I've been involved in and surrounded by music for a long time. Both my parents were very influential in the types of music that I listened to and gravitated towards as I approached and moved through my adult years. My grandfather was a popular singer in Chicago, alongside soulful greats like Curtis Mayfield. So I AM bred to have a soulful personality that has much to say about Hip Hop producers. This article will be totally based on my personal opinions, and not intended to slight any producer in the industry, or those beneath the surface.

I come from the boom-bap era, so my ear is naturally programmed to appreciate a bold kick-hat-snare-k-kick-hat-snare pattern with a dope soul sample or grimy sounds butter-spread over it. This had it's drawbacks, as I found myself being a Midwestern military brat in North Louisiana, where Hip Hop, especially the underground and/or New-York-based sound that dominated the culture was not readily appreciated. And even when the Midwest and West Coast brought their knives to cut a piece of the culture's pie, I was not amongst peers that really appreciated what my ears were feasting on in the 90s.

Two paragraphs that said absolutely nothing about my favorite producers might be frustrating you at this point. So let's jump in to my--- ME--- MY favorite producers--- with no shade to anyone else.

1. DJ Premier- When I think of "BOOM BAP," no frills, "this is what it is", straight Hip Hop music, I think of the Preemo. His ability to take a simple boom-bap-beat, and make something either grimy and gutter for M.O.P. or soulful for Guru (Gangstarr) and Nas is impeccable. I still get this fresh and blissful feeling when ever I hear the first kick and snare of "Nas Is Like."

2. Pete Rock- Who can resist the nostalgic feeling of hearing the intro to "They Reminisce Over You," knowing the soulful horns are imminent? The Soul Brother has helped to shape the continued sound of many producers across decades. Some of my favorite Pete Rock beats are "The World Is Yours" by Nas, "Tru Master" (from Soul Survivor), and "Till I Retire," "The Best Secret," and "Made Men,"--- all from the NY's Finest project (2008). Being a bit transparent and vulerable here, let me say that those three beats (NY's Finest) were the balm to soul during a very difficult period in my life. And I always get this overwhelming feeling whenever I play them. Shout out to the Soul Brother for his career in Hip Hop, and being "instrumental" to my love for Hip Hop.

3. RZA- It is unmatched what the Zig-Zag-Ziggallah was able to accomplish with the diversity of personalities in the Wu-Tang Clan, mixing hard beats with soul samples AND Kung-Fu movies, carving a unique lane for the crew as whole AND individually. RZA not only single-handedly produced albums for the Wu members, but was later aided by proteges like TruMaster, Mathematics, & 4th Disciple--- all solid producers that helped to keep the grimy-soulful sound of Wu-Tang alive. When you consider the Wu-Tang albums that Killa Bee Leader produced and pollinated, each one has its own pocket and personality while winking at the hive with the Kung Fu influence. 

RZA went on to producer for himself and ventured into movie scoring, showing his range and reach of creativity, and later found a knack for acting. It gives me great joy to see such a visionary living beyond his vision. My favorite RZA beats include "For Heaven's Sake," "Triumph," "Verbal Intercourse," and "Ice Cream." 

4. Madlib- My production endeavors were largely due to his influence. When I was in college, I made my first production album, after hearing Yesterday's New Quintet's "Elle's Theme", which was literally what I was mimicking for a couple of joints on a project I called "The Produce Section." I was later taken aback by his "Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note," as he weaved eclectic drum patterns with classic jazz records. But NOTHING... and I MEAN NOTHING... is more notable to me than his craftsmanship on Madvillainy, an unsuspected staple in  Hip Hop, that perfectly highlighted the bold, mysterious, and comedic rhymes of the late, great MF Doom. He has too many classic production projects and credits. But my personal history with Madlib goes back to "Whenimondamic" with Lootpack. I would go into my campus computer labs to get on the internet to listen that joint often. And then there's the Jaylib co-production project with the legendary Jaydee (JDilla). What makes Madlib standout for me is his reach into international crates for samples.

5. JDilla- I think it unanimously understood how great JayDee is (and I speak in the present tense on purpose, because he lives on through his music). The great producer/emcee behind the Detroit-based group Slum Village, is responsible for bringing in a new way of making beats, with unique drum patterns that varied from a calculated boom-bap to off-swing with soul and neo-soul sprinkled on top of them. I still remember seeing Slum in concert when they were promoting the Fan-Tas-Tic Vol.2 album. "Players," "Conant Gardens," "Thelonius," "Believe In God," and "Think Twice" are just a few of the tracks that make me think of the production guru. 

6. Nottz- The crazy thing about my "relationship" with Nottz' production is that I had to discover (far later than normal) that he ranks HIGH on my list. "Huh?" Let me explain. I went years jamming to certain songs and beats, but either didn't know or totally forgot who was behind them. It wasn't until I was listening to a Nottz Beats playlist that I realized that he is the mastermind behind some of my FAVORITE Hip Hop joints--- including "Everybody Rise" for Busta Rhymes, "The Attack Is On" for DV Alias Khrist, "Holy Water" on the Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1, and "Legendary Street Team 2" from the Lyricist Lounge Vol. 2. And these are just a few of the joints that were notable bangers for me, that I just forgot were fingertipped by Nottz. 

7. El-Producto (El-P)- My college days just so happened to coincide with the rise of this New York-based grimy producer/emcee, who began his music career with the group Company Flow, where their debut album "Funcrusher Plus" was largely produced by him, alongside group member Bigg Jus and Mr. Len. I will never forget when my crew members first played for me "The Fire In Which You Burn," the eclectic 808-drum headbanger produced by El-P for that album. It changed the way I look at Hip Hop. The level of raw and griminess to the beats that ranged from simple to deeply intricate raised the standard for underground producers. And it was the production of Cannibal Ox's "Cold Vein" that solidified the already notable producer/emcee as one of my personal favorites. The dirty galactic sound he put behind the duo is what makes it one of my favorite projects to date. While his music career is far-reaching, on up to the Run The Jewels collaboration, he was certified in my book as an inspiration for my ears and my own production endeavors.

8.  Black Milk- I cannot tell you the amount of times I played "Long Story Short" after I first heard it. To this day, it ranks as one of the dopest hip hop beats in my book, because of the  mysterious piano opening  to the  raw synthesizer sounds over the banging drum track.  Both his solo and collaborative project efforts over his  20-year career, is a force to be reckoned with, when you consider albums like "Popular Demand," "Tronic," "Album of The Year," "Black & Brown,"  and "CalTroit".  The Black Lactose has EARNED his spot in my top producers.
   
   

There are plenty of other producers that I definitely dig, but I wanted to highlight these seven, because they speak directly to my journey in the engagement of the culture of Hip Hop music.  And you can probably hear that in my album "The Justified Journey of a Nasty Nomad," due out June 25, 2024.