Swine flu, Balloon Boy, Michael Jackson, Iran, and Cash for Clunkers.

At least there were some cool beats.

For our end of the year Beat Drop, we asked our friends to pick their favorite beats of 2009. Part 1 featured artists; today we have everyone else.

Today, our contributors include

• Jerry Barrow of The Nod Factor /  The Urban Daily
• Devin Chanda of GIANT (Pre-RIP) and The Smoking Section
• Quan of HaterPlayer
• Riggs Morales, A&R at Shady Records
• Khal of rock the dub
• Brandon Soderberg of No Trivia
• Joey of Straight Bangin’
• Sweeney Kovar of the defunct Classic Drug References
• Ian of Different Kitchen
• Joesph of Geek Down
• Travis of Wake Your Daughter Up
• DJ RTC of Ruby Hornet
• Jerome Baker III of Better Than Yours
• Dom of Hold The Throne
• jben.ok of Funkadelic Freestyles
• Young H of Go In Radio
• DJ Franchise of Know The Ledge
• Ivan Rott of Hip Hop Is Read
• Jabari Johnson of IamJabari.com
• BMUSE of Always Hustle
• Morph and SimpleSteve of Hip Hop Gremlins
• Jorge of bang the box
• Justin4Q and Josh of The 4th Quarter
• Enigmatik of Boo Goo Doo Boom
• And of ML’s very own Knobbz, Buhizzle, and Rostam

Note: Due to our massive list of contributors, we had to cut A LOT. We may have a part 3 with the outtakes.

Aeon

Download: Tanya Morgan – She’s Gone

Jerry: This was by far my favorite track on Brooklynati. Young Guru once told me that the the perfect mix combines the low end of a Tribe Called Quest record with the clarity of a Dr. Dre production and Aeon nailed both requirements with his subsonic bass and beautiful vibes. I’m looking out for more from The Lessondary crew.

Alchemist

Download: La Coka Nostra – Choose Your Side (ft. Bun B)

Ivan: This hypnotic concoction by The Alchemist is a culmination of the best sounds from Madlib’s Beat Konducta in India with some added bark and bite. The drums and bass reverberate throughout each bar loop as LCN and Bun B crush the building with their threat-filled raps. This is the textbook example of a banger track.

Download: Alchemist – That’ll Work (ft. Three 6 Mafia, Juvenile)

Quan: Three 6 Mafia is perfect for this track because this Alchemist beat is along the same lines of Satanic hip-hop that Three 6 came up on earlier in their career (and the style they went back to this year). The difference being that Three 6 beats sound like gargoyles, church steeples, and bloody goblets and shit. This beat sounds like a record being played backwards, twisting a nice sunny melody into a secret message from Lucifer.

Buhizzle: This sounds like the sort of beat that Alchemist would make for a Mobb Deep record… right before taking a bunch of hard drugs and tweaking out over a drum machine. If you try to nod your head to this, you’ll probably find yourself nodding at several different speeds throughout the song (assuming you can last through the entire song). With the various all-over-the-place sound effects and the moaning female vocals in the chorus, some may say that this beat was executed sloppily… but, I think that was the point. And, in that sense, this beat was executed perfectly.

Download: Raekwon – Surgical Gloves

Khal: From the opening chords, I knew this beat was going to be a problem. ALC has some of the freshest sounds out there, but the excellence behind this instrumental is realizing how he fleshed the sounds out – it’s something like 5 bars then it re-loops? It’s so off-kilter, and I guarantee if you’ve not heard it, you’ll get halfway into the first verse and have to wheel it back – professional shit right there.

Ant

Download: Brother Ali – The Travelers

Morph: A decent drum loop but the marimbas definitely make the track and play in an endless loop in your head for the hours to follow. Honestly though, Ant spazzed on this album and all of the beats could go up here but this one’s left field use of the marimbas sets it apart from the rest.

Apathy

Download: Banana Leaf – Perverts In Love

SimpleSteve: No matter when I give this burn, It never ceases to give me the chills. Co-founder of the underground powerhouse that is the Demigodz, CT native Apathy laces Holly Brook, a talented songstress from Wisconsin, with an eerie yet beautiful arrangement of middle eastern sounding strings and pianos pieced together over a drum track that is although simple, so necessary.

Apple Juice Kid

Download: Wale – My Sweetie

Devin: Apple Juice Kid (best or worst name ever, depending on who you ask) produced this, sampling an African joint, “Let Me Love You” by Bunny Mack. So, Wale hopped on it to give something to “everybody who was ever forced to go to African parties wit they parents in the 80s 90s.” Now, I’m not African but this joint knocks like some soca joint, so cats on both sides of the Atlantic can get down to it. It was originally slated for Attention Deficit and though the beats that did make the album were far from formulaic, this joint would’ve been the most refreshing.

Bangladesh

Download: Mario –  Break Up (ft. Gucci Mane, Sean Garrett)

Riggs: As has been the case for the last 5 years, R&B tracks have surpassed hip-hop tracks when it comes to having a fresh and distinct quality to it. The melody and simplicity in this track make it easy for anyone to get on it and sound tolerable. It could have been a rapper’s single, but seems few saw this for the gem it was, expect for Sean Garrett. In another life, this one could have made for bangin’ De La Soul track.

Best Kept Secret

Download: Wale – Pretty Girls

Rostam: I love go-go. So when Best Kept Secret decided to sample one of the greatest bands for a track with the most prominent DC artist, I was all for it. I’ve enjoyed a lot of beats from Best Kept Secret, but the duo have never scored like they did here. You can dance to it and it bumps in the damn trunk. Greatness

BK-One

Download: BK-One – Philly Boy (ft. Black Thought)

Joey: There were likely years when a slow rap song with a lonely guitar ambling along across an otherwise sparse vacuum would not have registered with me. But time marches forward and tastes change. As a result, “Philly Boy” has resonated. Most basically, the song falls into the general category of head-nod music, a track which one can’t help but bob along to. The steady rhythm, punctuated by that tambourine, is hypnotic. The track grabs you, but you don’t know it until you feel it in your neck and snap out of whatever loose thoughts had invaded your consciousness. That’s another of the understated song’s strengths: I lose myself in thought while listening to this song more than I do with almost any other. The melancholy tone renders Tariq’s vocals just another instrument, a white noise that, somewhat paradoxically, sharpens the guitar. Divorcing the words from their intrinsic power, “Philly Boy” transforms into a blank slate onto which a listener can easily project his mind’s contents. From a lazy day around the house to errands in the car, “Philly Boy” suits almost any activity precisely because it is such an inviting, innocuous beat. Admittedly, the softness and the quietness, the tenderness–these things might skew toward something sad. But really, the beat is one of reflection, warm or cold, and that it can evoke an unwitting, visceral response so regularly is testament to its simple power.

Block Beataz

Download: G-Side – In The Rain

Quan: I bet Block Beataz think they’re so damn clever for naming this “In The Rain” and then having all the keys and strings and vocals keep poking in gently, pitter-pattering like raindrops. Well they are. And it just so happens that the production is fucking beautiful, like in a “purify your soul”-type of way.

Download: G-Side – Rising Sun (ft. Kristmas)

Brandon: The music that plays at your town’s Chinese food buffet sent through Auto-Tune. A hard-ass Slim Thug sample underscored by mournful piano. A wave of ghetto-tech “Hey!”s and 808 stutters that grow more desperate each time they rush through the background of the song. Yes, it sounds incredible, but it’s also the only soundscape expansive enough for G-Side’s edifying rhymes.

Download: G-Side – Feel The (ft. 6 Tre Gangsta, AC)

Joseph: Before 6 Tre’s verse he shouts a “rest in peace” to “Wild Bill,” which seems warmly song-specific. Block Beataz songcraft is so honed and specific to a context I’m not attune to, that when I hear something like “Bill-dubby-bass” in the background-chorus of this song, I assume it’s something personal (as opposed to a sample) referencing the same “Wild Bill.” That nearly all elements of the chorus come from 6 Tre’s verse also speaks to this. Block Beataz all ready have this unique aesthetic that involves heavy synth-layering and gradual speeding/slowing of vocals that when they use a sample from the same song, it comes off spectacular and inhuman. Not to get all pothead, but it’s like hearing a fractal. The layering of this beat is so intense, building upon itself and covering a wide range of the frequency spectrum, creating this warm, inviting environment to inhabit. When I put this song on I hope it lasts forever.

Chris Zane

Dam Funk

Download: Dam Funk – Come On Outside

Jerome: The double time drums/echo effect/ I don’t know what it is of this song make it beyond dope. Dam is all about synths and when the synth included in my favorite song on his CD kicks in you already know this is going to be quite the fantastic. Everything just works here: keys, drums, etc. My favorite song/beat of 2009.

Damu The Fudgemunk

Download: Damu The Fudgemunk – Prosper (ft. Raw Poetic)

Travis: Damu The Fudgemunk of Washington D.C. and Y Society fame, took the blueprint of classic 90′s golden age beats and added to it for the beat on “Prosper”, from his Killawatt Vol 1 EP. Sounding like a cross between classic Beatminerz and D.I.T.C. sounds, Damu hooks up fairly familiar samples and breathes new life into them.

DASECA Productions

Download: Mavado – Sixteen

Enigmatik: You didn’t hear a single MC spit over this fire track because it wasn’t made for rappers. This dancehall riddim was one of my favorite beats of ’09 and for that reason I had to include it in my top 5. I shared this track with khal (Rock The Dub) and he helped me to craft a megamix featuring some of the top deejays doing their best to out-voice the other on the track. My personal favorite version was Mavado’s take on the riddim. Pure madness on this one.

DJ Fresh

Download: D-LO – No Hoe (Remix) (ft. E-40, Beeda Weeda & The Jacka)

Joseph: This beat is so daringly minimal… with a trashy, deflated bass drum and an 808 kick+clap, DJ Fresh creates the negative space D-LO and his Bay Area compatriots use to detail the pros and cons of tracking girls out on Craigslist. The beat helps paint an absurd and hilarious picture of what “pimping” means in modern-day Californian culture. Where pimping once signified an unironic statement of status and class, we now get puns about Pro Tools and Yoko Ono… There are only two simple melodic lines that accompany the minimalist bounce of “No Hoe”… and the sound, akin to the lovechild of Snap and Hyphy, welcomes everyone to throw their hands up in ecstatic joy regardless of what side of the track they’re on.

DJ Khalil

Download: The Clipse – Kinda Like a Big Deal

Riggs: This is some B-Boy shit with a modern twist. It’s more bap-boom, than boom-bap. It knocked hard and left space for worthy spitters to kill it with ease. Good to see DJ Khalil get his just due after years of being ahead of curve.

Dom: DJ Khalil has emerged the past couple years as a go-to beatmaker, whether it’s in-house for Aftermath or Fabolous, Talib Kweli or the fellas of Slaughterhouse. His finest moment, though, came in the form of this banger from Clipse’s long-awaited Till The Casket Drops. Signature drums are a staple of the Los Angeles-based producer’s discography, so there’s no surprise that this beat is driven by its progressive kick-snare variations and effective bongo strikes. A menacing guitar riff rides the drums, as synth-y flares and a wild screaming sample pop up occasionally to provide the track with depth. Even ‘Yeezy puts aside his ego to tear up Khalil’s thumping production, best played while cruising in the whip, which is why “KLABD” is the featured single on one of ‘09’s top discs.

Justin4Q: This was unofficially the street anthem of the year. DJ Khalil made the entire beat with no samples only using crazy guitar licks from Chin Injeti, matching percussion and bass, and a little computer effects. When finished, Khalil had a true banger on his hands. Now add the Clipse and Kanye West to the mix and you have got iPods, CD players, and stereos everywhere on repeat. I know I used my repeat button several times over the summer with this track.

Download: Slaughterhouse – The One

RTC: DJ Khalil got everything right on this one, the perfect infusion of rock, a beat that bboys could love, and a vocal that sounded like it was ripped right out of the 90′s Grunge Era. Garbage is eating their hearts out right now.

DJ Premier

Download: Blaq Poet – Ain’t Nuttin Changed

Knobbz: Producers, don’t get any ideas. DJ Premier is the only producer who can get away with using an Akon sample. Only Premo would think to do a call and response between Akon’s lightly Auto-Tuned voice and Blaq Poet’s gravelly growl. As much as we praise our left-field underground producers, Premier is still leagues ahead of all of them. Still the greatest of all time.

DJ Quik

Download: DJ Quik & Kurupt – 9x’s Outta 10

Knobbz: I loved the warm West Coast jams on BlaQKout, but it was the amelodic “9x’s Outta 10″ with its irregular drums and big empty spaces that really blew me away. Its bold new sound is truly beyond comparison. The best I can muster is “Drop It Like It’s Hot” meets “Grindin.’” You would think DJ Quik’s heyday is long past, but this will be one of the defining songs of his career.

Download: DJ Quik & Kurupt – Hey Playa!

Buhizzle: Like several hyped-up West Coast side projects before it — Helter Skelter (Dr. Dre and Ice Cube) and the N.W.A. reunion (with Snoop in place of Eazy-E) always come to mind — the thought of a Quik-Kurupt collaboration album seemed too good to be true. But, it came true… and, in my opinion, it was too good. Quik has never taken a step backwards in his production, and Kurupt was the perfect type of “MC’s MC” to rhyme over the experiments that Quik cooked up this time around. Honorable mention goes to “Do You Know” and its “Anniversary”-chopping-and-chipmunking, but “Hey Playa!” just has that undeniable nod factor. The female-sung chorus is a well-executed example of the West Coast’s hip hop aesthetic, while Quik adds an international flavor with the Mariachi-sounding instrumentation laid over sampled Moroccan chant-like vocals (which Quik cleverly lifted from an episode of Bizarre Foods).

Dr. Dre

Download: Eminem – Taking My Ball

Riggs: Dre’s use of Bob James’ “Mardi Gras” on this joint could have made this track a club smash for the ages, but my boss chose to “shove a Tonka truck up a little kid’s butthole” and got sick with the flow from an MCing stand point. Fly joint…but the stuff on Detox is flyer.

Download: Raekwon – Catlaina

Dom: Aight, hear me out right quick. As much as OB4CLII is a modern classic compliments of the Chef’s verbal tenacity, it should also be recognized as a musical masterpiece on the production tip. I honestly could have picked any number of tracks for this Beat Drop, so this was not an easy decision. The reason I’m highlighting Dre’s effort and not RZA, J Dilla, Alchemist or even Necro is because “Catalina” possesses a distinctly different sound on an album crammed with coarse, brutal beats. As a sparkling piano melody floats over a rumbling bassline, it invokes a festive mood that starkly contrasts the Mafioso plots and street storylines that fill the album. Dre shows that he’s aware that every tale of hardship or violence needs its happy ending, to reflect on what’s in the rearview. I could easily picture Rae and Lyfe Jennings as passengers on Dre’s yacht, dictating that surviving is reason enough to rejoice.

