Some people think that all hip hop beats are alike, and if they simply pick the beats that they like that they will produce a good track. But this is a mistake. The truth is that in order to make people listen to you, in order to build an audience for yourself you have to go where that audience is. With hip hop beats this means finding a target audience and playing to them. So you can't just stick to the beats you like or to the beats that you work best with. You have to step outside of your own comfort zone and personal taste and choose beats that other people relate to.

This is where R&B beats come in. By far and away R&B beats are the most recognizable hip hop beats around. Now, the line between what is and what is not an R&B beat can be thin, but it is still defined. Just listen to the most popular R&B song out right now and compare it to your favorite rap song and you'll see a perceptible difference.

While it's true that rappers rap to R&B beats and R&B singers sing over rap beats the categories still hold true. R&B beats are often smoother than hip hop beats, and have been designed with singers in mind. Now of course you can rap to them, but you might find it difficult at first. Especially if you choose an R&B beat that was truly designed for someone to sing to. And if this is the case then the beat will probably be unlike what you are used to rapping to.

This is where practice and a good ear for what you can and can't work with comes in. First of all, you are going to have to hone your skills to the sound of the R&B beat you have chosen. If you have done your job and picked a beat that's different from what you would normally pick then at first you might have some trouble when you set down and spit a flow. But this should not be a problem if you are determined to excel. In this case, you just need to put some time in on the track and create a sound that is all together your own. Think of each new beat as a new chance to prove the durability of your flow, and listen for the central theme of the R&B beat. When you have that down you can start to speak to it. Eventually you can craft your rap without a problem.

The second criteria is you have to hone your own ear to the sounds of different R&B beats. What this means is that you are not going to be able to just spit a flow to any old beat no matter how hot it sounds. There are some beats that break away from your comfort zone that you can successfully rap to and there are others that will just give you problems. You have to know the difference. And learning this will put you on your way to successfully flowing to an R&B beat.