This example shows that everyone has a different idea of what is hot. The other thing to consider is; most people who are new to the game are so excited to hear their voice coming out of the same CD player as the “big boys” they hear on the radio, that it just sounds hot to them. This may even be the case with you (when you first started). Have you ever listened to your old recordings and wondered, “what on earth was I thinking?”

It’s a natural thing for this to happen. It is extremely important to get the opinions of other people. So what do most artists do? They show their friends and family. Ask yourself this question: If you made a recording that was just straight up garbage, do you think mom and dad would kill their son or daughter’s dreams by telling the truth? If your answer was yes, consider yourself a lucky person, because most people think that their music is hot because they are being lied to. Even though you may have friends that will be honest, and they may honestly think the song is hot, sometimes they are so excited to see and hear their friend on the CD player, that they only hear hotness, and nothing is wrong with having friends that are excited about your music.

You need honest, un-biased opinions. When someone in the industry tells you it’s hot, you better believe that it’s hot. When someone you don’t even know tells you that you’re the stuff, then you’re the stuff. When I first started producing Hip-Hop and R&B, I thought I had that fire! All of my friends and family told me that I was so talented and that I should be a signed in-house producer for a major label in no time. So I kept doing what I was doing. One day, I was presented with an opportunity to present some of my work to a few major record label execs. I gathered up my best material, and had my friends pick what were their favorite tracks. Some of them even went with me to the presentation, and they were all shocked when I walked out with no deal. I did manage to get some contacts, and a couple of the execs did say that I had a talent, but it was not exactly what they were looking for at the time. So while I was caught off-guard, I was not disappointed because they said that I had talent. Keep in mind that I was only 16 years old, and had just gotten into hip-hop and r&b. Before that I was strictly into jazz and gospel.

I told you that story to show the difference between the opinions of close loved ones, versus the opinions of people actually in the industry. That day changed the way I produced my tracks. It made me step my game up dramatically, and quickly. It was those cold, hard opinions that have allowed me to get where I am today.

The key issue that I am dealing with in this section is listening to today’s music. In the story above, I said that some of the industry execs said, “You have a lot of talent, and a great career ahead of you, but it’s not what we’re looking for right now .” This shows that it is important to know what is going on with music Right Now . What is the sound that is out Right Now ? What is hot Today ?

This is how you avoid what I call the Friendly Gesture Opinion Syndrome (when friends and family give you more credit than you should get at the time). You must listen to today’s music !   Remember earlier when I said people have different opinions on what is hot and what is not? Well, there is one thing that you can rely on for an honest answer, and that is the radio, and the BET or MTV Music Video Countdown. That is not only the industry opinion of what is hot, but also the people who are buying the records. Their opinion is what really counts.

It is important to listen to HITS! Learn the formula to all of the hits that are making the charts and making the sells. Listen to albums that are going Platinum and Diamond , that is if it’s you’re goal to do the same. If you just want to sell a few copies and stay broke, then listen to the album “fillers.” But if you’re reading this book, it’s because you want to make a hot song, so you must listen to hot songs. What you listen to is what you make. If you listen to south music, your going to make south music. If you listen to West Coast, you’re going to make West Coast. If you listen to all of it, you’ll have the ability to reproduce the feel of all types of music. Listen to Hot Music, you’ll make Hot Music. Listen to #1 Singles, you’re going to make #1 Singles. Listen to album fillers, and you’re going to make……you guessed it, say it with me…..album fillers.

That, my friends, is why you must listen to what is hot in today’s music. Learn the formula of what makes a song hot. Ask yourself these questions when you hear a number 1 song on the radio or see a number 1 video. Why is it #1 on the radio/video countdown? What type of subjects are they talking about? What type of style is at the top right now? What type of image is being portrayed, that fits my personality ? What type of flow/voice is being used? Are they using double tracks and ad-libs? (We will discuss this later on)

When you ask yourself these questions, you will start to break apart and understand the formula for not only making a hot song, but making a HIT! Hits, ladies and gentlemen, are what go platinum and get you the nice cars and ice and cribs, not album fillers.

