This story is part of our new Hip-Hop: ’73 Till Infinity series, a celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary.
Producers are just as (if not more) important than MCs on a track. As much as fans care about the lyrics, they also care just as much about the production. Many of the producers on this list are responsible for some of the most iconic and legendary tracks in hip-hop, but there’s always that one beat they ‘ll be remembered for. Here are those beats.
Those pianos pings will be remembered by every fan of hip-hop, so I have to go with “Still D.R.E.” But there are still so many other great options Dr. Dre has as one of the godfathers of west coast rap. “California Love,” “The Next Episode,” and “Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang” come to mind. But the production of “Still D.R.E.” is simply flawless.
(You can already see I have a thing for pianos). I feel like Wu-Tang fans will automatically point to “C.R.E.A.M.,” but his production on “Ice Cream” is more impressive in my eyes. It perfectly allows Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man to just float on the timeless track. I also love his production on “Incarcerated Scarfaces” and “Verbal Intercourse.”
It’s crazy that there is no producer more New York than DJ Premier, who happens to be from Houston, Texas. The signature scratches that he includes on every one of his beats will never get old. He’s made incredible music with Jay-Z, Nas, Notorious B.I.G., Royce da 5'9", and many others. But his work with Guru as a member of Gang Starr will always have a special place in my heart, specifically the beat he made on “Mass Appeal.” Who could think of a cooler beat to make?
I have to be honest here, my favorite Neptunes beat of all time is easily, “Mr. Me Too,” but it’s hard to deny the nostalgia that came to all hip-hop fans when they heard the production for “Grindin.” It brought everyone back to those beats they would make on the cafeteria table in middle school.
Q-Tip mastered the art of sampling as the in-house producer for A Tribe Called Quest. It’s difficult to pick one track from their near-perfect discography, but the production on “Electric Relaxation” will forever be smooth. Tip excellently sampled Ronnie Foster’s 1972 track, “Mystic Brew.”
Just Blaze has produced great tracks for Kanye West, The Diplomats, Cam’ron, and Hov, but this wasn’t even a difficult choice. “Exhibit C” will always be one of the hardest rap songs of the 21st Century and that’s partly because of Blaze’s excellent beat-making ability (even though Jay Electronica murdered this track). I can’t even remember the number of freestyles that other MCs did over this beat after it dropped.
What is it with Virginia producers? First Pharrell and now Timbaland, they just have a knack for dope sounds. His work with Missy Elliot and Aaliyah is timeless, but the beat for “Big Pimpin” just makes you want to bounce.
Out of all the amazing producers that Nas got for Illmatic, Pete Rock was the most impressive to me. His production on “The World is Yours” is alluring and beautifully incorporates jazz on such a dope rap track.
This Chicago producer has been making dope beats for more than three decades, but his work in the 21st Century might be out due to anything he’s done before that, specifically his work on Jay-Z’s 4:44. He brought out a more vulnerable and emotional Hov that even veteran hip-hop fans hadn’t seen before. His work on “The Story of OJ” is particularly impressive, and shows the versatility that he has as a producer. While I appreciate the work he’s done with fellow Chicago artists Kanye West and Common, this track takes the cake for me.
The crazy thing about Ye is that he might be a better producer than he is a rapper, which is saying something since he has his fair share of dope rhymes. I could choose a song from a time when he was strictly a producer, but I’ll go with “Jesus Walks” from his debut album.
I could’ve chosen the entire Donuts album, but to spare readers, I went with “Time: The Donut of the Heart.” Yes, he’s produced great songs for The Pharcyde and Slum Village, but my heart will always be with this song (pun intended).
Pound for pound. Beat for beat. Madlib might be the best producer of all time. But that’s an argument for another day. There are so many options to choose from, especially since he’s one of the most prolific artists out there. His work with Freddie Gibbs has always been amazing. His albums as Quasimoto are super underrated. But the obvious choice here was “All Caps” as a part of Madvillain with MF DOOM (although his production on “Shame” is a close second).
Hip-hop has just started to take notice of The Alchemist’s skill in the last half-decade, but he’s been doing this shit way longer than that. Similarly to Madlib, he works on so much music and it’s all dope that it’s so hard to choose just one track, but I’d go with “$500 Ounces” from Westside Gunn’s 2020 album, Pray for Paris. Just listen to those horns and you’ll understand.
I’m tempted to pick a song from his work with Little Brother since that’s when he made a name for himself. But I can’t deny the masterclass in beat-making he put on Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 track, “DUCKWORTH.” The beat changes every 30 seconds and it brilliantly makes the listener want the song to never end.
Swizzy! This New York producer has a knack for always including his vocals in the track like on “On to the Next One.” But he’s also a pioneer, as he ignored the popular trend to constantly use samples on tracks and went for creating unique beats, the void of samples. He’s also responsible for making one of DMX’s most beloved songs, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.”
BOMB SQUAD! This production team was made up of four beat-makers (Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, and Gary G-Wiz) and they made some of the hardest beats of the 1980s and 90s. While I’m partial to their work with Ice Cube on AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, they’ll be remembered for their collabs with Public Enemy, specifically, “Fight The Power.”
If a perfect hip-hop song exists, it’s probably “Shook Ones, Pt. II” by Mobb Deep. As much as Prodigy (RIP) is the star of this song, so is Havoc’s production. It just embodies the feeling of Queens and the music that was coming from that area at the time.
Not one of my favorite producers, but I can’t deny his impact on the genre. He helped popularize hip-hop, mostly because of his work with The Beastie Boys and Run DMC. “My Adidas” is a standout because it popularized the shoe brand, but also made Rick Rubin a legend.
Don’t worry Gen-Z, I didn’t forget about Metro. He’s been on an absolute tear since the mid-2010s and has not slowed down. He’s the go-to producer for trap beats and has worked with the likes of Future, Young Thug, Gunna 21 Savage, Drake, Gucci Mane, Pusha T, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and many more. The production of “Mask Off” is just super cool and ran the summer of 2017.
When are we going to stop underrating DJ Quik? He was rapping about the streets of Compton years before N.W.A. was. Along with being a great MC, he was also the mastermind for some of his most classic songs, most notably, “Quik Is The Name.”
Thank you Mannie Fresh for creating one of the greatest party songs ever. When the beginning of this song starts, everyone at the function knows exactly what to do.
While his work with the Juice Crew will be taught in hip-hop classes across the country, the music he created as a solo act was incredible, especially, “Mama Said Knock You Out.”
This story is part of our new Hip-Hop: ’73 Till Infinity series, a celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary.