BeatTips Top 30 Beatmakers of All Time: Bink

By Amir Said On Sep 4, 2014

#27 – Bink

For those who seriously study the craft of beatmaking, Bink is quite respected and well-known. For others, particularly those fairly new to beatmaking, he’s often overlooked. There’s a big reason for this, but more on that later. What Bink should be known and celebrated for is the style and sound that he introduced.

The big drums and sweeps sound of the late 1990s and early 2000s is the invention of Bink. Indeed, Bink’s music stands as one of the beatmaking tradition’s most important beacons. Not only did Bink help craft the Roc-A-Fella sound, he contributed significantly in shaping the direction in which beatmaking went post-90s. A traditional drummer turned beatmaker, Bink brought forth a sound that was characterized by two main components: large, out-front drums that were crisp and brash, often with over the top tom-tom fills, and soul samples that were not overly chopped but not typically looped either.

While that aforementioned sound is one of the most well-known and widely incorporated styles and sounds in beatmaking, its originator is mostly unknown. And the reason for this lies mostly in the legend of what occurred during the making of Jay-Z’s Dynasty album. One of the blessings and hazards of a beatmaker is being able to work closely with his colleagues in (friendly) completion. Typically, in this kind of environment, beatmakers motivate each other, get inspired, and often borrow from one another. Usually, the borrowing never crosses the line from technique improvements and methodical approaches to actually borrowing another beatmaker’s style and sound. But, to some degree, this is what happened between Bink and Just Blaze — the latter being responsible for borrowing from the prior for a large part of his style and sound. Sadly, this is the topic that usually comes up first when discussing Bink. It’s a shame though, because his work and contributions to the beatmaking tradition are much more worth discussing.

Bink Beats (Songs) Recommended for Study:

“You, Me, Him and Her” – Jay-Z feat. Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, and Amil beat by Bink