Starting a rap career with no money might sound impossible, but it’s far from it. Many famous rappers like Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, and Young Jeezy began their music journeys with minimal resources, relying on hustle, creativity, and consistency to become a rapper. These artists started with very little, proving that anyone with … Read more
In the world of music production, the difference between a good track and a professional release often comes down to one crucial step: mastering. This final stage of audio production can make or break how your music translates across different playback systems, from streaming platforms to vinyl records. For aspiring audio engineers and music producers, … Read more
Why Metadata Is Your Money (Not Just Admin) Here’s the nightmare: a 12-second snippet of your track blows up on TikTok. Streams spike. Playlists add it. But your payout stalls because the recording ID was wrong, the work ID was missing, and your distributor couldn’t match the two. Weeks pass; money leaks. That’s not a … Read more
Introduction — Why Branding Matters More Than Ever in Hip-Hop In 2025, skill alone isn’t enough. You could drop flawless bars, intricate rhyme schemes, and punchlines that snap necks — but without a strong brand, you’ll blend into the noise. The streaming era flattened the playing field: an unknown rapper in Lagos can upload a … Read more
Learn how the best AI Reel Maker leverages intelligent audio analysis, CPU and GPU-accelerated video rendering, and customizable templates to help musicians and creators produce scroll-stopping music reels in minutes — no editing expertise required. 1. Introduction Why Short-Form Video Matters for Musicians: In today’s music industry, short-form videos on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, … Read more
Part I: The Sonic Lineage – A History of Vocal Manipulation in Hip-Hop The integration of Artificial Intelligence into the hip-hop producer’s toolkit is not a sudden disruption but the next logical step in a long and storied tradition of sonic innovation. From its inception, the genre has been defined by a foundational ethos: using … Read more
Why Mastering Needed an AI Revolution Mastering used to be the dark art reserved for golden‑eared engineers in multi‑million‑dollar rooms. Then came automated services like LANDR, eMastered, and modern advanced AI solutions such as our own Valkyrie AI Mastering by Beats To Rap On. Curious how these neural tricks will evolve? AI Audio Mastering: What’s Next? … Read more
Contributors Updated 1st, August 2025 Author Prof. Josh Reiss, PhD – Professor of Audio Engineering at Queen Mary University of London, AES Fellow, and co‑author of the textbook Intelligent Music Production. Peer Reviewer Emily Lazar – Grammy‑winning mastering engineer & founder of The Lodge; first woman to win the Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non‑Classical for Beck’s Colors (2019). Want to hear the difference … Read more
LUFS – Loudness Units relative to Full Scale – is the modern audio loudness standard that measures perceived loudness in a way that reflects human hearing. Unlike traditional decibel measures that focus on peaks or raw signal levels, LUFS tells us how loud audio feels to the listener. This comprehensive guide will explain what LUFS … Read more
Need a master that lands bang‑on Spotify’s loudness target? Upload your mix to our free Valkyrie AI Mastering engine and it will deliver a –14 LUFS, –1 dBTP file in seconds—exactly what Spotify expects in 2025. Spotify uses loudness normalization to play tracks at a consistent -14 dB LUFS (integrated) reference level support.spotify.com. In 2025, this target remains unchanged, aligning … Read more