Jazz rap

History and character

Origins

A fusion of hip hop and jazz that flourishes in New York between the late '80s and the '90s. The first experiments come from the Native Tongues collective (Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest), which samples soul jazz, hard bop, and jazz funk in an eclectic, playful way. Gang Starr, with “Jazz Thing” (1990, for Spike Lee's film “Mo' Better Blues”), turns the connection into a manifesto; in 1993 Guru launches the “Jazzmatazz” series with real musicians such as Donald Byrd and Roy Ayers; Digable Planets win a Grammy with “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” (1993); Us3 sign to Blue Note with “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” (1993), based on Herbie Hancock's “Cantaloupe Island.”

Musicians and bands

On “The Low End Theory” (1991), A Tribe Called Quest bring in bassist Ron Carter; The Roots put the live band at the center of rap. In the 2000s the tradition continues with Madlib (“Shades of Blue,” 2003, a remix of the Blue Note catalog), J Dilla, the Soulquarians, and Robert Glasper.

Revival

Kendrick Lamar's “To Pimp a Butterfly” (2015), with Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, and Robert Glasper, brings jazz back to the center of mainstream rap; Noname, Earl Sweatshirt, and Mick Jenkins follow, along with a lively jazz-rap scene in Europe (London, Paris).

Aesthetics

Samples of hard bop, soul jazz, and modal jazz (lots of Blue Note, CTI, Prestige, and Impulse! catalog), upright bass and horns up front, a swung and relaxed groove, and lyrics that are often conscious, ironic, or introspective.

Scales and keys

Dorian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 (2-1-2-2-2-1-2).
• Example in D: D E F G A B C.
• Characteristic note: major 6 (B).
• Chords: Dm7 (i) – Em7 (ii) – Fmaj7 (III) – G7 (IV) – Am7 (v) – Bm7b5 (vi°) – Cmaj7 (VII).
• Use: modal vamps in the style of “So What” (Miles Davis, 1959), sampled horn solos, bass lines; the foundation of the modal jazz that jazz rap loves to sample.
• Real-world example: many 1960s Blue Note modal jazz samples.
• Mistakes: ignoring the major 6 in the bass (playing Bb instead of B).

Major and its seventh chords

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. In F: F G A Bb C D E.
• Chords: Fmaj7 – Gm7 – Am7 – Bbmaj7 – C7 – Dm7 – Em7b5 (I ii iii IV V vi vii°).
• Use: ii–V–I and turnarounds (I–vi–ii–V) sampled from standards.

Bebop dominant and Mixolydian

• Mixolydian: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7. In G: G A B C D E F.
• Bebop dominant scale: Mixolydian + a passing major 7 (G A B C D E F F#): eight notes, so the chord tones land on the strong beats in eighth-note phrases. Typical of sampled horns.

Blues and minor pentatonic

• Blues in F: F Ab Bb B C Eb (1 b3 4 b5 5 b7).
• Use: horn riffs, soul jazz basses (Lee Morgan, Horace Silver), hooks.

Melodic minor (jazz)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7. In C: C D Eb F G A B.
• Use: mMaj7 and m6 chords (Cm6 = C Eb G A) with a “noir” flavor, and the altered mode (seventh mode) over tense dominants (G7alt).

How to choose

• Modal vamp: Dorian.
• Standards sample: major/ii–V–I.
• Horns and riffs: blues and bebop.
• Noir atmosphere: melodic minor.

The first step is always to understand the sampled track: the key and mode of the sample decide everything.

Harmony

Sampled jazz harmony

Loops of 1–4 extended chords (m9, 11, 13, maj9, 7alt) taken from a jazz record, or played by musicians: modal vamps (Dorian i–IV), ii–Vs that don't resolve, turnarounds.

Typical elements

• Modal vamps: Dm9 for 4 bars, then Ebm9 (a half-step shift as in “So What”).
• ii–V: Gm9–C13 in a loop.
• Tritone substitutions: Db7 in place of G7.
• Slash chords and quartal chords: quartal voicings (D G C F) from McCoy Tyner.

Harmonic rhythm

One chord every 1–2 bars; on tracks with a live band the harmonic rhythm can be faster in the hooks.

Voicings

Rootless (the root is in the upright bass): Dm9 → F A C E; G13 → F B E. Quartal voicings for Rhodes and piano. Horns in close harmony (thirds, sixths).

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

Swing and feel

Swing on the sixteenth notes at 56–64%, a relaxed groove “behind the beat”; the sampled ride and upright bass bring triplet swing. A lighter, jazzier snare (often rim or brushes).

Live groove

With a band (The Roots, Robert Glasper) the groove is played and breathes: microtiming, crescendos, drummer fills.

Flow

Relaxed, melodic, sometimes almost “scat” (Digable Planets), with internal rhymes and wordplay.

Drums

Kick

Soft and syncopated (steps 1, 8, 11), body at 60–90 Hz, little sub.

Snare / rim

On 2 and 4, often a rim shot or a light brushed snare; frequent ghost notes (velocity 25–45) that imitate the comping of a jazz drummer.

Hi-hat and ride

Hi-hat in swung eighth notes or a sampled jazz ride (“spang-a-lang” pattern); foot hi-hat on 2 and 4 in played beats.

Percussion

Shaker, light congas, vibraphone as a percussive-harmonic element.

Interaction

The upright bass (sampled or played) and the kick walk together; the sampled horns answer the vocal in the hooks.

