I love Hip Hop music. Not as much as I love my wife. I used to read all the credits on my favorite albums. I still do if I can find them. The last list of credits I read were from The Carters’ EVERYTHING IS LOVE. That made me think about my favorite Hip Hop producers. Here’s a list of them and maybe the in right order.

1. Timbaland - There’s a combination of things that makes me enjoy Timbaland. The drums are first. I would study his drums for my own production, but the way he flips samples is great too. It’s like he always knows what to make with a sound. He also has the ability to use anything and turn it into a beat. “Big Pimpin’” wasn’t my introduction to Timbaland, but it did help me learn about all of his work.

2. Pharrell & Chad (The Neptunes) - Some more Virginia natives that I thoroughly enjoy. They aren’t afraid to be nerdy and smart. That fearlessness shows up in the production. The chords and instrumentation is what I mimic in my own work. They experiment with sounds that are weird and I admire that.

3. Dr. Dre - Dre is just a master at layering and mixing. I listen to all the the elements packed into his mixes and I love the way he executes. I imagine his mixes take weeks. He’s a master at handling simplicity and complexity. That balance is phenomenal.

There are plenty more but these are my top three.