Music

Rico Wade, Ray Murray, and Sleepy Brown’s work as the Organized Noize production team established the group as pillars of the Atlanta hip-hop and R&B scene in the ‘90s. Their use of soulful melodies and live instrumentation draped over bouncy beats propelled groups like OutKast, TLC, and Goodie Mob into the spotlight. They were also prominent in forming the legendary Atlanta collective The Dungeon Family, whose members include Future, Janelle Monae and Killer Mike. Some of Organized Noize’s most iconic works include TLC’s megahit “Waterfalls,” Ludacris’ weekend staple “Saturday (Oooh! Ooooh!)” and Outkast’s classic first four albums. – MARK ELIBERT

9th Wonder caught the rap world’s attention with his collection of unofficial remixes to Nas’ God’s Son album, which he fittingly titled God’s Stepson. The North Carolina producer’s mega basslines met their match when intertwining with North Carolina MCs Little Brother, as 9th assumed in-house producer duties for the duo’s first three albums. Jay-Z’s engineer Young Guru personally recruited 9thmatic for Hov’s The Black Album in 2003, where he flipped R. Kelly’s “A Woman Threat” for the menacing “Threat.” The Duke University professor has since earned credits with Mac Miller and Nipsey Hussle, and provided the soundscape for Kendrick Lamar’s cinematic DAMN. closer “DUCKWORTH” in 2017.” – MICHAEL SAPONARA

The Bomb Squad, captained by Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, Chuck D, Gary G-Wiz and Bill Stephney, changed hip-hop’s sonic landscape with their revolutionary sound, which served as the backdrop for the legendary rap group Public Enemy. The Long Island collective blended unconventional sounds, noisy rhythms, and dozens of eclectic samples to fuel Chuck D’s politically charged rhymes and Flavor Flav’s electric stage presence. The Bomb Squad’s work on Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet ushered in a new era of socially conscious rap and established the producers as architects of hip-hop’s evolution toward unapologetic expression – work they continued outside of PE on essential LPs like Slick Rick’s The Adventures of Slick Rick and Ice Cube’s AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted. – M.E.

A bass player from Queens, Larry Smith would link with Russell Simmons and help his artist Kurtis Blow make the first gold-certified rap record, “The Breaks.” One of the first producers to utilize digital drum machines, Smith popularized the use of the Roland TR-808 (Yes, that 808) when he used it to helm Run-D.M.C.’s watershed debut and their follow-up, King of Rock, which perfectly fused rock and rap in a way no had heard before. If Smith had only worked with the Hollis crew, he’d be a legend — but he also connected with the Brooklyn trio Whodini and crafted a synthesizer-soaked sound with heavy R&B undertones for the group’s sophomore effort, Escape. The album was a commercial success, becoming the first rap album to break into the Top 40 on Billboard’s Hot 200 chart. Larry Smith may be the least-known producer on this list, but he just may be the most influential as well. – DAMIEN SCOTT

Dilla was the soul of Detroit hip-hop, both with his own group Slum Village and as the man behind now-legendary beats for luminaries like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Common and Erykah Badu. But it was his contribution to the flow and feel of hip-hop, both as a producer and as a drummer, that is his lasting legacy — helping craft the sound of the Neo-soul movement and laying the groundwork for a generation of those who came along after his untimely passing in 2006. – DAN RYS

Metro leveled up as a leading solo artist in the 2020s. Young Thug splurting “Metro Boomin want some more, n—a” became ubiquitous across rap anthems in the mid-2010s as Atlanta reasserted itself as hip-hop’s centrifugal force. Thumping 808s and dark synths make up a part of Metro Boomin’s cinematic production arsenal, which provided a sonic playground for the millennial superstar likes of Future (“Mask Off”), Migos (“Bad & Boujee”) and 21 Savage (“Bank Account”). With four top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits under his own name as well, Metro leveled up as a leading solo artist in the 2020s, which further cemented his legacy, and earned the versatile St. Louis hitmaker recognition from the Recording Academy: Metro’s nominated for both producer of the year and rap album of the year (Heroes & Villains) honors at the 2024 Grammys. – M.S.

