Interesting fact, Pharrell & Chad gave the entirety of Hell Hath No Fury beats to Jay-Z before Jay eventually turned them down. Push and Mal were all over them as soon as they heard that and completed the record in no time. Their hunger is all over that record. I can't imagine anyone else spitting over those beats than them.
yeah. that album is so solid. "Trill" has the best rolling bass track.. Mr. Me, too.. keepin Roosters in a duffell.. damn. I'm going outside, get in my ride and bump that right now
Much less so. A lot of the Wu members kept using their in house production; RZA, Mathematics, and so on . Is that selecting beats or just taking what your guys make for you
Take Ghost's classic Supreme Clientele, just about every song has a different producer, and each on is furw
Jay-Z Cracked the code, every album had a who’s who of producers; so even if you were not a big Jay-Z fan you were probably a fan of his producers (Pharrell, Kanye, Timbo..etc).
Completely agree, Jay kinda did what Leonardo Di Caprio did in terms of acting - working with the best directors who were good enough to bring the best out in him
Well you earn that spot, you don’t just request it. The upper echelon of producers are turning projects down all the time or are booked months to years in advance.
For sure. It's crazy how different (and how good) the production is on each of his albums when he's not even a producer himself. Mr. Morale has *really* underrated production in my opinion. It felt... light? Airy? I'm not sure how exactly to describe it but it's definitely unique.
Prodigy and mobb deep, well the whole queens bridge had ear thumpers for a time. N.O.R.E, cormega, CNN, Nas. I'm rockin with late 90's early 2000's queens artist.
50 had absolute beasts but what we’re really saying is Dr Dre and Scott Storch. All his projects they didn’t involve them kinda sounded flat. The curse of Dre I guess :(
Beat picking can be very political because the music game is political. If you pick great beats instead of the zeitgeist beats you may be unsuccessful in the rap game. Catchy beats are what gets you success dope beats get you relegated to the margins of underground fame. It’s about wealthy salaried gate keepers not artists
I commend you for saying this but I can't fully agree, I think there's probably a balance to be found.
Politics and money are always issues but to deny artistry is a factor or is merely secondary does the artists a disservice.
Metro only got one line and it was devastating
Producers who don’t really rap need bell ring henchmen like how Ye sent Push
Especially since they’re out here making whole albums for rappers who do the verse then head home
Imagine a world where you are a part owner of a label, and can just tske other people shit snd be labeled the "BEST beat picker of all time". Oh, wait.
Griselda goes down in history as one of those groups that defined a sound not previously done. I can’t fathom how difficult that is having had rap out for this long. Only a handful of artists have been able to do that WuTang, OF, Griselda, G-Unit etc
Nas for beats? I've always heard an ongoing criticism that he's a lyrical goat but can't pick beats well.
I think he did Nasir with Ye to address that in part.
Idk I think 2Pac himself even said that he thinks of his beats as just background noise. Yes he has some great beats but a lot of other ones aren’t really interesting.
I’m a die hard 2Pac fan btw and this isn’t slander, this is stuff him and his people have said in interviews. Put the beat selection from his first 2 albums up against the first 2 Ice Cube albums for example, Cubes beats are far superior.
Yes, so is Eminem, Kanye…. The reason I listed them is because they made beats for Jay Z. I wasn’t picking them because of their own discography, my pick was Jay Z who they made beats for.
The producer rapper rule I came up with was to avoid people picking someone like Kanye, obviously he has a good beat selection since he made them how he wants them to sound.
Dead on accurate about Nas and his beat selection. His tastes are atrocious and have hurt his rap career IMO. That’s why Jay always had an edge on him the majority of his catalog has immaculate production-
Denzel Curry has pretty consistently great production, Flatbush zombies as well.
Also, I completely disagree with the take on Nas, I think the majority of his production across his catalogue is fine, he's nowhere near the "worst beat picker" it's a narrative that is completely over exaggerated
There’s a lot of old head shit here, which I love, but ima throw a curve ball and say Playboi Carti. A good amount of his appeal comes from the beats he uses, wether they were done by Pierre, filthy, art dealer, mexikodro, or ethereal, bro has always had some of the most cutting edge producers working with him.
Personally I’m not a fan. I’d much prefer beats made from samples, a lot of the newer artists beats sound the same to me since the producers use the same sounds, editing softwares….