Duck Sauce

Download: Duck Sauce – aNYway

Jerome: Duck Sauce is the pairing of A-Trak & Armand Van Helden, and by joining forces they combined to make the best dance song of the year. By using a SWEEEEET Final Edition sample, fist pumpers throughout the nation joined forces w/disco house heads and did it anyway they wanted all night long.

Exile

Download: Exile – Love Line

BMUSE: This beat just brings back everything I love about music. It’s a blend of classic sounds and futuristic sounding effects. Perfect samples, perfect tempo, its just a very good listen. I could vibe out or freestyle to this all day. My head is still bobbing. Still bobbing….

Download: Fashawn – Samsonite Man

jben.ok: The standout track off Fashawn’s Boy Meets World features a terrific sample – Billy Paul’s rendition of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” – and just happens to include some of the best drums I’ve heard all year. “Samsonite Man” is a driving, forceful soundscape that invokes nostalgic memories – and I’m JUST talking about the beat.

Download: Fashawn – Hey Young World

Devin: I heard the album back in June, so I had to wait until September for the watermark to arrive. As soon as it did, I told the editor with the loudest speakers to pop the disc in and skip to track three (this one). I was fiendin’, to say the least. One of the fashion editors overheard the track and asked if it was some vintage Nas joint. In a sense, she wasn’t far off.

Fatboi

Download: Gucci Mane – Hurry

Joseph: I remember “Hurry” most as the fist track on Writing on the Wall (the first mixtape when I really started paying attention to Gucci). The urgency Fatboi creates here has to do with the falling melody of the verses… it’s like listening to something constantly collapsing and trying to correct itself to a standing position. Gucci’s awesome, post-jail rhymes have a lot to do with building the constant momentum of “Hurry,” but Fatboi does a lot with the broken-Casiotone melodies that fold in and out of the track. The synth lines awkwardly ride the wave of Southern stereotype and rave-ish ecstasy binges… it’s a brilliant sound that never finds a balance amidst the nervous energy of “Hurry.”

Flying Lotus

Flying Lotus – Cat Leaf (unreleased)

Sweeney: I have to admit, I always had a great deal of respect for Lotus but I wasn’t necessarily his biggest fan. The stuff I’ve heard in the past 6 months of living in LA has definitely changed that. He has been growing at an incredible rate in the past few years and is finally, in my opinion, started to congeal into the type of legendary artist he will ultimately be.

The Inkredibles

Download: Rick Ross – Mafia Music

Joey: A song for doing work. Am I wrong? That opening piano note strikes, the strings and organ start to build, then the Lamont Dozier sample hits and it’s on. This beat is straight cinema, and it’s unfortunate that Ricky’s video did it such a disservice. Real mafia music–like this track–demands a tinted-window whip riding through the night, on some Michael Mann cinema-verite shit. Or maybe I just think this song could have found a home in Heat. It isn’t about handicam shots of a fat guy eating himself to death. Regardless, the steady, engrossing track plays out with malevolent intentions. This is not a track that you take lightly. You throw it on with a sense of purpose. “Mafia Music” also stands as a welcomed divergence from the cheap, electronic sounds and frenetic drum programs which tend to characterize Miami’s prominent hip-hop. Rather, the Inkredibles tapped into the sort of dark, bleak, angry mood that appears to fester in parts of Virginia (see: the Clipse). It’s a legitimately gripping soundscape, and it has stayed in heavy rotation as a result.

Infamous

Download: Fat Joe – Hey Joe

Ian: Joey Crack gets clowned all the time by the internet contingent of the hip-hop peanut gallery. He has never gotten his due as an artist despite having not only survived but endured and been a force in the game for damn near 20 years now, dropping solid album after solid album. Whatever you might think of his MC skills, his beat selection ear has usually been pretty on-point and this beat is no exception. The production and sound are both epic: a massive Hendrix loop that is built upon with layers and layers of drums, effects and others sounds to create a gigantic, anthemic banger that is nothing but a pure hip hop wall of sound!

J Dilla

Download: J Dilla – Blood Sport (ft. Lil Fame)

Khal: Another “instant screw face” track, this has been my ringtone for a good part of the year. I remember hearing “Code Of The Streets” from the Dillagence mixtape, and lovin’ how Dilla could manipulate the rage that niggas like MOP and Busta Rhymes has, and to realize how ill that combo is, whether posthumous or not, is excellent. The 2nd beat is dope, but doesn’t hold a candle to the wicked first beat.

Download: Raekwon – House of Flying Daggers (ft. ft Inspectah Deck, Ghostface & Method Man)

Jerry: This is my pick for best beat of the year for both practical and sentimental reasons. I haven’t heard the Wu sound this amped since Triumph and Dilla managed to do what Bink! did on GZA’s “Animal Planet”: run with RZA’s style but leaving your own footprints on the track.

Download: Mos Def – History

jben.ok: Mos Def’s The Ecstatic was a bit of letdown for hip-hop fans (but which post-2000 Mos Def album wasn’t?), but surely enough, there were some shining moments. While most of the posthumous releases from the late producer Jay Dee aka J Dilla can’t be deemed “extraordinary,” his sample of Mary Wells “Two Lover’s History” on “History” certainly is. The brilliance of “Dilla time signatures” was perhaps best exemplified by a live performance with The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, which included The Dirty Projectors singing the Wells sample along with the beat.

J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League

Download: Rick Ross – Magnificent (ft. John Legend)

Josh: The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League had a number of hot tracks in 2009. This time they took an Angela Bofill sample that had been used a few times in years past and turned it into a track that has you feeling like you’re riding shotgun with a mafia kingpin who’s swimming in women. These were the kinds of songs that made people forget or not care about the whole CO scandal. My favorite mainstream beat of the year.

Download: Rick Ross – Maybach Music 2 (ft. T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Kanye West)

Ian: The DJ Khaled school of anthem rap is kind of like musical comfort food: it tastes good, goes down easy and fills you up. But like bad fast food, it can also tend towards the generic. And on a casual listen, this track could be dismissed as more of the same but a closer listen reveals it to be something more: live instrumentation that sounds like they had an entire orchestra, led by a mad conductor, on a giant soundstage laying down these sounds. But its not a conductor here, but the production trio, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League acting as the Hip Hop Gil Evans to Rick Ross’ Miles Davis creating this masterpiece. Yeah, I know I just compared corny-ass Rick Ross to Miles Davis but as far as this beat goes, the instrumentation and arrangements on this track are verging on cinematic music score levels, much like the music on Evans and Davis’ Sketches of Spain, in terms of their scope and sophistication. Say what you want about the MC but this was easily one of the standout beats of the year.

Dom: For every thing about this jawn that is wrong (starting with Officer Ricky), J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League diverts my attention long enough to enjoy all that is blissfully right.The lush opening sequence, the jazzy Miles Davis-esque trumpet blares, the Friends of Distinction sample, the crisp drum pattern, the crescendo to a vibrant chorus, and the larger-than-life atmosphere interconnect for a platform on which the trio of MCs brag away. Often times I block out the rhymes and Teddy PenderAss hook to vibe free from vocal interference. A line-up like this called for a grandiose instrumental, and Rook, Colione & Barto delivered one as elegant and stylish as the luxury vehicle referenced in the title.

Download: Rick Ross – Rich Off Cocaine

Jerry: This song was the definition of guilty pleasure for me. If not for the hook I’d have been playing this a lot more. Their use of WIllie Hutch’s “Color Her Sunshine” was nothing short of amazing, in both choice and execution and Avery storm’s voice complements this so well I wish he’d pull an Alicia Keys and do his own version without Ross.

Download: Ghostface Killah – Guest House (ft. Fabolous)

Download: Rick Ross – Yacht Club ft. Magazeen)

Buhizzle: Nelly (remember him?) may act trife when he hears producers sell the same beat twice, but I don’t think J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League is to blame for this one — rather, the production team sold the beat to Def Jam, who must have thought that no one would notice the same beat appearing on two of the label’s ’09 album releases. It would be easier to be mad at Def Jam if it weren’t for both tracks being dope — I’d like both Deeper Than Rap (which I liked a lot) and Ghostdini: Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City (which wasn’t really my cup of henny, but respectable) each a little less if these respective tracks were removed. The fact that the beat was used so differently by each artist goes to show how great the beat is — while it’s smooth enough to serve as background music for Officer Ricky to eat fried fish and make out with like eight broads to (hope he chewed some gum in between, for the girls’ sake), those same horns that sound playful behind Magazeen’s rasta hook also build up suspense as Ghost vividly narrates yet another adventure (here, walking in on his wife getting an after-hours cable installation from Fios-Fab).

Jeff Bhasker, Plain Pat

Download: Kid Cudi – My World

Rostam: This track is a mix between Three 6 Mafia and Gnarls Barkley. The synth heavy hook makes it seem like something that was held off 808′s and Heartbreak because it was TOO epic. Jeff Bhasker and Plain Pat produced this track. It seems like Bhasker uses the synth heavily in a lot of his songs, but I can’t blame the guy.

Jermaine Dupri

Download: Jay-Z – When The Money Goes

Devin: The story goes this was an American Gangster leftover that “Fallin’” probably took the place of, given the lyrics. To me, “Fallin’” relied too heavily on the vocal sample to bring those emotions of insecurity and weakness, while the strings on this did a better job at that. The joint was too ill to be left on the cutting room floor so Fab had to reuse it for his own AG retread, thus reminding us that when he isn’t mismanaging Janet’s career, Jermaine can make a dope beat, word to Daddy Mac.

Juicy J

Download: Juicy J – Purple Kush (ft. Gorilla Zoe, Project Pat)

Quan: A beat made up primarily of incessant chanting (seriously, the chanting is the melody or something), pulsating bass, and some excellent drum programming (especially that tinny drum fill leading into the hook that’s so rapid, it blurs together). And then Gorilla Zoe raps with all this bass in his voice, like the opposite of Auto-Tune or something. And then this gothic-ass church music fades in for no reason during Project Pat’s verse. This is gangster as hell and I love it.

Joesph: Hypnotize Minds had the greatest 2009. Count among their successes: brilliant solo albums from Juicy J, DJ Paul, Project Pat and Lil Wyte, and a handful of excellent mixtape releases. This is my favorite beat of the year period, let alone from the Hypnotize Minds Camp Posse. Another minimal beat of only drums and vocal samples, its catchiness is like a worm that digs itself deep into the subconscious. This is the version that came out on Juicy J’s Realest Nigga Alive mixtape (the official version on Hustle Till I Die has an extra piano part that comes on during Project Patta’s verse that sort of kills the mood).

Just Blaze

Jay Electronica – Exhibit C

Rostam: Did I say Put Me In The Game was the anthem for victory? Fuck that. This is the anthem. On the surface it seems like the sample makes this song, but the piano is what makes this great. It’s a late entry, but this is easily one of the best beats of the year

Sweeney: Jay Electronica is the best rapper out right now, period. Only Blu can hang with him as far as current quality of output (not releases, sorry, I know y’all get mad when I start talking about shit I cant let people hear). This beat reminds me of Just’s Blueprint era beats, only better. Jay of course murders it. Best rap song of ’09, easy.

jben.ok: Just like the Oscar season, the best projects tend to be released at the end of the year. Lucky for you, Jay Electronica and Just Blaze happen to LOVE suspense – they premiered this musical masterpiece in the last month of 2009. It’s true that Jay can spit – and lyrically, he murdered everyone on this track – but what makes the “Exhibit C” beat one of the best of the year? Perhaps it’s the spacey overdrive sound at the beginning and end of each verse, the epic sample, or the bar lounge keys at the song’s conclusion. Overall, this song just has it all – and has restored my hope for truly unique compositions in hip-hop.

Franchise: I know this will be on everyone’s list but I would like to add my opinion on it. I think we can all agree that Jay Electronica’s flow murders the track but Just Blaze’s beat stands alone w/o Jay’s verses. The Billy Stewart sample and banging drums is the beat to beat in 2010. Sadly, I predict this will be “A Milli” 2010.

Jay Electronica – Dear Moleskine

SimpleSteve: All I can say about this work of art is that it’s simply amazing… Just Blaze really outdone himself on this one, boy… I would have been satisfied if all it was was the intro with the tinging guitar, but then it proceeds to blow your mind with the beautiful arrangement of flutes and some-what funky backing guitar that seem to mesh flawlessly with the ever-so simple drum loop. Although this has yet to be released as a full song (or even a legit snippet), It’s safe to say that if this can’t be considered my favorite beat of 09, it sure as hell is gonna be my pick for 2010.

Kanye West, No I.D.

Download: Jay-Z – Run This Town

RTC: I wanted to stay away from picking a Kanye joint or a heavy-heavy radio joint, but there is no denying this song. Kanye and No I.D. made a rallying cry, and the perfect soundscape for a true anthem. The subtle and repeating echo is a detail that puts it over the edge, and creates a real inspiring tone. I know it can be hard to separate the beat from the finished song, but either way, this was one of the year’s best.

Brandon: The way the whole thing kinda quiets down for Kanye West’s scene-stealing verse and casually builds back up, piece by piece is thrilling. The military march drums, the scrunched-up guitars, and the best use of a bird squawk since The W’s “Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)” make this the radio track of the year.

L.A.U.S.D.

Download: Dom Kennedy- Of All Time (ft. BJ the Chicago Kid)

Justin4Q: This was my personal anthem of 2009. A slow, melodic beat provided by the Los Angeles Unified Sound District with a seemingly effortless flow by LA’s own Dom Kennedy sets the mood for this track. BJ the Chicago Kid provided a soulful harmony for the chorus and paints the perfect scenario. Picture me cruising down Sunset Blvd on a sunny Cali day, both windows rolled down, all black shaded on, and blasting this song from my speakers. Yep. Perfect.

Madlib

Download: DOOM – Absolutely

Rostam: We’ve heard a lot of great work from the Loop Digger this year, but this beat stands out among the best he has ever done. The samples are on point and really mesh with DOOM’s depressing lyrics on this song. I’ve been looking like a fool for this instrumental since I first heard it and I don’t even rap!

Download: Madlib & Guilty Simpson – The Paper

Knobbz: A master of exotic samples, Madlib turned some African tribal shit into a Guilty Simpson Detroit banger. Even if another producer found this sample first, they wouldn’t have thought to add the finger snaps after each bar or cut the gong sound short. It’s considerations like these that set Madlib apart from every other hip-hop producer. If I ever get five minutes alone with Ahmadinejad, I’m going to play this while I go Bear Jew on his ass.

Download: Strong Arm Steady – Chittlins & Pepsi (ft. Planet Asia)

Joey: Surely, Madlib’s done nothing groundbreaking here. He’s taken a drum pattern, he’s looped some samples on top of themselves, and he’s added in that good ol’ Madlib filler. But…that’s hip-hop. He’s created a wholly new song out of disparate parts. “Chittlins” has that dusty, worn feeling, like an old couch on which you’re ambivalent about lounging. The cushions are soft but the threads are pilled up and it has the smell of a expired fabric. On the one hand, it’s comfortable, and there is the meta reinforcement the comes from knowing that sitting on such a couch is kind of funny in the first place. So you go with it, even though, on the other hand, you probably aren’t doing your hygiene any favors. This beat channels that experience; it’s technically proficient and experientially goofy. And that, too, is sort of hip-hop.