The Surf Club mastermind has enjoyed many runs in hip-hop. During his rookie campaign, he unlocked his first Grammy win courtesy of Jay-Z and Kanye’s provocative club anthem “N—as in Paris” in 2011. Though the menacing, synthy cut is arguably the crown jewel of Hit-Boy’s resume, he found his second and third wind in the mid-to-late ’10s when he helped whip up triumphant hits for Drake (“Trophies”), Travis Scott (“Sicko Mode”) and Nipsey Hussle (“Racks in the Middle”) with the latter earning him another Grammy the following year. And most recently, Hit-Boy’s latest reign refueled Nas’ career, as rapper and producer released six projects together over the last three years — including 2020’s King’s Disease, which earned God’s Son his first-ever Grammy, for best rap album. – CARL LAMARRE

Crafting a production style influenced by jazz, house music and his own DJ experience, Chicago native No I.D. (aka Ernest Dion Wilson) has engineered a slew of memorable sonic milestones since producing childhood friend Common’s 1994 breakout album Resurrection. The lengthy list of artists with high-profile albums and hits bearing No I.D.’s indelible imprint includes Kanye  “Ye” West (808’s & Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy), Rihanna (Anti) and Jay-Z (4:44, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse), as well as that trio’s 2010 best rap/sung collaboration and best rap song Grammy-winner “Run This Town.” – GAIL MITCHELL

While Drake’s herculean run in hip-hop has awed many, his OVO co-captain, 40, always saw the vision. Friends since 2005, 40 was integral in molding the sound of Drake, creating a lush underwater sound that pulled listeners in from the first listen. With 40 as his sonic architect, Drake’s lyrical verve remained strong for over a decade, as proven through touchstone albums like 2009’s So Far Gone, 2011’s Take Care and 2015’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, straddling and forever blurring the lines of hip-hop and R&B.  — C.L.

The crate-digging Madlib burst onto the scene with 2000’s The Unseen, released under the name Quasimoto as a “team-up” between the producer and his rapping animated alter ego, Lord Quas. He proved to be a master of collaboration with other artists as well, joining forces with fellow production deity J Dilla for 2003’s soulful Champion Sound and then blinding the underground and mainstream world with the late MF DOOM for the cult-adored Madvillainy a year later. Freddie Gibbs pushed the limits of his artistry by recruiting the Stones Throw Records dignitary behind the boards for Piñata and the Grammy-nominated Bandana, five years apart. With a predilection for obscure samples and elements of jazz, Madlib has managed to find beauty in sonic imperfection: “I don’t like s–t too perfect. I like some human mistake,” he said in 2016. – M.S.

The legend of Rick Rubin has grown to near-mythical proportions over his four decades in the industry, but it all goes back to the work he did out of his NYU dorm room in the mid-‘80s in helping hip-hop find its footing as a vital part of the music business. Producing on iconic singles like T La Rock’s “It’s Yours” and LL Cool J’s “I Need a Beat,” Rubin developed a stripped-down, hard-hitting and rock-influenced style he’d help turn into blockbuster crossover albums for the Beastie Boys (Licensed to Ill) and Run-DMC (Raising Hell) in 1986 — sending hip-hop permanently overground and setting the stage for its total mainstream takeover in the decades to come. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Since 1993, The Hitmen collective has served as in-house producers for Bad Boy Records and also worked with artists outside the label. Gaining initial notice and critical acclaim for The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 masterpiece Ready to Die, the team has since amassed a deep-rooted catalog that mirrors rap’s own evolution. The team’s credits range from back-in-the-day collaborations with Faith Evans, Puff Daddy, Mase and Shyne to more recent projects by Machine Gun Kelly, French Montana and Janelle Monáe. Among the esteemed crew’s current and former members: the late Chucky Thompson, Easy Mo Bee, Combs, Ryan Leslie, Mario “Yellowman” Winans and Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie. – G.M.

You can’t talk about West Coast hip-hop without discussing the game-changing contributions of DJ Quik. The Compton native’s ability to intertwine funk, soul and rap revolutionized the genre and helped cement G-funk as an unstoppable sound in the early ’90s. His work as a producer was undeniable, as he crafted hits with stars like 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z. But Quik was also a talented rapper, whose first two albums, 1991’s Quik Is The Name and 1992’s Way 2 Fonky, established him as a respected multihyphenate, with timeless anthems such as “Tonite,” “Born and Raised in Compton” and “Jus Lyke Compton.” – M.E.

As the in-house producer for Cash Money in the 1990s and early 2000s, Mannie Fresh brought the New Orleans bounce to the masses, with era-defining records like Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” the Big Tymers’ “This Is How We Do,” B.G.’s “Bling Bling” and Lil Wayne’s “Go D.J.” Few producers have been able to capture the distinctive swagger of their home city in such an instantly recognizable way, and it’s a credit to his brilliance that his records still go so hard. – D.R.

