Beat This! Competition - August 27-28, 2025

[Kane the MOD]

Congrats @DJ Excellence dope beat!!! between yours @BiggChev @DJ BADMIRAL and @E.D for me. Couldn't really pick one over another.

@Kane the MOD all the right sounds, pretty nice mix but for me it was just a bit choppy. I think if you fine tuned the chops. tinkered with some other parts and threw a compressor on there, you'd have yourself a really dope beat.

@Iron Keys can I get some feedback please? what do you think of the recent introduction of @ mention notifications in the forum chat? Thanks in advance.

Thank you for the feedback. Much appreciated.

 

[MalakaBeats]

Ironically, this wasn't one of the ones I considered 'experimental'
The minimalism is what I loved. This gave vibes like beats Tyga may vocal. Tbh many could vocal this. I think the 'lack of lead instrument' you felt was missing attila, was likely a lead vocal.

Quality work.
@MalakaBeats

Hey, glad you liked it! Yeah I'm new to the beat battle scene. I should have made a beat that had a lead in place of the vocals. I remixed it with the backing texture melody louder and I like it more now. I was really happy with the second bass tone after the beats switches up.

 

[Iron Keys]

Hey, glad you liked it! Yeah I'm new to the beat battle scene. I should have made a beat that had a lead in place of the vocals. I remixed it with the backing texture melody louder and I like it more now. I was really happy with the second bass tone after the beats switches up.

I thought it was great as is, brother --- was genuinely going to vote for it.

 

[MicroDotCotton]

Thank you for the feedback everyone. I'm pretty new to beat battles and am used to writing with MCs in mind so definitely a learning curve to make beats in this kind of format. I've been mad busy these past few weeks and am not the best at feedback as I still feel there is a lot I need to work on. But I will try to get round to dropping some on this battle when I get a proper minute.

I will say though @MalakaBeats beat was unreal. Well liked the vibe of it. Kinda gave me Missy Elliot kinda vibes and loved the minimalism of it. Could imagine a number of MC's over this beat. Proper underground shit that! Love it.

Well done to everyone, some really good beats on this one.

 

[MicroDotCotton]

Hey, glad you liked it! Yeah I'm new to the beat battle scene. I should have made a beat that had a lead in place of the vocals. I remixed it with the backing texture melody louder and I like it more now. I was really happy with the second bass tone after the beats switches up.

Haha, just read your comment and realised I basically said the same as you about being new to the battle stuff. Promise I wasn't plagiarising you're comment

 

[MicroDotCotton]

One more thing. @BiggChev, I do happen to be a massive Portishead fan haha. I'm from just up the road from where they're from (Portishead to be exact). Sick beat from you to mate

 

[MalakaBeats]

Haha, just read your comment and realised I basically said the same as you about being new to the battle stuff. Promise I wasn't plagiarising you're comment

Haha no worries bro. Glad you liked the beat. I like making simple beats with clean mixes. I'm not a great instrumentalist, but I do trust my ear!

 

[Primz]

I was hoping for a bit of a higher turnout, but still overall it was dope. I guess some of you are preparing for the Battle That!

All i have is three beats for battle that eyyyyy.... ran out of juice after the third

 

[DJ BADMIRAL]

@DJ Excellence - very well deserved win with this! Smooth, silky, and still has a nice energy. Bass line is simple but effective. I don't really have any feedback other than "really fucking dope." Great sample choice...I would've gone wayyy off the deep end with this sample but you had tasteful chops and used the elements together nicely.

@MalakaBeats - I think the intro is a bit long for a 2 minute limit (I realize the irony as I had a 30 second intro lol). It's definitely creative and unique. There's a marimba or would block of some type with an interesting little thing in background. It adds both texture and melodic content. These style drums aren't really my jam. Cool beat though.

@Ayatollah Herbs - I really liked this beat. There's a playful, kinda folksy quality to this. Both in sound selection and overall bounce of the beat. Snare wasn't quite wet enough for my taste. This has a carnival type vibe, but with a dark edge. I feel like this could be one of those Eminem songs that's either jokey or serious. Nice work!

