A Suitcase Full Of Vinyl: The Frank Dukes Interview

I heard a rumor once… Some may even call it a legend.    It revolved around a producer from Toronto named Frank Dukes.  As the story goes, Dukes landed in New York City with only his MPC, $20 and a suitcase full of vinyl.  Since then, Dukes has managed to work with 50 Cent, Drake,  Ghostface Killah, Joel Ortiz, Kool G Rap, and many more MC’s.

After some searching, I finally tracked down Dukes.  We discussed many things; beat making, 2 tracking, pan handling…  and I found out how true some legends can be.

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Be A Better Producer Turns 100!

Hey everybody…  This is the 100th post on Be A Better Producer.  Technically it’s the 704th, counting sample matrix and BABPTV.  But as far as the real deal blog posts go… number 100!

I figured I should waste it on some type of commemorative deal.   Just wanted to say thanks to all of those who have supported this site thus far.  As I say every time someone tells me they like my blog, “it will only get better”.  I really mean that from the bottom of my heart & soul.  So please stick around for that.

Here are a few fun facts about BABP…

  • Our first post was Feb 21, 2009.
  • 34,586 people from all over the globe have have visited our site so far, spanning 165 countries!  I see you Tunisia…  Douz!
  • If you search for “G Unit Logo” in Google images.  Our picture from this post comes up first!  AWESOME!

Thanks For Visiting!

Jim & The Be A Better Producer Team

New Video Section! 300 videos and counting…!

If you haven’t noticed (some of you have), we have been working hard behind the scenes on our new video section.  We recently hit the glorious 300 video mark, so we decided it’s time launch it officially!

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Kanye West 2002 Studio Footage…

Came across these Kanye West & Rhymefest videos today.  Pretty interesting to see a pre 24/7 barber on call & pre Hollywood Kanye in his old New Jersey  studio.  Some demo tracks are played including a slightly different early version of Jesus Walks.  Also includes a quick run through of Ye’s dvd collection.

PS @Channelzerotv… There are other less annoying ways to stop people from stealing your videos without giving you credit…

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Producers, Be More Like Frank Dukes… MC’s, Be More Like Ghostface…

I had an email conversation with someone yesterday.  The guy was complaining about how one of the latest FREE music submission posts I put up was dead.  It really reminded me of how motherfu@$ing lazy the internet is making a lot of producer/beatmakers.  Then I came across a couple videos today…

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Submit Your Beats To Juelz Santana…

Here is a nice fresh one for everybody…  Juelz Santana put out another call for beats a couple days ago…

A! Send the beats to BEATS4JUELZ@GMAIL.com once agine only that FIREEE!!!!! SEND BEATs NOW Whooooaaaa

http://twitter.com/thejuelzsantana/status/19856859390

Make sure you only send that FIREEE!!!!!

Submit Your Music For FREE!

Submit Your Beats To Juelz Santana…

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Here is a nice fresh one for everybody…  Juelz Santana put out another call for beats a couple …

Send your beats to Rick Ross…

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Rick Ross put a call out for beats.  So get your best maybach music together and send him …

Submit beats to Nicki Minaj…

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It seems that the lovely Nicki Minaj is looking for beats.  She has posted up on her twitter …

Send Your Beats To Diggy Simmons…

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Diggy Simmons posted this email on his twitter a while back.  Please no cursing in your beats… http://twitter.com/diggy_simmons/status/10924744274

Submit Your Beats To Young Buck…

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This is an older update and I haven’t seen any recent mentions of this email so I don’t …

Send Beats To Styles P…

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As any other MC does, Styles P needs beats. He has posted this email numerous times, so I’m …

Submit Music To G-Unit For Free…

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Dre McKenzie, head A&R over at G-Unit records, has put out an official open call to all producers, …

Send Beats To Busta Rhymes…

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The legendary Bussa Buss aka Busta Rhymes posted up on his twitter a while back looking for beats.  …

Bow Wow Wants Your Beats…

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According to the official Bow Wow twitter page, “Rapper/Actor”  Bow Wow wants some tracks.  Bow Wow sez… FOR …

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Favorite Posts

Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff Break Down Music Business For New Producers

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Might as well keep it Philly for a while… Here is a great video of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff aka the legendary “Gamble & Huff” breaking down why it’s …

How To Build Your Own Website From Start To Finish: Step 1

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The idea of building your own website can be intimidating. You assume that you need some sort of computer programming powers. You don’t…at all.

The Pros & Cons Of Tagging Your Music.

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The last few weeks I’ve come across a few discussions online about whether or not you should tag your music when shopping it.  So I figured I’d throw in my …

Stories From The Music Industry Trenches – Chapter II: Networking to “Bright Lights Big City”

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A bunch of people have been asking me how I placed the “Bright Lights Big City” track with Jim Jones. It was pretty easy actually. I Didn’t need a grand scheme or plan (which has worked for me before). I’ll try to make this sound as interesting as possible… but its really not. This is a straight forward example of how real networking pays off.

E-Digging 101… Soulseek Tips & Tricks

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Soulseek (A peer to peer file sharing program) may very well be the greatest thing in the world for hip hop samples. Here are some tips for power usage on Soulseek…

Stories From The Music Industry Trenches… Chapter I – Small World

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“Stories From The Industry Trenches” aims to give valuable insight into the music industry through the telling of true stories… Chapter I – Small World Five years ago, I was …

Track Anatomy “What’s Going On”: Happy Birthday to Marvin Gaye, R.I.P.!!!!!!

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If he were still physically alive, Marvin Gaye would have turned 70 years old today… R.I.P. Marvin… Here is some info on the creation of one of his many classic tracks “What’s Going On”…

Music “Industry” Horror Stories… “A Percentage Of Nothing”

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This is a gmail conversation I had with a fellow producer a while ago.  This is probably the craziest and most blatant industry rip off scheme I have heard of.  …

Track Anatomy – The O’Jays “Ship Ahoy” (Strings & Horns)

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