The steel pan’s evolution as an important hip hop production tool
What does “PIMP” by 50 Cent, “Pick Up the Phone” by Travis Scott and Young Thug, almost every track on Jamie XX’s In Colour, and even “Close” by Nick Jonas have in common? The bright sounds of the steel pan. Used as an alternative to piano melodies or to add its own unique, summery flavor, the steel pan has seen an upward trend in hip hop and later trap, since the early-to-mid 1990s.
With the influence of Bob Marley and other genre legends, elements of reggae such as the steel pan (aka steel drum ) began permeating Western genres and cultures in the 1970s. One of the first to experiment with the instrument in Western pop music was Prince with “New Position” in 1986, proving the sounds of the steel pan could be used as an innovative production tool.
In 1994, the rap community furthered the trend when Big L and Tupac recorded “Deadly Combination”, establishing a 1990s West Coast feel and bounce with a steel pan melody. As Carribean-style music and dancehall elements gained popularity in hip hop and pop music, so did the use of the steel pan. Some of the more recent examples have included Beyonce’s “Hold Up,” Drake’s “One Dance” and “Controlla,” Tory Lanez’s “Luv.”
Born in NYC and raised in Trinidad, Freddy Harris III learned to play and build steel drums from a very young age. His father—well-known Trinidadian musician Freddie Harris Jr.— taught him. His father was a guitarist and arranger for Harry Belafonte and also toured with Ashford & Simpson, Peter Tosh, Hugh Masakela, and Miriam Makeba. Harris III began playing the steel pan at the age of four. At age six, he moved to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and began playing with The Rising Stars Steel Orchestra.
Having released several albums to date, Harris III is also the head producer at Steel X Plosion Studios, producing music and artists in various genres such as hip hop, R&B, alternative, rock, soca, reggae, jazz, and blues. For this Splice Originals pack, he had the opportunity to combine his love for steel pan with his passion for hip hop production, crafting ready-made steel drum loops for your hip hop and trap productions. Then we added trap drums and sub basses to round out the package.
