Posts Tagged ‘Rhythm Roulette’
Rhythm Roulette With Rockwilder (Video)
September 25, 2019
You know Rockwilder. You certainly know his work: Jay-Z’s “Do It Again”… 50 Cent’s “Do You Think About Me”. But now, see how Rockwilder met the blindfolded beatmaking challenge.
Mass Appeal’s #RhythmRoulette returns with a bang, as this special, Tracklib edition of the show stars none other than the producer Rockwilder, who has been crafting face-melters behind the boards for the better part of the last three decades.
– @ojones1
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | 
Tags: Mass Appeal, Rhythm Roulette, Rockwilder, Tracklib Edition | 
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Rhythm Roulette With Hit-Boy (Video)
June 26, 2019
Damn right they start this off with “Racks In The Middle” (produced by Hit Boy) playing. RIP Nipsey Hussle.
When Hit-Boy graced the stage of the legendary Watch The Throne World Tour in 2011, Jay-Z famously announced that Hit, producer of the Throne duo’s classic “N****s In Paris” record, was the only guest artist to do so to that point. It was a hell of an honor, especially for a non-vocalist, which Hit still was at the time.
Since then, the IE Inland Empire native has gone on a massive tear, producing arena-rocking anthems for the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Drake, the late, great Nipsey Hussle and more. And he’s done it all without making the same beat twice.
On this Guitar Center edition of ‘Rhythm Roulette,’ Hit-Boy brings that dexterity to the proving grounds.
Enjoy.
– Mass Appeal
– @ojones1
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: Guitar Center Edition, Hit-Boy, Mass Appeal, Rhythm Roulette | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Maaly Raw (Video)
February 6, 2019
Maaly scored huge with so many source sounds to pick from as a result of his blindfolded wax pull. Albums though? I’m not mad, because he definitely made use of his gift given the gift of all those tracks to work with to make this beat. Really digging that last beat he made.
“I can kinda hear anyone rapping on this one right here.â€
Maaly Raw tried his hand at Mass Appeal’s famed #RhythmRoulette challenge. After strolling through New York City’s Good Records and selecting three albums at random, the Philly trap producer behind Lil Uzi Vert’s “Do What I Want†chops up a few beats on the spot. Utilizing the soundtrack to 1983’s ‘The Big Chill,’ John Cougar Mellencamp’s ‘Scarecrow,’ and Oscar Peterson’s ‘Put On A Happy Face’ the young producer locks in and delivers three unique beats.
– Mass Appeal
– @ojones1
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: Maaly Raw, Mass Appeal, Rhythm Roulette | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Joji (Video)
December 26, 2018
Hmmm… Some weird elements to start. But when you hear Joji yell, “Game over!” you somehow know it’s all gonna turn out alright… for the most part.
“This sh*t goes hard, right?†Joji stepped into NYC’s Good Records with one goal, select three records at random and create a beat on the spot, adding his name to the long list of producers to have taken the #RhythmRoulette challenge. Equipped with The Moody Blues’ ‘Seventh Sojourn’ and two other albums from deep in the crates, the 88Rising artist and producer got really weird using Jimmy Castor Bunch’s “The Last Olé†to create a trumpet-driven beat that is certainly one-of-a-kind. Peep the video above and let us know how he did.
– Mass Appeal
– @ojones1
Posted in Alternative, Dance, Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: Joji, Mass Appeal, Rhythm Roulette | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Sango (Video)
December 13, 2018
You know how this goes: Sango puts on the blindfold, picks three disks and ‘tries’ to make some musical magic happen. So…okay, he ain’t really ‘trying’ because Sango is a Jedi at this. There is no try… only do!
After selecting three albums at random from Seattle’s Holy Cow Records, the versatile producer enters the lab and crafted two beats just for us. Chopping up the soundtrack to Richard Pryor’s ‘Blue Collar,’ and even creating hi-hats from vocals on Countess Cathleen, Sango makes it look easy.
