type beat

English

Etymology

Compound of type +‎ beat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taɪp biːt/
• Rhymes: -iːt

Noun

type beat (plural type beats)

1. (informal, music, neologism) An instrumental made with the intention of emulating the style and sound of a particular musical artist or producer.
   • 2017 February 10, David Turner, “How Making “Type Beat” Rap Productions Became a Legit Career Path”, in Vice‎^[1], archived from the original on 2024-08-08:

     An often overlooked undercurrent of contemporary rap production is around a singular phrase: “Type Beat.” Aspiring producers self-consciously emulate the styles of a singular rapper or producer in the hopes that the artist’s fans like it, and more importantly the artist themselves might enjoy it. Then they upload it to YouTube with that simple tag “type beat.”

   • 2018 May 9, Elias Leight, Jacques Morel Jr., lesleysteele, “How “Type Beats” Have Changed Hip-Hop Production”, in Genius‎^[2], archived from the original on 2024-04-22:

     “Type beats” have become more prevalent than ever. In December, Post Malone announced that he hopes to have a “Post Malone-type beat contest” at some point in the future. MJ Nichols landed a placement on 6ix9ine’s Day69 after the rapper’s team searched for “6ix9ine type beat” on YouTube.

   • 2018 September 4, Alphonse Pierre, “How Selling and Leasing ‘Type Beats’ Is Making Unknown Producers Rich”, in Pitchfork‎^[3], archived from the original on 2024-01-24:

     This video introduced him to type beats, instrumentals that attempt to replicate the sound of a scene that are labeled to grab the attention of aspiring rappers trying to catch the wave. Eight years after his initial exposure to the type beats community Cash has become one of rap’s most prolific producers and savviest businessmen, […]

Usage notes

• This term is mainly, though not solely, used to label instrumentals belonging to the hip-hop and rap music genres.

Synonyms

• style beat