Hey everyone, today I'll be listing some of my favourite producers and my favourite tracks by them.



DJ Premier

DJ Premier often tops a lot of hip hop fans list of their favourite producers and it’s completely understandable why. He’s a master at chopping samples up and reworking them into great tracks. His sample range is diverse from old 60’s soul to lyrics from artists he’s produced for. In fact the sample for “Nas Is Like” was taken from a record by a Lutheran church, that he was about to throw away until he figured he’d give it a spin to see what’s on there. Premier is also known for being half of the hip hop group Gangstarr whom I’ll get on to tomorrow. From his hip hop roots DJ Premier has grown and diversified, from producing hip hop tracks to even producing some tracks for Christina Aguilera, including her hit single ”Ain’t No Other Man”.

Voodoo Child by Afu-Ra:



Nas Is Like (the second video shows where the sample came from):




Other tracks from DJ Premier that I recommend:
• Something 2 Ride 2 (by Royce 5’9)
• Rapperz R N Dainja (by KRS-One)
• The Come Up (by AZ)
• Monotony (by Afu-Ra)



Alchemist

Alchemist is a highly (yet still under) rated producer that is mostly known for his links with Mobb Deep and Dilated Peoples. Again a user of a wide variety of samples, his beats stand out from the rest, he even raps every now and then and also happens to be Eminem’s DJ.

Hold You Down (ft. Prodigy, Nina Sky & Illa Ghee):


Other tracks from Alchemist that I recommend:
• Ain’t On Shit (by Twista)
• We Gonna Make It (by Jadakiss (ft.Styles P))
• Tick Tock (ft. Nas & Prodigy)
• Back Again (by Dilated Peoples)
• Therapy (ft. Evidence, Blu, Talib Kweli and Kid Cudi)



Pete Rock

Pete Rock a.k.a. The Soul Brother #1 is usually the other person apart from Premier that tops hip hop heads list of producers. His smooth style and his love of jazz truly show in the way he reconstructs samples to make beats, he lives up to that title and has proven himself to be just as imaginative as DJ Premier when it comes to locating samples, in fact his beats tend to have more soul. He first made his name as one half of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, whose song, “T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You)” is known as a hip hop classic. He also happens to be the producer of my favourite song by my favourite artist but I’ll reveal that tomorrow.

T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You) by Pete Rock & CL Smooth:


Other tracks from Pete Rock that I recommend:
• Grown Man Sport (by I.N.I.)
• Shut ‘em Down remix (by Public Enemy)
• Fakin’ Jax (by I.N.I.)
• Beef (ft. Krumbsnatcha)
• Put It On remix (by Big L)



J Dilla

I only really found out about J Dilla around a month ago, but I made a big mistake in overlooking him. Lesser known than the aforementioned producers until the time of his unfortunate passing (he died of lupus in 2006); he was mainly known for producing for A Tribe Called Quest and Common and for being part of Slum Village. Like Pete Rock (whom he looked up to) he put his soul into his music, and with most of his songs it’s easy to see that. He was dedicated and committed to it, and was working hard even on the days leading to his death.

Track 34 (from the MPC-3000 CD):


Other tracks from J Dilla that I recommend:
• Track 30 (from the MPC-3000 CD)
• Anti-American Graffiti (from Donuts)
• The Light (by Common)
• Kaklow (from Jay Stay Paid)

9th Wonder

Rising to prominence as part of the Hip Hop group Little Brother, 9th Wonder stepped into his own light after releasing God’s Stepson, a remix of Nas’ album God’s Son. His production on Jay-Z’s The Black Album also gained him attention. I find that a lot of his beats are similar, but still can’t deny that he’s very talented when it comes to production.

Dreams by Saigon:


Other tracks from that 9th Wonder that I recommend:
• No Time To Chill (by Little Brother)
• I Don’t Know Why (with Buckshot ft. Keisha)
• Shots (ft. Sean Price and Big Dho)
• Relaxin



Just Blaze

Famed for producing songs for Jay-Z, Just Blaze’s name was heard of a lot of the big hip hop songs from the 90’s since he was the man behind the boards on them. His songs tend to have a more live feel in my opinion, they’re more atmospheric then most other producers and his beats definitely stand out from the crowd.

Show Me What You Got by Jay-Z:


Other tracks from Just Blaze that I recommend:
• Why You Hate the Game (by The Game ft. Nas and Marsha Ambrosius)
• It’s Alright (by Saigon ft. Marsha Ambrosious (co-produced with Kanye “Greatest of all time” West))
• Pump it Up (by Joe Budden)
• Dear Summer (by Jay-Z)



Statik Selektah

A newcomer and less known compared to the previously listed people, Statik Selektah doesn’t really have a distinct style yet but that doesn’t stop him from being a great producer. He’s produced for Termanology, Bun B, Jadakiss and more, and the two albums he’s released so far have been full of great material.

Take It To The Top (ft. Saigon, Cassidy and Termanology):


Other tracks from Statik Selektah that I recommend:
• Church (ft. Termanology)
• For the City (feat M.O.P. and Jadakiss)
• Happy Birthday To Me (by Naledge)