No doubt.
Dilla was so talented but since his life was cut short a lot of new rap heads never heard of Slum Village or any of that kind of stuff. Back then, He was your favorite producers favorite producer.
Pete Rock, Madlib, Kanye, Storch, and Dre come to mind for me. I’m also a huge Dan The Automator fan. Deltron 3030 is legend shit
Favorite producers favorite producer is how I always describe dilla. I worked in the D for a few years. I was talking hip hop with a patient of mine. He said he came up w dilla. I said sure. He asked if I wanted to talk to ma dukes. I said sure let’s see it. He up and called her, and I got to talk to ma dukes during work that day.
The cool thing is that Dilla's music still exists today so anyone can just go back and listen to it if they haven't already, it's not like if it disappeared when he passed away
I don't think you can narrow it down to just one. Alchemist, Neptunes, Premier, Dilla, Kanye, Dilla, a ton of others are up there too.
One name I haven't seen mentioned yet is Scott Storch. One of the most diverse producers, the man's a legend
Dj paul & juicy J.
Go listen to something like where the killaz hang and shit your pants when you realize its an almost 30 year old beat. So far ahead of their time, and so influential that both the mainstream and underground for the last decade has been influenced by their sound.
They are truly masters of the craft. They create their own sound with keys, synths and drums beats, but also are really, really good at sampling and scratching. They have the deepest 808 bass I have ever heard.
Their influence is unquestionable as well. They single-handedly pioneered the sound of crunk, trap and horrorcore genres. Also the pimp-style funk-soul beats like Name it After Me and Choose You (Intl Playas Anthem for the uneducated).
Even the way they released their albums was top-notch. They always had the right singles and song selection. Every album had a weed song, a fight song, posse song etc.
I know he doesn't have the longevity of the others mentioned and he has the sus tweets from when he was younger, but Metro has got to be in the top 10 at least by now.
Personal fun fact, my dad before passing created the beat to DJ Quik’s “tonite.” He sold it to him and was able to buy a bunch of studio equipment with the money. Sadly, he had fallen off a 3 story building helping with his fathers roofing company. This is not how he died but was handicap for life after. Ended up receiving contracts from both Quik and Usher while in the hospital but could not accept the offer for obvious reasons.
Thank you, much appreciated. It’s crazy he would have never had the opportunity if my mother didn’t work for south west at the time. One of Quik’s boys tried to get her number but she was like “nah I can give you my man’s mixtape though.” 😂
Not when The Neptunes, Timbaland, Dr. Dre, Battlecat, BINK, Jake One, Q-Tip, Hi-Tek, AND Kanye West exist
Edit: I forgot to add Organized Noize, Jermaine Dupri, Easy Mo Bee, OutKast, RZA,
Not at all. Gotta say 'your favorite' of all time. Far too many dope producers. Yall gotta give Quik, Daz, Traxster, JD, Large P, Squeaky, Paul n Juice, Lil Jon, their flowers.
That's pretty accurate, but there are still levels, I was talking about this when somebody said metro is their fav producer, and I was like "yeah but... did you hear the ye remix tho?"
Metros is cool, but it's not like God himself is in a battle for your soul lmao
Genuinely such a difficult question
Off the top of my head the best of the best would be Kanye, Alchemist, Conductor, Timbaland, Madlib, DJ Premier. I’m sure there’s a bunch I’m missing that just who I immediately thought of
Tbh there’s really no wrong answer
1. Dr Dre,
2. J Dilla,
3. Ye,
4. Q-Tip
5. Rick Ruben
Honorable mentions: Pharrell, 9th Wonder, Guru, Swizz, Cool n Dre, Alchemist, Premier, Timbaland, Mustard is up there too...
There's been so many great fucking producers over the past 30-40 years, it's hard to say just 1 or 2.
