Determine what the bass line sounds like. The bass line complements the drum loop and sounds like a repetitive and catchy underlying beat. It usually consists of a prerecorded loop like the drum groove and works alongside the drum groove to produce a unique sound.
Listen closely for the orchestration within the piece. The orchestration in a hip hop piece can be classified as any musical elements that are added to the drum groove and bass line. This includes violin, guitar, horns, piano or any other instrument that adds to the melodic or rhythmic components.
Evaluate the use of sampling in the piece. Orchestration helps develop the melody whereas sampling takes snippets of preexisting recordings and implements them into the beat. The use of orchestration alongside proper sampling will help to improve the sound variety of the hip hop beat.
Listen for effects in the hip hop beat. Effects help to create a specific feeling for the overall piece by adding reverb, delay or compression. If you are not familiar with hip hop effects, consider doing some research or experimenting with the effects on beat making software so you can pinpoint the types of effects used to develop the character and shape of the beat.
Evaluate the quality of overall sound and whether the entire hip hop beat sounds clear, crisp and professional. Listen for proper use of dynamics and consider measuring the sound quality against other professionally made hip hop beats to gage its quality.