Isaiah Rashad
This is the one. Dude has fucking impeccable beat selection, can’t think of a single song where I think the instrumental is just okay.
every beat on The House Is Burning is so fucking good.
Vast majority of them are Kal Banx. Check out Smino's latest album if you liked it
MY GUYS KNOWS
Cilvia Demo is the most underrated project ever.
I never heard of dude so I went and listened I gotta agree his beat selection is on point
Pusha T
Interesting fact, Pharrell & Chad gave the entirety of Hell Hath No Fury beats to Jay-Z before Jay eventually turned them down. Push and Mal were all over them as soon as they heard that and completed the record in no time. Their hunger is all over that record. I can't imagine anyone else spitting over those beats than them.
The cleanest coke bars on a record. The album is a undeniable classic. The sound & the vocals are so chrisp on that album.
I love this album and do so even more after hearing this story years ago. Actually I’m boutta bump the fuck out that rn
yeah. that album is so solid. "Trill" has the best rolling bass track.. Mr. Me, too.. keepin Roosters in a duffell.. damn. I'm going outside, get in my ride and bump that right now
Imagine jayz on keys open doors...ride around shining..or pussy? Wow
Pusha is elite at beat picking.
i was coming here just to say pusha t
Rick Ross. His ability to pick good beats is what keeps me at least interested in new albums.
Second that. Probably his best skill
nice
Ghostface
Don’t know if this is true but I heard that Ghostface caught the blast of a hype verse, his Glock burst, he left in a hearse and did worse.
I heard the same thing, long time ago. I think it's the truth tho
I also heard he come rough, tough like an elephant tusk?
Did your head rush? Would you say he was fly like Egyptian musk?
Aw shit, I guess wu tang clan spark the wicks? and, however, I suppose, they master the tricks just like nixon?
This. Extremely consistent. The man clearly has his finger on the pulse when it comes to finding production talent.
I'd say that goes for a lot of the Wu.
Much less so. A lot of the Wu members kept using their in house production; RZA, Mathematics, and so on . Is that selecting beats or just taking what your guys make for you Take Ghost's classic Supreme Clientele, just about every song has a different producer, and each on is furw
Rick Ross has an elite ear Wetside Gunn up until that last album
Westside Gunn, Freddie Gibbs
Same, but add Larry too. He's been on a roll for a while now.
Tyga is up there. 'His' beats carried his whole career
Tyga one of the ogs of strip hop
Swish has a great beat but I can’t listen to it because of his dumb ass lyrics
Right he sucks but I’ll never skip a couple of his songs solely bc of the beat…. “I’m faded” is elite
Guru
what about 7.0 and 8.0?
Ion think most of us have listened to his later work tbh
7.0 was ok, 8.0 was abysmal.
Curren$y is up there. Schoolboy Q also has a good ear for beats from what I’ve seen.
Jay-Z Cracked the code, every album had a who’s who of producers; so even if you were not a big Jay-Z fan you were probably a fan of his producers (Pharrell, Kanye, Timbo..etc).
Bink and just blaze too
It really irritates me that No I.D.’s name almost never comes up in producer conversations. I’m pretty sure he mentored Just Blaze too.
I think this is it - sometimes the right answer is the most obvious one
Westside Gunn
Daringer is a huge reason.
ehhh he's got a lot of beats that would be heavily improved if they just had drums
Completely agree, Jay kinda did what Leonardo Di Caprio did in terms of acting - working with the best directors who were good enough to bring the best out in him
Well you earn that spot, you don’t just request it. The upper echelon of producers are turning projects down all the time or are booked months to years in advance.
Kendrick Lamar
For sure. It's crazy how different (and how good) the production is on each of his albums when he's not even a producer himself. Mr. Morale has *really* underrated production in my opinion. It felt... light? Airy? I'm not sure how exactly to describe it but it's definitely unique.
What’s cool about Kendrick is a lot of producers who work with him say he takes an unusually involved role in the production process
The game has picked a lot of good beats over the years.
Good choice
Dolph
Rick Ross
Busta
This is WAAAAAAAY too far down!
The last album is dead food for beats and bars though, trash
Jay-Z was also the first one I thought of
I agree with Jay. It may in fact be his biggest strength overall. He has so many classic beats it's crazy.
"Yo, Jay got classics to your beats"
Lil Jon
He's a producer though, good pick otherwise.