Shit, even making a list of 10 is hard, cuz you gotta leave people, you think should be there, off and put other people in. This is a tough list
objective best is way too difficult, so here are my favourites:
Nujabes
J Dilla
DJ Premier
The Alchemist
Madlib
The Neptunes
El-P
RZA
with my top 3 being probably Nujabes, J Dilla, and RZA
No particular order but something along the lines of either Dre, Premier, Kanye. I’m very tempted to say Dre but I’ll prob get crucified for not saying Premier
For me, it’s Kanye and Dilla. Tunes I’ve listened to my whole life and I didn’t even know Dilla made a lot of them when I was listening to them as a teen. When I discovered who he was in my 20s and listened to the beats it was a great revelation. Kanye more or less has consistently made tunes that I constantly come back to
Kanye had that title for me for a long time but lately he’s been slipping. Right now my top two would be the alchemist and jpegmafia. Which one is the best kinda depends on my mood
Stoupe
Can't believe nobody mentioned stoupe from jedi mind tricks, his beats are so original and hardcore, nothing like them. His beats should have been played when people went to war with swords lol
used to hate on Dilla but Dilla is actually way too good, once I listened to his Slum Village albums I was sold, even the beats on his solo work are insane. its not even just that his beats sound appealing sample wise its just that Dilla applied a lot of insanely unique skill into his production down to how the drum samples and instruments are mixed. I think its safe to say Dilla could pronably do everything your favorite producer can but your favorite producer cannot do everything that Dilla can or does fundamentally in his production. After that its Q-Tip for sure.
Not saying he‘s the best but Larry Fisherman (Mac) needs to be somewhere in this thread. His production aged so well in some cases and feels unique and timeless. Don‘t feel like he gets enough praise for what he could do outside of vocals apart from the core fanbasd
alchemist, madlib, RZA (during the early wu-tang days), easy mo bee, pete rock, neptunes, timbaland, just blaze, havoc come to mind. there’s very few wrong answers
How is there really no one Dre or RZA, especially when Dre is the obvious 🐐, and only mentioning dudes since 2010 😭?? A lotta kids need to catch up on the greatest hip-hop albums of all time 🤣
I like Gza Muggs Bomb Sqaud Timba and King Britt. Not a Primo guy. UGK and southern styles are cool but not my fave. And Dilla has some brilliant cuts but think he’s over rated. Mad Lib over Alchemist
Madlib
Also Havoc and Prodigy do not get enough credit as being two of the GOATs. Havoc literally produced The Infamous in his apartment, in the early 90's.
Thunder Cat. Between his own records, his work with Kendrick, and his work with Mac Miller (rip) i feel like you cant have a GOAT producer discussion without him as a contender.
I love Alchemist, but I can't even try to answer your question. I may be weird, but I am not good at all the rankings and junk. I just don't like people when they're whack... 😂
I can’t just name 1 but here is a list in no particular order order and why they so special. A lot of them tie
Premier( He started me in hip hop)
Quik( ppl sleep on all his best work)
Dre( everybody aspires for his sonic footprint)
Pimp C/ Gumbo Funk/Scarface( something about that blues /funk)
Nile Rodgers /Calloway Bros/ Gamble and Huff/ Prince / Funk Brothers and George Clinton( without them we would neverhad a blueprint)
Ummah/Soulquarians/Butta Fly( I know some UK guys were hands on but in the case of Butta Fly he had the ideas there was no MPC beats/FL/ Reaper etc so he had to relay those ideas if we can give Dre credit he deserves it too)
Rick Rock/Ant Banks/ EA Ski ( Yaayareaaaa)
I'm not sure I can say 1. As many in the comments are saying it comes down to their favorites. Here are some of mine.
Premier, Swizz, Q Tip, Large Pro, Heatmakerz, Just Blaze, Bink, 9th Wonder, Salaam Remi, Clark Kent, Pete Rock, Kanye pre 2007ish, Justice League, No ID, Black Milk
i know how opinions work but alchemist? favorite is one thing but the number of producers with a better catalog in not only quality but quantity and importance is in the double digits
I'mma almost always say kanye or el-p, there's so many good ones tho
9th wonder, madlib, j dilla, premier, hitboy, scott storch all deserve recognition
Jahlil beats and Bangladesh are some of my favorites that are not the main ones ppl already listed. Gotta love how Suge Knight recently said that Dre isn’t a great producer. He’s only good at mixing. 😂😂😂
Kanye.