– Mass Appeal
Got a couple of ‘cheat codes’ for this round of the game, but we’ll let it pass because the finished product bangs!
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: Mass Appeal, Rhythm Roulette, Sango | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Tuxedo (Jake One x Mayer Hawthorne) [Video]
October 17, 2018
Hawthorne’s of blue-eyed soul vibes and Jake One’s hit-laden list of production creds are brought to bear on the blindfolded beat-making challenge.
Jake One and Mayer Hawthorne form like Voltron to become production duo Tuxedo, the latest contestants on MASS APPEAL’s Rhythm Roulette. The pair stopped by Good Records – the shop, not the label – on East 5th Street in NYC, tied bandanas over their eyes, and grabbed up three random records to sample.
– Mass Appeal
– @ojones1
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, R&B, Series, Videos | Tags: Jake One, Mass Appeal, MAYER HAWTHORNE, Rhythm Roulette, Tuxedo | 4 Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Supah Mario (Video)
September 3, 2018
Just saying. Rhythm Roulette is a blindfolded record pick type of thing. Seems a bit much to claim cred for the selection. But what Supah Mario did with them joints though… give him ALL respect for that. Dope!
“I think I really did my thing picking these records dawg,†says Columbia, South Carolina producer DeMario Priester, aka Supah Mario, who recently pulled up to NYC’s Good Records and took the Rhythm Roulette challenge. Digging through the crates blindfolded, the producer behind hits like Young Thug’s “Wyclef Jean†and “Ice Melts†a standout track off Drake’s ‘More Life’ stumbled onto some heat from James Taylor, GangStarr, and some old-school dancehall courtesy of the Dillinger vs. Trinity ‘Clash’ LP. “I told y’all this was gonna be some Jamaican vibes!†he exclaimed after the needle drop. But he ended up skipping the reggae together and finding some ill breaks on the James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine disc, adding some of his own keyboards to complete the beat. Check out the latest episode of Rhythm Roulette right now.
– Mass Appeal
– @ojones1
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: DeMario Priester, Mass Appeal, Rhythm Roulette, Supah Mario | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Tom Misch (Video)
May 22, 2018
Ah! A J Dilla disciple is on deck to play ‘Rhythm Roulette’ huh? This should be more than interesting!
Tom Misch is a devotee of Dilla who’s been putting in work for years as a lo-fi SoundCloud producer. The South London singer and beatmaker self-produced most of his recent debut album ‘Geography,’ which features a rare lyrical cosign from Native Tongue OGs De La Soul. The last time he was in NYC, Misch accepted Mass Appeal’s Rhythm Roulette challenge, pulling up to Norman’s Sound & Vision in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to tie a T-shirt over his eyes and go groping for vinyl. His random selections included ‘El Sabor De Gene’ by Gene Hernandez, as well as albums by the Panamanian vocalist Basilio and Hells Kitchen’s own Lisa Lisa. Wasting no time, Misch pulled the vinyl out, dropping the needle until he struck gold. Before you knew it, he’d isolated and chopped a funky break and started laying down keys and electric guitar over top. Check out the latest episode of Rhythm Roulette right now.
– @ojones1
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: Mass Appeal, Rhythm Roulette, Tom Misch | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Dame Grease (Video)
May 11, 2018
Thinking we’ve blessed you with footage of Dame Grease putting it down in the studio, but not of dude doing the do for Rhythm Roulette though. Check, check. Soundcheck. Okay… time to let Grease get his blind picks and production on!
