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Not quite The Best of the Best Rap Producers Ever: the Honourable Mentions!Nov 14 '10 (Updated Nov 18 '10) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Close but no cigar.
The motherfu*kin saga continues… WHY? Because the numbers of superb rap producers out there does not abate. Choosing just 50 was challenging enough, but I felt I HAD to show some love to those who didn’t quite make the cut. So, in no particular order, here they are... **** Paul C. Mostly associated with: Large Professor The king of all ghost producers, Paul C is one of the most tragic stories on this list. Shot dead at the tender age of 24, the young producer had already developed an impressive CV, producing tracks on Eric. B and Rakim's "Let the Rythym Hit Them" (1990) as well as DJ Pool & Kool G. Rap's "Wanted: Dead Or Alive" (1990). That's two of the biggest, best records of the era; and the tenth best producer in rap history (Large Professor) credits Paul for teaching him how to use the E-Mu-SP1200 drum machine and sampler. Furthermore, dig into the history of classic, influential albums like Ultramagnetic MC's "Critical Beatdown" (1988), and Paul C gets his props from Ced Gee as a contributor to and influence upon its extremely complex sampling style. Just like another fallen hero, J-Dilla, it is such a shame death robbed this guy of being able to further expand on his growing reputation. Fredwreck. Mostly associated with: Kurupt Extremely underrated, Fredwreck is an audibly Dr. Dre-influenced producer who worked steadily with artists like Kurupt and Tha Eastsidaz (excellent beats on "G*ng B*ng 4 Real" and "I Pledge Alliegance") as well as dropping tracks for a wide number of artists including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, House of Pain, Xzibit, Westside Connection, 50 Cent, Ice Cube and Mobb Deep. He specialises in vivid sound landscapes that balance the sparse and clean studio sound of Dre’s “2001” era beats with a warped and futuristic “spacey” twist. His peak is his stellar work with Kurupt, on "Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha" (especially "Who Ride Wit Us") but most particularly “Space Boogie: Smoke Odessey” (2001). Each beat here is immaculately crafted, from the aggressive guitar twangs of “The Hardest Motherfu*kers” to strings pulls on "Space Boogie" and then zany keyboard loops of the post-apocalyptic “On, Onsite” and “Da World”. Check him out. The Dust Brothers. Mostly associated with: The Beastie Boys I don't need to say much more than my man Piratecaptain has just delivered in his barnstorming review of The Beastie Boys "Paul's Boutique" (1989), so go and read it. All I'll really add to that is this classic album is pretty much the total sum of The Dust Brothers' hip hop output - which goes to show just how great a release musically it is. Despite this being the start of this list, I promise you there will not be too many better uses of samples over the course of an album than here. Scott La Rock. Mostly associated with: Boogie Down Productions And in quick succession, like the Dust Brothers, comes another "one hit wonder" in Scott La Rock. Tragically, this is not the fault of the Boogie Down Productions DJ who helped mastermind "Criminal Minded" (1987), the debut release from the group of hip hop legend KRS-One. "Criminal Minded" was stripped down, raw drum machine hip hop - a flashback to an era that has long, long gone. Larry Smith. Mostly associated with: Run DMC Along with Paul C, one of the dopest producers you probably haven't HEARD OF. Larry Smith is the unassuming production figure behind the first two albums from the legendary Run DMC: their self-titled debut (1984) as well as followup "King of Rock" (1985). Run DMC's early sound was pretty much the foundation on which giant producers like Rick Rubin (#17) would build, focusing purely on drum machines, percussion, and the odd guitar riff (with the odd rap-rock track thrown in). "King of Rock" would deepen the grooves and widen the sonic palette to a reasonable extent ("You Talk Too Much"), but basically Run DMC were still the absolute definition of stripped to the elements hip hop. And Larry Smith is absolutely fundamental to this so he gets his props here... while I'm on the subject of Run DMC, I have to mention their legendary DJ Jam Master Jay. While not one of the group's main producers, Jay has nonetheless accumulated several dope co-production credits... and there haven't been many pure scratchers as good as this guy. Rest In Peace. 