Merely based off his work alongside duo partner C.L. Smooth — the righteous funk of “Mecca and Soul Brother,” the lush quiet storm of “Lots of Lovin,” the timeless soul of “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” — Pete Rock could stand alongside any hip-hop producer of the ‘90s. But of course his impact goes well beyond the records released under his own name, with his ear for clean drums, clever scratches and rousing jazz and R&B samples elevating pivotal works by Nas (“The World Is Yours”), Common (“The Bitch in Yoo”) and Redman (“How to Roll a Blunt”), and also making him a go-to remixer for many of the era’s biggest rap hits. – A.U.

Just Blaze has lived many lives. As one of Roc-A-Fella’s in-house producers, he helped propagate the label’s trademark sound – lush, glittering, ruthlessly modern beats that carried songs from the block to the club. And while Ye took that sound and co-opted it for his own solo rap career, Just Blaze worked to develop his own style that centered around the mixture of samples and high-fidelity live instrumentation that made you feel as if you were right there in the studio with the session players. It was a style that worked with a multitude of MCs, including Jay-Z, Eminem and the Dipset and State Property crews. His technique worked so well that when, in 2009, a little known rapper from New Orleans hopped on one of his beats, it properly launched his career and subsequently started one of the craziest bidding wars in recent memory. – D.S.

Starting in the mid ‘90s, no producer was as consistently on the cutting edge as Timothy Mosley, as his warped future-funk beats and extraterrestrial synths helped push popular music into the 21st century. The scope of Timbaland’s studio mastery could hardly be contained by hip-hop, as it ultimately pushed into the worlds of R&B, pop and occasionally even rock. But his work in rap alone is enough to earn him all-timer status, including longtime artistic partnerships with legends like Jay-Z (“Big Pimpin’,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”), Ludacris (“Phat Rabbit,” “Rollout (My Business)”) and of course musical soulmate Missy Elliott, whose extensive turn-of-the-century work with Tim remains the gold standard for envelope-pushing in all popular music. – A.U.

East Coast hip-hop got a shot of adrenaline when Swizz Beatz built a powerhouse with Ruff Ryders in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Beginning with the ubiquitous heater “Ruff Ryders Anthem,” the chemistry between Swizz and NY superstar DMX made them one of rap’s grittiest one-two punches, as X’s searing snarls and barks thrived over Swizz’s bombastic production. Eve and The Lox were also beneficiaries of Swizz’s beat-making prowess, emerging as faces of the burgeoning NY stable, but it was the producer’s masterwork with rappers outside of the double-R family such as Jay-Z’s “Money, Cash, Hoes,” T.I.’s “Bring Em Out,” and “Lil Wayne’s “Uproar” that extended his legacy to the wider rap world. — C.L.

In 1998, Vibe magazine paid homage to Marley Marl, saying he “forever changed the sound of hip-hop with his unique beat barrages,” born out of his reworking of drum samples. As one of rap’s innovative and influential guiding lights, Marl more than lives up to that praise. The Queens, New York native began honing his production skills in the early ‘80s as a co-founder of the Juice Crew, and later as in-house producer for Cold Chillin’ Records. There, he helmed landmark albums for fellow Juice Crew members Big Daddy Kane (Long Live the Kane, including “Set It Off”), Biz Markie (Goin’ Off, including “Vapors”), M.C. Shan (Down By Law, including battle anthem “The Bridge”) and Roxanne Shanté (Bad Sister, including the seminal “Roxanne’s Revenge”). A rapper in his own right (“Marley Marl Scratch” featuring Shan), Marl is also behind classics from LL Cool J (“Around the Way Girl”) and Kool G Rap & DJ Polo (“Road to the Riches”), among many others. – G.M.

Few artists change the game as much as A Tribe Called Quest changed rap. The group paved the way for new avenues of subject matter, bringing a smart, slick and streetwise everyman POV to rap. But, more relevant to this list, the group introduced new sounds and influences from bebop to psychedelic rock. The rapper/producer spearheaded the production of ATCQ’s classic albums The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders, creating a sound bed that perfectly accented the group’s irreverent rhymes. His work with Tribe alone would be enough to land him on a list of the best producers, but Tip went further – helping out on Nas’s watershed debut, giving Mobb Deep a warmer touch, and later working with Jay-Z and Kanye West on Watch The Throne. He not only changed the sound of rap but made a new generation of artists who we now enjoy feel comfortable enough to make the music they wanted to make. There’s nothing more legendary than that  – D.S.