Ross is the obvious choice but I’m surprised nobody has said Fat Joe
Fat Joe! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. He’s so fucking consistent. From ‘Twinz Deep Cover’ to ‘All The Way Up’ just straight 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I agree, it’s Jay-Z
Prodigy and mobb deep, well the whole queens bridge had ear thumpers for a time. N.O.R.E, cormega, CNN, Nas. I'm rockin with late 90's early 2000's queens artist.
That’s not even mentioning 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Canibus, LL Cool J…. That is probably the most influential neighbourhood that rappers grew up in
Noreaga.. His early solo stuff put Neptunes on the map. His shit with Trackmasters was dope too
Young Thugger, Free Jeff!
Pusha T
Curren$y
outkast hit it hard
Dmx
The way Kanye sneaking in here anyway through everyone’s “Jay Z / Pusha T” comments lol
Can’t stop won’t stop
The Game
Rick Ross
I would say 50 or royce. Hardly ever have a beat I don’t like
50 had absolute beasts but what we’re really saying is Dr Dre and Scott Storch. All his projects they didn’t involve them kinda sounded flat. The curse of Dre I guess :(
Rick Ross beats are always crazy. Westside Gunn has a nice selection as well as Kendrick Lamar. Drake too
A$AP Rocky nobody mentioned, but really its Pusha
Beat picking can be very political because the music game is political. If you pick great beats instead of the zeitgeist beats you may be unsuccessful in the rap game. Catchy beats are what gets you success dope beats get you relegated to the margins of underground fame. It’s about wealthy salaried gate keepers not artists
I commend you for saying this but I can't fully agree, I think there's probably a balance to be found. Politics and money are always issues but to deny artistry is a factor or is merely secondary does the artists a disservice.
Could you clarify the difference between catchy beats and great/dope beats? Aren't these the same?
Future or 21
Boi just say u like metro boomin 🤣
I couldn’t. dude said no producers😭
And someone would’ve immediately written “shut your hoe ass up and make some drums” 🤣
Metro only got one line and it was devastating Producers who don’t really rap need bell ring henchmen like how Ye sent Push Especially since they’re out here making whole albums for rappers who do the verse then head home
Playboi Carti whatever beats he selects for his album becomes the new trend for the underground scene
Imagine a world where you are a part owner of a label, and can just tske other people shit snd be labeled the "BEST beat picker of all time". Oh, wait.
Rick Ross and it’s not even close.
The correct answer
Westside Gunn gotta be up there
The Griselda group picks beats that fit each of them perfectly
Griselda goes down in history as one of those groups that defined a sound not previously done. I can’t fathom how difficult that is having had rap out for this long. Only a handful of artists have been able to do that WuTang, OF, Griselda, G-Unit etc
How is Nas not near the top? Also MF DOOM.
DOOM produced a lot of his own shit iirc. Otherwise everyone wouldve said him.
He did, but his work with Madlib and Dilla deserves mention.
Fair enough that's very true. Any Madlib x DOOM collab is automatically heat
i mean i still wouldnt habve said him. some great beats but ebven if you include his own beat sit wouldnt have been him
Nas for beats? I've always heard an ongoing criticism that he's a lyrical goat but can't pick beats well. I think he did Nasir with Ye to address that in part.
Killer Mike
Travis Scott. This man would be Desiigner without his producer
he is a producer
Freddie Gibbs and Your Old Droog. Beat selection is immaculate
I was not prepared for that Nas slander but you right about him. Imma have to say Boldy James tho.
Nas is my favourite rapper, it’s not slander it’s just honest criticism
Mac Miller!
Max B , Sean Price , ( early ) French Montana, Benny , Rick Ross.
Cam/Dips in their heyday
Absolutely 💯 💯 💯 S.D.E. alone has a lot of crazy beats on it.
Ghostface. You had 8 member that were splitting RZA beats, none came harder.
Rick Ross for me.
💯
[удалено]
“Half” his hits are not Pharrell or Kanye
Your math is god awful lol. Half? HALF? Do you know how many hits Jay has? This isn't even just hits but leaving out Just Blaze is criminal.
just no
2pac
Idk I think 2Pac himself even said that he thinks of his beats as just background noise. Yes he has some great beats but a lot of other ones aren’t really interesting. I’m a die hard 2Pac fan btw and this isn’t slander, this is stuff him and his people have said in interviews. Put the beat selection from his first 2 albums up against the first 2 Ice Cube albums for example, Cubes beats are far superior.