Matrax

Download: Rhymefest – Pulls Me Back

Brandon: Rhymefest’s about to cry flow rubs up against 80s cheese and a go-for-broke reggae hook and it’s as deeply moving as it ridiculous. Subtle details counter-act and justify the Puffy-like excess: the way the “Africa” sample slowly fades-in, those random spurts of expanding and contracting electronics. Somehow, it makes sense that ‘Fest would rap about lost jobs and the shorty that shot the mall up, over a crucial flip of Toto’s “Africa”.

Mos Def, Preservation

Download: Mos Def – Casa Bey

Jorge: Casa Bey is the third single from Mos’ latest album effort, The Ecstatic. From Mos’ flow on the first 8 bars I was hooked and over the next 4 minutes the track just evolves into a grandiose musical affair complete with horns, keys and everything in between. It’s a very masterful progression from hip hop to full-on soul. I had the opportunity to hear Mos perform it live and it was huge.

The Neptunes

Download: The Clipse – Showing Out and Door Man

Devin: Both cuts are easily the Clipse’s illest bangers since “Grindin’.” With that crescendo on “Showing Out”—as the horns are piled on—Chad must’ve had DMX or M.O.P. in mind when he was making the beat. And on “Door Man,” the quick trombone before the explosion of other horns is too perfect. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, laaaaaa…..

No I.D.

Download: Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)

Riggs: The sour face joint of 09. This was the only aggressive cut an otherwise mellow album and was the only beat wearing brass knuckles and a black hoodie on day time radio. It’s one thing to find the sample, yet another thing to do something with it in a way that makes it untouchable for years to come. Break diggers chased down the sample in record time and NO ID reminded everyone why he’s the Yoda of this hip-hop beat shit.

Jerome: I’m a sucker for obscure samples and an even bigger fan of NO I.D., and his production. This is just hip hop production at its finest to me: sampling the drums, reworking parts of the song to make it an even better production and letting the horn play just a second to long.

Travis: No I.D. and Jay-Z? Hell five years ago, I would have taken it as a sign of the apocalypse was approaching. My how things have changed. I love tracks that provide a lot of energy, and No ID brings the energy on “D.O.A.” Forgot the message, which I agreed with, No I.D.brings a mix of whiney sax and bluesy guitar riffs all layered over a slammin’ drum kick. Sampled from a fairly obscure 1970′s record, No I.D. hooked up a nice soundscape for Jay to deliver his message. Problem is, the package took away from the message. Oh well, get that break, No I.D.

Dom: This was undoubtedly the biggest and best of ’09. When Funk Flex debuted “D.O.A.” on Hot 97, I sat in my car for the entire half hour presentation going absolutely crazy. Not for what Jay was saying as much as the beat snapped my neck from the first clarinet blast then had me nodding more than a fiend for the duration.

Khal: I had to do it. The beauty of this track is not the anthem Jigga penned over it; it’s the fact that, this could’ve been an instrumental and had the same title. Niggas don’t really auto-tune over chopped samples like this (hat tip to Ivan for the ID), and when you hear the original and see how No I.D. fleshed this one out? Murder. I was rockin’ with Flex and Mister C and their rewinds, not even for Hov’s lines… just for that BEAT!

Oddisee

Download: Diamond District – Who I Be

Quan: This beat’s like 95% low end bass thump, real menacing, like everything’s lurking in the shadows waiting to beat the crap out of you with billy clubs. The ODB sample and all the siren-y background noises add an appropriate touch of “crazy” to that menace. The DMV sounds like a scary place.

Download: Diamond District – Streets Won’t Let Me Chill

Young H: In case you were in a cave or a coma this past spring the Diamond District’s In The Ruff project shook up the internet, showing us the grittier flipside of the DMV coin that Wale doesn’t represent. The group is spearheaded by Oddisee who is their main producer as well as the rapping go between for the battle rap styling of yU and the street realism contributed by X.O. “Streets Wont Let Me Chill” is a rousing number that takes no prisoners, with horns that accentuate the track, allowing each of the group’s members to wax poetic in their own unique fashion.

RTC: What’s great about this beat is that from the beginning it has a sense of urgency. There’s a creepy/errie tone that makes me imagine a gritty alley, or an empty Chicago street at like 4AM. The vocal sample jumps in and adds to the franticness of everything. Oddisee’s drums are his classic boom-bap style, and all together it’s one my favorite beats of ’09.

Download: Diamond District – In The Ruff

Brandon: This Oddisee beat sounds claustrophobic, and walls closing-in but it’s elegant (that gauzy loop of bells, voice, and maybe guitar) and damned catchy too. Just like all the 90s boom-bap Diamond District are talking to, this is dusted, angular, sideways pop. And man, that foggy, vinyl fuzz coda is worthy of the interludes on Mecca & The Soul Brother or something. No really, it is.

Download: Diamond District – I Mean Business

Jerry: Oddisee is so sick on that ASR-X and this single is just one of the reasons In The Ruff is one of my favorite albums of 2009.The organs, the drums…the sprinkling of the Vic Juris sample from Gang Starr’s “Mass Appeal” was a great wink to Preemo. When soldiers in Iraq write you telling you how good a song motivates them you’ve done your job.

Paten Locke

Download: Paten Locke – Ventilation

Travis: Paten Locke aka Therapy of the AB’s and Smile Rays hooks an dreamy like beat. Equipped with piano keys, airy strings, scratching, a hypnotic vocal sample and a flute like sample, this beat would make a mean dream sequence for some movie. It really captures the essence of the song, making the lyrics mean more and producing a feeling of euphoria. Sounds like some crazy trip, but it won’t show up on a drug test.

Reefa

Download: Red Cafe – Hottest In Da Hood

Ivan: If Red Cafe was as popular as Lil Wayne, “Hottest In Da Hood” would’ve been the ’09 version of “A Milli”. This is the kind of infectious beat that everyone would want to hop on, and indeed many remixes were born from this Reefa heat rock. I even found myself nodding off some freestyle bars to this one. “Hottest In Da Hood” is the front runner for the best mixtape beat of ’09 in my book.

Ro BLVD

Download: U-N-I – Hollywood Hiatus

Josh: Ro Blvd flipped New Edition’s 80s hit “Cool It Now” to give U-N-I an unusual, yet addictive, uptempo hit. You wonder what made him sample that particular song until you actually hear what he was able to do with it.

RZA

Download: Raekwon – New Wu (ft. Ghostface Killah, Method Man)

Ivan: Wu-Tang is forever and “New Wu” is the proof in the pudding. Released sixteen years after the Clan’s debut, it’s a marvel that such a perfect sample for a Wu track would still be hiding in the crates. Enter 2009. It’s not just the great dig and loop that’s worth mentioning. RZA’s slicing snares and his keen ear to detail make this a head bopper worthy of the repeat button.

Franchise: New Wu? Ironically, this song sounded so much like the old Wu that the “Wu Ohh” title would’ve fit better. Like most hip-hop heads, knowing that RZA produced this beat brought back the nostalgia and excitement for the energy that a strong Wu record can only bring. With a haunting soul sample and ear-shattering drums, I can see DJ Khalil going back to studio to see how he can keep up with RZA.

Sa-Ra Creative Partners

Download: Sa-Ra Creative Partners – Love Czars

Sweeney: Sa-Ra (Shafiq Husayn, Om’Mas Keith and Taz Arnold) have been ahead of their time for a few years now, it finally seems like the masses are catching up. This is my favorite off their latest album, the beat is ridiculous, the way the drums drive it is amazing. The remix with Jay and Ta’Raach was dope too, but in my opinion wasn’t fucking with the original. If we’re lucky they’ll leak the original version of the remix with Jay’s verse over the OG beat.

Download: Sa-Ra – Love Czars II

Knobbz: Jay Elect’s monotone suits this beat especially well. It’s soulful and abstract without the cliche wailing vocal sample and the bass pounds especially nice. Sa-Ra are pushing a unique, lavish production style full of live instrumentation. Their mainstream equivalent would have to be J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and there’s no question who’s iller in that comparison.

Sabazi

Download: Blue Scholars/Common Market – Coffee & Snow

Travis: A beat so nice, that they used it twice. Sabzi who is in both Blue Scholars and Common Market, hooked up a piano centered beat reportedly during a rare Northwest snow storm. Both MCs, Geologic of Blue Scholars and RA Scion of wrote to, with Geologic getting his version out first. The beautiful piano melodies provide a simple, yet effective harmony that causes one to just close ones eyes and just nod along calmly to the beat. Who said that hip-hop can’t be good music? And for the record, I’ve always favored the Blue Scholars version, more into Geologic as an MC than I am Scion, who is nice as well.

Samiyam

Download: Samiyam – Ridin Dirty

Sweeney: Samiyam is the most underrated producer in hip hop. I say hip hop because his beats are just that, beats. They have a slump and quirkiness to them that makes them unique, but really it’s just a natural evolution of the DJ Premiere, early 90′s east coast sound. This beat is one of his more straight-forward ones. I can’t wait till MC’s start doing justice over his beats, one already started–Blu.

Scoop Deville

Download: Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Rock

Riggs: This is a really dope, contemporary twist on “the intro” of a timeless hip-hop record…that bangs. I’ve heard some other attempts at that sample from other producers, but this one had mass appeal. The balance between simplicity, creative and a tempo that’s part head-nodding, part body movin’ made this THE joint every rapper wishes he had, as evidenced by the “A Milli” treatment its getting from every rapper who wishes he had it.

Scram Jones

Dowload: Raekwon – Broken Safety (ft. Jadakiss, Styles P)

Buhizzle: For the years of anticipation that pegged Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II as a sort of Wu-Tang/Aftermath joint effort, neither RZA nor Dr. Dre really stole the show with their production efforts. I’d personally give that honor to the late J Dilla, an ML first-ballothall-of-famer, who was some sort of three-headed monster on this album — evoking pure emotion on the ODB tribute “Ason Jones”, channeling the headache-inducing dopeness of “Liquid Swords” on “10 Bricks”, and leading a musical death march on “House Of The Flying Daggers”. If this were the last we ever hear of James Yancey’s work, then no doubt he left us on a high note. I couldn’t argue with giving the honor to Scram Jones, though, and while his work on the closer “Kiss The Ring” and the bonus track “Walk Wit Me” were both stellar, it was “Broken Safety” that’s received the most replays from me. I love how the beat (which is so dusty you could cough) drops in with its ghostly echoes right as Jada kicks in with his flawless opening verse — the rawest track on ’09′s rawest album.

Small Professor

Download: 5 O’ Clock Shadowboxers – Bottom Feeders (Small Professor Remix)

Travis: Another energy packed track, the Small Professor remix for “Bottom Feeders” is chock full of fuzzy guitars, guitar loops and horns. It’s one of those beats that makes me want to run through a wall while throwing haymakers and guzzling down a bottle of Jim Beam. Small Pro, a Philly producer, added a new twist to an already dope track from Zilla Rocca and Douglas Martin.

Statik Selektah

Download: Statik Selektah – The Best (ft. Reks, Termanology, JFK)

Ian: This record kind of gives me the feeling of what it might have sounded like if 9th Wonder had produced OC’s “Times Up.” The track is so soulful I was surprised it had been produced by Statik Selektah. Dude is definitely an underrated beatmaker but to me always came off in the past as a producer who made grimy, no-nonsense, classic East Coast-style hardcore hip hop in a vein similar to his fellow DJ-turned-producer, Green Lantern. With its sunny, throwback feel, like something off a BBE or Ubiquity records compilation album, this is a track I could listen to on repeat all day.

Streetrunner

Download: Royce Da 5’9″ – New Money

Knobbz: Streetrunner provided the perfect beat for Royce to flex his lyrical muscle. The ascending chords and rapid drums push Royce to rap harder and stronger while the hook in the middle of each verse gives him a reprieve before he dives in again. The result is a marathon track that would be perfect for a Nike commercial if it weren’t about stacking cash.

Download: Slaughterhouse – Sound Off

Joey: When I first heard the Stylistics’s “It’s Too Late” flipped in a hip-hop context, the result was Ed O.G.’s “Just Call My Name.” Ed O.G. made a proud, meandering track that was content to ride the escalating horn sample and little else. It was a great record, with the horns given room to breathe alongside Ed’s clarion vocals. Then I heard the same horns this year, their free-range accommodation replaced with a claustrophobic hi-hat, intermittent snares, and an endless, subtle electronic ribbet. The beat was the same and yet totally new. Rather than relying on the horns to defiantly ring out on their own terms, “Sound Off” recasts what it borrows from the Stylistics as a counterweight to the strength of the Slaugterhouse vocals and the energy of the piped-in noise. No longer do the horns soar, taking the track higher. Instead, they pull it back up to level, lest it furiously bore into the surface, compelled by the energy of its many other elements.

Supa Villain

Download: Rich Boy – Put Me In The Game

Rostam: This beat is the perfect mix of Sample, Bass, and BUMP! The drums really make this song the banger that it is, but the sample makes it an anthem for victory. Hopefully we’ll see a lot of Supa Villain tracks on Rich Boy’s album which drops in Neveruary.

Swizz Beatz

Download: Jadakiss – Who’s Real (ft. Swizz Beatz, OJ Da Juiceman)

Ian: Swizz may never get his props for being the great producer or innovator he truly is despite all the hits he’s put on the board. But its inarguable that he was one of the first NY/East Coast producers to embrace the new keyboard-based hip hop sound pioneered by Southern producers like Mannie Fresh and Lil Jon as enthusiastically as he did dusty samples dug out the crates. His brand of hook-heavy, militaristic synth-driven rap production has helped ensure that NY hip hop didn’t become the rap equivalent of Delta Blues music: revered and respected but dated and irrelevant. “Who’s Real” was the embodiment of that aesthetic: enough knock to satisfy East Coast heads but fresh enough to appeal to ears in the south and the rest of country and fit the flow of one of their new heroes, OJ Da Juiceman who guested on the track.

Buhizzle: I’ll be the first to admit that Swizzy’s music can be pretty formulaic, but that shouldn’t prevent him from getting praise when warranted. This track took me back to high school, circa 1998 — back then, if you weren’t talking about DMX or Juvenile, no one was listening. The call-and-response energy and aggression is reminiscent of classic Ruff Ryder records like “Ruff Ryders Anthem”, “Get At Me Dog”, “Wild Out” and “Ryde Or Die” (and, yes, I know Swizz only produced 2 of those 4). I think OJ’s useless 8 bars in the middle drew people away from what should’ve been a much more strongly-received record.

Warren G

Download: Wale – Rhyme N Reason

Jerome: SUUUUUUUUUPER sparse head nodder from my dude Warren G (I’ve been a fan since his first album when you were probably 8). Literally, the bass kick and drum are highlights of the song and the keys that come in every 4 bars give you a reminder that simplicity can work better than a screaming sample or badly played keys. The beat also works because without all of the audible distractions, you get a chance to hear what Wale is saying and digest it.