What started as a friendship melded together through music at a summer camp in the 1990s became one of hip-hop’s most dynamic partnerships, whose impact and importance lasted well into the 21st century. As The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo doled out indelible party starters such as Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U,” Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” “N.O.R.E.’s “Superthug,” and Mystikal’s dual bangers “Shake Ya Ass,” and “Danger,” ruling radio, the clubs and the charts for summer after summer. When the Virginia twosome wasn’t making the dancefloor shake, they were instrumental in building one of hip-hop’s punchiest twin giants with Clipse, courtesy of coke-binged classics like 2002’s Lord Willin’ and 2006’s Hell Hath No Fury. – C.L.

The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem – those are the boroughs and neighborhoods that defined the sound of NYC hip-hop in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. However, thanks to Brownsville-born Robert Diggs, b.k.a RZA, Staten Island would leave its own indelible mark on the game. While Dr. Dre had the country West Coastin’ with slick G-funk samples and breezy drop-top anthems, RZA took the dusty record bin diving of NYC rap to another level with loops that sounded like they emanated from a basement stairwell. He mixed those with obscure clips from ‘70s Kung-Fu films to form a sonic tapestry that felt so rugged and gritty that it bordered on horrorcore, but ultimately created a world unlike anything we’d heard before. Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) not only introduced the world to a some of the rawest, wittiest, most original and inventive MCs ever, it kicked off a legendary run of group and solo albums — all helmed by RZA — that would forever change the sound and language of hip-hop. – D.S.

Despite coming to be synonymous with the New York, boom-bap sound that defined the 1990s, Premier’s career began in Houston, where he was born and went to school, before he moved to Brooklyn in the 1980s. But it was on the East Coast that he developed the jazz-funk-sampling, scratchy, live MPC drumming production that punched through classic mid-’90s records like Nas’ “N.Y. State of Mind,” The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ten Crack Commandments” and Jay-Z’s “Friend or Foe.” He made his name alongside Guru in beloved NY duo Gang Starr, but his legacy now extends far beyond his own group, as the backbone for some of the greatest and most influential rap records of all time. Hip-hop was born in New York, and no one came to embody the sound of the city so completely as Premier. – D.R.

Kanye West and his chopped-up soul samples took the rap world by storm in the early 2000s as Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella’s not-so-secret weapon. Yeezy’s avant-garde production put no limit on his deep-sea exploration of hip-hop’s boundaries, while pulling on an eclectic mix of influences and brilliantly piecing together the unlikeliest of collaborators. With 24 Grammy Awards and the Billboard staff’s No. 1 album of the 2010s headlining his Hall-of-Fame résumé – the opulent My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye’s five beats a day for three summers mantra during his come-up certainly paid off. Over two decades into his decorated career, West still demands public interest and a huge following, despite heavy backlash after his string of controversies, and has long cemented his place as one of the genre’s visionaries and sonic tastemakers. – M.S.

Starting his music career in 1985 as a member of the electro-hop group World Class Wreckin’ Cru, Dr. Dre — born André Young — has since become the most important producer/artist in rap’s 50-year history. The Compton, Calif. native rose to prominence as the co-founder of the seminal West Coast gangsta rap group N.W.A, producing genre game-changers like the protest anthem “Fuck tha Police.” He then broke from the group to work on his trailblazing solo debut album, 1992’s The Chronic (including the hits “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” and “Dre Day”) and helped usher the G-funk sound into the cultural conversation. In tandem with the release of his second solo masterpiece, 1999’s 2001, the self-described “Master of Mixology” further expanded and shaped his penchant for using live musicians and dabbling in other genres as he continues to foster his ever-evolving production style. 

Along the way, the seven-time Grammy winner has produced a treasure trove of hit singles and albums, such as his and 2Pac’s “California Love,” Snoop Dogg’s riveting Doggystyle (the first debut album by an artist to bow at No. 1 on the Billboard 200), 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady,” the latter two with artists signed to the sharp-eared Dre’s Aftermath label. In addition to collaborating on projects with hip-hop and R&B luminaries Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak, Dr. Dre has also worked to pass the torch to future generations through such producer mentees as his stepbrother Warren G, Daz Dillinger, Scott Storch and Mike Elizondo. – G.M.