@E.D - even on a more chill type of beat the drums still knock...and somehow they aren't overpowering. Nice! I liked how the intro kinda grabs you with this chill vibe then the drums quickly ramp up the energy. Great sample choice and the way you worked into the second phrase around 0:50 was really well done. I love how this beat evolves into this big arrangement then comes back. I don't think I've heard anything this mellow from you before and you still have your fingerprints on it. Dope.

@DJ BADMIRAL - The percussion, open hats, and tight little fills are really nice. I always appreciate drums with lots of cool details. Especially as it's something I've been trying to do lately...but not quite as well as you've done here. I'm curious is that glidey synth was part of the sample or if you played it in? Very smooth beat. Sound selection all works well together. This has a mid 2000s commercial vibe to it. Very reminiscent of my high-school days.

@Kane the MOD - Intro grabbed my attention right away. But I didn't care for that first theme at 0:03 mark. It kinda reminded me of a musical number from Sound of Music or something. Other parts though are really cool. It's a bit bright, and the choppy/stilted vibe was a bit too much for me. I do really like the bass line though...is that the rickenbacker?There are a lot of elements that I like, but as a whole - I think you can find something more interesting in there.

@M.I.ndless - love the drums and percussion. Then the flamenco guitar comes in. Got me thinking i'm on the beach with this one. I really enjoyed this. Maybe more tropical beach bar/tropical house vibe than hip-hop, but I ain't even mad at that. I think you have a great ear for sample selection.

@MainellaBeats - one of my favourites from this battle. love the vibe of this. Similar to a couple beats, it's chill but still has a nice energy. While it is more of an old school sound, it doesn't kinda have a modern touch to it. I like the little vocal chops and that one whispy female vocal tucked to the back and right. Lots of cool little changes, but in the confines of 2 mins it may seem a bit chaotic...I'm sure a 3:30 or 4 minute version would flow nicely from one pattern to the next. Regardless, still really liked it.

@MicroDotCotton - Drums on this are really nice. Super interesting sample choice. I thought this might have been @attila at first. It has this hip-hop-art-house feel to it. Like a boom-bap DJ got an art history degree or something lol. Unfortunately the exact reasons why I enjoyed this are probably why it didn't win. It feels more in the realm of trip-hop (Portishead) type of jam - which I mean as a compliment. Been enjoying your music and your beats in the Beat Fights. Looking forward to more.

@Nebulune - Distorted/clipping kicks can be cool, but not in this case. I like the sample choice, and I was curious to see where you would take it after the stuttery bit came in at the beginning. I personally think that style of chopping lends itself better as a transition or turn-around feature in a beat. Some cool parts of this, especially the reverb wash to finish - it's just A LOT to listen to.

@P.A.T. - Very rarely does an intro have my anxiously waiting to see what direction the beat is going in, but this is one of them. A really captivating way to hook the listener. I'm assuming the plucked strings were the inspiration for the beat name? I love the bounciness of this. Kinda sounds like you had an arpeggiator going to some rhythmic gate set to random. While I am coming around to trap style drums, I feel like the half time drums didn't serve the beat well. Maybe as a breakdown with just the atmospheric pad and plucked string while the bouncy bit drops out...otherwise I feel like this track is begging for an old school break beat. Still dope just an idea.

@Pcs shorty - Really cool sample and groove. It's just too quite. Not to be mean, but it kinda sounds like its 2002 and you're recording a song of the radio to use as your ringtone. A good mix and I feel like this could've easily been a contender!

@them - Appreciate you staying consistent with the battles. CMMD+C/CMMD+V my notes from last time.

@V.J. Retro - This is really fucking dope. Love the jazzy up-right bass and how it feels to kinda fall over itself then snaps back on the grid briefly. Drums knock! Similar to what I said about @MicroDotCotton 's beat, this is a bit "too sophisticated" of a joint. Not saying, I'm smart enough to appreciate it, but in the context of a battle beat, it may just not be the vibe. Could easily have a place on my lofi/boombap to work to playlist.

I actually added some chords, filler keys, and a couple leads. I appreciate the breakdown, I usually don't make those type of beats, a lot of tweaking. I'm glad someone liked it for what it was.