Young RJ

Download: De La Soul – Forever

Ian: From their 45 minute Nike + Run: Are You In? mix, this is another track I could listen to on repeat all day. In fact, I copied Pos from De La on a tweet saying I needed a 30 minute instrumental mix of this track and he replied, “Yeah, RJ really put his foot in that one. The chop of the original is serious.” Given the fact that De La Soul were one of the first established groups to work with a young J. Dilla (I remember the first time I met the quiet kid with the magical MPC at a session for the “Stakes is High” remix at the now-defunct Platinum Island studios), its fitting to now hear them spitting over a beat by one of his proteges, Young RJ.

Download: Slum Village – Dope Man

Joey: You know a Detroit record when you hear one, and usually it’s something pretty powerful. “Dope Man” stands on these shoulders. Admittedly. It’s a great beat, but it’s made even better because the continuous groove that vacillates in emotional tenor and incorporates powerful down beats, haunting synths, and even a bubbling drum kit is so very much Detroit. Young RJ has authored another step in evolution. Divorced from context, the beat remains strong. As noted, it’s melange of sounds makes it interesting but not busy, and the control exerted over these disparate elements is impressive. “Dope Man” is powerful music, not only for its pounding percussion, but for its ability to convey emotion through tempo changes and its melodic hardening and softening. To use an imperfect metaphor, the beat is almost like a T-1000, this metallic composition that seamlessly flows from shape to shape, always itself but also able to assimilate.

Zaytoven

Download: Gucci Mane – First Day Out

Brandon: Usually, a great beat brings together a bunch of disparate chunks of sound into a dope, cohesive whole. This beat by Zaytoven does the opposite: It stacks the same sound (a ping-ponging Zombie movie synth) on top of itself until it’s a crawling mess of bleeps, bloops, and whines, all up in your speakers. It’s deceptively simple and the power comes from the like, casual chaos of it all…the seemingly accidental rhythms and syncopations that stem from this sound-stacking.

9th Wonder

Download: Skyzoo – Metal Hearts

Jerry: While “For What It’s Worth” is my favorite cut from The Salvation as beats go I was just impressed with 9ths Barry White chop for Metal Hearts. I didn’t think anything would dethrone his laceration of Bob James for Murs but the way he programmed the original snares had my neck bobbin for real.

So, what have we learned in 2009?

Raekwon is more trustworthy than Dr. Dre. No one believed either of ‘em when we were told that Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II and Detox would drop in our lifetimes (R.I.P. to those that didn’t make it long enough), but Rae played the role of the tortoise, creeping upon the finish line, while Dre continues to stroll, seemingly uncommitted as to whether his magnum opus will live up to the hype. In the meantime, we have a handful of average-quality sounding reference tracks (with a surprising amount of T.I.), a Dr. Pepper commercial featuring a beat that may make Detox (though, it has already been utilized by Wale and Rick Ross & Birdman), and some $300 headphones (to enhance the listening experience of music that actually sees the light of day).

Albums don’t matter anymore. At least, that’s one rationale as to why Eminem is not one of MTV’s 10 hottest MCs (despite selling 600K of Relapse, his first release in five years, in its first week), omitted in exchange for several MCs who either did not drop albums this year (Weezy, Jeezy and Yeezy) or dropped mediocre-at-best albums (Fab). (Sorry if I’m downplaying the “heat” of Katie Couric interviews and Taylor Swift speech interruptions. Also sorry if I’m implying that MTV’s list has that much credibility.)

Not even 50 Cent can sell records in today’s industry — and this is the same 50 Cent that once sold Curtis to the buying public! Maybe it’s time to redefine “flop” — not that we ever had a Webster’s definition for it — because if 50 flopped, then what do you call Wale’s first week numbers? That’s not a diss, either — I like Wale a lot, and ML’s been tracking his career since 100 Miles & Running back in ’07. In fact, the only reason I don’t have a physical copy of Attention Deficit nearby as I type (I had to resort to iTunes) is because I couldn’t find one on any Best Buy store shelves — though, for whatever it’s worth, the Best Buy employee who told me that they didn’t have any copies also told me that it was dope (I should’ve asked him where he copped his copy).

Gucci Mane is a rap star. I never would have imagined this based on his first two videos — to me, he was just another terrible rapper from the South with no charisma. Now, he’s a pretty good rapper with, well, a little charisma. Good enough, I guess.

Rappers continue to diss Jay-Z and get no response. Game put out a diss record, which was kind of sad (in a lame, pathetic sort of way). Beanie Sigel put out a diss record, which was also kind of sad (in a “doesn’t feel right” sort of way). 50′s been trying to bait Jay for a while, but to no avail — The Blueprint 3 didn’t have a “Takeover”, let alone a half-a-bar for everyone to share. The only rapper to get a response record from Jay in the last few years? Jim Jones. That may be what’s the most sad about all of this.

And, last but not least, the following beats are dope…

For our end of the year Beat Drop, we asked our friends to pick their favorite beats of 2009.

Part 1 is rappers and producers. Check back tomorrow Monday for part 2 with our picks and those of our fellow bloggers/other very important people.

Note: Due to our massive list of contributors, we had to cut A LOT. We may have a part 3 with the outtakes.

Contributing this time, we have

• Statik Selektah
• Von Pea and Donwill of Tanya Morgan
• Blu
• Yelawolf
• Marco Polo
• 6th Sense
• J57 of Brown Bag AllStars
• Co$$
• Black ELement
• Jermiside
• Apex and Mojo of Dujeous
• Lyriciss
• Small Professor
• $port
• Theo Martins

Afta-1

Download: Afta-1 – Love Suite 2 (Sit Still)

Jermiside: I could honestly put a number of Afta-1 joints in this slot. I just picked this one because I know for sure it came out this year lol. I’m a huge fan of instrumental hip-hop and this guy kinda fills a void that Fat Jon has left (where is he anyways?). With that said, the O.G. version of Love Suite was (and still is) one of my favorites from the brotha. “Love Suite 2″ is just as smooth and groovy with that nice synthy bass line and spaced out sound that I’ve grown accustomed to hearing from him.

Alchemist

Download: Alchemist – Smile (ft. Maxwell, Twista)

Statik Selektah: This record would have been on Top 40 in a perfect world. It’s hard to make a beat that you can relax to or feel energized to. Really soulful too. The swing to it is crazy.

aLIVE

Download: Muamin Collective – The Bus Stop

Blu: ThatSmashThatIBeLookingFor,MusicToDriveTo

Boi-1da

Download: Drake – Uptown (ft. Bun B, Lil Wayne)

Von Pea: One day while listening someone pointed out the sample that was buried in the background of this songs chorus (I won’t name it to avoid possible dry snitching) and I thought it was brilliant. It’s the illest juxtaposition to a song about stunting and…stunting some more. Also the hi hats are the shit. I love this song overall.

Download: Drake – Best I Ever Had

Torae: A lot of people love Drake and he gets a lot of hate as well, but I can’t see how you can front on this record. The catchy singalong hook, the infectious track — it had hit single written all over it. It’s also one of those records that transcends age, race, sex and all that. Just a dope feel good joint. Boi-1da did the damn thing and Drake came through with the heat.

Crada

Download: Kid Cudi – Hyyerr (feat Chip The Ripper)

Black Element: Sit back, get your Cheech & Chong, grab your Nia Long and hit the…

Small Pro: A quick Wikipedia search revealed the relatively unknown name behind this gem (buried near the end of Cudder’s 2009 emo-opus); a string heavy, smoothed out, g-funk-meets-808s concoction. A smokin’ joint made for smokin’ joints.

Dae One

Download: Drake – Successful (ft. Trey Songz)

Yelawolf: This fuckin’ beat puts you in an Aquimini type of trance . Minimalistic and full of drama, simple and selective with his sounds. Beats like these are the hardest to make. If you’re not a Drake fan by now then you’re gonna have to at least respect his ability to hear a track like this and turn it into a dope song. Most mainstream artists wouldn’t have the balls!

Damu The Fudgemunk

Download: Damu The Fudgemunk – Prosper (ft. Raw Poetic)

Small Pro: Blow the (Pete Rock) horns (c) M.O.P. With this track, Damu takes both ears by the hands and takes them on a tour through his crates. The defining moment of a 90s disciple.

DJ Khalil

Download: The Clipse – Kinda Like a Big Deal

Marco Polo: I love Khalil because he’s making huge records for mainstream artists but still keeping it raw, funky and hip-hop to the fullest. This song is dope. Beat is catchy as hell. Sounds like some sampled shit but isn’t. The guitars sound like crazy voices after he got done mixing the shit. Great song and DJ Khalil is a monster.

Download: Fabolous – Imma Do It (ft. Kobe)

Statik Selektah: Khalil changed the game this year and created a whole new sound. He’s definitely my favorite producer as of late. The way the organs are a different pattern than the drums is bananas.

Download: Drake – Fear

6th Sense: I’ve made this confession public many times, and let me reiterate. Much love to all the dope producers out there, but DJ Khalil SCARES ME. He had a lot of fire this year, but I think this Drake track took the cake. Love the live feel of everything, even the drums. The horns are awesome, but goddammit those strings.

Small Pro: A mellow yet dramatic canvas that says one word: introspection. The usage of what HAS to be live musicians means this was most likely produced in the traditional sense of the word; ironically enough, the end result came out so potent that no instruction for Drake was needed besides “Go in.”

Download: Slaughterhouse – Cuckoo

$port: There’s something wrong with this beat. I can picture Cobra Commander putting his mask on to this in the morning. Khalil has a way of adding just enough swing to where the beat is loose enough, but not sloppy. I don’t know how he comes up with this stuff.

DJ Premier

Download: Blaq Poet – Ain’t Nuttin Changed

Marco Polo: Premo used multiple records to make this beat which makes it so dope. It bangs with classic Preem drums. Proof that rap music NEVER needs to be overproduced. Simple, raw shit. The best kind of rap.

DJ Quik

Download: DJ Quik & Kurupt – The Appeal

Donwill: Chances are you didn’t hear this song or the album but DJ Quik is a pillar of the production world. So hearing he was doing an album with Kurupt pretty much consumed my attention span since I knew he was gonna be taking the boards. From the walking bassline to the sparse synth lines this is a joint you *NEED* to hear on speakers with a decent range of dynamics.

DJ Toomp

Download: Rick Ross – Valley Of Death

$port: Rawse sure can pick ‘em. Part of the appeal of a Rick Ross album is that you know you’re going to get some great beats. And you wouldn’t know Toomp did it unless you read the liner notes. It’s a step away from his usual stuff, for sure. He even managed to show some dope chopping skills. While we’re at it, shoutout to the engineer on this thing. The mix is grade A. Once the first kick drops, it’s pretty much a done deal from there on out.

Fizzy Womack

Download: M.O.P – Stop Pushin

Marco Polo: LOUD NOISES!!! © Brick from Anchorman. Those f*ckin horns are perfect. Hype and much needed energy from one of my favorite groups of all time. Love this sh*t.

Fonetik Simbol

Download: Co$$ – Khakis & Taylors

Co$$: Surprisingly its not because its my song, lol, I really think this beat innovates what I consider the “West Coast” sound…It brings that mid 90s gfunk into the 21st century, its like “what’s my name” on acid….

Exile

Download: Fashawn – The Score

Von Pea: Chaos!!!!!! This shit sounds like exile taped the record to his mpc with duct tape and threw it off the roof. During an earthquake. This is a compliment by the way. I love chaotic, offbeat, sloppy, perfect beats like this. When I got my hands…um, ears on this song the only thing that stopped me from zoning out with the mean face was all the old white folks on the 4 train that day.

J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League

Download: Rick Ross – Maybach Music 2 (ft. T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Kanye West)

Statik Selektah: This beat is crazy… It shows that dirty South music can have substance and soul, even with T-Pain and Officer Ricky.

6th Sense: I can recall being on the BQE late night with a FULL BODY head nod to this joint, I was literally catching air in my seat. To me the highlight is the beat and T-Pain’s hook. And all the sax and strings on the intro and outro. It’s a beginning/middle/end composition and I gotta tip my hat to those guys. The track is so banging.

Small Pro: The J.L. were the main culprits behind “Deeper Than Rap”‘s lush, larger-than-life sound, and this track sums up that aesthetic perfectly. Lifting generously from Dexter Wansel’s “Time Is The Teacher”, the beauty here is found in their arrangement. “Maybach Music 2″ in one word: epic.

J Dilla

Download: DOOM – Gazillion Ear

Dujeous: “Gazillion Ear” has so much going on in it—organ, chopped vocal samples, plucked bass, Dilla’s trademark air raid sirens, and more. J then transcends the madness by completely switching up the beat 32 bars in, dropping his twisted take on the “Theme from Midnight Express” sample, used by Outkast and others. It’s the kind of laced-with-dust street shit that used to only come out of the Wu catalog. Dope.

Jake One

Download: DOOM – Ballskin

Jermiside: This is that straight hardcore kinda hip-hop that gets me amped up. You can always count on Jake One for a good banger. I like the little tinge of swing in the drum pattern that lets the instruments just kinda sit off in the pocket real tight.

Just Blaze

Jay Electronica – Exhibit C

Blu: AnthemOfTheYearShit

Lyriciss: At the end of the year, Just Blaze decides to drop a soulful banger to say “fuck your club track and its trademark dance”. And it still hits hard enough to blast in the whip and compete with any Gucci Mane that the guy in the Crown Vic next to you with the dingy doo-rag on may be pumpin’ in his car. The only thing better than this beat are the rhymes Jay Electronica laid down on it, but that’s a whole different discussion. I just hope it doesn’t turn into “A Milli” with everyone rhyming on it.

Small Pro: The silence of an overall quiet year from The Megatron Don was disrupted in a major way when he dropped this on Tony Touch’s Shade 45 show at the end of October. The instrumental is deceptively repetitive; it’s the little things that take this beat over the top: the addition of live piano (something we saw on “Exhibit A (Transformations)”, also) and synth, the way that after the beat loops for 8 cycles, a 9th sequence (“Oh my God…keep GOING!”) resets everything, reminiscent of “Brooklyn’s Finest”. Hotter than the muthafuckin sun, check the thermometer.

Donwill: Just when you think you don’t really care about not ever getting to hear Saigon’s album you get an audio post-it note like this that comes in the form of a swift kick in the teeth. Even though Just borrows a quote from Puff at the top of the song its the chops and overall mood of this track that makes the initial listen sorta feel like the first time you heard ‘Who Shot Ya?’. When you couple those elements with the keys and synth line this is just a masterful flip. Hearing that he linked up with Eminem for a handful of tracks on his new LP is as much reason for celebration as the approaching new year.

Dujeous: Every single thing Just dropped this year was insane, so he had to make our list, but we could only choose one. We were partial to Skyzoo’s “Return of the Real” after we played that live for his release party—the dynamics and switch-ups of that beat really take it to another plane. But then there was the triumphant production behind “Exhibit C,” the perfect backdrop for Jay Electronica’s mind-bending lyrics. The drum breakdowns make the deceptively simple loop one of the hardest yet most emotional beats of the year.

