A boom bap beat is a hard, dry drum pattern under a chopped sample or a played loop, with a simple bass line and a swing that makes it nod rather than march. The name is the sound: the "boom" is the kick, the "bap" is the snare. Everything else exists to make those two hits land.
This guide goes through the parts in the order you would build them: tempo and swing, drums, chopping, bass, texture, harmony, arrangement for a rapper, then where a loop fits. The tempo figures match the BPM by genre cheat sheet, so the two never disagree.
Boom bap BPM and the head-nod feel
Boom bap is usually made between 84 and 98 BPM, and 90 is the classic head-nod tempo. Unlike trap, it is normally programmed at the real tempo, not half-time: the snare lands on beats two and four, and what you count is what you feel. A boom bap beat at 90 feels like 90.
- Tag the number you programmed. If you chop a 180 BPM record in half-time, the loop is 90 BPM to anyone filtering by tempo. The BPM guide explains the half-time question.
The bottom of the range overlaps with lo-fi. If you want the softer, hazier version of the same tempo, the lo-fi guide covers it. This one is about the harder, more percussive end.
Swing: the MPC feel
Swing is what separates boom bap from a drum machine on a straight grid. It delays every second sixteenth note by a set amount, which turns an even pulse into a lopsided, rolling one.
The reference point for many producers is the swing on Akai's MPC60, designed with Roger Linn and released in 1988. Its setting runs from 50 percent, which is straight, to 75 percent, which is a full triplet feel, and much of the 1990s hip-hop sound sits in the middle of that range. Most DAWs have a groove or swing control, and some include MPC-style templates, so you do not need the hardware.
- Start around 54 to 60 percent and move in small steps. At 66 percent you are in triplet territory, which is a different feel, not a stronger version of the same one.
- Swing the hats and ghost notes more than the kick. The kick and snare carry the pulse, so keep them near the grid.
- Give everything the same swing. If the drums swing and the chopped sample does not, they fight.
Drums that punch
Boom bap drums are short, dry and loud in the mix, with very little reverb and very little tail.
- Kick. A round, punchy kick with a short body, not a long sub tone. Layer a click on top if it needs attack, and roll off the very bottom so it does not cover the bass.
- Snare. The signature sound: a cracking, slightly gritty snare with a short tail, in front of everything. Layering a clap or a second snare underneath adds weight. Use a touch of room, not a long reverb.
- Breaks or one-shots. Producers have long chopped drum breaks from old records, and others build the pattern from one-shots. A break from a record is a sample, and the loop versus sample guide covers what that means.
Chopping a sample
Chopping is the other half of the genre: you cut a phrase into slices and replay them in a new order, so the new pattern is yours even though the source is not.
- Find a section with space. A bar or two of piano, guitar, strings or horn with a clear start on each note, so the slices are clean.
- Slice on the transients. Cut where each note or chord begins, so triggering a slice sounds like a played note. Auto-slice is a start, but adjust by hand.
- Rearrange. Play the slices as a new melody. Repeat one, skip the next, and change the order until the phrase no longer resembles the original.
- Leave gaps. The vocal and the bass need somewhere to sit.
A loop that is already a few bars of melody can be chopped the same way, which is often easier than hunting for a clean slice in a full record.
A word on sampling a record. Using a recording you did not make in a release generally needs clearance from whoever owns it, often more than one party, because the recording and the composition underneath are owned separately. That is a legal question and this guide does not answer it. The loop versus sample guide sets out the difference in general terms, and a rights lawyer is the person to ask about a specific record.
Bass
Boom bap bass is simple and sits under the kick. It is usually one of three things: the low notes of the sampled record, a played bass guitar or upright, or a sine or sub-heavy synth following the root of each chord.
- Filter the bass out of the sample. A record has its own bass, and it will clash with yours. Put a high-pass filter on the sample somewhere around 80 to 150 Hz, raise it until the original bass is gone and no higher, and play your own line underneath.
- Follow the root. Play the root of each chord on the beat with a few passing notes. A busy bass line hides the drums.
- Give kick and bass different jobs. The kick is a short thump and the bass holds the note.
Dusty texture
The sound of boom bap is the sound of old records and old samplers. Texture is a layer you add, and it works best when it is quiet.
- Vinyl noise. A low bed of crackle you notice only when it stops. Avoid a recording with a loud regular click, because a click on the same point of every bar becomes part of the rhythm.
- Roll off the top. A low-pass filter on the chopped part makes it sound as if it came off a worn record.
- Saturation. Tape or tube-style saturation on the drum bus glues the drums and adds grit.
Chords and sample choice
Boom bap leans on minor keys and jazz-tinged harmony: minor sevenths, dominant sevenths, piano or muted guitar. Soul, jazz and funk records are the traditional sources because their chords have colour and room around them. For the sound, listen to DJ Premier, Pete Rock and the RZA.
- Pick a sparse source. Fewer notes are easier to chop and leave space for a rapper.
- Check the key. If you add a second melodic part, make sure it agrees. The compatible keys guide shows which keys sit together.
Arrangement for a rapper
A boom bap beat is built to carry a voice, so the arrangement serves the verses.
- Intro, 4 bars: the loop on its own, or the drums alone.
- Verse, 16 bars: full drums and bass, with the sample pulled back so the voice sits on top. A rapper writes to the pattern, so keep it steady.
- Hook, 8 bars: lift the sample, add a layer, or change the drum pattern slightly.
- Second verse, 16 bars: the same pattern with a small change, such as dropping the hats for two bars.
- Outro, 4 to 8 bars: strip back to the drums and the loop.
Change something small every four bars and something larger every eight. A beat that never changes sounds like a loop, and one that changes constantly is hard to rap on. High-pass the sample and keep the snare in front, so the middle of the mix is free for the voice. The guide to finding vocalists and rappers covers how to send a beat to one.
Starting from a loop on ColabLoop
Many boom bap beats start from a loop: four or eight bars of piano, guitar or strings that someone made, then chopped, with drums and bass added. An original loop made to be built on is the clean alternative to an uncleared sample, because its maker offered it for that purpose.
On ColabLoop, the boom bap page lists loops other producers have uploaded in the style, and the hip-hop page shows the wider genre. Listening is free and needs no account, and you can filter by tempo and key on the loops page. If a loop fits, you can ask its producer to build on it with you, which is free. Nothing is sold between producers: if they accept, you get a private room to work in and the full WAV, and the loop's owner goes on the paperwork for the track.
Questions producers ask
What BPM is boom bap?
Usually 84 to 98 BPM, with 90 as the classic tempo. It is programmed at the real tempo, not half-time.
How much swing should boom bap have?
Start around 54 to 60 percent on an MPC-style scale and listen. Swing the hats and ghost notes more than the kick and snare, and apply the same setting to any chopped parts.
How do I make boom bap drums sound punchy?
Use a short, round kick and a cracking, dry snare, keep reverb to a minimum, and leave gaps in the pattern. A touch of saturation on the drum bus adds grit.
Do I need to clear a sample?
Using a recording you did not make in a release generally needs permission from whoever owns it. That is a legal question, so start with the loop versus sample guide, and ask a lawyer about a specific record. A loop made to be built on, used under its maker's terms, avoids the problem.