What's the point in being different?

[2GooD Productions]

Those questions are ones that I'm going to have to live.

The answers to those questions are important so as to where you take your art.
If you are a pioneer, just do you, believe in yourself and go for it. If you are a follower try to have a nose for the newest trends, try to catch trends early and milk them.
If you make music for you, what does it matter what anybody else thinks?
If you make it for others then their opinion matters. But also know that you can never please everybody, its impossible, you will realise this when you have tracks both equally loved and hated, it happens, thats life. You cant force people to like your art, but a true artist will hone his craft until those that dissed you show you respect.
The best advice for any artist, is draw from your inspirations, there is nothing new under the sun, it is merely reinterpretations of that which came before, but for your own soul and sense of achievement, develop your own sound and be known for your own sound, not being known for sounding like somebody else.
You could always do a bit of both, try to satisfy your own soul as well as the demands of others to make money to pay for the soul satisfaction part.

 

[Audiobellum]

Simple @Digitali Musix matters for the cadence, voice and vibe. Rap songwriting is not an essay. Also get a job that pays infinitely more than music ever will and/or can as the art of making it is for everyone but the business isn't due to elitism.

I like music, I can't let it go. I don't do vocals and my instrumentals are usually designed not to get in the way of anyone who'd try to do vocals on them. I don't see why a more complicated instrumental would get in the way of any rapper who'd want to use any of my beats. Today I uploaded an aggressive simple rap beat called "Papa Street Sweeper" on this site. It started out as a joke in order to make fun of simple beats. When I shared it with someone yesterday, they like but, they thought it was too complex. It's ridiculous.

 

[OGBama]

It's @Digitali Musix not ridiculous for a rapper to think an instrumental was too complex as the best producers make beats for vocalists that leave room for vocals to breathe.

 

[Audiobellum]

It's @Digitali Musix not ridiculous for a rapper to think an instrumental was too complex as the best producers make beats for vocalists that leave room for vocals to breathe.

I agree with you. It's just that I keep getting mix messages from different people around me. My brother also produces beats, he always thought that my earlier beats were two simplistic,repetitive and lacking in rhythmic complexity. This brought me down for a while. When I shared those same beats with a band that lived nearby, they loved all of them. When I'm at college, it's easy to find people who like my beats and now I don't share my beats with my brother anymore. However, the last time he trashed one of my beats just really got me down. I think that's the source of my anxiety at the moment. I don't want to enter the idea that he's jealous of how fast I'm able to create instrumentals all of a sudden while in struggles to find inspiration of lately but, I wouldn't want to think that about my own brother. You know, he only started complimenting my beats when he discovered that other people like them. Weird huh?

 

[2GooD Productions]

I agree with you. It's just that I keep getting mix messages from different people around me. My brother also produces beats, he always thought that my earlier beats were two simplistic,repetitive and lacking in rhythmic complexity. This brought me down for a while. When I shared those same beats with a band that lived nearby, they loved all of them. When I'm at college, it's easy to find people who like my beats and now I don't share my beats with my brother anymore. However, the last time he trashed one of my beats just really got me down. I think that's the source of my anxiety at the moment. I don't want to enter the idea that he's jealous of how fast I'm able to create instrumentals all of a sudden while in struggles to find inspiration of lately but, I wouldn't want to think that about my own brother. You know, he only started complimenting my beats when he discovered that other people like them. Weird huh?

Dont take criticism to heart, the first hurdle every producer needs to face is that some people will shit on their hard work. But what you may perceive as them shitting on your art could in reality be them trying to help you grow as an artist. Sharing their experience with you to make you better, not to hurt your feelings. You will need a thick skin in music or any other art and get used to the fact that not everybody will like what you do. Some criticism comes with your best interests at heart, even if at that time you dont realize it.
Just dont take things too personal.