$port: I think I’m so partial to this joint because, for one, I stayed up til about 7AM to watch this whole song come together via UStream. The thing about the whole Exhibit trilogy is that it kind of serves as a reminder to those people who, for whatever foolish reason, forgot that Just could make something so berserk. I mean, Live Your Life is a great record (and it definitely paid the bills), but sometimes you have to smack folks upside the dome.

Download: Jay Electronica – Exhibit A

Torae: This shit gives me chills. As do Exhibits B & C. This was just the out of the blue madness though. Just murdered this. It’s the perfect backdrop for Jay Elec’s voice and pennage. This record has gotten constant burn this year. I must have drove my friends, family and neighbors crazy bumping this.

Kanye West, No I.D.

Download: Jay-Z – Thank You

Von Pea: We are really high, really high tonight. They had to be when they made this. This beat made me want to call my boy aeon up and stick to just rapping. I’m a sucker for mad snare decay, groovy ass basslines, random vocal samples, and horns…and guess what? This song has it all.

Theo: Marcos Valle’s ‘Ele El Ela’ is a feel good song, jazzy even. Kanye West – who has impressed me with his chopping skills – turned this record upside down. When I first heard this record I thought to myself Dre was on the drums as they sounded nothing like Kanye drums. They hit hard. It was obvious by listening to the original sample that the song was down pitched, but it sounded like the actual drums and horns that were replayed had also been down pitched as well. Kanye West makes things work and this beat is a perfect example. I feel like I should be smoking a cigarette with shades on at night when I hear this beat. I don’t practice either by the way.

Marco Polo

Download: Marco Polo & Torae – Danger

J57: This beat is the definition of a “banger.” Every aspect of it; from the anthemic melody to Marco’s flawless bass and drums – this beat is a monster. I was privileged enough to hear the Double Barrel album shortly after it was mixed and when ”Danger” came on, I immediately started to throw chairs around in Marco’s studio. Alright, the last part wasn’t true, but I knew this beat/song would be one of the obvious stand out cuts on the album…how could it not be? The funny thing is, when I was when I told Marco that ”Danger” was my favorite song on from Double Barrel, he informed me that it might not make the album. I’m extremely glad it did. As millions of you know by now, this song is actually on the new ”Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.”

Marley Marl

Download: Raekwon – Pyrex Vision

$port: Marley and Raekwon knew exactly what they were doing by making this only 52 seconds long. The replay value is ridiculous. This is the prime example of the idea that sometimes all you need is a fire loop and nothing else. It’s crazy because I remember when this sample appeared on OC’s Jewelz album way back when. It was okay then, but there’s an extra touch of grit here that gives it that edge and places it in the pocket with the rest of the album as a whole. If I had to bag up some..uhh…..’stuff’, this is what I’d have on repeat.

No I.D.

Download: Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)

Statik Selektah: This set a new tone for east coast hip-hop — that people can still have big records making grimy shit. Clap for ‘em!

6th Sense: This track is just disgusting. Every time I would be in the club hearing the same old BS, this song would come in and I would actually feel alive. The sample flip is incredible and I don’t enjoy people’s under appreciation on that front. This beat actually heavily influenced a particular track I produced, I’ll let ya’ll figure that out.

Yelawolf: NO I.D killed this break beat and sample . . the way he used the horns as a breather, the guitar chops are ridiculous . . this beat is classic Jeep Shit!! . . makes you want to move to NY throw on some Tim’s and and beat up auto tune recording artist!!!

Nottz

Download: Snoop Dogg – Protocol

J57: This is one of those beats that make me want to run immediately to the studio and try to make a beat. Nottz has always been good for doing that to producers from past tracks like: Scarface & Trey Songz’s “Girl You Know” as well as Snoop Dogg featuring & R.Kelly’s “That’s That Shit” and Kanye & Lil Wayne’s “Barry Bonds.” The intro to this beat was a pretty dope idea, it gives the beat real emphasis when it officially drops in. The organs were done to perfection and the random synth crescendo that pops in every couple of bars keeps the listeners attention until the vey end of the track. Oh, and the drums knock hard, even on really bad computer speakers.

Download: Royce Da 5’9 – Street Hop 2010

Marco Polo: This beat/song gives me the ultimate shit/scrunch face. Nottz creates a bounce that deserves it’s own planet. The bollywood sample gives it a dark vibe that makes this one of my favorites of 2009. Royce also murders it as usual.

Oddisee

Download: Diamond District – Who I Be

Von Pea: Now I heard of a beat making you want to fight, but this shit makes you want to chop a body up in the middle of the woods. Okay maybe not, but the eerie Michael Meyer-esque sample against what sounds like (effectively) over-compressed drums make this a song to play over and over again. And again.

Download: Diamond District – Streets Won’t Let Me Chill

Marco Polo: I could actually pick a few more beats from this album but this one is definitely the stand out. 100% raw, pure hip-hop music. Shout to Oddisee. I did a remix for this album that should drop soon.

Donwill: The open break full of compressed air and hissing at the top of this song is just perfection. By the time it opens up to the bassline and obscure go-go sample for the hook you are literally reeled in and accepting of whatever the MC’s have to say. This is a pretty dense piece of work production-wise but it meshes so well you can barely even notice the layers.

Download: Diamond District – Get In Line

Dujeous: Oddisee is just an all-around amazing talent, and this beat really shows his strengths: dusty chops and crazy, live-sounding drum programming. This starts out simple enough, with xylophone stabs interrupted by snippets of guitars and strings. But then the hook comes in, and Odd drops this insane, cinematic horn sample while drum fills start hitting you in the head. Pure sickness.

preHISTORIC

Download: Nike Nando – Super Nike Nando

Lyrciss: Another track that you might not be hip to if you’re outside of the DMV. Azizi Gibson and Whitey (preHISTORIC) took maybe the most awkward Japanese anime sample you could find, looped it, and threw in some effective drums. Simple formula, crazy outcome. I dare you to hear this beat and not start rocking.

Sa-Ra Creative Partners

Download: Sa-Ra Creative Partners – Love Czars

Blu: HipHopShitFromTheCollective,DrumsSonSten,Bass

Download: Sa-Ra Creative Partners – Soul’s Brother

Blu: MyFavBeatSince”Let’sRide”ByDilla

Scoop Deville

Download: Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Rock

Yelawolf: Scoop de Ville might be an Ice Cream shop chain on the West Coast, but make no mistake about it, SCOOP DE VILLE the producer ain’t servin’ no fuckin’ ice cream! Selecting sounds that are timeless in nature are key to making classics. Synth lines that resemble Kraftwerk, drum programing somewhere in between Dilla, Timbaland, Pharell/Chad, and of course a nostalgic vocal sample from ROB BASE “IT TAKES TWO” perfectly chopped and placed correctly! This record cant be remade, although I know people will try. Don’t bother unless Snoop invites you himself. This to me is the best beat of ‘09!

Scram Jones

Download: Raekwon – Kiss the Ring

Dujeous: There had to be at least one beat from OB4CL2 on this list, and in this case our old homie Scram Jones’ triumphant album closer takes the cake. The sped-up choral/string sample and pounding open hi-hats perfectly capture the mood of the song: Old dons kicking their feet up, looking back and celebrating both their achievements in the game and the completion of an amazing album. It’s simple, but it works.

Von Pea

Download: Tanya Morgan – So Damn Down

Von Pea: There’s nothing wrong with taking pride in your own work right? My bassline got some of the funk knocked out of it in the mixdown but this is still some ol’ ghetto disney hip hop shit. Yep, ghetto disney. It just makes you want to hop around and shit like a fool. Not shit like a fool but…forget it. Anyway, its one of my favorite tracks I’ve ever done, I had to include it here.

Download: Tanya Morgan – On Our Way

Donwill: Cry favoritism if you want but the fact of the matter is that if you follow Von Pea’s production this song really showed his growth. From his stuttery but smooth dusted breakbeat production that peppered Moonlighting this song let you know that not only was be back but he broughtalot of experience with him. The synth line combined with the lazy guitar licks just creates some kinda futuristic jamboree effect.

6th Sense

Download: Outasight – Brand New Day

6th: Yes, that’s me. Thanks to Metal Lungies for letting me put at least one of my tracks in my top 5 (I had to do it!). I made a lotta dope joints this year, but it always comes back to this one. I had the melody/arrangement the whole thing in my head for months. When it came time to do it, I just went at it. I don’t wanna talk too much about it, I’ll just let ya’ll be the listeners.

9th Wonder

Download: Skyzoo – Beautiful Decay

Donwill: I have a soft spot for anything ‘Sylvers’ related. I think it dates back to discovering Dr. Dre replayed Misdemeanor for D.O.C.’s “Funky Enough” and going on to discover how dope a lot of their catalog is. So when you couple that with a very skillful chop done by Ninth, it’s a no brainer. Ninth definitely has a ‘sound’ and this track is exemplary of his aesthetic. The bell layered on top of the snare just ices the cake.

With the all-too-real “sophomore jinx” phenomenon that is as prevalent in music as it is in sports, dropping a second album that is a complete transformation in sound from one’s debut is a risky move. Yet, despite a platinum plaque, a Source Award for Best New Group, and loads of positive reviews (a 4.5-mic rating amongst them), Andre Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton decided to make such a transition. From smoothed-out to spacey. From Caddies to comic books. From portraying a pimp’s lifestyle to questioning the existence of life forms on other planets. From “If you smoke a dime, then I’ll smoke a dime” to “No drugs or alcohol so I can get the signal clear”. From “Talkin’ ’bout her period late, guess what I did” to “Oh yes I love her like Egyptian”.

Granted, there were some points of similarity between Outkast’s first two albums — pieces of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik still prevalent in ATLiens, and vice versa. The “GREETINGS EARTHLINGS” sound effect that kicks off ATLiens was first heard on “D.E.E.P.”, the closing track on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. And, on ATLiens’ two biggest singles, Dre and Big were still talking about “slammin’ Cadillac doors” and “all that pimp shit”.

So, maybe Outkast didn’t pull a complete 180 between their first two albums… but, it was at least a 160. Rappers aren’t supposed to make such dramatic changes in styles and still maintain such a high level of success? Maybe so, but noise isn’t supposed to be organized, either. (Also, noise isn’t supposed to be spelled with a “z”, but let’s ignore that for now.)

The only two things that one could really say was consistent between the two albums was the quality of the music (incredible) and the names in the production credits (Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown). And, as their work within and outside of the Dungeon Family collective throughout the years has shown, it’s no coincidence that the name “Organized Noize” and incredible music go together like fish and grits. Oh ye-yer.

Joining us for this Beat Drop are…

• Brandon Soderberg from No Trivia
• Dom Corleone from Hold The Throne Hits From The Blog
• Jesse Hagen from The Smoking Section
• Sach O from Passion Of The Weiss
• Wesley Verhoeve

Download: TLC – “Waterfalls” (off CrazySexyCool, 1994)

Jesse: I must admit, I was pretty shocked when I first heard that the most singable song of my elementary school years was produced by Organized Noize. The group never made another beat that was as cotton-candy-flavored bubble gum as this, but don’t front — you sing along when DJs spin this on their throwback hours.

Download: TLC – “Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes” featuring Andre 3000 (off CrazySexyCool)

Wesley: This was my jam in high school. Soulful and driving. Sidenote — one of the best Andre verses of the time.

Download: Outkast – “Myintrotoletuknow” (off Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, 1994)

Sach O: Andre once said that Outkast’s music was a reflection of the open space typical of the dirty south and that he never understood how New York rap could sound so claustrophobic until he visited the city’s housing projects. You wouldn’t know it by the first song on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, however — an Organized Noise production so dense and smoky it could have been made in any dungeon from Collie Park to Compton to Queens. Drawing on Funkadelic’s acid-fried guitar lines, the haunting organ that would become the producers’ trademark and crashing drums that’d make The Bomb Squad green with envy, “Myintro” announced a new sound to the world that challenged both the West Coast’s funky instrumentation and NY’s atmospheric abstraction. Evoking the steaming hot climate that birthed it, “Myintro” was the first blast in a new wave of Atlanta hip-hop.

Dom: Not only did the lead-in to ‘Kast’s debut launch the rap duo’s ying-yang style, it introduced Organized Noize’s early production technique of gritty drums and multihued instrumentation. The distorted guitar riff rides shotgun here, with rolling double-time snares and occasional horns hopping in the back seat for the trip. Topped off with pinpoint scratches during the hook, ONP constructed an ideal backdrop to start ‘Kast’s smoked-filled, pimp-tastic storylines.

Download: Outkast – “Git Up, Git Out” featuring Cee-Lo and Big Gipp (off Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik)

Brandon: ONP adapted that Marley Marl-turned-boom-bap sound of the East for the South, keeping hard-smacking drums and record hiss — love the wobbly record scratches in the background of this one — but slowing it down a bit and filling in the open space with funk flourishes instead of jagged jazz and soul. This one just keeps going, too, so you get to really obsess over little details, like the wandering Eddie Hazel guitars behind the hook. Also, used really well in Chris Robinson’s ATL.

Download: Goodie Mob – “Thought Process” featuring Andre 3000 (off Soul Food, 1995)

AaronM: The first proper song on Soul Food, “Thought Process” immediately sets the album’s tone with its mellow, meditative loop. It’s got this great woodblock-sounding clap that ONP used on a lot of their production around this time. I love how the instrumental is slowly reduced to just live claps and backing vocals for Dre’s revelatory verse.

Download: Goodie Mob – “Dirty South” featuring Cool Breeze and Big Boi (off Soul Food)

Jesse: The greatest thing about “Dirty South” is that it’s so damn anthemic without making the mistake that most attempts at anthems make — it never goes overboard. Instead, the ONP boys craft a banger with a simple blip, a creeping bassline and a guttural drum pattern that provides the perfect minimalist backdrop for them Southern boys to plant their flag firmly in the mud.

Download: Goodie Mob – “Cell Therapy” (off Soul Food)

Wesley: There’s very few non-East Coast tracks that can make me do the grimy/scrunchy facial expression and headnod like this track. DJ Premier semi-channeled through an original filter Atlanta visions. Dirty, dark, yet enlightening.

Download: Goodie Mob – “Goodie Bag” (off Soul Food)

Wesley: This track has always puzzled me in terms of how hard it is, yet how smoothed out it also is at the same time. Great break down during Cee-Lo’s verse where they play with the bass notes. Great slap-back snare sounds. So simple and effective.

Download: Goodie Mob – “I Didn’t Ask To Come” (off Soul Food)

Brandon: Those like, pumping iron-lung drums that a lot of ONP shit had, here working with a devastating string sample and classic hard-ass, sad-rap humanism from Goodie Mob. Shares sonic space with something like “John Cassavetes 2″ by Ekkehard Ehlers or Gorecki’s “Symphony No. 3″ as much as it does brooding-strings beats like OB4CL‘s “Rainy Dayz” or “Sunshine Into Rain”, that Scarface joint off Miri Ben-Ari’s album (remember that one?), or, more recently, something like “Shotz” off the Paper Route Recordz mixtape.

