Eight years ago, I published the very first edition of the BeatTips™ Manual. At that time, I was going through some turbulent situations; and during those uncertain moments in 2001, I was able to find solace in spending time with my son, Amir, and in making beats. It was during this period in my life that it became very important for me to document everything that I knew about beats. Specifically, I wanted to preserve my knowledge about hip hop/rap in general, and production and beatmaking in particular, for my son, who at the time was turning 5 years old.
From the onset of this highly personal endeavor, I promised myself that I would meticulously record everything that I did, saw, heard and generally learned about beatmaking and the hip hop/rap production process. After 30 yellow legal size note pads, I felt that I had created the ultimate beatmaking guide for my son. Shortly thereafter, I poured over revisions, drafting all of my notes into one cohesive reference journal. A reference journal that I hoped would one day nurture my son’s understanding of beatmaking and the hip hop-rap production process, and it’s impact on modern music and popular culture. After reviewing the first several sections of this reference with my son, he and I both thought that it would be a good idea to share what I had created for him with the rest of the world. Thus, I decided to develop and transform this highly personal reference journal into a book for anyone interested in learning about beatmaking. Hence, The BeatTips™ Manual was born!
In 2002, I published the very first edition of the BeatTips Manual--the first book dedicated entirely to beatmaking ever be published. Then in 2003, I published the third edition of the BeatTips Manual; at the same time I launched Superchamponline.com.
Superchamponline.com (an ode to the name of my family's company, Superchamp) was my first serious attempt at operating an internet property. It featured just a few of the ideas that would later become staples and trademarks of what I do now. I maintained Superchamponline.com until 2004, when I converted it to BeatTips.com.
Since 2004, The BeatTips Manual has gone through countless updates and two major overhauls. What initially began as just a "reference journal" for my son, has morphed into a rather robust and highly comprehensive manuscript. And though The BeatTips Manual has indeed grown in both size and scope, I'm humbled to say that it still has the heart & soul of the very first beatmaking reference journal I that I made for my son...That will never change.
-Amir "Sa’id" Said, Author of The BeatTips Manual
Amir Ali Said & Amir "Sa'id" Said