Sections

Verse with the basic loop; hook with horns or scratching; outro with an instrumental solo (often the sample left to run).

Typical mistakes

Drums that are too “heavy” and modern; no swing; a ride that is too loud and covers the vocal.

Bass

• Sampled or played upright bass (Ron Carter on “The Low End Theory”): long, round notes, hinted walking, ghost notes.
• Notes: root, fifth, chromatic approaches, passing tones through the Dorian 6 and the b7.
• Range: 40–200 Hz, with “wood” harmonics at 600 Hz–1 kHz.
• Relationship with the kick: follows the kick in the syncopations; no sidechain, they blend together.
• Alternatives: jazz-funk electric bass, soft synth bass (Thundercat).

Harmonic instruments

• Jazz piano and Rhodes (rootless voicings, quartal).
• Vibraphone, jazz guitar (Wes Montgomery style in octaves).
• Horns: trumpet (often muted), tenor and alto sax, flute; sampled or played, in stabs or phrases.
• Hammond organ in soul jazz.
• Mid register; horns and vocal alternate in the 500 Hz–3 kHz space.

Melody and vocals

• Rap: relaxed and melodic, conscious, ironic (Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Guru, Ishmael Butler), mid register.
• Hooks: sung or spoken in chorus, often a sampled fragment of a jazz singer or horns.
• Backing vocals: soul voices in harmony (Jazzmatazz), scat.
• Effects: little reverb, soft compression, sometimes telephone filters on the spoken parts.

Instruments

Sampler, turntable, upright bass, piano, Rhodes, vibraphone, trumpet, sax, flute, organ, jazz guitar, drums (ride, brushes), rap vocal, soul voices.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Stage-73 V — Jazz Rhodes: Rootless and quartal voicings, light tremolo, optional phaser; range C3–C5.
• Piano V — Jazz piano: Grand piano with mid-distance mics, dynamic velocities: Blue Note-style comping and phrases to sample.
• B-3 V — Soul jazz organ: Drawbars 888000000 or 838000000, percussion on, Leslie slow/fast: Jimmy Smith-style groove.
• Wurli V — Warm electric piano: Wurlitzer with tremolo for grittier chords in the hooks.
• Mellotron V — Vintage flutes and horns: Mellotron flute and trumpets for melodic phrases with tape grain.

Song structure

Length 3:30–5:00. With a live band the form expands (interludes, solos, groove changes).

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Warm, natural, dynamic: round upright bass, light drums, present but soft horns, a clear vocal in the center. References: A Tribe Called Quest “Midnight Marauders” (1993), Digable Planets “Reachin'” (1993), Kendrick Lamar “To Pimp a Butterfly” (2015). Balance: vocal 0, upright bass −4, snare −5, kick −5, loop/horns −8/−10.

Kick

HP 30 Hz, body 70–90 Hz, cut at 350 Hz, LP 8 kHz; 3:1 compression, 2–3 dB; mono.

Snare / rim / brushes

HP 120 Hz; body 200 Hz; presence 3 kHz; 3:1 compression, 2–3 dB; natural room 0.6–0.9 s at −18 dB.

Ride and hi-hat

HP 300 Hz; cut at 4–5 kHz if it “pings” too much; ride pan ±30 (drummer's perspective), hat ±15.

Upright bass

• EQ: HP 35 Hz; body 80–120 Hz; cut the boominess at 200–250 Hz (−2 dB, Q 2); wood/attack 700 Hz–1.2 kHz (+1/+2 dB).
• Compression: opto 3–4 dB, slow attack.
• Mono or nearly so.

Piano, Rhodes, vibraphone

EQ: HP 100–150 Hz; cut at 2–3 kHz with dynamic EQ from the vocal; plate or room 1.2 s; moderate pan (stereo piano ±50).

Horns

• EQ: HP 150 Hz (trumpet 200 Hz); cut at 3–4 kHz if they're shrill; presence 1–2 kHz.
• Compression: 3:1, 3–4 dB.
• Space: plate 1.5 s at −16 dB, pre-delay 20 ms.
• Pan: trumpet ±20, sax ∓20.

Vocal

EQ: HP 80 Hz, −2 dB at 250 Hz, +2 dB at 3.5 kHz, air at 10 kHz; LA-2A compression 4 dB + 1176 2–3 dB; de-esser; plate 1 s at −22 dB; 1/4 delay on the tails.

Buses and groups

Drum bus with tape and glue 2:1; band/music bus with light compression (1 dB) for cohesion.

Sidechain

Vocal → loop/horns with dynamic EQ (2–4 kHz, 2 dB).

Master

Target −11/−9 LUFS integrated, true peak −1 dBTP, PLR 10–12 dB. The musicians' dynamics should be preserved.

Common mistakes

Boomy upright bass at 200 Hz; horns that are too bright; modern, over-compressed drums.

Reference tracks for the mix

• A Tribe Called Quest — Electric Relaxation (1993)
• Digable Planets — Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) (1993)
• Us3 — Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) (1993)
• Kendrick Lamar — These Walls (2015)

Reference listening

• Gang Starr — Jazz Thing (1990)
• A Tribe Called Quest — Can I Kick It? (1990)
• A Tribe Called Quest — Electric Relaxation (1993)
• Digable Planets — Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) (1993)
• Guru ft. Donald Byrd — Loungin' (1993)
• Us3 — Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) (1993)
• Kendrick Lamar — For Free? (Interlude) (2015)