“I gotta get Funkadelic on em,†says Dame Grease, producer of crucial tacks for Mase, The LOX, and the whole Ruff Ryders camp. When Dame accepted Mass Appeal’s Rhythm Roulette challenge, we knew we were in for a treat. Although he and his protege Swizz Beatz are known for a mostly sample-free sound, the Harlem-born and Bronx-raised producer can chop with the best of them. “Every producer knows you can look at the grooves and see where they thin out at,†Grease said while surveying three randomly selected vinyl albums. “That’s where the breakdown’s at.†Working his way through ‘Spinners Live,’ Jose Feliciano’s ’10 to 23,’ and ‘Romantic Swing’ by Eugen Cicero, Grease zeroed in on Feliciano’s 1969 version of ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’ because he used to live in Phoenix. “Let’s go straight to that,†Grease said, dropping the needle. “Groovy! That’s the one.†Check out the latest episode of Rhythm Roulette to find out how Dame Grease flipped that joint like it was meant to be.
– Mass Appeal
– @ojones1
Rhythm Roulette With Carnage (Video)
April 18, 2018
Maaaaan… kinda feel like somehow Carnage got spotted a huge advantage with the records he blind-picked. How could he not come up with something with wax picks that powerful?? Watch.
“Vinyl & guacamole!†That’s how Carnage gets his creative juices flowing. Born and raised in Guatemala, Carnage grew up fascinated with producers like DJ Khaled and DJ Drama. He would go on to become a major player in the fusion of EDM sounds with vocals by Hip-Hop artists like Lil Uzi Vert and Young Thug. But don’t get it twisted—Carnage can chop samples too, as he demonstrated when he accepted MASS APPEAL’s Rhythm Roulette challenge. Working with randomly selected albums by The Jacksons, Rick James, and Gladys Knight & The Pips, he got down to work chopping and cooking, pitching and reversing. Carnage even hopped into the vocal booth to sprinkle some of his own special hot sauce. Check out the latest episode of Rhythm Roulette right now.
– Mass Appeal
– @ojones1
Rhythm Roulette With Chuck Inglish (Video)
April 4, 2018
Ahhh! Chuck Inglish (of Cool Kids) with a different strategy for the blind pick… dancing a jig to catch vibes from the wax. Must be something to it; seeing as how he declares that he “lucked up” with his picks, and produced a banging azz beat from them.
Enjoy this ep of ‘Rhythm Roulette.’
Rhythm Roulette With DJ Dahi (Video)
August 31, 2017
You know DJ Dahi (if not, study up via this link to all our posts on him here). Whether you did before now or not, prepare to be impressed (again) with his beatwork; specifically, the work he put in using his blind 3 picks on this episdoe of Rhythm Roulette.
Wait. He’s is picking from a curated stack for this Serato Edition, just like DJ Jazzy Jeff did. Is this the thing now? Oh wait, there’s another episode he did before this, where Dahi blind-picked, sampled, clipped and mixed per the established rules? Came up with THREE beats??? Nice!
(See that after the jump.)
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: Dahi, DJ Dahi, Rhythm Roulette, Serato Edition | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With DJ Jazzy Jeff (Video)
August 28, 2017
Okay. Up front, I gotta admit that I yelled and pointed at the screen, “CHEATER!” While DJ Jazzy Jeff did pick his three plates blindfolded, his selection was curated. The picks were from a COLLECTION (e.g. no chance of pulling any wack or even wacky records). Booooo!
Then I fell back. Rhythm Roulette is not so much a ‘competition’ that someone can cheat and win. When someone like The Magnificient DJ Jazzy Jeff blesses with records like this… Truth is, we ALL win!
– @ojones1
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jazzy Jeff, Rhythm Roulette, Serato Edition | 1 Comment »
Rhythm Roulette With DJ Khalil (Video)
July 24, 2017
Tons of accolades for contributing banging beats to the biggest artists’ hits. Sure DJ Khalil is all that. But how about this? We blinfold him and see how he fares in a game of Rhythm Roulette.
[W]e had to see what Khalil could do with the Rhythm Roulette challenge. At Artform Studios in Los Angeles, he picked out some darkside flower power with a Doors album, a Congregation record from the early ’70s and a soul selection from Charles Wright to balance it all out. Because Khalil frequently works with rock samples, it seems like dude got the perfect ingredients.
