Everybody wants to be on a Young Money album. Yeah, I hear the naysayers hating on Weezy, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, but honestly, if you're trying to learn how to make beats, who would be a better team to submit your tracks to? Any responses? There is no denying that the YMCMB movement is a cash cow, and they are dominating the airwaves and video stations as well.

So if you want to learn how to make beats, and you want to become good at it so that you can align yourself with a major team like YMCMB, or any crew that is on a major level right now, I would like to outline the process of how to make a beat, and also what it will take to master your craft. Do these things and the Benzes will soon follow...

You're gonna need a production setup

Laptop computer, beat making software, headphones and a 25 key MIDI keyboard will get you done. Don't worry too tough about the specifics, the main things that you need to look out for here deal with compatibility issues:

• Is your MIDI keyboard compatible with your laptop (Mac or PC)
• Is your choice of software compatible with your laptop (Mac or PC)

This is important, because there are some applications that are specific to one computer operating system, like Logic Studio for Mac, or Sonar for the PC. Then you have some programs like Reason, which work with both platforms. Find some headphones and an USB MIDI keyboard on Amazon for the low, and you'll be set.

You're Going To Need To Learn Some Keys

Believe it or not, those chords and melodies ain't gonna just pop out at you, you're going to need to put some rub in behind it....

And that means you're going to have to study a lil music theory, and learn some chord progressions and melodies. This ain't hard to do at all; too many people tend to put the cart before the horse here. Do you know what an II-V-I progression is? What about a VI-II-VI-I progression? These are only two of the most common progressions in popular music, which can be transferred to any key that you choose to write your music in. The topic is wayyyy to broad to write about here, but I can recommend to you Mark Harrison's book entitled "All About Music Theory". If you're new to music theory, but you want to learn how to make beats, that book will get you right.

Listen to Music All Day, Everyday

Combining this with some practice and your music theory knowledge will have you on that level, submitting beats for major placements left and right in no time. By listening to music all day, (which I'm sure you do anyway) you will gain an inept 6th sense for beats and melodies, and you'll get ideas and be inspired along the way. Don't just listen though, STUDY what is going on with what you are hearing. Take not of which instruments sound good with others, drum patterns, arrangements, all that. And then take those key points and transfer them to your own beats. You will win this way!

If you stick to the script, you will be well on your way to topping charts and getting it in with the best of them. But do not take my word for it, make a beat everyday and see where it gets you! You'll be glad that you did...You just might write with Drake after all. The sky's the limit. Better Beats Ahead.