Roland y el
sonido del hip-hop

El sonido del hip-hop y los instrumentos Roland están unidos desde que se crearon las primeras bases. Desde la caja de ritmos TR-808 hasta los samples de frases SP y en géneros como el boom-bap, trap y lo-fi, el equipo usado en el estudio deja una huella muy importante en el sonido del disco.

Después de cuatro décadas contribuyendo a algunos de los grandes éxitos del género, desde los primeros 80 con RUN DMC hasta Love Lockdown de Kayne y más allá, el papel de Roland en el hip-hop da para una historia bien larga.

Por eso le pedimos al periodista Gino Sorcinelli, experto en producción musical de bases y sampleo, colaborador de HipHopDX, Okayplayer y Red Bull Music Academy y creador de su propio blog, Micro-Chop, que nos escribiera una historia condensada.

Así que sigue leyendo y descubre las conexiones entre los equipos de Roland y toda una generación de productores y artistas. ¡Igual te sorprendemos!

Retracing the Roland Sound in Hip-Hop

Gino Sorcinelli

For the past 40 years Roland drum machines, samplers, sequencers, and synths have played an integral role in shaping the sound of rap music and associated genres like Miami bass, bounce, electro, and instrumental hip-hop. At the same time, many early Roland-based records in these genres turned into new and vital sample sources for producers looking to inject the company’s classic sound into their production.

It all began with the release of the TR-808 drum machine in 1980, just one year after The Sugarhill Gang dropped “Rapper’s Delight.” From its very inception, the 808 was unlike any other Roland product, as chief engineer Tadao Kikumoto almost fried a prototype while deliciously altering the sound of the crash symbol when he spilled tea on it.

Despite a few bumps in its path to commercial release, the drum box quickly found its footing when Tokyo-based electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra featured it on “1000 Knives” from their 1981 album BGM. However, despite the TR-808’s promising beginning and placement in Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” the following year, it was ultimately discontinued in 1983.

Kurtis Mantronik used a less melodic blend of sampled percussion and 808-programming on Mantronix’s 1985 electro classic “Fresh Is The Word,” decreasing the tempo of the drum patterns to increase the intensity and the resonance of the sound. The group’s songs, many of which featured the TR-808 or 909, continue to new listeners after being sampled over 500 times by artists like Beck, De La Soul, J Dilla, and JPEGMAFIA.

Bill Laswell utilized the SVC-350 Vocoder to great effect on 1982's "Change the Beat." The legendary "Aah, this stuff is really fresh" hook owes its unique tone to the distinctive Roland's vocoder, becoming the single most-used sound in DJ scratch routines ever.

Throughout the 1980s, the 808 also had a profound influence on musical aesthetics outside of New York City and L.A, especially in the south. After a distracted, drug-fueled mixing session of Double Duce’s 1985 single “Commin’ In Fresh,” Sunnyview Records engineer, musician, and producer Amos Larkins II rushed the song’s final recording without doing a proper soundcheck. “Like a bass from hell,” the resulting 808 hum destroyed his friend’s record shop speakers while catching the attention of passersby—ultimately sparking the Miami bass movement.

After Amos Larkins II’s mistaken bit of invention, the Queens, New York duo The Show Boys further ensured the presence of Roland drums in all southern states when they laid down their 808-laced “Drag Rap.” The song’s infectious cowbell opening, which owes a partial debt to the duo's LinnDrum crashing during their recording session, later turned into what is now known as the “Triggerman” loop.

“Drag Rap” flopped at first but eventually found an enthusiastic audience in a burgeoning Memphis rap scene. DJ Spanish Fly is widely credited with popularizing the song through live performances, his 1990 song “Trigga Man,” and other re-imaginings and sampling of the beat. In part due to Spanish Fly’s frequent use of the sample, the “Triggerman” loop was immortalized on "Gangsta" by Memphis' G-Style, while simultaneously providing an important building block for both crunk and trap music. It also served as an essential ingredient for New Orleans bounce, first featured on MC T. Tucker and DJ Irv’s explicit 1991 single “Where Dey At” and later remixed by DJ Jimi for his 1992 Billboard charting “Where They At.”

Just like “Planet Rock” and “It’s Yours,” “Drag Rap” has served as a tried-and-true sound source for a wide range of producers. The song’s catchy drums were reworked on the 504 Boyz No Limit anthem “Wobble Wobble,” slowed down to great effect on David Banner’s early career hit “Like A Pimp,” and once again found new life on Megan The Stallion’s high energy contribution to the Queen and Slim soundtrack “Ride or Die.”

The End of a Decade

Towards the end of the decade, other Roland equipment also began making more frequent appearances in rap music. Bronx native Afrika Islam added a heightened emotional effect to his production on Ice-T’s 1988 LP Power by sampling the sounds of a Roland TB-303 into an E-mu SP-1200 for cuts like “Drama and paired the 303 and the 808 while producing “Colors.”

Late British hip-hop pioneer Derek B, known for the songs “Bad Young Brother” and “Bullet from a Gun,” used a Roland D-50 synthesizer and a variety of samplers to co-produce his 1988 debut Bullet From A Gun. The short-lived but influential British rap group Three Wize Men also worked Roland into their creative process by sequencing their entire 1988 GB Boyz LP with a TR-909.

