Making rap beats is absolutely, positively about keeping it fresh, innovative and fly at all times, from the style of your productions, to the swag that you carry as a music producer. Keeping your swag on 100 and making rap beats that are super hard goes hand in hand.

On today, Rick Ross, aka Rozay the Boss (Umph!) dropped his latest mixtape entitled “Rich Forever.” Now if the title of this mixtape is not the embodiment of what we know as keeping your swag on 100, I don't know what else it could be? Think about it, Rich Forever? Isn't that what we all wanna be?

Well, I said that to say that this type of simple innovation within your creations is something that you should consider when making rap beats, you don't have to be all complex; just think simple, but fresh and fly. You'll always win that way. Now, on to the production tips:

• Collect Film Soundtrack Theme Music For Sampling

Film Soundtracks tend to have the dopest samples! All kinds of symphonic orchestrations with string sections and brass arrangements, as well as famous quotes are all generally included in soundtracks. Those score writers know what they are doing, they know how to exhibit all kinds of emotions for those movie scenes don't they? Take a clue and sample some of their work. If you wanna start making rap beats that are cinematic, then this is how you do it. Add some dope drum arrangements to your sample and you have a hot record. Done. Boom. Just make sure you always remember what you sampled and give proper credit. They will burn you if you don't! I warned ya.

• Use High Quality Samples in Your Productions

Your beats are only as good as the sounds you use, take this point into extreme consideration when making rap beats. You will want a software beat maker that has the dope sounds that you need included, and also makes those sounds accessible to you with ease. Get ready, cause I hear the hits coming.

• Create Your Beats, Bit By Bit

Doing it this way sometimes allows you to focus on your beat section by section, instead of trying to complete and envision the entire thing. Start with a stripped down but fire intro, and build your instrumentation from there. Then, strip it down again for the second verse, and take away an element from the first chorus but add an alternate drum pattern for the second chorus. This keeps your track moving and in motion, and it keeps your listeners attention. Employ this technique while making rap beats, and I guarantee you'll see results.

• Give Effects a Good Try, Compression, Distortion

When shaping sounds, I don't like to use the stock sounds that are included with the program standalone, I like to add some effects such as reverb and a bit of distortion to most of all my sounds. Add a generous amount, and then scale the amount of the added effect back a bit until you get a sound that's really dope. Experiment when making rap beats. You'll win.

• Don't Push Yourself to Extreme Limits

This is beat making, music production, not the X games! Listen to your body, and do what it tells you to do. If your tired, sleepy, or hungry, or horny even, take a break and handle that! Spend some time with your family and friends. Don't go neglecting your other life because of your passion for beat making; if you do this it will make you a much more balanced, in tune music producer. Making rap beats is all about keeping it 100, and you want to do this in all aspects of your life. I'm in your corner, I'm rooting for ya... Better Beats Ahead.