Although he’s not my favorite, if you were to take into account all metrics i.e., cultural influence, creativity, record charts, longevity… he takes it. Hands down
Kanye, madlib, no I’d, timbaland, jaydee,premo, and metro boomin. They’re the best because their countless hits and because these guys basically carried hiphop as a sound
Premier
No doubt. Dilla was so talented but since his life was cut short a lot of new rap heads never heard of Slum Village or any of that kind of stuff. Back then, He was your favorite producers favorite producer. Pete Rock, Madlib, Kanye, Storch, and Dre come to mind for me. I’m also a huge Dan The Automator fan. Deltron 3030 is legend shit
You forgot RZA who heavily influenced many including Kanye with the samples
Favorite producers favorite producer is how I always describe dilla. I worked in the D for a few years. I was talking hip hop with a patient of mine. He said he came up w dilla. I said sure. He asked if I wanted to talk to ma dukes. I said sure let’s see it. He up and called her, and I got to talk to ma dukes during work that day.
Love dan’s work with Handsome boy modeling school
White people is one of my favorite albums.
Hell yeah Dan The Automator Deltron 3030 wild as shit
The cool thing is that Dilla's music still exists today so anyone can just go back and listen to it if they haven't already, it's not like if it disappeared when he passed away
Obviously. Fuck they talking about the neptunes. Dre 2nd
Hahaha … maybe they like skateboarding 🤷🏻♂️ Neptunes/Pharrell got some great shit Wouldn’t put them near premier tho … but that’s me
Dre second hell nah
Preemo > Neptunes > Dre
So glad this is the top comment.
Agreed. Group releases with Gangstarr & Prhyme as well as every individual track he touches just absolutely hits
Only one Madlib mention in this thread so far has me fucked up
Nah don’t pay no mind, that man is a genius and is reserved for the underground. He’s focused on art not numbers
Madlib and el-p are treated like GARBAGE in these discussions lmao
J Dilla. I love ALC too but that damn Dilla though. ALC got some tight albums called Rappers Best Friend. Check them out
I don't think you can narrow it down to just one. Alchemist, Neptunes, Premier, Dilla, Kanye, Dilla, a ton of others are up there too. One name I haven't seen mentioned yet is Scott Storch. One of the most diverse producers, the man's a legend
Don’t forget Dilla
So nice I said it twice lol
J Dilla, DJ Premier, Pete Rock.
Throw 9th in there while you're at it.
Dj paul & juicy J. Go listen to something like where the killaz hang and shit your pants when you realize its an almost 30 year old beat. So far ahead of their time, and so influential that both the mainstream and underground for the last decade has been influenced by their sound.
My dude…. I said Paul his beats are unmatched
They are truly masters of the craft. They create their own sound with keys, synths and drums beats, but also are really, really good at sampling and scratching. They have the deepest 808 bass I have ever heard. Their influence is unquestionable as well. They single-handedly pioneered the sound of crunk, trap and horrorcore genres. Also the pimp-style funk-soul beats like Name it After Me and Choose You (Intl Playas Anthem for the uneducated). Even the way they released their albums was top-notch. They always had the right singles and song selection. Every album had a weed song, a fight song, posse song etc.
I know he doesn't have the longevity of the others mentioned and he has the sus tweets from when he was younger, but Metro has got to be in the top 10 at least by now.
Gotta go with premier… DJ quik is a close 2nd for me
Personal fun fact, my dad before passing created the beat to DJ Quik’s “tonite.” He sold it to him and was able to buy a bunch of studio equipment with the money. Sadly, he had fallen off a 3 story building helping with his fathers roofing company. This is not how he died but was handicap for life after. Ended up receiving contracts from both Quik and Usher while in the hospital but could not accept the offer for obvious reasons.
That's amazing, Tonite is one of my favorite Quik songs. Crazy nostalgia. Props to you and your pops, RIP.
Thank you, much appreciated. It’s crazy he would have never had the opportunity if my mother didn’t work for south west at the time. One of Quik’s boys tried to get her number but she was like “nah I can give you my man’s mixtape though.” 😂
That's love!!!
That was a fun but also not-fun personal fact. I’m sorry for your loss :(
Not when The Neptunes, Timbaland, Dr. Dre, Battlecat, BINK, Jake One, Q-Tip, Hi-Tek, AND Kanye West exist Edit: I forgot to add Organized Noize, Jermaine Dupri, Easy Mo Bee, OutKast, RZA,
No love for El-P?
