How to make a Detroit beat that fits YN Jay and the Flint sound

Video: [FREE] Detroit Type Beat x YN Jay Type Beat - "RICO"

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Oct 25, 2026 · based on the channel Kooba II

A Detroit beat is built around a slow, heavy groove: pick a tempo near 100 BPM, program a punchy kick with a tight backbeat, layer fast hi-hats and an 808 that slides between notes, then chop a short soul or gospel sample on top and keep the low end out of it. That combination is what makes a track read as Detroit rather than generic trap, and it is the same recipe behind free type beats like Kooba II's "RICO", which you can download untagged via the "RICO" beat license page.

What actually defines the Detroit beat sound

Detroit rap production is a stripped, vocal-forward style where the drums do the talking and the sample does the mood. The scene around YN Jay, Rio Da Yung OG, Babyface Ray, Veeze and Baby Smoove favors instrumentals that leave a wide hole in the middle of the mix so a rapper's ad-libs and punchlines land. Compared with mainstream trap, there is less layering, fewer risers and almost no big pop-style drops; the loop stays looped, and variation comes from muting parts and switching drum patterns.

Flint sits next to Detroit and shares most of the toolkit, but Flint beats tend to be darker, more distorted and more repetitive, with the sample often buried under aggressive 808s. If a beat can serve both a Detroit rapper and a Flint rapper, it usually means the drums are hard enough for Flint and the sample has enough character for Detroit.

Step-by-step: building the beat from the tempo up

1. Set the tempo. Start between 95 and 105 BPM. Anything in that window can be felt half-time, so the hi-hats can run at double speed while the kick and snare stay slow and heavy.
2. Program the kick and backbeat first. Put the kick on the downbeat and a second hit late in the bar, and place the snare or clap on beat three so the groove feels like it is leaning back. Keep the pattern short enough to loop without fatigue.
3. Add hi-hats and rolls. Detroit hats are fast but not random: keep a steady 16th or triplet base and use short rolls as fills at the end of every two or four bars.
4. Write the 808 last, under the kick. Glide the 808 between notes rather than holding one long tone, and tune it to the key of the sample so the low end does not fight the chop.
5. Chop the sample. Take two to four seconds of soul, gospel or funk, pitch it up or down, cut the lows with an EQ and let the drums sit underneath it.
6. Arrange by subtraction. Intro with the sample alone, drop the drums in, mute the sample for four bars in the middle, then bring everything back. That is enough movement for a three-minute song.

Drums, 808s and the mix decisions that make it hit

The mix in Detroit-style beats is deliberately uncluttered: the kick and 808 own the low end, the snare sits forward, and the sample is treated as background texture. A practical approach is to high-pass the sample around 200–300 Hz so it never collides with the 808, then sidechain or manually duck it slightly whenever the kick lands. Keep the hi-hats bright but narrow, and avoid stacking three or four claps on the same hit, which is a common habit in trap but muddies this style.

The 808 should be tuned, mono below roughly 120 Hz, and short enough that each note is distinct. Detroit and Flint records often use distorted 808s, but distortion adds harmonics that eat headroom, so cut a little around 300–500 Hz after saturating. Leave the midrange open for the vocal: if the beat sounds full and wide on its own, a rapper will struggle to sit on it.

Writing to a YN Jay type beat

A YN Jay type beat rewards space, because the delivery is conversational and the ad-libs carry as much weight as the bars. Write in short phrases with clear punchlines at the end of each line, and leave one or two beats of silence before the hook so the drop lands. Keep the vocal dry and loud, with a short slap delay instead of long reverb, and double the ad-libs rather than the main take.

If you are producing for someone in this lane, deliver the beat with an open verse, a hook section and a two-bar switch-up, and print a version with the sample muted so the artist can hear where the pocket is. Reference tracks from Rio Da Yung OG, Babyface Ray or Veeze will tell you quickly whether your drums are heavy enough or your sample is doing too much.

Licensing a free Detroit type beat without getting a strike

Free type beats are free for non-profit use only, which in practice means YouTube and SoundCloud uploads without monetization, and no streaming services. Kooba II states this explicitly for "RICO": the untagged file is available for purchase, the free download is limited to non-monetized use, and putting the track on Spotify, Deezer, Tidal or iTunes requires a lease. Content ID registration is not allowed without an exclusive license, and credit is mandatory, in this case Prod. Kooba x Yugoki.

A simple workflow that keeps producers and artists out of trouble:

• Use the free file for demos, freestyles and non-monetized videos, with the producer credit in the title or description.
• Buy a lease before distributing to streaming platforms or monetizing a video.
• Never whitelist or register the beat with Content ID unless you hold an exclusive license.
• Keep the receipt from the beat store; it is your proof if a claim appears later.

Common questions producers and artists ask

The most frequent doubt is whether a free beat can be used on a project that later makes money. The answer is that the free tier covers non-profit use only, so as soon as monetization or streaming distribution enters the picture, a lease is the correct step. Another recurring question is whether a Detroit beat can double as a Flint beat: usually yes, if the drums are aggressive enough and the sample is dark rather than warm.

Artists also ask how to credit a type beat properly. Put the producer name in the track title or description as specified by the license, and keep the credit even after you buy a lease. Finally, collaborators often want to know whether they can split a beat purchase; commercially that is a private agreement, but the license itself is issued to the buyer, so agree on who holds it before release.

Useful links

• Buy the untagged "RICO" beat — the same page also runs a buy-two-get-one-free offer.
• Kooba II on Instagram
• Kooba II beat store on BeatStars

Final thoughts

A convincing Detroit beat comes down to restraint: a tempo near 100 BPM, a hard kick-and-snare backbone, fast hats, a sliding 808 and a short sample with the low end removed. Build the drums first, write the 808 under the kick, and arrange by muting rather than adding. Then check the license before you upload anywhere that earns money, because free type beats come with clear limits. Kooba II's breakdown of the style in "RICO" is a useful reference point for the sound, and the untagged file is one click away if you want to build on it.

Source: [FREE] Detroit Type Beat x YN Jay Type Beat - "RICO" · Markdown version