Beat Battle: Judged by Just Blaze

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1. Make a beat by sampling 'Love Is The Reason' by Keys, a 1970 soul gem from the Chicago/L.A.-based imprint Music of the Sea.
2. Upload a video of your beat to Instagram (max 60 seconds) on or before Wednesday January 6th, 2021.
3. Tag the video with #tracklibbeatbattle.
4. Tag at least two producer friends in your post who shouldn't miss out on this Beat Battle.
5. Follow Tracklib on Instagram.

FIRST PRIZE: PlayStation 5 + Reason 11 Suite (total worth $1000+)

• One-year Tracklib Standard subscription (Value: $139.90)
• Tracklib Category C Sample License (Value: $50)
• Reason 11 Suite: the supersized version of Reason 11 + 16 additional premium instruments & effects (Value: $599)
• A brand new PlayStation 5 (Value: $499)
• A shout-out from none other than Just Blaze

SECOND PRIZE: Reason 11 (Value: $399)

• Six-month Tracklib Standard subscription (Value: $84)
• Reason 11: the full experience with a collection of 57 instruments and effects, and a standalone DAW & Plugin {Value: $399)
• A shout-out from Just Blaze

THIRD PRIZE: Reason 11 Intro (Value: $99)

• Three-month Tracklib Standard subscription (Value: $42)
• Reason 11 Intro: an essentials package including 33 instruments and effects, and standalone DAW & Plugin (Value: $99)
• A shout-out from Just Blaze

Your Instagram profile needs to be public for us to be able to see your post. Only entries using#tracklibbeatbattle** with at least two friends tagged and profiles following Tracklib, will be entering the competition.

Your music is still yours. We do not own any of the entries to this competition and will not use them for any other advertising purposes. We will, however, repost your tracks to promote the competition itself.

The first prize will be awarded a full sample license to monetize their work for free. The winner will, however, still have to pay the original rightsholders their share (5, 10 or 20% depending on sample time) of any eventual revenue earned on the new song.

No purchase is necessary to participate, but the samples need to be downloaded using a personal account on Tracklib. The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prizes are not transferable and will be added to the winners Tracklib account.

If you have any further questions about the rules of this competition - just ask. We're here to help: support@tracklib.com.

Does this man even need an introduction for Tracklib users? The Roc-A-Fella stalwart produced for many big names including Jay-Z, Eminem, Beyoncé, Drake, Kendrick Lamar—and the list goes on and on... Just Blaze's productions are known for soul-infused (and often brass-heavy) sampling, at times reinforced by live drums and instrumentation. In the early 2000s, it was particularly a trademark style of sped-up soul vocals, often dubbed "Chipmunk soul," which he adopted back then with fellow producers like the Heatmakerz, Swizz Beatz & Kanye.

A prime example of his soul-heavy sampling is Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got," featuring triumphant horns from Lafayette Afro Rock Band's "Darkest Light" and Johnny Pate's "Shaft In Africa (Addis)." About the latter, he shared the following in a **Red Bull Music Academy interview **back in 2006: "I took the first bar of it. It’s actually off in terms of rap – we usually do four bars or eight bars. This is six bars, but it felt good so I left it. You know, when 'Electric Relaxation' came out by A Tribe Called Quest nobody was sitting there saying, 'Hey, the beat’s only three bars.' Everybody just liked the song. (...) That’s one of the things I’ve really been going for, if it feels good just do it."

Also, it must hurt a little for him that we're giving away a PlayStation 5 instead of keeping the console himself: his alias Just Blaze is named after a Sega Genesis game character (Blaze Fielding in 1991's Streets of Rage), he previously shared his love for Japanese video game music in the documentary Diggin' In The Carts, and he got into scoring various video game projects for EA Sports, Capcom, Midway & Red Fly Studio himself. So we're sure he's ready to play as well...

Header photo via Musicindustryquarterly.com

Started in the pre-internet days, Music Of The Sea has grown into a major one-stop-shop for music publishing and licensing. With tracks by artists like Beyonce, Chaka Khan, Kool & The Gang, The O'Jays and Solange, the Chicago and L.A.-based company places music in all kinds of media. Even if you have never heard of them yet, it’s likely that you have heard their music in films or television shows.

Music Of The Sea was founded by Eddie Caldwell, who started off his musical career as a producer. His work includes productions for the likes of Ohio Players, Earth, Wind & Fire, and several underground rappers from Chicago. “I started producing in the early nineties and I sampled every rare record I could find”, Caldwell says. “So I may appreciate sampling, more than other record labels, because I’m a producer myself.” “I think Tracklib is groundbreaking. It’s a freeway of love to a creative genius in the making. [If I could sample] it would be from Psychedelic Soul Crew, Varadero Beach Allstars, Tiny Barge Jr and Archie Thompson because they all have live instrumentation, lush horns, huge hooks and great soul vocalists.”

With a love for sampling at its core; Music Of The Sea now offers you the chance to download Keys' rare soulful track "Love Is The Reason" for free, during the duration of the Beat Battle. Follow Music of the Sea on Instagram and check-out their label's page on Tracklib.