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The 10 Best Hip Hop Record Pools

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The Best Hip Hop Record Pools

The best hip hop record pools are a great way for hip hop DJs to easily build a comprehensive selection of new releases and old hip hop classics.

DJ pools allow subscribers to bulk download content through ZIP files, share playlists and build live sets and radio broadcasts.

The best hip hop record pools, deliver excellent user experience, provide a broad range of tracks, edits, and remixes, and allow you to download them all in the highest quality formats.

So, without further ado, let’s see what dj pools made it onto the list, and which ones provide the most bang for your buck.

 

The Best Hip Hop Record Pools

We’ve explored and tested a wide selection of hip hop record pools, breaking down their core features, usability, and content library to determine which one’s the best overall.

Here’s our list of the 10 best hip hop record pools:

 

1. Crate Connect

Crate Connect - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $22 Per 30 Days / $30 Per 90 Days / $99 Per 180 Days

When putting together our Crate Connect review, we were instantly impressed by the combination of the sharp-looking, easy-to-use interface and its huge selection of hip hop music and tracks from a wide selection of related genres.

As digital hip hop DJ pools go, Crate Connect outperforms the competition and, in our view, is the top hip hop record pool for DJs interested in this genre.

Crate Connect’s site architecture is a pleasure to use and is replicated nicely via their mobile app, so you can access the latest radio edits, remixes, and various track versions while on the move.

There are extensive genre options and search filters, too, so if you’re after something other than quality tracks (and Crate Connect features diverse music styles including Bass House, Gospel music, and Synth Wave), you can hunt them down with ease.

Since hip hop music is often built around melodies, Crate Connect lists the key of all tracks they host, ensuring the songs you choose for your gigs will work with one another.

Tracks are downloaded in a range of bitrate options, from the standard 320kbps MP3 files found in most record pools to lossless WAV files for the very best quality available.

Crate Connect’s extensive catalog of hip hop songs and frequent updates to their record pool, combined with its attractive subscription prices, makes this the best DJ pool for hip hop in our opinion.

 

2. ZIPDJ

ZIPDJ - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $25 Per Month Intro Plan / $35 Billed Yearly Unlimited Pro Plan

We explored the latest update of this excellent digital DJ pool in our comprehensive ZIPDJ Pro review, and while overall this fantastic record pool is best suited for House music DJs, there are plenty of hip hop tracks here for fans of the genre.

Accessible via their website or mobile app, ZIPDJ is a record pool that covers plenty of bases, with a music library featuring artists such as Drake, Lil Nas X, and Travis Scott, ideal for hip hop DJs interested in popular hits.

Music audio quality is excellent, and selected tracks can easily be previewed and downloaded in ZIP packs allowing users to build up a great hip hop library with minimal fuss.

All the tracks are correctly ID3 tagged to make finding the right songs and remixes from your DJ pool easier, and you can share playlists to open up more diversity of tracks when hunting for something new.

ZIPDJ is a solid addition to the best hip hop record pools on the market, with a great selection of tracks DJs are likely to be impressed by.

If you’re looking for a service that delivers on all fronts, our round-up of the best DJ record pools overall places ZIPDJ firmly at the front of the pack.

 

3. Heavy Hits

Heavy Hits - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $7.99 First Month / $24.99 Per Month After / $250 Per Year

Another excellent hip hop record pool that hosts a wealth of top-tier tracks, along with various other music styles, is Heavy Hits, which we explored in our in-depth Heavy Hits review.

A top-tier DJ record pool that is regularly updated with a wide variety of new music which offers easy access for members via its neat user interface and wide selection of categories.

Playlists for charts, new releases, and remixers are complemented with the inclusion of Spotify playlists, and Heavy Hits also releases exclusive tracks on a regular basis to keep your virtual crates loaded with unique new tracks.

If you’re interested in other music styles, Heavy Hits offers other genres beyond hip hop, with a decent selection of electronic/dance music as well as commercial pop and Top 40 tracks.

Perhaps the best feature is the inclusion of harmonically-mixable tracks, allowing you to prepare the best quality gigs by matching the key of a given track through the Camelot Wheel.

You can use this tool to put together DJ sets where track melodies run together effortlessly, and if you’re playing regular gigs spanning multiple genres, this tool is an essential time-saver.

If you’re looking for a digital DJ pool that offers plenty of hip hop songs alongside other genres, Heavy Hits gives DJs a lot to offer and at a great price.

 

4. Digital DJ Pool

Digital DJ Pool - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $20 Per Month / $190 Per Year

Digital DJ pool is another affordable record pool to get started building a collection of tracks, offering songs from the biggest names in the genre along with remixes and multiple edit versions.

This record pool offers some great tools for beginners, with ID3 tagging for artist, genre, title, and version complemented with BPM and key tags.

If you’re unsure where to find cue points in a given song, you can find these as well, making it much easier to blend tracks in your DJ sets.

Digital DJ Pool offers over 150,000 songs, with more than 40 genres in addition to hip hop tracks, which you can download in unlimited quantities each day when you sign up.

It’s a professionally put-together record pool that is updated with new content on a daily basis, and all music is provided in crisp, bassy 320kbps MP3 files.

 

5. Urban DJ Pool

Urban DJ Pool - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $25 Per Month / $240 Per Year

As the name implies, Urban DJ Pool is geared towards DJs who play sets featuring hip hop, R&B, Reggae, and other related genres, with all their tracks coming in 320kbps MP3 files fully tagged and ready to mix.

The creators of Urban DJ Pool have been working closely with artists since 1985, and have carried this expertise over to their record pool.

You can access their catalog of songs through a web browser or via their mobile app, making adding music to your digital collection easy wherever you are.