Download: Goodie Mob – “The Coming” featuring Witchdoctor (off Soul Food)

AaronM: “The Coming” takes the classic blaxploitation sound and sucks all the id out. The beat has the classic ’70s signifiers but they combine for a sound that’s dark and foreboding. Where wah-wah guitar, blurting horns, a thumping one-note bassline and clattering piano keys would normally sound like an upbeat, glossy strut, ONP turn “The Coming” into a swampy, apocalyptic creep.

Download: Outkast – “Jazzy Belle” (off ATLiens, 1996)

Wesley: The ultimate early-days Outkast song. Everything about this beat embodies their spirit and vibe perfectly. Beautiful.

Jesse: For my money, ATLiens is the best Outkast album in their platinum-plated and mistake-free discography. But as much credit (all of which is due) is given to the duo’s superior lyricism and intelligent verses, the disc is held together because of the consistent production sound. Of all the haunting, spacey instrumentals that litter the album, this beat is the most enduring. The eerie guitar feedback opens up to the chilling vocals that carry the hook without uttering even a single lyric.

Download: Outkast – “Babylon” (off ATLiens)

Sach O: Starting with what sounds like Monks humming (!!!) over record static, “Babylon” doesn’t give Andre much of a safety net as he fearlessly starts flowing sans-drums until a massive break drops in to provide the rhythm to one of ONP’s vastest compositions on wax. Little more than sub base, drums, an occasional guitar lick and the aforementioned humming, “Babylon” is all about the vocals, which is perversely why it’s such a fantastic beat. While R&B hooks were increasingly present on rap records in ’96, often for purely commercial purposes, the monastic vibe and sparseness of “Babylon” elevates Andrea Martin’s chorus about battles and faith from “Rap & Bullshit” to psychedelic hip-hop gospel. The track’s unadorned midrange provides little cushioning for the singer, but, as all students of the choir know, it’s a vastly rewarding gambit as it lets her voice flood every inch of the track. In terms of sung vocals on rap records, perhaps only Blue Raspberry’s hook on “Rainy Dayz” can match what ONP and Andrea Martin achieved here.

Download: Witchdoctor – “Hurtin’” (off A S.W.A.T. Healin’ Ritual, 1998)

Wesley: This is essentially just a beat loop, but a great one. Great backwards sample that makes for an eerie atmosphere that works well for Witchdoctor’s lyrical content. Great for dreamy headnodding.

Download: Witchdoctor – “Smooth Shit” featuring T-Mo and Khujo (off A S.W.A.T. Healin’ Ritual)

Buhizzle: I’d be hesitant to label any of the MCs involved in this collabo as “smooth” — granted, not everybody can flow like Jigga, but the coarse, start-and-stop rhyme styles of Witchdoctor, T-Mo and Khujo added to the uniqueness of the Dungeon Family records they appeared on. Nonetheless, this record really is some smooth shit. I dig the live female vocals that lay delicately beneath the verses, not taking the focus away for the rapping, but more lively than a mere loop. And, though the chorus isn’t all that special standing alone, it serves its purpose over this delightful beat.

Download: Witchdoctor – “Dez Only 1″ featuring Outkast (off A S.W.A.T. Healin’ Ritual)

Brandon: A particularly busy beat — loud drums, sad piano, weird sound effects all over the place, lilting guitar — so Witchdoctor kinda shout-ras over it (or, shout-raps more than usual). ONP beats are great because they sound confident, smoothed-out, ready for driving, and downbeat all at the same time. And there’s always something redemptive wrapped up inside of it, like the feeling that shit will get better or you shouldn’t lost hope, without being too grand and epic about it. Along side “13th Floor/Growing Old”, this is ONP’s most moving beat.

Download: Sleepy’s Theme – “Can’t Let Go” (off The Vinyl Room, 1998)

Download: Sleepy’s Theme – “Choked Out Saturday Night” (off The Vinyl Room)

Buhizzle: Amongst hip hop hookmen, I might place only Nate Dogg above Sleepy Brown as far as those whose crooning increases the likability of a hip hop record… and I’d be the first to admit that it is most likely my West Coast upbringing bias talking. I have to give Sleepy his props, however, for his oft-overlooked solo catalog — The Vinyl Room (released under the name Sleepy’s Theme, but essentially a Sleepy Brown solo album) had its own unique feel, not sounding like some collection of hip hop records cast aside from a rapper’s album. Call it claim lack of promotion, or inability to target stubborn hip hop fans with albums of predominantly soul music, but neither The Vinyl Room nor ’06′s Mr. Brown caught much attention (throw in ’03′s shelved Phunk-O-Naut for good measure, if you will). “Can’t Let Go” freaks what sounds like a sample of the theme to The People’s Court (word to Judge Wapner), turning into a nice piece of thick-yet-subdued funk — also, Chad Butler‘s name appears in the credits, and what more could be expected from putting Pimp C and Organized Noize in the same studio. “Choked Out Saturday Night”, in contrast, is a lighter, more piano-and-horns-based example of Sleepy’s soulful solo repertoire.

Download: Outkast – “Return Of The ‘G’” (off Aquemini, 1998)

AaronM: ONP employ an eerie flip of the Midnight Express theme, fleshing out Moroder’s skeleton of foreboding synthesizers with beautiful instrumentation and a multi-tracked sung chorus. ONP’s work on Aquemini is clearly indebted to Curtis Mayfield’s socially conscious work in the early ’70s, and “Return Of The ‘G’” is a stellar example. Listen to the sound effects that accompany Big Boi’s verse, the cascading harp that enters occasionally. On some outerspace pimp-noir steez.

Download: Outkast – “Skew It On The Bar-B” featuring Raekwon (off Aquemini)

Jesse: The conventional picks for the best tracks on Aquemini are “Rosa Parks” and “SpottieOttieDopaliscious”, but I always found myself more bewitched by the hushed flutes of “Skew It On The Bar-B”, which somehow pioneered a middle ground between the dirty Southern funk of Outkast and the grimy kung-fu of the Wu. RZA would even flip the same “Police Woman Theme” 6 years later for Masta Killa’s “No Said Date”.

Download: Lil’ Will – “Low Low” featuring Cool Breeze and Pimp C (off Better Days, 1998/unreleased)

Brandon: That spark of funk guitar and classic ONP drums knocking a little louder than usual sounds like ONP moving into the next decade, predicting the synthethic-but-still-kinda-warm sound of The Neptunes or something. At the same time, though, it’s even weirded and murkier than the Outkast and Goodie stuff. All the sounds usually rolling around in the background of their beats are pushed even further into the background, like a swamp of country rap tunes signifiers.

Download: Cool Breeze – “Watch For The Hook” featuring Outkast, Witchdoctor and Goodie Mob (off East Point’s Greatest Hits, 1999)

AaronM: ONP expertly chop Merry Clayton’s cover of “Southern Man” into pieces and string snatches of its ominous keyboards and a ringing guitar riff together with these fantastic stuttering, stumbling drums. What’s incredible about “Watch For The Hook” is that the instrumental fits each emcee’s voice and flow perfectly — Witchdoctor’s blunted mumble, Cee-Lo’s helium babbling, T-Mo’s fiery bark, Big Gipp’s plain-spoken twang, Big Boi’s slick double-time spitting, Breeze’s authoritative drawl, and so forth. Of course, the lyrics to “Southern Man” share common ground with the more righteous Goodie Mob songs, too.

Download: Cool Breeze – “Cre-A-Tine” (off East Point’s Greatest Hits)

Buhizzle: The bubbly sound effects lead me to wonder whether ONP cooked this one up during an ATLiens session, before realizing that it was just way too intense for that album… so, instead, it ended up in the hands of Cool Breeze, who tears into it, speaking on all sorts of “people who…” at an energy level which would lead one to believe that he doesn’t sit still all that often. If you’re not going to bed anytime soon, check out the video — I would’ve never guessed that ONP could’ve laced a beat to match that imagery if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. I listened to East Point’s Greatest Hits in its entirety for the first time not too long ago, and though it didn’t grab me enough for me to call it “slept-on”, I will say that Cool Breeze deserves credit for making trap music before “trap music” really existed.

Download: Outkast – “So Fresh, So Clean” (off Stankonia, 2000)

Dom: One of the ATLiens’ instantly-recognizable singles, “So Fresh, So Clean” knocks right off the bat with its precisely syncopated drum programming. Then comes the good stuff, as the producers reinterpret soul singer Joe Simon’s “Before The Night Is Over” by bending a sweet synth around soft, melodic keys. The beauty here is the beat’s airy simplicity, evoking a feeling of clarity supported by Andre’s and Antwan’s refreshing verses (pun intended).

Download: Backbone – “5 Deuce 4 Tre” (off Concrete Law, 2001)

Buhizzle: I’ll pass on the big words and fancy synonyms on this pick to get straight to the point — I fucking love this song. Dungeon Family background player Backbone had exactly one commercial single in him — kudos to ONP for finding it.

Download: Ludacris – “Saturday (Oooh Oooh!)” (off Word Of Mouf, 2001)

Dom: Man, them drums! Off Luda’s sophomore effort Word Of Mouf, “Saturday” hits harder than a Tyson uppercut with its thumping kicks layered between shimmying hi-hats and punchy vocal samples. The subtle bassline supports the drums effectively, leaving plenty of room for Luda’s Southern-fried rhymes. You don’t need much more for a trunk-rattling weekend celebration — feel free to drop the top and have some fun to this one.

Download: Bubba Sparxxx – “New South” featuring Duddy Ken (off Deliverance, 2003)

Dom: It takes an often-overlooked track from Bubba’s Deliverance to best summarize ONP’s distinct sound. The guitar loop syncs flawlessly with the melodic whistling in front of a fury of upbeat drumming, creating an atypical fusion of rock and hip hop elements. This is exactly what I mean when I say multi-layered instrumentation defines the production crew — perhaps Weezy should recruit ONP for Rebirth so the masses can experience what real rock-rap should sound like.

Download: Ludacris – “Blueberry Yum Yum” featuring Sleepy Brown (off The Red Light District, 2004)

Dom: I chose this ode to the green leaf from The Red Light District to demonstrate the crew’s versatility on the boards as they tossed away the guitar chords to dig deeper into the electronic sound banks. Borrowing from the West Coast G-Funk era, they utilize a zigzag portamento lick amidst a trippy, electro-synth harmony. The drums aren’t too fancy — they don’t need to be — as a basic kick and snapping snare acts to control the atmospheric melody from blasting off into distant space. Unless that’s your sort of thing, they by all means — prepare for lift-off!

Download: Bubba Sparxxx – “Wonderful” (off The Charm, 2006)

AaronM: “Wonderful” is a bouncy song for a beautiful sunny day when you’re feeling especially great, you got a shiny pair of new kicks, and you don’t have any immediate commitments. It’s the feel that Nappy Roots’ “Good Day” captures, the feeling that Jay Electronica’s “I Feel Good” captures. “Wonderful” combines a lot of overused musical elements that would be irritating in another producer’s hands — acoustic guitar, chopped chipmunk vocals, blaring marching band horns, shuffling 808s. And on “Wonderful”, ONP make all these song parts work wonderfully… it’s nice out today, huh?

Download: Cee-Lo – “Ophidiophobia” (off Snakes On A Plane OST, 2006)

Jesse: It takes a special production team to chop-and-screw the only memorable line from an overhyped movie, turn it into a hilarious hook, and back the effort with a screaming, guitar-laced instrumental, which served as a fitting undercurrent to lift Cee-Lo’s soaring voice.

Download: Sleepy Brown – “Dress Up” (off Mr. Brown, 2006)

Brandon: Let’s begin by pointing out that “Dress Up” has two saxophone solos. And that said sax solos are played by Sleepy’s pops — Jimmy Brown from Brick. Throw in some comely “Boogie On Reggae Woman” drums and anchor the whole thing around a blaxploitation vibe and you’ve got the ballsy, incongruous, kitchen-sink weirdo production genius of ONP in a nutshell. Steeped in tradition, obsessed with aping their musical heroes but somehow internalizing those influences well enough to spit them back up as something wholly original.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words — I can work with that. That should mean that instead of writing an extensive introduction about our latest Beat Drop honoree, one Timothy Mosley, I can simply show a picture and be good. And for that picture, I ask you to pause the below video at 1:52.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As you may have guessed, and likely seen before, that was Timbaland and Jay-Z, from the concert-mentary Fade To Black, taking the first step in the process of crafting “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”. After hearing a couple of beats that he appeared to be none too fond of (one of which ended up as “The Potion” on Ludacris’ The Red Light District), Jay hears the beat that would become “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and makes the face that should be looking right back at you on your screen… that is, if you paused the YouTube video, like I asked you to do.

That screwface-invoking reaction is the trademark of a Timbaland production. Most great hip hop beats will have you nodding your head as soon as it drops, but, when Timbo provides his magic touch, the head-nodding comes after a brief delay of a few seconds — a moment in time where everything else stops, confusion ensues, and a grown man dancing around with a banana (no Peanut Butter Jelly Time) in his hand is commonplace.

Does that make Timbaland “the best there is”, as he so eloquently puts it toward the end of that clip? If you’ve been following these Beat Drop posts, you’d know how hesitant we are to crown someone at the expense of others. But when it comes to pushing the envelope with production (and not just hip-hop production), Timbo may have a case for the throne. And since he’s lost all that weight since Fade To Black, the crown wouldn’t have to be fitted over that pack of hot dogs on the back of his neck.

Joining us for this Beat Drop are…

• Clinton Sparks
• DJ Franchise from Know The Ledge
• Don Will, 1/3rd of Tanya Morgan (The Bridge available now on iTunes, Brooklynati coming soon)
• Eric from Commonwealth and Whats the Scenario?
• Ivan from Hip Hop Is Read
• Jabari from HipHopGame.com
• Nex Millen from Respect The Culture
• Philly producer Small Professor
• $port from Way More Fresher and What Up, $port?
• Steve from OtherGround HipHop
• Wes from Sit Down Stand Up
• Zilla Rocca from Clap Cowards

Download: Aaliyah – “One In A Million” (off One In A Million, 1996)

$port: Not exactly hip hop, I know. But many of us will agree that Timbo did his best work with his R&B joints. I can say the following without blinking — Timbaland singlehandedly changed R&B music with this one song. I remember when I first heard the track — it was a big “WTF??!” The rhythm was so all over the place, yet Aaliyah came through and smoothed it out. You could be the most gangsta gangsta in the history of gangstadom, but when you hear that first kick, all glocks down.

Download: Aaliyah – “Hot Like Fire (Timbaland’s Groove Mix)” featuring Missy Elliott (original version off One In A Million)

DJ Franchise: Not a hip hop song, but definitely one of Timbaland’s classics. He flipped the song to a dope dance beat with a little “Tom’s Diner” chant for some flavor. I could’ve done without Missy on the track, but back then her and Tim were inseparable. I remember being in college and so mad that this remix was not getting as much play as it should’ve. Plus, the video was one that should be a cult classic on YouTube.