Take the formula, add your personality to it, and apply it! I realize that there are some who want to stay underground, which is completely ok. But check this out: You probably have heard of Twista by now, a multi-platinum selling rap artist known all over, and considered fastest rapper in the world. What most people outside of Chicago don’t know is that Twista has been around for a very, very long time. Years ago, before he blew up and became known the way he is today, he was a well known rapper in Chicago, on the underground. Everyone thought, “Why hasn’t Twista made it big by now?”

Many people asked me, “Since you’re the big time producer, maybe you can answer why Twista hasn’t made it big yet.” My reply was always, “If he would stop talking about the same underground stuff all the time, and just be a little bit more commercial with it, he’ll probably have the number one song or album in the country.” I wasn’t taking anything away from the underground. I was just saying that mainstream America buys records, while underground America burns CDs. That’s why a person can go platinum on the underground, and still not have a whole lot of money.

When I said this to people, they said “Naw man! He can’t do that ’cause nobody would respect him anymore!” I said, “Sure they will! Even if they don’t, he’ll have so much money, cribs, and cars, I’m sure he’ll be O.K.” They still didn’t believe me. Well, years later, and ’til this day, look what happened. He went commercial with his rap, went platinum, and had the number 1 song in the country just like I predicted. And guess what else, everyone still respects him.

Let’s be real here. The music game is about money. Yes of course people do it because they love it! But what do you see in the videos? What do artists talk about in their songs? Money, Cars, Cribs, Women. Think about it. 50 Cent may have been directing “Window Shopper” to his enemy, but when you think about it, that song describes you doesn’t it? Twista did what he had to do to get in the game right, get his notoriety, and get his money, just like R. Kelly and Jay-Z said, “Get This Money.”

You can’t just come into the Hip-Hop or R&B Music Game and try to change it right away. You have to get in the game, make it to the top, then change the trend! You have to get in with the trend that is going on right now. I’m not saying don’t have your own style or trend. I’m saying that you have to incorporate what’s selling today into your own style. We will talk more about this in another chapter, but I want to prepare you and get you to open your mind and see things the way the industry execs see them. This will help you in recording the hit song that will get you noticed by the industry, and build your fan base quickly. Before you know it, you will have sold tons of records without being signed! Which means you will have power when it comes time to sign a record deal. Power my friends, is a very good thing to have in this business. It will help you keep from getting taken advantage of.

Sometimes, an artist will try to fit too many words into one line, and try their best to make it fit. It is important to have an understanding on how to assemble phrases that fit into the section that you are writing. It comes in handy to have a large vocabulary of words, because you can find synonyms and antonyms that can be shorter or longer and can help you fit words better into your bars. We will discuss vocabulary and writing later.

The best recommendation that I have for improving your timing is to purchase a metronome. A metronome is a tool that produces an audible tick sound, and you can adjust it and make it produce the sound at different tempos. You should practice rapping and singing with this ticking sound. Put together a couple of phrases, some regular, and a few tongue twisters, and practice them at different tempos. Work on being as clear and non-slurred as possible. Over time, and not a long time, your timing will begin to develop and become better and better.

Pronunciation is a key element in both Hip-Hop and R&B. Have you ever listened to a song and wondered, “What is he/she saying?” Sometimes, when an artist tries to fit more words than comfortable in a phrase, he/she kind of twists and slurs words, and forces them to fit. Sometimes there are too many words, but sometimes, the words are fine, their mouth is just not used to forming the words quick enough to make them fit. Practice with a metronome will help you to develop these muscles in your mouth, which will help you to pronounce clearly and quickly.

The metronome technique is a technique that musicians have been using for years. Drummers, guitar players, keyboard players, even Music Producers (beat makers) use the metronome. If it can help musicians develop their timing for playing an instrument, then it will definitely work for rappers and singers. Remember, your voice is an instrument too. You have to train it, develop it, and practice it just like any other instrument.