Swizz the best producer ever? Not by a long shot
I might get a new moniker as the guy who always goes against Kanye dumbass west. But honestly, this time, I have some grounds other than personal reasons to counter his latest assessment that Swizz Beats is the best hip-hop producer of all time. Not to take from Swizz who has had a sort of resurgence as of late as he has found a sort of space in which his tracks can survive with a modicum of success, but I just can't call him the best of all time. Right away, there will be some controversy with this list I can deal with it.
10. Just Blaze - This is a guy we tend to overlook. He did the bulk of production on Memphis Bleek's albums making some songs that were high energy like Swizz, but also showing versatility making songs for The Game with the West Coast feel. Solid at times and at others, you have to wonder how he sold an artist on a particular song, but overall he is a really good producer but not one I would rely on to do an entire album.
9. Swizz Beats - Swizz had a huge run to start off the decade with Ruff Ryders and DMX then fell off sharply when trends changed. However, he bided his time thought some label turmoil and finally made a return about 2 years ago and has been holding steady. His sound is very jumpy and energetic which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. He has had some smash hits but sometimes his album work leaves something to be desired. If a song doesn't make it as a single, it sometimes screws up the flow and his horrific work on some r and b takes him down a notch even though this is based mostly on rap production.
8. Premier- Now there are plenty of purists who are gonna jump down my throat. Look I'm not a premier fan. His trademark 'beat with scratches' is always the same on every album where you hear one. Bun B, Nas, CNN, all the same. Premier does have decent skills but nothing really pops out to me in terms of classic songs that I must hear. The album he did for Christina Aguilera was solid but nothing that screamed out which is a penalty to me.
7. Kanye West- I'm no Ye fan because of his personality and that shows in his beats sometimes. While songs like 'Power' showcase his ability to transform samples into something totally different, the latest song he released, 'Devil in a dress' shows when he overthinks. Yet he has tremendous versatility just listen to 'Haters' on the Blueprint 3 and see it's in a different direction. I just wish sometimes he would give Common some of these tracks.
6. Havoc- The reason Mobb Deep was able to be known in the first place was because of Havoc's dark and heavy production. He's like Dre of the East coast with a solid resume. Havoc still does tracks for 50 cent and G-unit regularly as well as his own projects. With the rise of the South Havoc is sort of an afterthought, however, Survival of the Fittest, Shook Ones, and Quiet Storm are three of the best hip-hop beats ever created.
5. Mannie Fresh- There would be no Cash Money without Mannie Fresh. He was the beat maker on all of the early hits that turned Juvenile, B.G., Baby and Wayne into household names. They have since parted ways but it doesn't mean that Mannie has slowed down. You may not know it because his sound has grown over the years but he is all over the South with T.I., to Big Boi, Yo Gotti, you name a rapper, Mannie is there putting down hot tracks and solidifying his legacy.
4. Pharrell (Neptunes)- So Pharrell gets the bulk of the credit because he is seen on screen all the time but we're not going to totally ignore his partner Chad. With super hits for the likes of Snoop and Jay-z you can't deny their commercial appeal. However, they earn their 'street cred' with entire albums worth of strong tracks for the likes of Slim Thug and The Clipse.
3. Dr. Dre- Dre is the only guy who you know doesn't rap but you're going to buy his album for the beats alone and you know his features are going to be the best of the West Coast. Dre single handedly has created what we know as the gangsta sound(not to give him all of the credit but he made it mainstream). From the early NWA, to early Death Row to 50 Cent and Eminem catalogs, Dre has the deepest catalog of strictly rap classic joints around. Slightly less recognizable than Timbaland joints Dre's biggest knock is he never feeds us enough to keep us satisfied.
2. Timbaland- Timbo is more interested in using unique sounds and making compositions that could stand out as songs on their own. Then when he switches it up and goes simple he still makes bangers. He has made hits for the biggest artists and though the trend right now is the slow southern beats in rap, Timbaland still demands his respect as a producer and even more being from Virginia he was one of the first southern trendsetters. Then he brought us Missy who brought us Tweet, Jazmine Sullivan etc...
1. Jermaine Durpi- Let me say this Jermaine Dupri is one of the most successful producers ever and has created some of the most memorable albums and artists of the past 20 years. It started in the 80's with Whodini and continues even today. The biggest knock on J.D. is his lack of an identifying sound which actually isn't as bad as it seems. While other producers go in and out of style, J.D. is always able to get hits no matter what the current trend, and unlike Puffy who gets executive producer credit, J.D. actually makes tracks. The most 'unrespected' producer as a friend says, J.D. is my best hip-hop producer of all time.
