i saw some of you other posts and you do really are helpful, i just wasnt takign in what you were saying as advice...and i can see what you're saying about sampling already sampled stuff. I just want it out there that I wasnt attempting to outdo Blaze, nor will I be trying to do that in the near future. Hip hop should be a community, not a competition.

[crunkthanamug]

Yo, just keep puttin in that work. Youre only 15...I was 21 when I REALLY got into this, so youve got quite a head start. And BTW there is nothing wrong with TRYING to outproduce someone...I do that all the time (that helps you get better) I was just tryna say that you didnt succeed THIS time (I know you cleared it up that you really werent trying to) But you might next time, so keep up the effort. Good Luck!