– Mass Appeal
Rhythm Roulette With Rahki (Video)
July 10, 2017
You know how this goes. Producer blind picks some discs and makes music magic with them! But watch it happen with Grammy Award-winning TDE producer Rahki repping Minneapolis. Above: The latest episode of Rhythm Roulette.
– @ojones1
Rhythm Roulette With David Banner (Video)
May 8, 2017
Every now and then we get hold of a Rhythm Roulette creation that is so dope that it is marketable on arrival. Like, remember the video of the 9th Wonder beat creation that Rapsody HAD to bless right then and there? This David Banner episode is like that. In fact, the iTunes link for his is below.
Posted in Hip-Hop, Music, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: David Banner, Paper, Rhythm Roulette, TRICKY LT 45 | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Thelonious Martin (Video)
March 1, 2017
Thelonious Martin is nice with the beat work. You’ve likely heard that. But is the Chi-town producer ready for the Rhythm Roulette challenge? Ha! They threw a blindfold on him, had him pick from the stacks at A-1 Record Shop (New York, NY, USA), and let dude work! The Pointer Sisters, Hott City and Maxine Nightingale… Okay, let’s see… and hear what happens!
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: Rhythm Roulette, THELONIOUS MARTIN | No Comments »
Rhythm Roulette With Gensu Dean (Video)
February 14, 2017
Gensu Dean been ’bout the beat work. So who wouldn’t want to see him wash the Rhythm Roulette challenge like a champ? Shid, if you don’t you are reading the wrong blog, ’cause it’s…about…to go…down! At D.I.T.C. Studios no less.
Did Dean do a double cook-up for this session? Dope! Get you some of these good veggies (BEATZ)!
Rhythm Roulette With Salaam Remi (Video)
November 26, 2016
Solid bet that this Rhythm Roulette ep is gonna be dope. By now, if you’ve kept up with the series, you know that only the best producers make the cut to get on the show to make bangers from a blind record pull. Salaam Remi is at the tippy top of most ‘best of’ lists.
After hitting up A-1 Records, Salaam ends up with George Faith’s “Soulful,” Danny La Rue in London, and The Who’s “Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy.” Putting his faith in George Faith, he finds the backbone of his beat and then pulls some samples from the others. Joell Ortiz also makes a short cameo to comment on the work-in-progress beat. Watch the full creation process above.
And Joey O in there with the co-sign. Ha!
Rhythm Roulette With Jake One (Video)
September 23, 2016
Jakey Uno with the homemade blind-picked beat batch of the day we have come to know and love as Rhythm Roulette. Going in with some Gospel this go-round, too. Alright now. Prepare for this praiseworthy episode.
Very few artists can traverse the constantly shifting borders between the underground and the mainstream like Jake One. The Seattle producer is respected, and rightfully so, in both worlds for his work with 50 Cent and G-Unit, De La Soul, E-40, DOOM, and more. He’s also worked on complete projects with Freeway and Brother Ali. Then with Mayer Hawthorne, he put out a feel-good album under the Tuxedo moniker. Basically, his production credits weigh a ton.
From Spin Cycle to his studio in Washington, Jake lucks out with The Best of Herbie Hancock, The Manhattans’ Forever By Your Side, and a Reverend E. Stanley Branch record. Jake One’s sampling methods kick in immediately as he skips around the records, finding a “Yeah!” from Rev. Branch and some drums from The Manhattans. He hears something worth taking from the choir on Rev. Branch’s record then drums from Herbie. The Manhattans also helped provide a snare. As the beat comes together all on his keyboard, he goes back to the choir to find some shouting to fill out the beat. Jake tinkers around with a bass line and before you know it, he’s sequenced a beat fit for the church and the club.
Another dope session. Amen!
Posted in Hip-Hop, Producers, Series, Videos | Tags: Jake One, Jake Uno, Rhythm Roulette | No Comments »
