Last Updated: May 2023-

Since its creation in 1980, the Roland TR-808 is a drum machine that has had a monumental impact on hip-hop. It’s known affectionately today as simply the ‘808’.

There had existed a few drum machines before the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer as it was first known. But this was the first drum machine where you could actually program your own drum patterns.

On top of that, the drum sounds of the 808 were not actual drum samples but were drum sounds made by a machine. This unique, futuristic sound initially was not embraced. Users found it to be not realistic but fast-forward a decade or two and the 808 had become such a cornerstone that those sounds were staples of several genres.

How Was The Roland TR-808 Invented?

It feels almost like fate that the TR-808 flopped right away because it started out as quite expensive to purchase new.

At the time, it was approx. $1200 per unit. The sounds were not familiar, either. Drum machines, in general, were a very niche item to begin with, in the early 1980s. After all, there were real drummers covering the rhythms of the biggest records of the period. Live instruments were where it was at!

The drums had to sound like drums and something about the 808 was not drum-like to the audiences then. Listeners were not quite ready for its space-age sounds, or what extreme critics wrote off as “toy robot drums”.

A lot of Roland TR-808s actually ended up in pawn shops for around 10% of the original price, a few years after its’ release.

That was actually the best thing that could have happened to the drum machine!

That meant that the 808 ended up in the hands of a lot of young people who would go on to create hip-hop and dance music. Pioneers of hip-hop and techno relied on the Roland TR-808 to define their sound. Their art was informed by the tools they had available to them. In the 808, they found an instrument seemingly dropped from a spaceship.

By 1982, the 808 was ready to go pop. That year would see two massive tracks that featured the once-outcast drum machine. Those were Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” and Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”. These superhits introduced the 808 to the mainstream and before long, it was featured in Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” among other big, big records.

The roots of the 808 run deep through all genres and eras of hip-hop, with major releases from each decade prominently featuring the drum machine in some way. It’s still relied upon in a big way.

 

The Roland TR-808 Was The Sound Of The Future To Youths

In the early 1980s, Detroit high schooler Juan Atkins bought an 808 and began playing live shows with it. Performing in a duo called Cybotron, their song “Clear” began a love affair between the 808 and electronic dance music.

The song “Clear” has been sampled so many times. From the theme of “Jersey Shore” to Missy Elliott, samples like this reinforce how powerful the Roland TR-808 is.

In a way, the 808 is music synthesis 101. At the time of its invention, people looked at it in a negative light as duplication. What the 808 actually was is creation. It does not duplicate drums. It is its own unique machine, drum in name only but percussion all the way.

Electronic musician Richie Hawtin carried on the legacy of the 808 in techno through the 1990s and made up entire tracks using only the drum machine.

When you’re first starting to learn to produce music, you will probably find the preloaded 808 drum rack in any of the best DAWs duplicating the Roland TR-808’s iconic sounds. The gigantic kick that feels like a missing puzzle piece for every speaker you might encounter. The cowbell that does not really sound anything like a cowbell, but it makes you feel like you’re Dr. Dre. That clap and snare. What a machine.

The Legendary Roland TR-808: An Impact as Big as its Bass

The 808 Is The Soundtrack To A Lot Of People’s Lives

Here are a few tracks featuring the Roland TR-808 that did it right over the course of decades of music composition with it.

Strafe – “Set it Off” (‘84)

This track is a dance classic that has been heavily featured in TV, films, video games, and more. DJs continue to rely on it to deliver.

The Notorious B.I.G. – “Big Poppa” (‘94)

To a lot of people, this is a defining Biggie track and you wouldn’t have it without a little bit of the 808 running across its bottom end.

Quad City DJs – “Space Jam” (‘97)

Space Jam was seen by millions of kids when it came out and had a big soundtrack. The Space Jam theme, you guessed it, has the 808 all over it.

Tupac – “Changes” (‘98)

A massive favorite from Tupac that is still as relevant as ever. An incredible song with an incredible message. Hear the Roland TR-808 on it with every bar.

Outkast – “The Way You Move” (feat. Sleepy Brown) (‘03)

This forgotten Outkast track uses that booming 808 bass so perfectly that it really makes the song.

Justin Timberlake – “SexyBack” (‘06)

A more recent example of the 808 in action is “SexyBack”. It’s still played at every dance club, night club, and is a local DJ favorite. Timbaland crushes it with the 808 on this track.

Daft Punk – “Doin’ It Right” (feat. Panda Bear) (‘14)

On the shortlist of recent hits with the TR-808 front and center is this entry from what’s currently known as Daft Punk’s final album.

What Other Songs Feature The Roland TR-808 In Your Music Collection?

Take a dig through your favourite tracks to see how many of them contain the Roland TR-808. It’s an incredible drum machine with otherworldly sounds. It always delivers what’s needed, it seems. That’s exactly why the 808 has been a staple of both hip-hop and dance music for 40 years.

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