In Hip-Hop, and generally in pop culture, you’ll see many mainstream producers distance themselves from the title “beat maker” inferring that one requires more skill than the other. And while that can be true, we’ve gotta give proper respect to both producers and beatmakers because each of them is important to the culture, and in many respects, they share the same job. But for as many ways as producers and beatmakers are alike, there are a ton of differences that should be properly explained.
A key difference in the two terms is that beat makers are usually the individual(s) who sat behind the keyboard/drum machine etc. making the beat whilst producers jobs are broader and directional in their capacity. A beatmakers job stops at creating the beat and typically they have little to no say in the process of making of a RECORD, and in some cases, beatmakers prefer not to have artists rapping or singing over their music. Their passions lie in making the loops/sounds/vibes that are so infectious you can’t help but groove but the buck stops there. At their core, beatmakers are instrumentalists — while they’re open to working with recording artists, they’re just as fine with releasing a beat tape and doing a DJ set. And moreover, they’ve mastered the art of making the beat, just like producers.
Another noticeable distinction between the two is that record producers, on the other hand, are tasked with crafting finished records. They typically are in the studio with a recording artist guiding the direction of the record/project, using their discretion to call in the right musicians to work on a song, and also adding or subtracting elements of a record that the beatmaker didn’t hear when they initially made the beat. It’s the producer’s job to know how to bring the best out of the artist, the session musicians, and the engineering staff in an effort to make the recording possible.
While it’s possible that the producer is also a beatmaker, history has shown us that many of the world’s best producers didn’t play a single instrument on their most iconic works. Puffy didn’t make any of Biggie’s beats, and Quincy, who is an extremely accomplished musician, wasn’t the main keyboardist on Michael Jackson’s Thriller; Regardless, what makes these two individuals producers are the intangibles that they bring to the project they are working on. Producers don’t necessarily have to sit down and make the music, to make the music (if that makes sense).
In the future, rather than down the next musician for only being a “beatmaker” or not understanding what it means to be a “producer” let’s recognize that each person or group is integral to the process of creating the work that we love. And while the two terms are used interchangeably we’d do well to know their differences. For the beatmakers out there, we salute you and admire your ability to make those insane beats. And for the producers, we appreciate you helping to create the records we that act as the soundtracks to our lives.
So you guys should make some beats tonight because we’re gonna do the same…
Drum Machine Addicts
