Keith
Top 10 Hip-Hop Producers of All-Time
Sep 2, 2012
For the last few weeks I’ve been trying to decide which album to choose for my first review. Dozens of titles have come to my mind as great choices, but I couldn’t pick just one. So I thought why not do a Top 10 albums of all-time? The problem with that idea was that making a Top 10 Albums was just too hard! I decided to do the Top 10 Producers because in my mind production makes up somewhere between half and one third of Hip-Hop music. Sure, great lyrics can make up for average production, as seen on Ras Kass’ stellar album Soul On Ice, but just imagine what that album could have been with better fitting monumental production from some of the producers found on this list. The reason albums like Illmatic, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) or The Infamous are regarded in the highest light is that they combine a superb lyrical display with production that rivals in quality. So without wasting any more of your time here is my list of the Ten Greatest Hip-Hop Producers of All-Time, plus some who just missed the cut:
10. Stoupe
(of Jedi Mind Tricks)
Around since 1996, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind has handled all of the production for his group Jedi Mind Tricks. This in house producer has crafted spectacular beats for his unorthodox underground group. His production often features string instruments combined with bass lines. His best work with Jedi Mind Tricks is found on the group’s second full-length album Violent By Design. His sounds can range from eerie backdrops for violent rhymes to beautiful stages for intellectual joints. Another element of his production that stands out is his RZA-like movie samples, but unlike RZA, Stoupe samples science fiction movies not kung fu. My favorite pieces of work by Stoupe are found on Canibus’ Rip The Jacker. Canibus recorded all the lyrics and left the beats up to Stoupe. His production for the most part fits beautifully (for example Levitibus and Genabis). Stoupe is not flawless, but I believe that for the most part, his work speaks for itself and he deserves a spot on this list.
9. Bomb Squad
To be honest, at first I was not a huge fan of the Bomb Squad. The first time I heard their work was on Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet. At first their unorthodox hard-hitting style was a little too much to take. But I kept listening to it and they grew on me. I realized that this type of production was very fitting for the message Chuck D and Flava Flav were putting out there and I began to appreciate it. A year later the Bomb Squad put together Ice Cube’s solo debut AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. By the time I heard this album I was already a huge fan of their production and this album just added to my liking. Like Public Enemy, Ice Cube had a very strong, rebellious statement and the Bomb Squad once again provided the perfect stage to present this message.
8. Large Professor
From a very young age Large Pro has been making beats for numerous big name artists. He got his start producing at the age of seventeen working on Eric B. & Rakim’s Don’t Sweat the Technique. The name Large Professor is very fitting, seeing as how he was a teacher to many in the rap game. He acted as a mentor to artists such as Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes and even taught the legendary DJ Premier a thing or two about turntables. He had a hand in several classic albums, such as Midnight Marauders, Illmatic and Mecca and the Soul Brother, not to mention a classic album of his own alongside the Main Source on Breaking Atoms. Large Professor has a laid-back underground style that has allowed him to work with any artist he desires. When listening to his work you can tell that this is more than a business to the Large Pro. Tracks like “Looking at The Front Door” speak volumes about his dedication to Hip-Hop as an art form, not just a business.
7. DJ Hi-Tek
If you are a fan of underground
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The OFFICIAL Labor Day Weekend Party "Work Hard, Play Hard"
Sep 1, 2012
21 + ID
- For a chance to win Free entry and/or a TWO7SEL t-shirt FOLLOW on twitter @SpeedHustle_com , @SpeedHustleCEO , @TeamSpeedHustle and tweet using #SpeedHustle
Saturday 9:30pm
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Nowadays
Aug 30, 2012
A lot of times people don't realize how important it is to teach your kids the right. I be damn if my kids get older and run me over or not love me, beside mines will be brought up the right and the definition of bad people. I see a lot of kids nowadays going up too fast. I hate to see them when they get older. -Sad But True!!
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Money Makes The World Go Around
Aug 30, 2012
$ makes the world around, and it never stops for nothing. It's always some way to make a dollar and it always feels good to have some kind of money in your pocket. So enough excuse saying you broke because it's enough dollars out there for everybody.
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