By the way, in case anyone who joined missed this thread:
@1-2 @Maisin @Doug @emadb @FNKSTRNG
(Not in any way related to the order of the tracks in the playlist btw)
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Thanks man, already started listening to the beats… some great entries…
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Same here! I did a first listen this morning and it will be very difficult to decide…all the tracks are great…I will write some questions when the voting sessions ends…I’m really curious on how you did those such great tracks
bye
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Ok, I had a third listen in the car today. I have to admit, I’m kind of conflicted. Not only because there are a lot of awesome entries in here, but also because I feel that judging instrumentals is way different then judging instrumentals + vocals. While I definitely agree that the vocals bring the beats to life and teach you much about structuring, I really find it hard to separate my preference for vocals/flow from the feelings that the pure beats would arouse…
As I don’t have the illusion that I am going to “win” a battle anytime soon I am just going to drop a suggestion here: and that it that I think it would be a great challenge to let everyone built a beat around the same vocals. If this was already done before, please forgive and ignore my ignorance 
In the end, I decided to just go with my feeling and chose the tracks that I “felt” most. Unsurprisingly though, those were the ones with beats + vocals.
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Number 5: I don’t know where to start, feels like a full-blown studio production. There are a lot of elements, yet there is great harmony. Great mixing and perfect fit with the vocals.
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Number 7: at 1:28 “happy drug dealer sell crack with a smile now” is exactly the mix between gangster and happy vibe that I experienced during my listens. (my guess: Doug?)
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Number 10: Love the melody, and also how “in your face” it is. Somehow reminded me of Wu-Tang’s Gravel Pit (not something I can explain, just a feeling)
HM:
Number 3: This beat tells a story. If I had to make a decision purely on the beats, this would be my choice.
Number 15: Biggie + Punchy drums + elegant melodic elements. Winner combo. While Premier once said that Biggie sounds good on anything, I disagree and think that this kind of simple yet elegant beat gives him the most room to shine. (my guess: sleepyhead, purely because of the drums)
6 Likes
My vote but hard to decide:
9- good use of the slices
10- the mix between the movie & the accapella
2- groovy
5 Likes
Okay I’m ready to vote…
My winner is number 10 just proper imho, fully captured the gangster spirit, loved that guitar riff, definitely had the whole thing sounding mafioso…
2nd place goes to number 7, again total banger, so much swing and flavor… loved it
3rd place 5, beautiful work, real hand in glove feel with all the elements working super tightly…
All you guys that took and take part in these battles should be super proud of yourselves, it makes me feel really glad I found this forum because we’re all cheering each other on to bigger and better achievements…
Ngl I’ve got a touch of beat envy but hey that’s a tool as well, spurs me on…
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First: #10
Makes my head bang the most
Second: 5#
Sounds super professional, like from some ATCQ album or something. Could be some classic record
Third: #7
Makes me smile and feel good
Too many honorable mentions.
I want to say #3 had the most variety and details. Very well done
7 Likes
Number 5.
Groovin head bobber, nice intro, super polished sound and incredible production skill
2nd
Number 7.
Nice use of mandolin sample, slick scratching and a good bouncing swing feel on the drums🥁
3rd
Number 2.
You ready. Sweet build up, great variation. I liked the broken drum sounds in the middle and then the switch up to the choppy piano and ending with the horns
I’ve got to say I had a hard time deciding between
so many good options and was flip flopping and changed my mind a couple of times on subsequent listens. Excellent job to all, didn’t make it is to finalize a top 3
5 Likes
Here my votes:
1st
Number 3: Nice syncopated groove with a great bass line
2nd
Number 7: I like the long intro and the use of samples to create different sounds and grooves.
3rd
Number 11: The piano loop and the guitar loop! And I like the vocal line.
Congrats to all, it was difficult choose only three tracks.
6 Likes
This was harder than I expected.
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5 - Very solid. Kept me interested until the end.
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9 - Simple and leaves quite a bit of space for the vocals to fill (which all beats should do)
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11 - Love the lo-fi
7 Likes
Winner
7 - I thought that the intro clip was a bit too long. But the transition worked. And really, once everything got going this was just about perfect. I really enjoyed it. I think the vibe of the beat really fits the vocal. I liked the fx, as well.