There’s the option to download tracks in bulk, too, so if you want to grab all song versions along with any remixes available on Urban DJ Pool, one-click is all it takes.

The Urban DJ Pool digital library also includes samples, scratches, and beats in addition to plenty of hip hop tracks, allowing DJs to add flourishes to their DJ sets and set themselves apart from the competition.

 

6. Franchise Record Pool

Franchise Record Pool - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $19.99 Per Month

Franchise Record Pool is among the cheapest record pools available and can be used in conjunction with the Spins app, which allows users to drag and drop music directly to their DJ software.

With Franchise Record Pool you can access audio and video files, and the service is heavily invested in spotlighting artists, assisting with audio and video promotion, and social media marketing.

There’s an abundance of audio and video files available on Franchise Record Pool, browsable through their latest releases and top tracks categories or accessed quickly via the search tool.

Hip hop and R&B dominate the genres of Franchise Record Pool, with track grouping helping users select the song version, and with over 350,000 tracks in their pool, the scope for DJ sets is limitless.

Music and video files download swiftly, and Franchise Record Pool also includes feedback systems that allow record labels to better understand what DJs are looking for.

With its reporting and marketing tools, Franchise Record Pool offers promo packages to advertise their talents, although, at $300 for one day (or $1500 for a week), this steep price may be out of bounds for DJs just starting out. (If that’s you, check out our list of 30 DJ tips for beginners.)

That said, the selection of music Franchise Record Pool has to offer, combined with the neat Spins app, makes it a solid record pool if you’re on a budget.

 

7. Club Killers

Club Killers - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $35 Per Month

Club Killers has a slightly quirky interface when compared to some other record pools,  setting aside the typical lists usually found for a sleek and simple look.

There are some excellently curated playlists on Club Killers, which makes building DJ sets much easier than compared to wading through endless search results.

These curated spotlights are tied to specific themes, so you can be sure the music you download will work well together, whether you’re focused on hip hop or other styles.

Perhaps the main appeal of Club Killers is their CK cuts: these are tracks and other custom edits created by the in-house talent, and these mash-ups and remixes have proven to be hugely popular with mainstream DJs including Skrillex.

The only drawback to Club Killers is the absence of a mobile application, which means users lack the same degree of versatility found in other record pools which allow you to download tracks while on the go.

 

8. Late Night Record Pool

Late Night Record Pool - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $47 Per Month / $127 Per Quarter / $227 Per 6-Months / $397 Per Year

If you’re looking for a broad selection of genres to complement your hip hop sets, Late Night Record Pool offers a decent all-round catalog of the latest popular music, featuring everything from Trap to gospel music.

Site navigation is simple on Late Night Record Pool, with categories for new music, trending tracks, and top downloads delivering plenty of content.

Audio quality is crisp and clear, with acapellas, dirty and instrumental versions, and a range of remixes available, which can be bulk downloaded by adding them to ZIP packs (and you can also use Dropbox, for additional convenience).

While you may struggle to find more obscure and underground music, Late Night Record Pool does feature a selection of throwback tunes, so you can mix up your mixes with some classic club hits.

 

9. BPM Supreme

BPM Supreme - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $9.99 First Month / $19.99 Per Month Standard / $29.99 Per Month Premium

Another hip hop record pool worth considering is BPM Supreme, which we covered in more detail in our BPM Supreme review.

BPM Supreme is a solid digital DJ pool that delivers a good selection of hip hop tracks and remixes for those who sign up, with an intuitive user interface and solid download times.

If you sign up you also get access to their selection of Scratch Tools, which are ideal for more adventurous DJs who like to spice up their gigs with their turntablism skills.

Functionality is impressive, making it easy to assign a given track to a ZIP file for later download, with song remixes available to play through the preview player.

The catalog of music here leans towards the mainstream, so if you’re looking for more diversity and want tracks that offer less commercial appeal, BPM Supreme might fall short of expectations.

That said, if you’re a DJ who’s interested in a popular record pool that serves up head-nodding hip hop tracks, you’ll find plenty of music here to love.

 

10. Beat Junkies

Beat Junkies - Best Hip Hop Record Pool

Price: $35 Per Month Starter / $90 Per 3-Month Plus / $360 Per Year Pro

Beat Junkies is another of those rare record pools which allow users to download video files, which makes it a great option for performers who like to inject visuals into their live sets.

With over 50,000 MP3 files available, Beat Junkies delivers plenty of hip hop tracks and club classics, alongside rare grooves, funk edits, and even some underground material you’ll struggle to find elsewhere.

Navigating Beat Junkies is intuitive, and audio and video downloads are delivered to the user’s hard drive swiftly.

There’s also a Beat Junkies TV and radio station, which is a great way to get up to speed on the latest new tracks.

If you’re into merchandise, you can purchase a range of Beat Junkies apparel from their store.

 

Summary

Choosing the right hip hop record pool for your needs can be overwhelming, so hopefully, this guide should help you unpack what the best record pools have to offer, and how they can match your budget.

In our opinion, hip hop DJs and broadcasters looking for a balance between great content and useful features with their record pool will be bowled over by Crate Connect and ZIPDJ.

If you’re still not sure which record pool is right for you, check out the full range of features offered by the different record pools to be sure you’re making the right decision before signing up.

What’s the best hip hop record pool, in your opinion? Leave a comment below.

Andy has been producing music since the early days of Cubase and spent much of the 2000s mixing house and techno with his trusty Technics 1200s. Fast forward two decades, you'll find him in his home studio experimenting with the latest music production software, tinkering with Ableton plug-ins, and occasionally trying (and failing) to complete Cuphead for the hundredth time.