Updated 30 Oct 2026
Pooh Shiesty blew up out of Memphis around 2020 off records like Back In Blood, and the production under him is a masterclass in doing less. These beats are dark, hard and almost stubbornly simple, often built on one repeating piano pattern that never lets up. The mistake most producers make is doing too much, stacking melodies and effects until the menace is gone. A Pooh Shiesty type beat earns its weight from restraint, from a half step that sounds wrong in theory but feels evil in practice, and from drums tight enough to leave room for the voice. Get that balance and your loop stops sounding like a cluttered demo and starts sounding like something he could actually rap on. Here is how the sound is built, step by step.
You do not need a finished beat to start. The Pooh Shiesty loops sit in step 1 and again at the bottom, ready to play.
Tempo sits in a fast trap range that still feels heavy. Tutorials recreating his sound land at 140, 146 and 148 BPM, with a working window of roughly 130 to 160. The number looks quick on paper, but because the drums are so sparse and the melody repeats, the beat reads as hard and slow rather than hectic. Pick a tempo in that band that a rapper can ride and let the space do the rest.
The key is a dark minor. D sharp minor, which is the same as E flat minor, comes up by name in tutorials, and a lot of producers reach for harmonic minor here. The reason is the note a half step below the root, which only exists in the harmonic minor scale, and dropping onto it gives that ominous Memphis feeling. Choose a minor key, keep the loop short, and let the darkness come from one or two notes rather than from constant movement.
Keep it simple and repetitive. Most of these beats are a single piano pattern that loops the whole way through with a steady bass note underneath. Start your bass on the root, often as a two note figure, and move it by a half step rather than a whole step, because that tight downward move feels dark while a bigger jump feels bright. One hard, catchy top line over that repeating bass is usually the entire melody, and that is the point.
A couple of small moves add menace without adding clutter. Pull the velocities down and vary them slightly so the notes breathe instead of hitting flat, then add a touch of swing so it is not stiff. For extra aggression, program a few triplet runs using third timing, which instantly sounds harder. Change the bass notes a little in the second half to keep it from getting boring, but resist the urge to pile on new chords. In this lane less really is more.
Piano is the heart of it. A dark studio piano like Keyscape, played as a simple repeating pattern, carries most of these beats on its own. You can genuinely get away with piano as your only melodic instrument, so start there and make that one part hard before you add anything else. A felt or softer grand layered underneath adds air without stealing the menace.
When you do layer, keep it tasteful. Arps work well, a quiet triangle on the one and three shows up in a lot of his tracks, and bells or glitter add top end. For something darker and more cinematic, bring in strings or a solo violin for a catchy counter line, and treat the whole thing with vinyl, a little detune and an airy pad so it sits in a haze. A Valhalla vintage reverb and a crystal choir give that background air, but every tutorial repeats the same warning: do not add too many effects, because Pooh Shiesty will not hop on a cluttered loop.
The drums are simple on purpose. Start with the kick, then add a basic two step hi-hat pattern and drop in a few triplet rolls with third timing where the beat needs energy. Mono your hats and your clap or snare and keep them tight, almost paper thin, so they cut through without filling up the mix. A second, more hype pattern with an open hat and a harder snare on the backbeat gives you a section to switch to.
Tightness is everything. Add a little swing with a quick shift and scroll so the groove is not robotic, but keep the pattern sparse so there is space for the voice. A triangle sitting on the one and three adds that signature Memphis ping, and a quick EQ cut on its harsh high frequency keeps it from stabbing the ear. The whole kit should feel hard and controlled, never busy.
The low end has two parts that stay out of each other's way. The 808 is muddy and low percussive, with hard distortion but no bright click, so it sits as its own heavy weight rather than slapping. Let the kick handle the punch and the 808 handle the depth, and keep them separated so each one has its own space when the beat plays.
A classic Memphis move is to lean on a sub bass as much as the 808. Producers describe hearing a lot of sub under the 808 in his records, so layer a clean sine sub with your 808 for a wall of low end that feels bottomless without getting boomy. When you bring in a loop, carve the lows out of the melody with an EQ first so your bass has room, then tune everything to the same key so the whole bottom moves together.
The hardest part of this style is knowing when to stop. The repeated advice across every tutorial is that doing too much is exactly why beats get passed over, so protect the emptiness. One dark piano, tight drums, a heavy 808 and maybe one extra texture is a finished beat. If a new sound is not adding menace or movement, take it back out.
Shape the few sounds you keep instead of adding more. A vinyl layer and a touch of detune make a clean piano feel aged and real, a filter sweep or a downsweep can usher in a section, and a reverb like Valhalla pushes a stab or violin into the background so it adds vibe without crowding the lead. Space your parts out across octaves rather than clustering them, and leave obvious gaps for ad libs and the vocal. That restraint is the sound.
Once your dark piano, bass and drums lock together, the identity of the beat is already there. Instead of digging for samples that never quite land in that hard Memphis lane, grab free hand-played loops in exactly this style, drop them straight into your session, and build around a melody that was actually performed rather than drawn in with a mouse.
Every loop on NDA is hand-played and free to download, no AI and no catch, so you can audition dark ideas fast and keep the ones that hit. A free account is optional and just lets you save your favorite loops and come back to them whenever inspiration strikes, so your next Pooh Shiesty type beat starts with a real idea instead of a blank arrangement.
Pick a loop and drag it into your DAW. 808 under it, clap on top, your first Pooh Shiesty beat is running.
All Pooh Shiesty loopsTempo, key and mood of the Pooh Shiesty loops, straight from our catalog.
| Loop | BPM | Key | Vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz | 140 | Cmin | Dark |
| Catholic | 140 | F#min | Dark, Hard, Turned |
| BIG RIMS | 143 | Gmin | Dark |
| Nonstop | 140 | Cmin | Dark |
| Fresh | 130 | Amin | Dark |
| Atomizer | 145 | Dark | |
| Warppiano | 140 | Cmin | Dark |
| Prochain | 140 | Dmin | Dark |
| Ribbon | 160 | Ambient, Dark | |
| Devils Ring | 146 | Dark |
Usually 130 to 160 BPM, with tutorials landing specifically at 140, 146 and 148. The tempo looks fast, but sparse drums and a repeating melody make it feel hard and heavy rather than hectic.
A dark minor. D sharp minor, which is the same as E flat minor, comes up by name, often as harmonic minor because the half step below the root gives that ominous Memphis sound.
A simple repeating piano pattern, a bass that moves down by a half step instead of a whole step, and a harmonic minor scale. Low velocities, a little swing and a few triplet runs add menace without clutter.
Tight, monoed hats and claps, a basic two step hat pattern with triplet rolls, a punchy kick kept separate from a muddy low percussive 808, and a triangle on the one and three for that Memphis ping.
Mostly a dark piano like Keyscape played as one repeating part, plus arps, bells, a triangle, strings or violin, and ear candy like vinyl, detune, airy pads and a Valhalla reverb. Keep effects minimal.
You can download free hand-played loops on NDA in this dark Memphis lane and build your beat around them. There is no AI and no login required, and a free account just lets you save your favorites.
They are not royalty-free. Free in your own beats; a 50/50 publishing split with NDA Company applies to every commercial release. License Terms
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All Pooh Shiesty loops