Runners up
10 - There’s something strange about this beat that I can’t quite put my finger on. I like it. I like the pretty subtle layering going on. The vocals sound great on it. Everything just flows.
14 - This was just a tight little piece. The beat and the vocals worked well together. And I liked the way you incorporated the movie clips.
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Just looking at the many different winners and runners up that are mentioned shows how awesome we are as a group 
5 Likes
I listened to everything a couple of times, great work guys! Love the overall vibe of this battle’s submissions and as I said earlier, listening to everything back to back feels like listening to an album.
My top 3:
Winner:
5 - I love both the buildup and the entire sound of this thing. Great drums, great samples, cool little breaks, and everything fits together perfectly.
Runners up:
9 - Great bounce and use of the sample. It kinda feels bouncy and liquid at the same time. This would sound dope with someone rapping over it.
15 - This one is simple but amazing. I love the sound of the drums and the piano together, and they form a perfect backdrop for the biggie vocals.
Honorable mentions:
10: just great overall track
11: did someone say crunchy…
5 Likes
My Vote…
5
A really great track, love everything about it and will listen to it long after this battle is over
Runners up
7
Really nice, I love the little overlays and the feel of the whole thing.
14
I was undecided between this or 15 for third place, both really sick.
This one got the edge for me as I’m a sucker for that kind of guitar sample and overall feel.
As a whole this was a really enjoyable listen it all sounds very coherent with the goodfellas vocals and it was great work by all.
When voting is over it would be good if people could post which track they used etc or even any rejected beats they made.
Nicely done 
5 Likes
Just a friendly reminder that last day to vote is today.
I believe we are waiting on four votes still.
7 Likes
Took me ages to try and decide, but here goes:
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11 simple but all the bit crushing/filter goodness and comp on the drums works for me!
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12 piano chops, bass and wonky drums are great
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7 great arrangement, all hangs together really nicely
Good job all!
9 Likes
I’m stuck in an endless work loop, I’ll come back and expand on this before the day is done, my apologies for lack of feedback aside from the fact that this was another incredibly tough round to judge and the top 3 could easily have expanded to a top 6 (or 15). In the end there were three that kept me a bit more engaged…
- #5
- #10
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#7
Kudos to all that participated.
7 Likes
you all did it again. solid tracks all around; pat yourselves on the back. it was a pleasure listening to all these songs. the quality of entries continues to get higher as we keep this series going, which is really cool to see. i appreciate all of you and the chance to be a part of these battles and community.
my top 3:
1: 15
2: 7
3: 5
- there’s a lot going on in this track. i do enjoy its languid flow and vocals in the mix.
- so much dust on the drums… very nice.
- this one packs a lot of chops in the mix. nice work! it feels like there’s a good amount of space in the mix despite all the different samples, too.
- ominous start, insistent beat… all of this sounds dark, like walking into a machine.
- nice mix here. the vocals sit right in the middle — not too up front, not drowned. the beat really compliments the acapella, too. very solid track.
- this track has a dark, sing-song quality to it. only critiques are that it might benefit from a little more variation, and the mix is maybe a little quiet.
- oof… chops are top notch, acapella flows really nicely here. this is a tasty morsel. the drums are simple and effective.
- getting subliminal messages about being a gangster here… the droning and chops are super eery. i like the effect, though. this sounds like a cinematic interlude.
- solid beat, good use of a bunch of dialogue clips. feels like this could use a little more structure and variation, too.
- damn, that intro to vocals bangs hard. this mix strikes a good balance of energy and punch. it’s a solid backing track that really works well with the acapella.
- those doo-wop chops made me chuckle but totally work well as a theme. the liotta vocals are a little too up front, but this was a fun track.
- karen! the acapella could flow better here, but it’s okay.
- gangsters… sweet string chops, vocals over the top, this has a nice flow.
- this type of vocal isn’t my favorite but works well here and suits the vibe. the drums hit just right under the guitar chops.
- perfect blend of space, the track really fits the vocals, just so catchy…
9 Likes
Fair play on providing notes on all the tracks… I guess this mean you have critiqued your own somewhere in the list 
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If @rockpapergoat actually did track 15, gave himself first place and called his submission a perfect blend of space… that would be the most gangster move we’ve seen in this battle 
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