How to Make Boom Bap Beats
The sound of golden-age hip-hop. Dusty drums, chopped samples, and MPC swing that makes your head nod.
What Makes Boom Bap Sound Like Boom Bap
Boom bap is defined by three things: 1. The drums — punchy, often sampled from old records, with a raw unpolished character 2. The swing — MPC swing at 54-66% gives boom bap its characteristic lazy groove 3. The samples — chopped soul, jazz, and funk records rearranged into new compositions The name itself is onomatopoeia: BOOM (kick) BAP (snare).
Setting Up the Drums
Tempo: 85-100 BPM. Classic boom bap sits around 90-95 BPM. Kick: Punchy, mid-range. Not the sub-heavy 808 — more like a breakbeat kick with body. Snare: Cracking, sometimes with room reverb. Think vinyl snare with dust. Hi-hat: Tight closed hat with occasional open hat accents. Load these onto three pads. Add a crash cymbal and a shaker on two more for accents.
The Boom Bap Drum Pattern
The magic is in the kick pattern. That kick on step 4 (just before the snare) creates the swing and bounce. The kick on step 10 adds syncopation. Now the crucial part: set swing to 58-62% in 1/16 resolution. Play it with and without swing — you'll hear exactly why boom bap grooves the way it does.
Adding Samples
Boom bap lives on samples. Find a soul or jazz loop and chop it across your remaining pads: • Load the sample on Pads 5-8 • Set different start/end points on each to isolate chops • Play the pads in a new order to create a new melody • Pitch some chops up or down for variation The best boom bap feels like the drums and samples are having a conversation.
Reference Tracks
Study these producers to understand boom bap: • DJ Premier (Gang Starr) — master of chopping and hard drums • Pete Rock — smooth samples with heavy swing • 9th Wonder — soul sample flipping with clean drums • J Dilla — experimental swing and off-kilter timing • Madlib — dusty, lo-fi, eclectic sample choices Try to recreate their drum patterns in Padwolf's step sequencer. Then make it your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
The classic MPC-60 swing is often cited as being around 54-58% in 1/16 resolution. J Dilla was known for pushing it even further, into the 60s. Start at 58% and adjust to taste.
Search for 'boom bap drum kit' or 'vinyl drum kit' on Reddit's r/drumkits. The best boom bap sounds come from sampled breakbeats — the Amen Break, Funky Drummer, Impeach the President, and Think are the classic sources.