Tag: lyrics

  • Just Because Eminem Was Freestyling, Doesn’t Mean It Wasn’t Musical

    Just Because Eminem Was Freestyling, Doesn’t Mean It Wasn’t Musical

    Tons of hip-hop artists have come out against the actions of Donald Trump in recent months, and many have even included stings in their verses. Eminem’s turn at the wheel came earlier this week in a Detroit, garage-set freestyle that aired on television during the BET Awards. And he showed, undeniably, that even when he’s winging…

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  • Annabel (lee) on Collaborating from Afar and How Lyrics Shine through Sparseness

    Annabel (lee) on Collaborating from Afar and How Lyrics Shine through Sparseness

    Welcome back to Soundfly’s weekly interview series, Incorrect Music, curated by guitarist, singer, and composer Lora-Faye Åshuvud (of the band Arthur Moon). In this series, we present intimate conversations with artists who are striving to push the boundaries of their process and craft. Richard and Sheila Ellis began their collaboration with files sent back and forth between…

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  • Antiquated Telephone Songs that Millennials Just Won’t Understand

    Antiquated Telephone Songs that Millennials Just Won’t Understand

    As a songwriter, you’re responsible for transmitting the world as you see and understand it to your listeners. Songs have this incredible power to distill moments in time, experienced or imagined by a single person, and communicate them to a global audience. So when technologies that have permeated popular culture move forward and change, those…

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  • 5 Fierce Creative Femmes With Swagger That Empowers

    5 Fierce Creative Femmes With Swagger That Empowers

    By Jhoni Jackson Identifying as femme is a revolt against the patriarchy in itself; it is an inherently political act. The prevailing cisgender white heteronormative world in which we’re all prisoners tells us that femininity equals weakness, that no matter your gender, femininity as a quality means you’re less than. Even within the LGBTQIA community…

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  • The Musical and Sociopolitical Evolution of Kanye’s Use of Soul Music Samples

    The Musical and Sociopolitical Evolution of Kanye’s Use of Soul Music Samples

    + Learn the nuances of producing beats, arranging tracks, and creative sampling, drawing on the rich history and influence of hip-hop in Soundfly’s acclaimed online course, The Art of Hip-Hop Production.  Between the old-school sound of his debut album, College Dropout, in 2004 and the ultra-synthesized feel of his most recent album, 2016’s The Life Of Pablo, there…

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  • Album Histories Monthly: New York Dolls – ‘New York Dolls’

    Album Histories Monthly: New York Dolls – ‘New York Dolls’

    New York Dolls – New York Dolls Release Date: July 27, 1973 “The New York Dolls are the new Rolling Stones.” –The Village Voice, 1972 On November 6, 1972, after the New York Dolls played a sold-out show with Faces at Wembley Stadium, drummer and songwriter Billy Murcia “succumbed to what is usually referred to as…

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  • How to Make a Music Supervisor Happy: Be Prepared with Instrumentals & Alt Mixes

    How to Make a Music Supervisor Happy: Be Prepared with Instrumentals & Alt Mixes

    Scoring that lucrative sync license is the goal of many artists today. Make sure you’re prepared with the proper tracks when the opportunity strikes.

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  • 8 Incredible Songs of the Sea to Celebrate the International Day of the Seafarer

    8 Incredible Songs of the Sea to Celebrate the International Day of the Seafarer

    By Daniel Merrill It’s June 23, and that means this weekend, we celebrate the International Day of the Seafarer! I know what you’re thinking… how on Earth did I forget (again)!? Well, I’ll cut you some slack; it’s easy to let it slip when the other major seafarer’s holiday, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, just around…

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  • Paranoia in the Key of P: “Mac 10 Handle” — Prodigy’s Anxious Classic

    Paranoia in the Key of P: “Mac 10 Handle” — Prodigy’s Anxious Classic

    + Learn the nuances of producing beats, arranging tracks, and creative sampling, drawing on the rich history and influence of hip-hop in Soundfly’s acclaimed online course, The Art of Hip-Hop Production.  By David Abravanel Mobb Deep built their reputation on heart-pounding stress raps. Whether it was their breakthrough single “Shook Ones Part II” or tracks where even…

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  • How to Make an Instrumental Track Shine with Vocal Samples

    How to Make an Instrumental Track Shine with Vocal Samples

    + Bridge the worlds of theory, improvisation, and jazzy hip-hop, and improve your piano chops with Grammy-winner Kiefer in his course, Kiefer: Keys, Chords, & Beats. Tons of producers making instrumental electronic music today scour YouTube and other online forums to find “vocal samples” to add to their tracks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve googled…

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Ryan Lott: Designing Sample-Based Instruments