Download: Ginuwine – “Pony” (off Ginuwine… The Bachelor, 1996)

Steve: WTF did he sample for this track?! From early on in Timbaland’s mainstream career, he was able to make hits and did so with a unique style. This beat is still hot over a decade later and it acts as an ongoing testament to its relevance.

Download: Ginuwine – “I’ll Do Anything/I’m Sorry” (off Ginuwine… The Bachelor)

Don Will: I picked this because I didn’t discover the sample to the song until long after I heard the song. One day, a few years ago, I went on a Stevie back catalog binge and I ended up hearing the sampled portion and that kinda blew my mind for some reason. It wasn’t like he did some amazing shit to the sample — he just kinda embellished upon it with his signature stutter percussion, but it’s just something magic about it.

Download: Missy Elliott – “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (off Supa Dupa Fly, 1997)

Small Pro: No Timbaland list could be complete and not mention Missy, his long-time collaborator and fellow rhythm alien. This may be a cliche pick, but it still is one of my favorites… this, perhaps more than any other Timbo beat, illustrates how sharp and distinctive his ear was — who else could have picked this portion of the Ann Peebles original out to use in the first place? Who else could have flipped it to bounce like this? I remember bugging out like Missy’s eyes in the video when I heard the sample for the first time. When it dropped, there was nothing out that even remotely similiar, and that in a nutshell is why I am and will always be a Timbaland fan — the ear for samples, the distinctive sense of rhythm, the mastery over all things “bounce”, and, above all, the guts to do things differently. We need more Timbalands in the game. Word.

DJ Franchise: I think this was my first introduction to Timbaland’s genius — the simple beat, crazy synths, and signature bug sounds. I just kept asking myself while this song is on repeat — “Where did he get those sounds?” As much as the video gets props for its innovation, I think we forget that without a futuristic beat, there would be no inspiration for the Hype Williams video. Just my opinion.

Download: Timbaland & Magoo – “Up Jumps Da Boogie” featuring Missy Elliott and Aaliyah (off Welcome To Our World, 1997)

Jabari: Although Tim’s work now is great, I was a huge fan of the stuff in the late 90′s. I remember a time when I used to say the hottest rappers in the game were Timbaland & Magoo — I was young)! With that being said, “Up Jumps Da Boogie” was a crazy record. The way Missy, Timbaland, Magoo and Aaliyah all fit on the record was Tim doing what a great producer is supposed to do — making each artist sound as good as they possibly can.

Download: Timbaland & Magoo – “Clock Strikes” (off Welcome To Our World)

Eric: Flipped the fuck out of the Knight Rider theme. Some of the Timbaland’s best beats were also some of his worst songs. This is no exception. “Yo I’m ’bout to get it started like I’m Hammer then I farted/ You retarded if you thinkin’ Brandy really broken hearted/ I departed doin’ dirt lookin’ up your girl’s skirt/ Keep it Steve Martin style, bustin’ loose like jerk” — Magoo… I’m convinced any MC in existence would sound dope over this, and, in the end, isn’t that what a good beat is all about?

Download: Aaliyah – “Are You That Somebody?” (off Dr. Dolittle OST, 1998)

Clinton: This song was so innovative with its double-timed beat, along with Timbaland’s now-signature beat boxing.

$port: Again, this joint changed everything and couldn’t be duplicated by ANYONE. When this came out, I was in junior high. I was on my hoop star shit tough. Imagine a small gym filled to the brim with kids stomping and clapping the drums of this track all in unison.

Eric: I’m pretty sure this was the only reason anyone (including myself) purchased the Dr. Doolittle soundtrack (I was 14, don’t judge me). Timmy bodied Aaliyah’s essence on this track. The cooing baby (how random) was just subtle enough, but made the song everything it was. No matter what you felt about Tim’s rhymes, his verse on this just fit so perfectly. “I’m the man from the big V-A/ Won’t you come play ’round my way”. R.I.P. “baby girl”.

Don Will: I picked this joint for all the random ass noises Tim turned into percussive elements. I mean, it’s kinda hard to just overlook the song writing because that’s what pushes this joint over the edge, but the guy has babies and tongue popping noises in the track and before you can isolate or even know what’s goin’ on, you are rockin’ to ‘em just like they are guitars or keyboards. That’s pretty damn genius if you ask me. Not to mention baby girl was FOINE in that video.

Jabari: The first song that comes to mind when you talk about beats by Timbo is “Are You That Somebody?” Aside from me being a sucker for pop hits, this song was so creative! The dude used a baby’s voice cooing in the hook for crying out loud! The record is timeless, and this is just some of the magic that Tim created with the late Aaliyah, but I think it was some of their best work.

Download: Jay-Z – “Nigga What, Nigga Who” featuring Jaz-O and Amil (off Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, 1998)

Zilla Rocca: Tim had already melted the face of popular music with Missy in ’97 with his off-tempo weird-ass breakthrough beats on Supa Dupa Fly. A year later, he unearthed this double-time mammoth for Jay’s Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, arguably the most jaw-dropping production on an album stacked with heavy hitters behind the boards. Spacious enough for Hov to shine, but technically unmatched by anything in ’98, this song (along with Biggie’s “Notorious Thugs”) made me sit back and marvel at the ability of two East Coast MCs to spit it at a hundred miles an hour and sound great doing so. Another thing I loved about this track was the video — the colors and laser lights looked like how this beat sounded. This dropped during the height of underground movement, but nothing was as next-level and progressive as a Timbaland beat and a song about no one fucking with Jay-to-the-Z.

Small Pro: My Jay-Z bias is so obvious with my picks, but fuck it though. This may be a cliche pick, but it’s a Timbaland beat that for some reason stands above a lot in his discography. It’s empty one second, and then for exactly one count you are bombarded with a flurry of stuttering hi-hats, giving the track a herky-jerky momentum. Even in 2009, it sounds futuristic and robotic, and it’s a style that is wholly unique to Timbaland. Dude’s a one in a million.

Download: Timbaland – “Lobster & Scrimp” featuring Jay-Z (off Tim’s Bio: Life From Da Bassment, 1998)

Wes: This track drips with that perfect level of cockiness and self-assurance and it’s matched by the lyrics (“I hope she likes porno flicks ’cause she’s starring now”). A modern classic.

Download: Timbaland – “Keep It Real” featuring Ginuwine (off Tim’s Bio: Life From Da Bassment)

Clinton: An overlooked record off Timbaland’s album. This was a record that to this day musically still sticks in my brain.

Download: Missy Elliott – “Dangerous Mouths” featuring Redman (off Da Real World, 1999)

$port: What Timbaland managed to do with Missy’s Da Real World album was comical. He saw everybody taking pieces from what he was putting out, then BOOM — all new sounds, new drum patterns and that ONE snare that he instantly made his own. Because of his pop chart dominance, Tim doesn’t really get enough credit for the canvases he’s created for some of the best emcees. Case and point, “Dangerous Mouths” — the beat was prime for Funk Doc. It sounded like you were walking in a lava pit somewhere.

Download: Jay-Z – “It’s Hot (Some Like It Hot)” (off Vol. 3… Life And Times Of S. Carter, 1999)

Small Pro: On this track, you have Timbo freaking the living shit out of a 4-bar loop featuring two guitar notes and claps on the off beats. Quiet as kept, dude is (or at least was) one of the slickest dudes with a sample, because he makes it HIS… this time, he added guitar chords for a couple bars before the hook (the same melody from the dramatic ass intro). It’s funny because I remember reading in Scratch magazine (R.I.P.) about how he doesn’t really like to sample… we don’t believe you, Timothy.

Nex Millen: When I first heard “It’s Hot”, I didn’t think of Timbaland until I checked the credits. It’s built around a slowed down 3-pluck guitar sample no longer than a second. Drums, claps and strings — very simple. Jigga has all this room to create a motion picture with his lyrics — even throws a 50 Cent diss in for extra measure. It gets no iller!

Clinton: With the dramatic intro, you didn’t know what to expect the first time you heard this, and then it drops in with a laid back, undeniable head-nodding beat and a constant clap to add to its awesomeness.

Download: Jay-Z – “Big Pimpin’” featuring UGK (off Vol. 3… Life And Times Of S. Carter)

Steve: For any loop digger, this track is a feat of loop digging patience and persistence. It samples a track called “Khosara” by Abdel Halim Hafez, a classical musician from the sub-continent. Timbo heard this and created “Big Pimpin’”.

Clinton: Another original beat with a sample that not anyone would have thought to use and flip the way he did… genius.

Knobbz: The ubiquity of the word “pimp” today is due in part to this song and “P.I.M.P.” by 50 Cent, the latter of which is a cheap imitation of the former. The appeal of “Big Pimpin’” is that it has a lavish, travel-the-world-and-get-down-with-exotic-women sound rather than the perms, canes and Cadillacs vibe traditionally associated with with pimps. Timbo’s brand of pimping bears a Middle Eastern melody, a thumping club-ready bass and a hook that everybody in the car can sing after they hear it once. The end product is radio-friendly, accessible pimping, but still has monster verses from Jay-Z, Bun B and Pimp C. Jay’s flow tops everything he’s done since and Bun and Pimp give all the people hearing them for the first time something worth remembering. Also, the sheer amount of voluptuous half-naked women in the video snatched me out of my prepubescence. (See also: Jay and Bun performing “Big Pimpin’” in Houston and the whole crowd doing Pimp C’s verse.)

Ivan: Yet another Timbo beat which sampled Eastern music, “Big Pimpin’” incorporated elements from Abdel Halim Hafez’s “Khosara”. The exuberant array of instruments that were integrated into this track accentuated the lavish content, both lyrically and visually (the Hype Williams-directed music video is a must-see). A massive success, “Big Pimpin’” introduced droves of hip hop fans to UGK and video vixens like Melyssa Ford and Gloria Velez. The single went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Eric: It doesn’t matter which side of the country you’re on — when “Big Pimpin’” comes on, the party has officially begun. The video gave us classic Hype, Gloria Velez, Trinidad, the height of Roca Wear, and introduced UGK to the suburbs. How amusing was it that BET blocked out “MTV Jam of the Week”? (P.S. Am I the only who did the Dame Dash dance in the club?)

DJ Franchise: Everything about this combo on paper made me say “WTF?”.  UGK? (This was before it was cool to like them.  C’mon, only the South knew about them before this song.) A belly dance/Middle Eastern song was the main sample? Jay’s rapping about pimpin’? In the end, it all came together for the best Jay/Timbaland collaboration. An anthem from the hood to the white boy fraternities, this song put Jay-Z and Timbaland on a whole other echelon. Again, Jay with a knack for choosing risk-taking beats and Timbaland with the creativity to provide the soundscape.

Jabari: “Big Pimpin’” is one of those records where you don’t really have to say much about it. The way that record comes on, it sounds like you are in some type of grand celebration or something and then Jay comes in with the most vulgar wordplay of how he does not need a women. Classic hip hop.

Download: Jay-Z – “Come And Get Me” (off Vol. 3… Life And Times Of S. Carter)

Wes: Experimental futuristic funk trip and easily the weirdest thing to have been released on a Jay-Z album. Great two-parter beat.

$port: Easily Timbaland’s most gutter track ever. The first beat was silly enough as it was, with that crude-ass high-hat. The second beat??? SMH. It was amazing in the fact that it really coincided with Hov’s subject matter. Timbaland has a knack for making you feel like you’re traveling with the beat itself and on this one, he took it straight to Marcy.

Don Will: 2-for-1 style on that ass! The joint comes out the gate with this plodding backwater-sounding gangster-ass intro that bleeds into an even more sinister-sounding composition. The thing that pushes this beat over the top for me is the chord progressions that take place. From verse to verse, other elements weave throughout the beat and that makes this one hard to only play once.

Download: The LOX – “Ride Or Die Bitch” featuring Eve (off We Are The Streets, 2000)

Knobbz: Hardbody as they may be, the LOX know how to make songs for the radio without completely selling out. This is what pop-rap should sound like. Two-steppable, but vulgar enough to make my parents disown me. Great video to boot. Timbaland is great at this warm, bouncy sound. It’s clean-cut like champagne-era Bad Boy and extra clubby-poppy on some Neptunes ish. This song is number three on my wedding night playlist.

Download: Aaliyah – “Try Again” (off Romeo Must Die OST, 2000)

Zilla Rocca: This is my favorite Timbaland beat of all time, just for the shakers alone. “Tsst tsst tsst tsst tsst tsst” — it’s so distinct and tight. My common problem with most mainstream production is that it lacks swing, but this track is a neck breaker. The arrangement is incredible. The revolving door of simple synth stabs (an owl hooting underwater, Tritons presets to make Swizz Beatz pass out, rolling Moog notes that were just filthy) keep the track interesting without cluttering Aaliyah’s quaint vocals. It was like what the Bobby Digital sound could’ve been if he wasn’t smoking honey-dipped blunts and hanging out with 9th Prince.

Ivan: As if it wasn’t enough that the late, lovely Aaliyah was laying down some aphrodisiac rhymes and vibes, this beat right here oozed with sex appeal. The main layer of the track itself always distinctly reminded me of the syrupy sound of nylon rubbing together. The combination of Aaliyah’s seductive vocals and Timbo’s addictive production propelled “Try Again” to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 — the very first song to reach the #1 spot based solely on radio play.

Download: Jay-Z – “Hey Papi” featuring Memphis Bleek and Amil (off Nutty Professor II: The Klumps OST, 2000)

Wes: Jay-Z and Timbaland are a near equal pairing to Nas and DJ Premier. Timbo brings out the thoughtful thug that Jigga wouldn’t fully reveal until Kingdom Come.

Nex Millen: Two words — the sickness. When this first came out, I already knew that Timbo was the illest producer of my era, but damn! The drums on this one, that guitar sample, all the layers — bangin’! Just when you think you have his style all figured out, he comes with a new sound. (Word on the street is that the original version has a 3rd verse by Jay, but the label had to cut it for time reasons.)

Download: Snoop Dogg – “Set It Off” featuring MC Ren, Lady Of Rage, Nate Dogg and Ice Cube (off Tha Last Meal, 2000)

Ivan: The very first time I heard this song was on the third volume of the And1 Mixtape series, back in 2001. Hoops and hip hop have always seemed to go hand-in-hand, and this track right here had just enough bounce to keep my neck swaying back and forth like the soaring basketball across the screen. In order to accommodate all these West Coast legends, Timbo had to hustle to compose some congruent production. Let’s just say it was a slam dunk.