4th Disciple. Mostly associated with: Killarmy, Killah Priest This dude is the best of the Wu-Tang spin-off producers (second place is taken by Allah Mathematics). 4th Disciple has quietly accumulated an extremely impressive discography since his jumpoff in 1995 with the quite frankly ASTONISHING "B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth" from Gza's "Liquid Swords". Remember when I eulogised about Rza's (#3) incredible production on this album? 4th Disciple delivered just as awesome work with his extremely touching, reflective medley of soft vocal moans and gentle percussion, creating a classic cut. The producer has worked with the full spectrum of the Wu's numerous affiliates (notably with his group Killarmy), as well as bagging co-production credits on "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" (1995), Gravediggaz's strong "The Pick, The Sickle and the Shovel" (1998), and then being entrustred with five beats on "Wu-Tang Forever" (1997): the excellent "The City", "A Better Tomorrow" and "Older Gods" in particular. Perhaps his most consistently impressive work was on Killah Priest's underrated "Heavy Mental" (1997), where he delivered his mythical-oriential vibe/dark bassline blend wonderfully on threatening cuts like "Tai Chi" and "It's Over". Very rarely mentioned on top producer lists, 4th Disicple deserves more shine. Eric B. Mostly associated with: Rakim In theory, it's certified madness. How the hell have the DJ and producer behind one of rap's all time legendary, duos Eric. B & Rakim, only made it to the honourable mentions!? For the duo delivered several game-changing, amazing albums in the mid-late 80s (including the seminal "Paid in Full" (1987), "Follow the Leader" (1988) and 1989's "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em"), from which songs like "I Ain't No Joke", "Paid in Full", "Microphone Fiend" and "Musical Massacre" delivered unparalleled usage of James Brown-sampling and amazing scratching. The thing is: Eric B. is tainted. I touched on it in my Marley Marl (#7) write-up, for Marl officially produced 2 of the duo's first album's 10 songs... and there's always been a whirlwind of rumours as to whether Rakim did a lot of the work himself, or whether it was Large Professor (#10) or Paul C ghost-producing. I don't really know... but Eric B's complete lack of solo success following the duo's acrimonious split says to me there's no smoke, without fire. Still, because he's down as an offical co-producer, he gets some share of the credit. Battlecat. Mostly associated with: the Westcoast! Another underrated Westcoast producer, Battlecat is one of the best progressive G-Funk producers out there. What I mean by this is that his melodic sound is a continuation on the sound established by Dr. Dre, with less synths and more soulful keys. Cat has produced tracks across the range of Westcoast artists, for Snoop Dogg, Ras Kass ("Marinatin'"), Kam, Kurupt ("We Can Freak It"), Spice-1, Tash ("G'z Is G'z"), E-40, Xzibit ("Been A Long Time" and the insanely dope "Get Your Walk On"), Tha Dogg Pound ("Cali Iz Active" is one of his very best beats) and W.C. As you can see he's got a very consistent catalogue - a super beatmaker. P. Diddy aka Puff Daddy. Mostly associated with himself, The Notorious B.I.G. If this was a list about money stacks, Diddy would obviously be close to if not top of this list. Unfortunately for Sean Combs, it's not. P.Diddy can be held responsible for a lot of mainstream's problems through the years... but he can actually be a good producer when the moment takes him. He's dropped classic tracks (along with his "co" producers The Hitmen) on both of his mate Biggie's albums, most of which were the more commercial orientated cuts ("Mo Money Mo Problems", "Big Poppa" etc), but he also delivered gritty, dark classics like "Somebody's Gotta Die Tonite", "My Downfall" and "You're Nobody (Til' Somebody Kills You)." Diddy's also produced some good tracks/hits down the year for Jay-Z, Mase, The Lox, Ice Cube and Busta Rhymes, demonstrating that when he stays the HELL AWAY from R&B, he can actually drop hot beats. Organized Konfusion: Mostly associated with: themselves In the depths of the Eastcoast undergound lay one of rap's great partnerships, that of lyrical whirlwind Pharoahe Monch and his producer/emcee buddy Prince Po, aka Organized Konfusion. The pair pretty much shared production duties on their three excellent albums in the 1990s (the best