ROYALTY FREE RAP BEATS
You can use the rap beats listed below in your next project for FREE! These beats aren’t just for rappers - they are also for content creators too! You can use them in songs, videos, podcasts, etc. Just make sure to adhere to our terms of use.
INFORMATION ABOUT RAP INSTRUMENTALS
The term "rap beats" describes a broad genre that includes many other subgrenres, similar to how both 'ballad rock' and 'hard rock' might fall under the broad category of "rock music". Because of this, there aren't many defining characteristics that make up rap instrumentals -- they can vary greatly.
They can be original composition, or they can include samples of other songs/records. The vast majority of rap beats are written in a 4/4 time signature, but a small percentage are written in 3/4 or 6/8 time as well -- a good example of this is Spaceship by Kanye West. Drums in rap instrumentals be in both straight-time, or done with a shuffle/swing pattern. Subgenres like 'trap' often use drum machines like the TR-808, whereas the 'hip hop' subgenre will usually use drums sampled from vinyl.
For the purposes of this website, instrumentals found on the 'rap beats' page generally don't fit into any of the other categories we've created.