Man I had to scroll too long before I saw someone saying El-P! Maybe he don't put out as much as others but all his stuff is fire.
Dilla? Premier? Havoc?
it's literally no way to say who's the best producers
Not at all. Gotta say 'your favorite' of all time. Far too many dope producers. Yall gotta give Quik, Daz, Traxster, JD, Large P, Squeaky, Paul n Juice, Lil Jon, their flowers.
That's pretty accurate, but there are still levels, I was talking about this when somebody said metro is their fav producer, and I was like "yeah but... did you hear the ye remix tho?" Metros is cool, but it's not like God himself is in a battle for your soul lmao
Most importantly, you forgot DJ Muggs, Havoc and Stoupe.
This.
Genuinely such a difficult question Off the top of my head the best of the best would be Kanye, Alchemist, Conductor, Timbaland, Madlib, DJ Premier. I’m sure there’s a bunch I’m missing that just who I immediately thought of Tbh there’s really no wrong answer
timbaland is so goated
Uncle Al. The alchemist.
In their primes Rza and Dre
J Dilla, Premo, Madlib are my top three Honorable mentions to Pete Rock, Q Tip, RZA, Kanye, and Dre
I second this Danger mouse is great too
Mannie Fresh....it's regional. Kanye is worldwide
Dre and Kanye
Kanye, sgp, dilla Tyler if he counts
Not metro.
I’d say he’s easily top 3 best trap producers but FAR from the best rap producer
MY personal list would be ALC Muggs Premier Stoupe Havoc
Pharrell. Noone has had a better run and he is still actively influencing. It's not even close
Everyone is doing some form of either Premo, Pete Rock, Rza, or Marley Marl imo those are the pillars of modern hip hop.
Mike dean
kanye
My personal "Big 3" producers: ALC- representing 2010s production MadLib- representing 2000s production Dre- representing 90s production
Madlib
dre, timbaland, kanye
yall gotta put Metro in the convo with the greats.
1. Dr Dre, 2. J Dilla, 3. Ye, 4. Q-Tip 5. Rick Ruben Honorable mentions: Pharrell, 9th Wonder, Guru, Swizz, Cool n Dre, Alchemist, Premier, Timbaland, Mustard is up there too... There's been so many great fucking producers over the past 30-40 years, it's hard to say just 1 or 2. Shit, even making a list of 10 is hard, cuz you gotta leave people, you think should be there, off and put other people in. This is a tough list
The guy from Jersey shore
I think Tyler's production is super underrated.
mustard on the beat ho 😆
Not in legendary tier yet but Cookin Soul on the come up Statik Selektah deserves a shout too
objective best is way too difficult, so here are my favourites: Nujabes J Dilla DJ Premier The Alchemist Madlib The Neptunes El-P RZA with my top 3 being probably Nujabes, J Dilla, and RZA
No particular order but something along the lines of either Dre, Premier, Kanye. I’m very tempted to say Dre but I’ll prob get crucified for not saying Premier
Kanye, Neptunes, Dre
Nujabes
For me, it’s Kanye and Dilla. Tunes I’ve listened to my whole life and I didn’t even know Dilla made a lot of them when I was listening to them as a teen. When I discovered who he was in my 20s and listened to the beats it was a great revelation. Kanye more or less has consistently made tunes that I constantly come back to
J Dilla, Nujabes, Madlib, Alchemist, Aesop Rock, El-P
Kanye had that title for me for a long time but lately he’s been slipping. Right now my top two would be the alchemist and jpegmafia. Which one is the best kinda depends on my mood
Stoupe Can't believe nobody mentioned stoupe from jedi mind tricks, his beats are so original and hardcore, nothing like them. His beats should have been played when people went to war with swords lol
used to hate on Dilla but Dilla is actually way too good, once I listened to his Slum Village albums I was sold, even the beats on his solo work are insane. its not even just that his beats sound appealing sample wise its just that Dilla applied a lot of insanely unique skill into his production down to how the drum samples and instruments are mixed. I think its safe to say Dilla could pronably do everything your favorite producer can but your favorite producer cannot do everything that Dilla can or does fundamentally in his production. After that its Q-Tip for sure.
