This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on Boom Bap Hip Hop

• Part 1: Origins and History (you are here)
• Part 2: Sample Sources and Digging Culture
• Part 3: Modern Production Techniques

The Birth of a Sound: Understanding Boom Bap’s Origins

The term “boom bap” originated in 1984 when it was used by T La Rock to describe the beat of the kick drum and the snare in the song “It’s Yours.”

This groundbreaking track was recorded at Power Play Studios in Queens for $45 per hour (totaling approximately $135 for the three-hour session), with Rick Rubin borrowing $5,000 from his parents for the overall production budget while he was a student at NYU.

The track became the first release on Def Jam Recordings (catalog number DJ001). T La Rock spoke in an off-script fashion, using the words “boom bap” to mimic the sound of the rhythm. This was the first recorded expression of boom bap.

Pay particular attention to the ad-lib section at the end where T La Rock vocalizes “boom bap” to describe the drum pattern.

Boom bap is a subgenre of hip-hop and music production style that was prominent in East Coast hip hop during the golden age of hip-hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.

The term “boom bap” serves as an onomatopoeia - “boom” representing the bass (kick) drum sound and “bap” representing the snare drum hit.

Defining the Sound: Technical Characteristics of Boom Bap

Core Rhythmic Structure

The style is usually recognized by a main drum loop that uses a hard-hitting, acoustic bass drum sample on the downbeats, a snappy acoustic snare drum sample on the upbeats, and an “in your face” audio mix emphasizing the drum loop, and the kick-snare combination in particular.

The typical boom bap beat follows a straightforward pattern:

• Kick drum: Hits on beats 1 and 3 (the “boom”)
• Snare drum: Hits on beats 2 and 4 (the “bap”)
• Hi-hats: Often provides rhythmic variation between the main hits
• Tempo: Typically ranges from 85-95 BPM, creating that head-nodding groove perfect for intricate wordplay and storytelling.

Production Elements

The timbre is brought about by “the emphasized low end of the kick drum and the presence of the hard-hitting snare drum”. Additional characteristics include:

• “Tight drum-instrumental syncopation”, “re-arranged phrases or rhythms”, and “percussive programming of instrumental phrases”.
• Minimal melodic elements, allowing the rhythm and vocals to dominate
• Heavy use of vinyl sampling for texture and atmosphere
• Characteristic “dusty” or “grimy” sound from analog processing

The Pioneers: Early Boom Bap Records and Productions

1986-1987: The Foundation Years

After T La Rock’s pioneering use of the term, several key releases established boom bap as a distinct style:

Eric B. & Rakim - “Eric B. Is President” (1986) The duo recorded the album at hip hop producer Marley Marl’s home studio and Power Play Studios in New York City. This track, along with their debut album “Paid in Full” (1987), revolutionized hip hop production. Eric B. later told AllHipHop, “I took the records to Marley Marl’s house in Queensbridge and paid Marley Marl to be the engineer.” Eric and Marley created a technique where they chopped samples into one note segments that were then programmed to a specific key on the MPC.

Boogie Down Productions - “South Bronx” (1986) In 1986, the tracks “South Bronx”, “Eric B. is President” and “It’s a Demo” sampled Clyde Stubblefield’s drum break from James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” helping popularize sampling. This track famously sampled James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” establishing a tradition that would define boom bap production.

The James Brown Connection

“Funky Drummer” is one of the most widely sampled pieces of music with over 2031 songs sampling this track. Recorded on November 20, 1969, featuring drummer Clyde Stubblefield’s legendary breakbeat, this track became the rhythmic foundation for countless boom bap productions. The drum break appears at approximately 5:20 in the original recording.

Notable boom bap tracks sampling “Funky Drummer”:

• Public Enemy’s “Rebel Without a Pause” (1987)
• LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” (1990)
• N.W.A’s various tracks
• Dr. Dre’s “Let Me Ride” (1992)

Production Techniques: The Technology Behind the Sound

The SP-1200 Era (1987-1988)

Before the MPC dominated, the E-mu SP-1200 was the weapon of choice for early boom bap producers. The limited sampling time of the SP-1200 was overcome within the late 1980s hip hop production circles by sampling 33⅓ rpm records at 45 rpm, with an additional pitch increase, then replaying the sample from the SP-1200 at a much slower speed.

This technique was used because the E-mu SP-1200 had a limited sampling time of 10 seconds, so producers had to get creative to get the most out of their samples.