10. Just Blaze - This is a guy we tend to overlook. He did the bulk of production on Memphis Bleek's albums making some songs that were high energy like Swizz, but also showing versatility making songs for The Game with the West Coast feel. Solid at times and at others, you have to wonder how he sold an artist on a particular song, but overall he is a really good producer but not one I would rely on to do an entire album.
9. Swizz Beats - Swizz had a huge run to start off the decade with Ruff Ryders and DMX then fell off sharply when trends changed. However, he bided his time thought some label turmoil and finally made a return about 2 years ago and has been holding steady. His sound is very jumpy and energetic which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. He has had some smash hits but sometimes his album work leaves something to be desired. If a song doesn't make it as a single, it sometimes screws up the flow and his horrific work on some r and b takes him down a notch even though this is based mostly on rap production.
8. Premier- Now there are plenty of purists who are gonna jump down my throat. Look I'm not a premier fan. His trademark 'beat with scratches' is always the same on every album where you hear one. Bun B, Nas, CNN, all the same. Premier does have decent skills but nothing really pops out to me in terms of classic songs that I must hear. The album he did for Christina Aguilera was solid but nothing that screamed out which is a penalty to me.
7. Kanye West- I'm no Ye fan because of his personality and that shows in his beats sometimes. While songs like 'Power' showcase his ability to transform samples into something totally different, the latest song he released, 'Devil in a dress' shows when he overthinks. Yet he has tremendous versatility just listen to 'Haters' on the Blueprint 3 and see it's in a different direction. I just wish sometimes he would give Common some of these tracks.
6. Havoc- The reason Mobb Deep was able to be known in the first place was because of Havoc's dark and heavy production. He's like Dre of the East coast with a solid resume. Havoc still does tracks for 50 cent and G-unit regularly as well as his own projects. With the rise of the South Havoc is sort of an afterthought, however, Survival of the Fittest, Shook Ones, and Quiet Storm are three of the best hip-hop beats ever created.
5. Mannie Fresh- There would be no Cash Money without Mannie Fresh. He was the beat maker on all of the early hits that turned Juvenile, B.G., Baby and Wayne into household names. They have since parted ways but it doesn't mean that Mannie has slowed down. You may not know it because his sound has grown over the years but he is all over the South with T.I., to Big Boi, Yo Gotti, you name a rapper, Mannie is there putting down hot tracks and solidifying his legacy.
4. Pharrell (Neptunes)- So Pharrell gets the bulk of the credit because he is seen on screen all the time but we're not going to totally ignore his partner Chad. With super hits for the likes of Snoop and Jay-z you can't deny their commercial appeal. However, they earn their 'street cred' with entire albums worth of strong tracks for the likes of Slim Thug and The Clipse.
3. Dr. Dre- Dre is the only guy who you know doesn't rap but you're going to buy his album for the beats alone and you know his features are going to be the best of the West Coast. Dre single handedly has created what we know as the gangsta sound(not to give him all of the credit but he made it mainstream). From the early NWA, to early Death Row to 50 Cent and Eminem catalogs, Dre has the deepest catalog of strictly rap classic joints around. Slightly less recognizable than Timbaland joints Dre's biggest knock is he never feeds us enough to keep us satisfied.
2. Timbaland- Timbo is more interested in using unique sounds and making compositions that could stand out as songs on their own. Then when he switches it up and goes simple he still makes bangers. He has made hits for the biggest artists and though the trend right now is the slow southern beats in rap, Timbaland still demands his respect as a producer and even more being from Virginia he was one of the first southern trendsetters. Then he brought us Missy who brought us Tweet, Jazmine Sullivan etc...
1. Jermaine Durpi- Let me say this Jermaine Dupri is one of the most successful producers ever and has created some of the most memorable albums and artists of the past 20 years. It started in the 80's with Whodini and continues even today. The biggest knock on J.D. is his lack of an identifying sound which actually isn't as bad as it seems. While other producers go in and out of style, J.D. is always able to get hits no matter what the current trend, and unlike Puffy who gets executive producer credit, J.D. actually makes tracks. The most 'unrespected' producer as a friend says, J.D. is my best hip-hop producer of all time.
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