Beenie Man Explains How He Only Needs 10 Minutes To Make A Hit Song
As a veteran, you learn the tricks of the trade along the way that help you to hone your craft. According to Beenie Man, though, even veterans may not have the skill that he possesses — building a hit track in just ten minutes.
The King of Dancehall made the revelation while being interviewed by Lady K on Zimbabwe’s ZiFM Stereo. He also advised that was if your song is taking longer than ten minutes to write, the problem isn’t your lyrics it’s the beat.
“It takes five minutes to build a hit song. It takes five minutes to find that hit melody. When you find that hit melody the only thing left for you to do is word it the right way. So when you use the right words and put it in the right way with the right melody and the right beat, 10 minutes. Best song,” he said.
He also shared that this was the method that he used to produce some of his massive hits in 2004, like King of the Dancehall which was part of his very successful album Back to Basics. While listening to beats frantically trying to finish the album he heard one and knew instantly that the finished product would be a success.
“The album is coming out and I was tryna go different so I link up back with the old producer weh mek Bookshelf, Mr Tony Kelly. He got some different beats so when him drop the beat it was like ‘Whoa, this is what I’m looking for’. So mi go outside, it tek mi like 10 minutes fi find the song,” he added.
That song enjoyed major success beyond Jamaican shores as well and eventually peaked at No. 26 on Billboard’s Hot RnB/Hip Hop Songs and No. 22 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The album dominated much of the Jamaican airwaves after being released on July 13, 2004.
It was his sixteenth album and it also produced another Billboard hit song, Dude, which featured vocals from Ms. Thing. He opened up about how that song came together with the help of Richie Feelings.
“I was at the studio and there was no entry… The song was already written… Miss Thing already sing already and I was there like this is gonna be boring cause she’s gonna start ‘I wanna dude with the wickedest slam. I need a one, two, three-hour man’ and that’s how the song started,” he said.
“I said, ‘I don’t like how it start’, so we go inna di studio and we deh deh… Richie Feelings have a ting where him seh, ‘Gyal if yuh waan bed, call mi. Yuh waan dresser? Call mi’ and this is how we get the entry weh seh, ‘Yuh want a proper fix? Call mi. Yuh wanna get your kicks? Call mi. Yuh waan di cheese trix? Call mi’…”
Dude, produced by Dave Kelly, peaked at No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart in 2004.
Beenie, who is expected to drop a new album this year called Simma , also opened up about another of his hits, Who Am I. He said that this one was based on something that he actually experienced.
“I came to Jamaica, have a brand new BMW and mi hear a rhythm weh mi like so mi start sing bout mi car and then things start go different,” he said. This was a good start but he felt he needed to find the right key to complete the song.
“The problem is I couldn’t find the key in the morning. My brother’s name is Simma, ‘Sim Simma, who’s got the keys to my Bimma?’… Dem couldn’t find it so mi drive the truck, ‘In a rush, pass mi di keys to my truck’,” he added.
That song became one of his most well-known hits to date. It even hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.
It might seem incredulous but there’s some logic to his ten-minute approach and it would appear that it really works for him.
Simma, Beenie’s nineteenth studio album, follows Undisputed, which was released more than 13 years ago. The feature-packed album will include appearances from Popcaan, Dre Island, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Bounty Killer, Dexta Daps, HoodCelebrityy, and Major Lazer.
Watch the full interview with ZiFM below.