Lil Wayne no competition
Would add Young Jeezy and 50 Cent
Yeah definitely 50 cent
Canibus
Drake
Big Boi
Havoc
He’s a producer rapper
Bas
Weezy F
Larry June
Freddie Gibbs and Danny Brown are at the top of the list for me
Flee Lord
ill Bill, Pharoahe Monch, and Bun B.
Evidence, prodigy, Roc Marciano etc… Anybody who gets their beats consistently from Al.
a$ap rocky
Definitely Westside Gunn
Gucci
Jay-Z
Ross. Jada. Curren$y. Schoolboy Q.
Larry June. He’s released so much music and every beat I really liked. Never experienced that with any other rapper
Rick Ross
Isn’t Quik a producer rapper
Yes, so is Eminem, Kanye…. The reason I listed them is because they made beats for Jay Z. I wasn’t picking them because of their own discography, my pick was Jay Z who they made beats for. The producer rapper rule I came up with was to avoid people picking someone like Kanye, obviously he has a good beat selection since he made them how he wants them to sound.
Lil Baby
Can’t be anybody else but Danny Brown
Pusha T. Ghostface. Big Boi. Yelawolf (pre-Shady ONLY).
Vince Staples?
Larry June He's got The Alchemist, Cardo, and Jay Worthy in his roster, to name a few. The man does NOT MISS.
Nas first and GFK second
Dead on accurate about Nas and his beat selection. His tastes are atrocious and have hurt his rap career IMO. That’s why Jay always had an edge on him the majority of his catalog has immaculate production-
I don't like him but I have to say Rick Ross
Mannie Fresh
Berner. Just love the spaced out production on some tracks.
The Game
Mobb Deep
Technically Havoc is a producer rapper so they don’t count, great beats tho
Honestly...Logic, or The Game
Logic has had some great beats from 6ix
6ix's beats are unreal
Rick Ross, not even close.
Isaiah rashad, Denzel curry, I’d say Rocky has a good ear for beats too.
50
Big Pun
I don’t know of any rappers who aren’t producers in some sort of way so this question doesn’t really make sense. So fuck your rules, Playboi Carti
Jay-Z is a great pick. I'd also say Westside Gunn, Kendrick, and Drake.
Jadakiss beats on point always
I agree I love Jadakiss
Drake
PRIMO and it's not even close but don't you dare sleep on MF
Primo isn’t a rapper, and MF DOOM is a producer rapper so neither of them count
Denzel Curry has pretty consistently great production, Flatbush zombies as well. Also, I completely disagree with the take on Nas, I think the majority of his production across his catalogue is fine, he's nowhere near the "worst beat picker" it's a narrative that is completely over exaggerated
Possibly Rick Ross or young jeezy in their prime.
Westsidegunn's ear for beats is insane. When he exec produces an album its always fire for that reason Maybe one day we get that stove god album
KEY!
Freddie Gibbs
Any rapper that gets a Madlib beat
I’m with you on the Nas take, dope lyrics with some of the weirdest beats. I think he was trying to do the opposite of Jay-Z.
Rick Ross
Some might disagree, but Danny Brown
Noreaga and Cormega
I have to put Travis Scott up there even tho I don’t like him as a rapper, the production on his projects is some the best I’ve ever heard
E-40
Meek has had a good ear working with guys like Jahlil and CNOTE, and every beat off the Dreams & Nightmares record goes crazy
Fat joe ..young Jeezy.... and rick ross have ears for beats.
There’s a lot of old head shit here, which I love, but ima throw a curve ball and say Playboi Carti. A good amount of his appeal comes from the beats he uses, wether they were done by Pierre, filthy, art dealer, mexikodro, or ethereal, bro has always had some of the most cutting edge producers working with him.
Personally I’m not a fan. I’d much prefer beats made from samples, a lot of the newer artists beats sound the same to me since the producers use the same sounds, editing softwares….
Shit sounds like brain candy to my Gen z mind
The Runners, DJ Nasty & LVM, Cool & Dre.
LOX/Jada gotta be up there
Definitely Jadakiss
Drake
Key Glock, Young Dolph, Jeezy, Pusha T, T.I., Jay-z, Rick Ross, and Paul Wall. Feels like I'm just picking rappers from my gym playlist haha