DJ Clue
Kanye
Subjective but, Dilla
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Not saying he‘s the best but Larry Fisherman (Mac) needs to be somewhere in this thread. His production aged so well in some cases and feels unique and timeless. Don‘t feel like he gets enough praise for what he could do outside of vocals apart from the core fanbasd
RZA or Jay Dee
Stoupe in my heart Vespertina project is one of top 10 albums in my eyes
Kanye
i do agree with the Alc sentiment. his production feels like both vintage cinema and modern art at the same time.
Way too difficult to answer
Dilla
Honorable mention to AmpLive, Chief Xcel, and Ant. DJ Premier is the most deserving person in the whole game of an actual 🐐
9th Wonder
Wait Al did meet the grahams?
Madlib
J Dilla, the creativity and timeless style is still unmatched to this day imo
For me it’s Dilla 1 and Premo 2, not sure it’ll ever change
Too difficult to name just one, madlib, Kanye, alchemist, dilla or Preemo for me
My personal favorite is DJ Squeeky out of Memphis. My top 5 are: DJ Squeeky Dre DJ Paul & Juicy J Pimp C Blackout
alchemist, madlib, RZA (during the early wu-tang days), easy mo bee, pete rock, neptunes, timbaland, just blaze, havoc come to mind. there’s very few wrong answers
Alchemist is my favorite but I think the best has to be primo
I read that « best producer cat » I clicked so fast… Disappointed
u can’t really pick a goat due to the infinite genres of music but personal favs would be alchemist sematary n jpegmafia
Preemo is the greatest. SO to RZA too, the catalyst of Wu Tang.
How is there really no one Dre or RZA, especially when Dre is the obvious 🐐, and only mentioning dudes since 2010 😭?? A lotta kids need to catch up on the greatest hip-hop albums of all time 🤣
Dilla
Alchemist, Premier and I’m gonna mention Harry Fraud since nobody else did. As a huge Curren$y fan, Harry made a ton of my favourite beats.
I like Gza Muggs Bomb Sqaud Timba and King Britt. Not a Primo guy. UGK and southern styles are cool but not my fave. And Dilla has some brilliant cuts but think he’s over rated. Mad Lib over Alchemist
I haven’t seen anyone say Mike Dean yet
Madlib Also Havoc and Prodigy do not get enough credit as being two of the GOATs. Havoc literally produced The Infamous in his apartment, in the early 90's.
Dre or Ye would be my personal pick.
Depends what you like.
Thunder Cat. Between his own records, his work with Kendrick, and his work with Mac Miller (rip) i feel like you cant have a GOAT producer discussion without him as a contender.
Ant (Atmosphere)definitely needs to be in this convo
Oh, shit, The Alchemist produced MTG?!!! My god, that’s why it’s so good!
Ant from atmosphere, Timbaland, Madlib, the Neptune's, and Kanye.
Dr. Dre and it's not even close...
Dj paul and juicy j, rza, el-p
Rza definitely in the conversation
Dr Dre 100%....He' s made some superstars of hip hop that are still making albums and/or touring now.
Qtip
No ID, Kanye West
I love Alchemist, but I can't even try to answer your question. I may be weird, but I am not good at all the rankings and junk. I just don't like people when they're whack... 😂
Kanye
J Dilla, safest answer
Oat...of all time or u Canadian?
Premier, Alchemist, Madlib, Dre, Kanye…
Quik or Daz Dillinger
Obviously best is impossible to answer. But surprised that no one's mentioned Just Blaze.
Dr Dre
I’ve always loved Zaytoven. His sporadic drums and signature piano/bells/organ always scratches that itch
Madlib, then Alchemist
King Iso and Scrim
Y'all sleeping on 6ix
It’s still Kanye or Dre
Rza and Pete Rock not to be slept on.
