Hip-Hop · easy · 90 BPM
Boom Bap Drum Beat
The foundation of '90s East Coast hip-hop: a heavy 'boom' kick on 1 with a pickup before beat 3, a hard cracking 'bap' snare on 2 and 4, and simple eighth-note hats. Played slightly behind the beat with swing, it sits in the pocket and lets the sample breathe.
Press play to hear it, then open the full machine to edit, loop, and play along with your own kit.
What this teaches
Laying back behind the click to create the lazy, swung head-nod pocket essential to hip-hop.
Heard in
- N.Y. State of Mind - Nas
- C.R.E.A.M. - Wu-Tang Clan
More grooves
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
Listen for this
Give the kick and snare room to speak before adding hat detail. Use the grid to locate the kick pickup precisely, then compare it with a version without the pickup. This programmed exercise does not reproduce a particular sampled recording.
Practice the arrangement
- Start with the sparsest row. Count every subdivision, including the silent positions.
- Add one voice at a time on your kit, or listen to the full loop and clap just one part. Keep the main pulse unchanged.
- Play four loops at a comfortable tempo. Change one note, then compare the variation with the displayed pattern before adding another.
Read the final example without sound
This loop has 16 steps, with 4 steps per main beat. Count each beat as number, e, and, a. The table lists the occupied positions; every unlisted position is a rest. Start at 90 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| hihat | 1 · 1 & · 2 · 2 & · 3 · 3 & · 4 · 4 & |
| kick | 1 · 2 & |
| snare | 2 · 4 |
These positions describe the programmed example, not an artist recording. Playback uses synthesized sounds. A real performance also involves touch, dynamics and phrasing.
Keep practicing
Build a practice routine · Read drum notation · Browse the lesson path
Found a mismatch between the explanation and the player? Send a correction with the page address and the step or count that needs attention.