Krushing the Groove

Vintage gear like the 808 remained a useful production tool for producers like Dr. Dre as the early '90s brought about a new decade and changing musical preferences, but other Roland instruments also altered sample-based music in new and exciting ways. Japanese hip-hop pioneer DJ Krush created lush sample collages like his self-titled debut (1994), Strictly Turntablized (1994), and Meiso (1995) with vinyl records, an Akai S1100 sampler, a Roland MC-50, and a MIDI keyboard. Though not quite as celebrated as some of Roland’s other releases, the MC-50 was a powerful tool that provided Krush with a multitude of exciting looping options that likely came in handy on songs like “Edge of Blue.”

Krush’s discography ultimately helped lay the groundwork for the ever-growing popularity of instrumental hip-hop around the globe. And as his work started to find an international audience, Roland released their MS-1 Digital Sampler and the M-DC1 Sound Expansion Module in 1995. Unbeknownst to the company, these two machines would help shape the sound of both underground and commercial hip-hop for the next 25 years.

The Boss/Roland SP samplers were truly revolutionary pieces of equipment that brought about an incredible wave of innovation for rap and instrumental hip-hop producers. Though the MS-1 never quite caught on, the 1998 Boss SP-202 release played a brief but important role in SP evolution. Originally seen as a basic looping tool to aid DJs in their live sets, Anticon co-founder and DJ/producer Odd Nosdam produced the entirety of the self-titled, critically acclaimed 2001 cLOUDDEAD debut with the 202 as his only piece of equipment.

You Aught to Know

When Boss updated the 202 to the SP-303 by adding more effects, a sequencer, and improved sampling sound quality, Madlib went on a manic crate-digging and beat-making streak during a 2002 trip to Brazil, creating gritty sample-based instrumentals with his 303, a portable record player, and his hotel room cassette deck.

Compiling his work on CDs titled 100 Beats and Another 100 Beats, several of these songs turned into tracks like “Raid,” “Rhinestone Cowboy,” and “Strange Ways” from his 2004 MF Doom collaboration Madvillainy. The record inspired the likes of Danny Brown and Mos Def while permitting a new generation of artists to experiment with raw and unconventional recording techniques.

Madlib’s late friend and collaborator J Dilla also produced the bulk of his 2006 record Donuts with an SP-303 and a portable turntable. Sadly, many beautiful instrumentals like “Last Donut of the Night” and “Two Can Win” were crafted in a hospital bed right before his untimely passing. Like Madlib, the constraints and raw 44.1kHz sampling rate sound of the 303 certainly informed the album’s sonic aesthetics. Released almost 15 years ago, Dilla’s final project reignited worldwide interest in instrumental hip-hop albums and inspired Pete Rock to create Petestrumentals 2.

Taiwan and Beyond: The 404 Arrives

Though the 2002 SP-505 upgrade didn’t have the same cultural impact as the 303, Toronto-based vocalist and producer Pursuit Grooves it to be an ideal fit for both the studio and shows. But it was the advent of the SP-404 in 2005 that spoke to Los Angeles beat scene pioneers Dibia$e, Flying Lotus, and the late Ras G - many of whom also used the 303. Like the 303, the grimy sound of the 404 informed much of their transformative early work. Now, thanks to Dibia$e and Roland, there’s even an official 404 day.

15 years after it was first released the 404 is a global phenomenon, working as a dependable beat-making tool for Taiwanese underground hip-hop staples like Conehead, Dropp, Kool Klone, and Tarolin, playing a key role in live sets for Delhi-based producer Profound, and serving as a main weapon of choice for Japanese producer Tajima Hall. Used all over the world by an incredible array of talent, the tiny, portable sampler’s influence is almost too vast to quantify.

In the case of the aforementioned M-DC1, it wasn’t so much the equipment that was revolutionary as it was the patches that came with the machine—particularly the “169 Aaaah!.” Essentially a simple series of voices saying an extended “Ah” at various pitches, this seemingly innocuous sound played an important role in the creation of many hit records.

First popping up in rap music on Celly Cel’s 1997 Dangerous Ground OST contribution “The Only Way,” the “169 Aaaah!” sound was once again put to good use by Timbaland and the late Static Major on Playa’s Billboard-charting 1998 single “Cheers 2 U.” The stock sound also appears in a staggering 208 songs beyond these early entries.

Though the “169 Aaah!” was originally created by an unknown Roland employee specifically for the M-DC1, it now appears in other Roland gear and a variety of sample packs. The sound recently became a signature accent of highly sought after hitmaker Zaytoven, who first thought of using the sample after hearing it on his Roland Fantom-S keyboard. Employing it on cuts like Migos’ “Add It Up,” the Metro Boomin’ and Mike Dean co-produced Travis Scott/2 Chainz hit “3500”, and Future’s Drake collaboration “Used to This,” Zaytoven seems to have a knack for making the “169 Aaah!” work no matter the artist.

The Future is Now

The fact that the vast array of artists included in this article barely scrapes the surface of Roland’s true impact on recorded music is remarkable. And now, with the mass proliferation of technology and ease of information sharing, there’s a new explosion of Roland-based creativity taking place that’s just as impressive as the creatively fertile environments of the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early-‘00s.

In some ways, as impactful as they were, the past 40 years may only be the beginning.