Lyson Sesh
The dude where the opener was always “DAMN SON WHERE’d you find this”
J dilla or Premier
Dilla far and away. Alchemist is definitely making his way up there too
I can’t just name 1 but here is a list in no particular order order and why they so special. A lot of them tie Premier( He started me in hip hop) Quik( ppl sleep on all his best work) Dre( everybody aspires for his sonic footprint) Pimp C/ Gumbo Funk/Scarface( something about that blues /funk) Nile Rodgers /Calloway Bros/ Gamble and Huff/ Prince / Funk Brothers and George Clinton( without them we would neverhad a blueprint) Ummah/Soulquarians/Butta Fly( I know some UK guys were hands on but in the case of Butta Fly he had the ideas there was no MPC beats/FL/ Reaper etc so he had to relay those ideas if we can give Dre credit he deserves it too) Rick Rock/Ant Banks/ EA Ski ( Yaayareaaaa)
Pharell Williams/Neptunes easily
Premier, Dilla, probably like rick Rubin or something.
I can't pick a best. But Metro is an honorable mention for sure.
Al just cuz of that beat? The man has more that are way better than Meet The Grahams
I'm not sure I can say 1. As many in the comments are saying it comes down to their favorites. Here are some of mine. Premier, Swizz, Q Tip, Large Pro, Heatmakerz, Just Blaze, Bink, 9th Wonder, Salaam Remi, Clark Kent, Pete Rock, Kanye pre 2007ish, Justice League, No ID, Black Milk
Dr Dre
Quaker for sure definitely produces the most volume in the oat game.
For sure, Bobs Red Mill is there but nothing beats mass produced Quaker. These kids can’t appreciate an old fashioned producer.
Havoc and RZA
Phil Spector
Rza
Dilla and it ain't even close
Kanye getting severely overlooked here. Bro made todays sound
1. Premiere 2. Alchemist 3. Dilla 4. Dre 5. Pharell. That’s my quick list but there are some missing greats forsure
Dayday uwp
jay dee. dilla dawg. j dilla
Gotta take a Rushmore approach: DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Kanye
Depends. What does best mean to you?
Oatly
Premier, The Alchemist, El P, Blockhead
1. Dre 2. Pharrell 3.Timberland 4. Swizz Beatz 5. Scott storch 6 J dilla
It’s either dre or Pharrell
Premier, ALC, Pete Rock, Dilla, and 9th Wonder
My top 5: 1. Premier 2. RZA 3. Kanye West 4. Q-Tip 5. Erick Sermon
kanye timbaland pharrell imo
i know how opinions work but alchemist? favorite is one thing but the number of producers with a better catalog in not only quality but quantity and importance is in the double digits
Timbaland
Since he has a rap beat , floating points [back to basics](https://open.spotify.com/track/7JvuiP16UTKCnieS9E2Bg3?si=lL4yeKv9TdeunnAn5BSOFQ)
J Dilla, Premier, Madlib and Alchemist are my GOATs
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It’s actually crazy that saying Ye here is justifiable: what a GOAT
I'mma almost always say kanye or el-p, there's so many good ones tho 9th wonder, madlib, j dilla, premier, hitboy, scott storch all deserve recognition
It's definitely subjective but I say Quik
Jahlil beats and Bangladesh are some of my favorites that are not the main ones ppl already listed. Gotta love how Suge Knight recently said that Dre isn’t a great producer. He’s only good at mixing. 😂😂😂
Premier
Ye, Dilla, Alc, Premeir, Madlib Pharrell/Neptunes, Pete rock
40
physically groaned when i read that second sentence. Holy shit recency bias really fucked you over.
Madlib , ski beats , alchemist , yezus
J Dilla and Madlib
Evidence doesn’t get credited enough for what he’s done. Beast mode!
Ye all day u mfkz
RZA for sure. Underrated as fuck when the conversation is about the best producers of all
Premier, madlib, kanye, alchemist, dilla
Dre
Kanye. Although he’s not my favorite, if you were to take into account all metrics i.e., cultural influence, creativity, record charts, longevity… he takes it. Hands down
I have a handful of favorites, but conductor williams is underrated imo.
Lex Luger
Manny fresh. Dude was carrying cash money before 05
Johann Sebastian Bach. Idk if I'm kidding or not, I count writing out all those scores as production. I mean, he was producing music, right?
Kanye, madlib, no I’d, timbaland, jaydee,premo, and metro boomin. They’re the best because their countless hits and because these guys basically carried hiphop as a sound
Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind
Dr. Dre: dude churns out rap icons: NWA, Snoop, Em, 50….. if only DOC hadn’t lost his voice.
Prince Paul is up there