About WBS

 

What is The Weekly Beat Sessions (WBS)?

It’s a simple concept: 1ne Sample | Multiple Producers | Multiple Beats each and every single week. WBS, hosted/created by Generation ILL, is a virtual and global assembly of beatmakers and producers from various cities, countries, and backgrounds. Every Tuesday, the growing roster of producers are sent an email with the “Sample of the Week” attached. Each producer has exactly six (6) days to chop up the sample and create a beat/instrumental that will be showcased the following Monday. A new BeatSession is posted every Monday by 11:59pm (Eastern Standard Time).

What are the origins of The Weekly Beat Sessions?

2006 – 2008 | “In-Person BeatSessions” – A group of Florida producers (illa, PMBeatz, Sideways, and Eladbrit) would regularly meet in Gainesville, FL to have “beat sessions”. During these sessions, a sample would be chosen, then each producer would use that sample to compose an instrumental using the equipment and/or software of their choice. After several hours, each producer would showcase their beat to the other producers and to emcees and spectators who came to partake. What resulted from each session was an eclectic mix of sounds attributed to varying musical backgrounds, equipment, and styles.

2008 – 2009 | “Weekly Beat eSessions” – Due to members of the original collective graduating and moving away, the group decided to continue the beat sessions online. On May 24, 2008 a simple myspace page was created. This move not only allowed the group to continue their weekly ritual, but it also allowed them to easily recruit beatmakers outside of Gainesville. Soon after, beatmakers such as Freshvilla (formerly TekTheIntern), 25/8, Those70sGuys, and Kritikul were added to the mix. It was also around this time that Generation ILL was formed which is still comprised of the original members: Soco, illa, PMBeatz, Sideways, and Eladbrit.

Late 2010 – Present | “The Weekly Beat Sessions by Generation ILL” – Due to an inability to archive past BeatSessions, Generation ILL decided to create a standalone website (which is now incorporated into www.generationill.com). The first beat session posted was BeatSession12|28|09. The Weekly Beat Sessions has expanded to include participants from various US cities and globally to countries such as Canada, England, France, and the Philippines. As the roster expands, so has its viewership which continues to grow as music enthusiasts and other beatmakers tune in each week to see just how many ways a sample can be flipped. From the humble beginnings in a small college town to what now spans the entire globe — The Weekly Beat Sessions is yet another example of Hip Hop being universal and world wide.

How Can I Be A Part of The Weekly Beat Sessions?

If you’re a beatmaker and are interested in joining, simply click the “Producer Sign-up” tab located on the top navigation menu OR click here.

If you don’t make beats, you can still be a part of the WBS family! Just continue to support us by tuning in each week, subscribing to the site [@ the top right corner of page], commenting, tweeting (pls include #weeklybeatsessions on your tweet), facebooking, blogging, linking — any way to spread the word about WBS. Also, be sure to follow @generationill on twitter for the latest news on WBS and Generation ILL collaborations.

Whats the easiest way to be notified that a new BeatSession has been posted?

Its easy and there’s multiple ways:
– Subscribe to the email list at the top right corner of the page; or
– Join the WBS facebook group by clicking HERE ; or
– Follow @generationill on twitter and you’ll see the update on your timeline ;
– OR if all else fails, just be HERE Monday night @ 11:59pm… trust me, we’ll be here — with the newness, freshly chopped.

Thank you all — both listeners and participants,

See you monday,
illa and Soco
Twitter: @generationill @illa0804 @bsoco
Facebook: Weekly Beat Sessions and Generation ILL
Email: weeklybeatsessions@gmail.com or generationillmusic@gmail.com