Or is it the other way around. Which one do you prefer? I think mainstream production is hit or miss alot sometimes. Underground production is more consistent to me. It has solid beats with sampled hooks kinda of like the Premo style. Let's put it this way what's a better produced album Jeezy's Inspiration or Sean Price's new album?

Yes. Simply put mainstream production is way better than underground. At times it can be hard to get in to to alot of underground stuff because ill rhymes matched with wack beats isnt going grab you.

I think there's alot of good underground produced albums. Here are a few

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000006041.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000003AB1.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/9/7/2/4/384279_170x170.jpg

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00007BH4Z.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I think there's alot of good underground produced albums. Here are a few

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000006041.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


DJ Premier is underground? :confused:

DJ Premier is underground? :confused:
Not anymore. But ask most people today they probably couldn't name any of the work Premo did besides maybe Illmatic. Now he does production for Christina Aguilera.

Hell no.....mainstream, artist have too many dibbs on what they are doing, unless you are Jay-Z or somebody like that...Underground, the artist has full power over the tracks, the beat, who is on it, etc...Plus the hardest jams come from the underground scene...

Hell no.....mainstream, artist have too many dibbs on what they are doing, unless you are Jay-Z or somebody like that...Underground, the artist has full power over the tracks, the beat, who is on it, etc...Plus the hardest jams come from the underground scene...
You have to pay for beats...people in the underground can't afford to buy hot beats so that is why people in the mainstream will always have hotter beats.

You have to pay for beats...people in the underground can't afford to buy hot beats so that is why people in the mainstream will always have hotter beats.
Pay for beats...My boy Michael 5000 Watts paid for no beat..My boy Bigtyme did the beats..the made the money....get it...everything does have to be paid for....Artist practice with that equipment you know...

Not anymore. But ask most people today they probably couldn't name any of the work Premo did besides maybe Illmatic. Now he does production for Christina Aguilera.

If there is a single person alive who claims to be a hiphop fan that couldnt name Primo work other than Illmatic, than they are not real hiphop fans. Period point blank.

If there is a single person alive who claims to be a hiphop fan that couldnt name Primo work other than Illmatic, than they are not real hiphop fans. Period point blank.
Agreed.


It really all depends on the creative vision and type of equipment each producer has, even if you go to youtube and type in "making a beat", tons of guys come up with great beats that you dont hear on tracks. Big Swole for example, type him in , he has great **** and uses it mostly for mixtapes and low albums. But if you have the creative vision like a Dr.Dre and that equipment base and in house producers to throw your ideas, how can you be stopped? Same goes with the Timbalands, Hi-Teks, Scott Storchs, Kanye Wests, and all the other major names.

Premo is on another level, him, Dre and Rza really set the bar and have nothing but extremely unreal production.

I think most mainstream just follows the same formula that they know will catch peoples attention and after awhile it all sounds the same. In my opinion it's for the teenyboppers. As I got older I wanted to start hearing some original **** by guys who are putting out what they wanna put out and being who they are. The glossiness of mainstream just gets sickening after awhile. Art is expression not exploitation. Even Jlo is now tasting the wrath but with film not music!

Here's some underground with amazing production!

http://www.subcess.de/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/sss.jpg

http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/q/quasimoto~~_furtherad_101b.jpg

http://www.freehiphopnow.com/images/belief-dedication.jpg

http://images.shazam.com/webpid/40385539?size=200

http://downloadmp3direct.com/img/cover8609_41267.jpg

There is a ton of "underground" production that is right on par with stuff done by your more well known producers. Just look at the molemen, buckwild, stoupe, etc. It' depends on what you're listening to.

Nobody ****s with Primo though.

I think there's alot of good underground produced albums. Here are a few

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000006041.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000003AB1.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/9/7/2/4/384279_170x170.jpg

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00007BH4Z.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Swollen Members-Bad Dreams. Greatly produced album.

Well, honestly its apples and oranges, in my opinion.


Mainstream production is made with the intention of appealing to a wider audience, so what does that mean...? It means simple & catchy tunes with the focal point of the track being the hook. Mainstream production is very formulistic, and hardly ventures outside of the 4/4 Scale 16 Bar Verse 8 Bar Hook form.

Underground production is much less formula based, and for the most part is much more edgy and experimental. The biggest difference you would probably notice is that these songs for the most part, are not radio friendly, and often have a darker, grimier feel to them.


So, like I said, very hard to say which one is 'better'...its like asking which rapper is the best ever. Really, its all subjective.



But one could argue that the sound quality of mainstream production is better, simply because there is much more money involved, and the music is made in multi million dollar studios with access to better equipment...thus giving them the ability to manipulate sounds much more. A lot of underground production has horrible sound quality, if you listen to Little Brother's The Listening, great album, but the whole album was made using Fruity Loops which is a $150 program, and Cool Edit, which can easily be found on Limewire, and it is very audible, when an A & B comparison is done with The Minstrel Show...which was done at Bassline Studios, and mixed down by Guru ( Rocafella ) The difference is uncanny.