The MPC Revolution (1988 onwards)

The Akai MPC60 is a digital sampler plus drum machine released in 1988 that opened the door for new sampling techniques. At a retail price of $5,000, the MPC60 transformed hip hop production with several key innovations:

The Swing Factor

The Akai MPC60’s “touch-sensitive trigger pads allowed producers to approach beatmaking with renewed tactile sensitivity.” The most crucial innovation was the swing quantization:

“Swing — applied to quantized 16th-note beats — is a big part of it. My implementation of swing has always been very simple: I merely delay the second 16th note within each 8th note. In other words, I delay all the even-numbered 16th notes within the beat (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.).” - Roger Linn, MPC designer

This swing percentage could be adjusted from 50% (straight) to 75% (heavily swung), creating the characteristic “drunken” groove that defined boom bap’s rhythmic feel.

Key Producers and Their Contributions

DJ Premier (Gang Starr)

Gang Starr released their first single “Words I Manifest” along with the album “No More Mr. Nice Guy” in 1989. DJ Premier’s production style became synonymous with boom bap:

• Signature use of scratched hooks and vocal samples
• Minimal, hard-hitting beats
• Jazz sample manipulation
• DJ Premier learnt his craft on an E-mu SP12, by the early 1990s he had switched to an Akai MPC60 for his programming, triggering samples from an Akai S950 sampler.

Pete Rock

Known for his soulful approach to boom bap, Pete Rock developed a warmer, more melodic variant while maintaining the genre’s core rhythmic elements. His use of horn samples, filtered basslines, and jazz loops created a distinctive sound within the boom bap framework.

Notable productions:

• Pete Rock & CL Smooth - “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” (1992)
• “The Creator” (1991)
• Numerous remixes throughout the 1990s

Marley Marl

The Juice Crew’s Marley Marl is credited with mixing and producing several tracks on Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid in Full” album. His innovations included:

• Pioneering the use of sampled drums instead of drum machines
• Developing techniques for chopping and rearranging samples
• Mentoring numerous producers who would carry forward the boom bap tradition

Other Notable Producers

The RZA (Wu-Tang Clan): Brought a darker, more cinematic approach to boom bap, heavily utilizing kung-fu movie samples and minor key melodies.

Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest): Merged jazz-influenced production with boom bap rhythms, creating a more accessible variant of the style.

Buckwild (D.I.T.C.): Maintained the raw, street-oriented boom bap sound through the mid-1990s.

Gang Starr - “Daily Operation” (1992) Considered by many as the pinnacle of boom bap production, featuring DJ Premier’s masterful beat construction and Guru’s monotone delivery.

Nas - “Illmatic” (1994) Featured production from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, and Large Professor - a boom bap masterclass with tracks like “N.Y. State of Mind” defining the genre’s peak.

Wu-Tang Clan - “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” (1993) RZA’s production brought a grittier, more experimental edge to boom bap while maintaining its core elements.

KRS-One - “Return of the Boom Bap” (1993) The subgenre became increasingly better known when KRS-One released an album under the title “Return of the Boom Bap” on September 28, 1993. The success of the album popularized the term boom bap.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

Influence on Modern Hip Hop

Boom bap is commonly recognized as delivering some of the founding elements of modern hip hop and rap music. The style’s influence persists through:

• Sampling Culture: Established the art of crate-digging as essential to hip hop
• Lyrical Focus: Emphasized bars and wordplay over melodic hooks
• Production Philosophy: Craftsmanship and soul over commercial appeal
• Underground Movement: Created a lasting underground aesthetic

Academic and Archival Recognition

The cultural significance of boom bap has led to institutional recognition:

• After J Dilla’s death in 2006, his MPC was preserved in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2014.
• University courses now study boom bap as a foundational musical form
• Sample libraries preserve classic boom bap sounds for future generations

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Free Boom Bap Starter Kit

Download the FREE boom bap starter kit here

• Includes drum samples
• Includes drum patterns
• Includes midi files
• Includes presets
• Includes project files

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Further Reading

1. Coleman, Brian. “Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies.” Villard Books, 2007.
2. Schloss, Joseph. “Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop.” Wesleyan University Press, 2014.
3. Wang, Oliver. “Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide.” ECW Press, 2003.
4. Charnas, Dan. “The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop.” New American Library, 2010.
5. Chang, Jeff. “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation.” St. Martin’s Press, 2005.