of which is the 5 star classic "Stress: The Extinction Agenda" (1994), although they were occasionally helped out by superb beatmakers like Buckwild (#28). Their sound was a dark version of the boom bap template (listen to "Bring It On" for example) with booming drums, electro-jazz samples (more prominent in their eponymous 1991 debut LP), off-kilter horns, although I have never really considered them as grimy like Da Beatminerz (#21) or Havoc (#13). I'm still not entirely sure who can be credited as the lead in production, although Monch's excellent solo production work on albums like his stunning solo debut "Internal Affairs" (1999) means he definitely has some serious skills. Teddy Riley. Mostly associated with: Guy, himself, Blackstreet As Mike put it, Teddy Riley can be seen as the Granddaddy of hip hop soul. He is credited with the creation of "New Jack Swing", an extremely upbeat fusion genre of rap and R&b, developed specifically for dancefloors. The sub-genre exploded in the late 80s and early 90s, and Riley had a large hand in several artists and groups who helped personify it. He produced Kool Moe Dee's hit "Go See The Doctor", as well as working with Doug E. Fresh and R&B group Guy. He is on this list really because he laid down the platform for a whole range of artists to build their sound upon.... you can trace elements of New Jack Swing in a significant portion of golden age artists. Listen to songs like Jay-Z's "The City Is Mine" to hear Riley's rap vibe in signature fashion, but he is also still relevant now, working extensively as part of production supergroup QDT (with #9 DJ Quik) on Snoop Dogg's "Ego Trippin'" (2008). Ant Banks. Mostly associated with: Spice-1, Too $hort One of the more overlooked Westcoast producers, the Oakland-born Banks has been a key staple of 1990s Bay Area Westcoast hip hop. He’s renowned for funk-inspired, bouncing basslines (you can definitely hear elements of Erick Sermon’s (#8) influence in his production) and has produced for many notable Westcoast artists, including albums for Too $hort (most prominently on his third, fourth and fifth albums, my favourite of which is 1993’s “Get In Where You Fit In”) and Spice-1 (in particular 1993’s “187 He Wrote”). The Neptunes. Mostly associated with: themselves, Snoop Dogg, Clipse The duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo (also known by the moniker “N.E.R.D.”) are categorically the biggest name to have been overlooked in my top 50. Their stripped down blend of synths, flat drums and all manners of percussion/module presets/live instrumentation is a distinctive “contemporary” vibe that has driven the pair to A List status. The view amongst many music writers is that along with Dr, Dre (#1) and Timbaland (#18), The Neptunes were the cream of early 2000s rap production. While this is true in terms of sales and hits (they’ve produced for such a wide variety of artists, from Snoop Dogg to Clipse to to Ludacris to Britney Spears to Jay-Z), I actually think they’re quite hit and miss... but for banging beats like Noreaga’s “Nothin” alone they deserve a mention. Other dope producers who didn't quite make the cut: Ced Gee, Showbiz, J-Swift, The 45 King, Trackmasters, Mel Man, Bink!, DJ Toomp, EZ Elpee, Ayatollah, Meech Wells, DJ Ready Red, Lil John, QD III, Domingo, DR Period, Cool & Dre, Scram Jones, Necro, Rockwilder, DJ Slip, Rashad, Allah Mathematics, Bud'da, DJ Pen One, EA-Ski, Soopafly, Rick Rock, L.E.S., Tha Bizness, Hangmen 3 **** Future candidates This is just a short list of producers who, in all honesty, I haven't heard very much of. They are on my mythical 'list' and if, when i eventually do listen to them, they deserve a spot... I will come back and amend this list. Brand Nubian (yeah, shoot me now... shamefully, apart from 1998's "Foundation" I have not heard enough of this renowned group apart from the odd track. Need to sort that out pronto) EL-P RJD2 Pimp C (not heard as much of U.G.K. as I should have) Stoupe (not heard much of Jedi Mind Tricks, although his work on Canibus' "Rip The Jacker" (2003) is good) RJD2 DJ U-Neek (I am no Bone fan, although this guy's production on "E 1999 Eternal" (1995) is immense!) Danger Mouse Jake One Mr. Mixx (2 Live Crew - I have never listened to this crew) **** And finally... Thing which I would add now if I was still writing my initial list... ** I have one minor change in my #20-11 section. Where Kanye West was #11, I would put Muggs there instead, and Kanye would shuffle one down to #12 ** There is a slightly more significant change afoot in the #50-36 part... forget about Scott La Rock (#49) Eric B (#48), and P.Diddy (#46) deserving their spots in the Top 50. Having researched and canvassed opinions, I have decided that the "smoke" that has enveloped these guys is definitely not without fire... for it's almost unanimous amongst rap heads that they have officially recieved credit for great music when someone else (uncredited) either did all or the majority of the work. They are replaced by, respectively, DJ Pooh, N.O. Joe and DJ Jazzy Jeff. ED: LISTS NOW UPDATED + THE DUST BROTHERS SWITCHED WITH CHIEF XCEL (19.11.2010.) ** Dr. Dre has a ridiculously deep production catalogue, hasn't he? Re-reading my write-up, I didn't even take into consideration "Deep Cover"! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SXr6aUFP8U). This song was THE first ever Dre and Snoop Dogg collaboration released (waaay back in April 92, just prior to the bombshell of "The Chronic"). Strangely, it neither sounded like G-Funk or the dense sound Dre had previously dropped with N.W.A, taking a dark funk-influenced vibe with the odd shrill vocal sample ("I CAN FEEL IT!") delivered over probably the most infectious bassline Dre has ever dropped, as well as a clanging single note piano key. A classic song. I also need to mention the doctor's excellent beats on Snoop Dogg's "No Limit Top Dogg" (1999) - the original "B!tch Please", "Buck 'Em" and "Just Dippin'" - which are actually some of his finest ever. ** While on the subject of "No Limit Top Dogg", I want to talk about DJ Quik's beat on this album, "Buss and Rocks", which has one of the most insanely distorted synth-keyboard lines I have ever heard. A very catchy yet atypical Quik beat. ** On a similar note, I need to mention Royce Da 5'9's "Shake This", which features one of the very best DJ Premier beats of the last few years (shout out to my man Darren Heighway!). Well worth nodding ya head to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDfQWkl7Lhk ** How I didn't mention "Fakin' The Funk" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LEp3WHOBT8) as one of my Large Professor production highlights - I JUST DON'T KNOW!! Look this song up, for it's probably my alltime favourite blend of jazz and "New Jack Swing", a bouncing and catchy "pure" hip hop cut. It's got the most insane, beautifully resounding bass kick I have EVER head, over which in signature style Xtra P laces a complex array of jazzy horns, dreamy "bah bah bahaba" chants, flutes and a real punchy hook ("YOU faking the funk!"). There's also "Snake Eyes" from "Breakin' Atoms" (1991), and "Atom" from its 2006-reissue, which are both well listening to. I am going to shut up now, because I have a review of this classic album in the pipeline. ** If you followed this epic undertaking all the way through, you'll have seen me reference a few lists, which I have never actually put down on paper in any type of detail. While slightly off-the-top and improvised, here they are (all IMO): ** Top 10 Dr. Dre beats: "Let Me Ride", "Xxxplosive", "Real N!ggaz", "The Grand Finale", "High Powered", "What’s The Difference", "Hundred Miles and Running", "Murder Was The Case", "Gin and Juice", "Fight Music". ** Top 10 DJ Premier beats: "Boom", "N.Y. State of Mind", "Come Clean", "The Best Part", "Moment of Truth", "Mass Appeal", "Memory Lane (Sittin’ In Da Park)", "Nas Is Like", "Face Off 2K", "Mic Stance" ** The Top 10 Produced Rap Albums ever (producer's name in brackets): 1. Raekwon - "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" (Rza) 2. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - "The Main Ingredient" (Pete Rock) 3. Mobb Deep - "Hell On Earth" (Havoc) 4. Snoop Dogg - "Doggystyle" (Dr. Dre) 5. De La Soul - "De La Soul Is Dead" (Prince Paul) 6. N.W.A. - "Efil4zaggin" (Dr. Dre) 7. Main Source - "Breakin' Atoms" (Large Professor) 8. Jeru The Damaja - "The Sun Rises In The East" (DJ Premier) 9. Cypress Hill - "Black Sunday" (DJ Muggs) 10. Nas - "Illmatic" (Various) The honourable mention for this top 10 is particularly huge, but I reserve one special shout to DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing....", which if it had emceeing on it, would CRASH into the top 5. **** I've got a few reviews in the pipeline so keep an eye out for those. Here's the entire list in its glory: The Greatest Rap Producers Ever: #50-36 #35-21 #20-11 #10-1 Honourable Mentions Thanks for reading  |
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