Download: Memphis Bleek – “Is That Yo Chick?” featuring Jay-Z, Twista and Missy Elliott (off The Understanding, 2000)

DJ Franchise: Jay is known for being a great lyricist, but I’ve always like to make sure that he gets credit for being a risk-taker with his beat selection. And I think, much like his joints with the Neptunes, Timbaland pushes Jay to a new level with his flow because of the beat. “Is That Your Chick?” does just that. The intensity and bounce of the beat go back to his early rap years, before the deal, where he went with his fast flow — so fast that I think that people lost the daggers he was throwing. The beat is so dope that he has the strong horns on the chorus, then the cowbell on the extra verses, then Timbo manipulates that reverse sound at the end of the song. So many layers of sound, you would think it was a Bomb Squad joint.

Download: Aaliyah – “We Need A Resolution” (off Aaliyah, 2001)

Zilla Rocca: In the ’90s, I wasn’t big on R&B outside of a few acts here and there (D’Angelo, Shai, Portrait, Jodeci), but Aaliyah grabbed me by the throat. Beautiful, classy, intriguing and subdued, she looked like she always knew something you didn’t. And the beats Timbaland made for her would never sound right with anyone else cooing over them. “We Need A Resolution” has an orchestral sample (I want to say clarinet) that snakes around the patented Timbo beat-boxing, shifting synth lines, and double hand claps. The feeling of the track fit Aaliyah perfectly — sublime but banging, contained but infectious. After she passed, it seemed like Tweet got the left-overs from the Aaliyah disks but never did the beats any justice. “We Need A Resolution” is just butter.

$port: We all know that Aaliyah got first dibs on the crazy stuff. This was a perfect way to reacquaint us with Baby Girl. It was as if he molded beats after her. One of the most fun things about a Timbo beat is the fact that he’ll go in the booth, beatbox… and keep it. Before you know it, you’re doing the exact same thing.

Eric: Right from the start, it has that recognizable sound. This is the true timeless nature that Tim has given us over and over again. He hasn’t achieved anything near this brilliant in a long time (in my opinion).

Download: Aaliyah – “More Than A Woman” (off Aaliyah)

Wes: One of the best pop gems Timbo crafted. Fluid like water, synths going crazy.

Ivan: This track doesn’t profile Timbaland’s production skills any more so than it highlights his crate-digging tendencies. “More Than a Woman” heavily sampled Syrian singer Mayada El Hennawy’s melodic “Alouli Ansa”, but unfortunately, the song was never officially credited. Oops! There you go again, Tim! Regardless of this legal fiasco, the beat always had me mesmerized with its oscillating synths and overall catchiness.

Download: Jay-Z – “Hola Hovito” (off The Blueprint, 2001)

Nex Millen: By the time this joint came out, I stopped wondering why Tim was giving his best hip hop beats to Jay-Z. From the intro to the end, this is my favorite Timbaland song of all time. Just like “Hey Papi”, the ;ayers don’t stop. Just when you think you heard all the sounds, he brings in another, then another. Super big!

Download: Timbaland & Magoo – “Drop” featuring Fatman Scoop (off Indecent Proposal, 2001)

Eric: One of the most energetic songs he’s ever made. The temperature seems to rise when this record is dropped (pun intended). I remember being in the club as a youngin’ and seeing females do a lot of strange things when this came blaring over the speakers.

Download: Pastor Troy – “Are We Cuttin’” featuring Ms. Jade (off Universal Soldier, 2002)

Don Will: I feel like this joint doesn’t get enough love at all. It’s so frenetic. It has this energy to it that sounds like motion. It literally sounds like people dancing. I wasn’t in college around the time this dropped but I can only imagine how many drumlines ended up playin’ this during halftime.

Download: Missy Elliott – “Work It” (off Under Construction, 2002)

AaronM: I feel as if I’ve sacrificed my digger credentials by only picking singles, but fuck it, Timbaland’s singles are THAT good. Tim combines an undulating synth line, what sounds like a theremin and blippy bongo percussion into a seamless, rhythmic groove. “Work It” artfully evokes ’80s hip hop with simply aping it — the Rockmaster Scott sampling into, the scratching at 3:25, and rock the “Take Me To The Mardi Gras” break for the last 20 seconds. Reagan-era cribbing rappers would be wise to take notes. Like any Tim production, it’s the small details that really strike you after the first listen; he uses an elephant’s trumpet to censor Missy on the chorus! Genius.

Download: Lil’ Kim – “The Jump Off” featuring Mr. Cheeks (off La Bella Mafia, 2003)

Nex Millen: This joint was made around the “drumline ” era. A lot of producers tried, but Tim was the only one to crank the BPMs up and make his joint go to town! Lil’ Kim is doing Lil’ Kim on this one and it’s hot (shout outs to Queen B), but the real treat is bringing Mr. Cheeks (of Lost Boyz) in to update the classic hook from “Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz”. Crowd still goes crazy when I drop this.

Download: Bubba Sparxxx – “She Tried” featuring Ryan Tedder (off Deliverance, 2003)

Download: Bubba Sparxxx – “Deliverance” (off Deliverance)

Small Pro: On the real, if I could put the entire sophomore Bubba album on this list (or at least what Timbo did), I almost would… almost. Deliverance as a whole, and these two tracks in particular, exemplify Timbaland’s extraordinary ability to consistently maintain his signature sound and sense of rhythm and yet integrate elements that are foreign to both his style and hip hop (or R&B) in general. “She Tried” is one of those fast, yet slow, Timbo joints featuring melancholy violins and almost bluegrassy guitars (not to mention another one of his complimentary beatboxing routines that are unlike any heard anywhere else) and “Deliverance” is bluesy and soulful, featuring a triumphant string arrangement and handclaps in place of snares; both were made by a Timbaland not seen before or after… this is why he’s hot.

Download: Jay-Z – “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” (off The Black Album, 2003)

Steve: “Bounce coming up,” said Timbo in his back-and-forth interaction with Jay-Z during the studio sessions. [See intro. -- Buhizzle] As soon as Timbo hit the keys on his Triton, the energy was syndicated. This track oozes swag and I’m certain that this track helped solidified Jay-Z as the “best rapper alive” to those that didn’t already think so before.

Ivan: Together with Timbo’s plethora of awe-inspiring synthesizers and hotbox drums, Hov indulged pimps and the uninitiated alike to the swag-tastic tradition of brushing off one’s shoulders. Even President Obama caught on to the craze!

DJ Franchise: The song made it on the list just for Timbaland’s excitement for this joint when he showed he to Jay on Fade To Black. No doubt, it’s a bounce beat, but no one bounces like Timbo. Timbaland knows how to sell his songs to an artist.

Download: Missy Elliott – “Wake Up” featuring Jay-Z (off This Is Not A Test!, 2003)

Zilla Rocca: This beat sounded like Tim doing a cover of Primo’s “Come Clean”. The snare on this track could be a garbage disposal clogging up, or a jab from Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, or the inside of an oil drum beaten with a 2×4. Tim never made a straight gutter track before — he’s had dark and ominous, but this track sounded like punishment. People never call up Tim for the grimy album cut, but if I ever get the chance to work with dude, I want a jawn like this as well as the “weirdo-ass-shaker-electro-Biz-Mark-meets-Bjork-club-banger” combo.

Download: Cee-Lo – “I’ll Be Around” featuring Timbaland (off Cee-Lo Green… Is The Soul Machine, 2004)

AaronM: A brilliant combination of trumpets and clattering percussion for space age soul-type steez. Tim bring in celestial backing vocals on the chorus and adds a winding, Jerry Harrison-esque guitar figure that compliments the call-and-response. Tim even pulls a Pete Rock move and adds extra percussion for his (pretty lame) verse. “I’ll Be Around” summarizes Cee-Lo’s post-Goodie Mob career better than any of the Gnarls Barkley songs ever could.

Don Will: This song sounds like a slower, more soulful “The Jump Off” (Lil’ Kim) if you ask me, but if I had to choose between the two, I’d pick this one because it didn’t do NEARLY what it should have and I’m a fan of the underdogs. It’s a pretty simple song, but he knows how to pick the right elements to make an infectious song. I’m also a sucker for breakbeats and these songs are remeniscent of breakbeats. Tim does that from time to time — another example is Missy’s “Funky Fresh Dressed” or “Pass That Dutch”… damn, Missy had some HITS!

Download: The Game – “Put You On The Game” (off The Documentary, 2005)

Zilla Rocca: This beat truthfully should’ve went to Busta. No disrespect to The Game, but I’ve listened to this instrumental tenfold and his vocal performance is incomparable to the beast that Tim gave birth to. It sounds so BIG — the massive kicks and snares, the frantic chords, the trippy vocal stab on the hook (what the hell sound IS THAT?). This beat begged for a larger-than-life vocal performance. My favorite part of this beat is the outro where Tim goes tech-happy and freaks with the automation panel on his computer — if more glitch hop/IDM had this umph behind it, I wouldn’t be downloading free mixtapes from my inbox each week. Royksopp and whoever — YOU’RE ON NOTICE!

AaronM: For anyone who says Timbaland doesn’t make good hip hop beats, here’s my definitive counter-argument. First, the percussion — booming kicks, shakers and skipping claps. The central beat orbits around a four-note keyboard sequence, coupled with elegaic piano and female backing vocals. Tim pitches a vocal sample so it sounds like a synthesizer and loops it endlessly. Considering the name of this feature, I would be remiss to omit the beat drop at 2:24, where Tim strips the instrumental to the wailing vocal sample and ghostly backing vocals. How did he get the sample to sound like that? The Game is serviceable, but one has to imagine that Jayceon is now a tad embarrassed by the shout-outs to G-Unit on this track.

Download: Busta Rhymes – “Get Down” (off The Big Bang, 2006)

Small Pro: This track probably wouldn’t be in a real top 5 Timbaland beat list from me, but I doubt anybody else will mention it. I remember when The Big Bang came out, there surfaced a video featuring Busta in the studio with Timbaland where Bus mentioned a beat Timbo made “out of a plastic cup and pencils”. Such beat inventiveness is further displayed on “Get Down”, which some message boarders described as “just drums”. Just drums!? Timbo has always thrown sounds not many would use in the mix, and here, you can hear frogs croaking and a bird squaking — on beat, nonetheless — as well as the sound of a swampy marsh. Combine that and thumping percussion, and you have another signature Timbo joint that doesn’t have many brothers or sisters.

Nex Millen: I am a big fan of African rhythms and this joint right here is off the chart. I haven’t heard anything like it yet. Busta is beyond himself — blacking out! Tim is in there with the well timed ad-libs — crazy! Only a few artists can rhyme on a Timbo beat and ace it. You can’t just spit and think it’s going to be a hit. His joints are alive! So you have to rhyme with it, not over it.

Download: Nelly Furtado – “Do It” (off Loose, 2006)

Wes: Best Madonna song that Madonna never released.

Download: Justin Timberlake – “SexyBack” (off FutureSex/LoveSounds, 2006)

Clinton: Once again, Timbo transforms himself into trendsetterbot leading the way for hip hop producers to start incorporating dance and house sounds into their production.

Download: Justin Timberlake – “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude” (off FutureSex/LoveSounds)

Jabari: I think Tim did a number with Justin Timberlake (with the help of Danja). My favorite record was “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude”. “LoveStoned” was an alright song, but I remember the first time I heard that song and then the beat switch… I wasn’t ready for it, but something about how smooth that transition sounded was so right. When “I Think She Knows” came on, I was thinking, damn, this is the joint you dance to with the girl at prom you really wanted to go with but couldn’t because her date is the basketball star and yours is your best friend. If Timberlake or Timbaland ever reads this — PLEASE TURN THAT INTO A WHOLE SONG! I know a lot of people who just skip to 4:42 when that record comes on their iTunes.

Download: Timbaland – “Oh Timbaland” (off Timbaland Presents Shock Value, 2007)

Steve: Taking Nina Simone’s “Oh Sinnerman” and cutting it to say “Oh Timbaland” isn’t hard to do, but it’s damn creative. The way the hi-hats fit on this track with the gritty piano sample is masterful (as most of Timbaland’s hats are) and, from a production standpoint, this track is just refreshing to listen to in a time of redundancy and mimicry.

Download: Timbaland – “Give It To Me” featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake (off Timbaland Presents Shock Value)

Steve: Timbo brought swagger to pop music with Justin Timberlake’s album. He continued that trend with Nelly Furtado and had all three artists on this track chest out and taking shots at anyone trying to step up. The fact that JT took shots at Prince should tell you how hard this beat was. Even Nelly Furtado sounded like she had some swag on the track, rebounding from a failed sophomore album. And of course, the piano man got dissed on it, too.

I’ll be honest (probably more honest than most) — I didn’t know who UGK was before 1999. You could’ve handed me a copy of Vol. 3… Life And Times Of S. Carter, pointed to track 11 on the back cover, and said, “This kid right here is the next big thing out of Brooklyn. Jay just signed him. His name’s pronounced ug-kah.” Unless I just flat out didn’t trust you, I’d have no reason not to believe you (though that rap name sure would’ve sounded like a loser).

Radio in my hometown of Los Angeles, around that time, had plenty of local material flooding its airwaves — Dr. Dre (and his newly-discovered protégé Eminem), Snoop, and Kurupt all had hit records out, and a potential N.W.A. reunion was all the rave (yea, about that…). Sure, there were Southern rap records that would break through every now and again — some had undeniable cross-over appeal, some had outshining guest spots from West Coast legends, some were classic records that superseded regional boundaries. But, L.A. radio stations — and probably all major city radio stations outside of the South — weren’t putting aside time during long-drive-home-rush-hour for a duo out a Texas town not called Houston which couldn’t even get promotion from its bum-ass record label.

To be even more honest, it wasn’t until 2000 that I really got to know about UGK, when a visual was given to “Big Pimpin’”. There was Jay-Z, spitting rapid-fire on a cruise ship while Dame Dash poured liquor I couldn’t afford over women I couldn’t afford. Then there was Bun B, spitting even more rapid-fire than Jay, mispronouncing “scenario” just for the sake of not leaving out both sorry and scary hoes from consideration of whom he can’t fuck with. And lastly, there was Pimp C, delivering molasses-slow rhymes (at least in comparison to Jay and Bun) with an undoubtedly Southern accent that seemed to replace the last letter on every word with a “H” (as in “Smokin’ ouh, throwin’ uh…”). And that white fur coat… who would rock such clothing in the midst of a Florida summer? Probably the same type of dude who would brag about his hands-free phone while holding a phone to his ears.

When I think of how to describe Pimp C, his opening bars from “Murder”, off ’96′s Ridin’ Dirty, always come to mind: “It’s Pimp C, bitch, so what the fuck is up?/ Puttin’ powder on the street ’cause I got big fuckin’ nuts!” In the span of two bars, Pimp provided examples of five of the reasons why our elders (more than likely) collectively hate rap music. First, he introduced himself — on how many Beatles’ songs did John Lennon say his own name? Second, he insults his listener — likely a listener who just spent money to support Pimp’s cause (more so the case in ’96 than now). Third, he drops the F-bomb, with another one coming mere seconds later. Fourth, he glorifies drug dealing, by attributing the cause of his trade to the size of testicles… which leads perfectly into number five — he speaks candidly about his genitals. Most rappers not named Todd Shaw would need at least a full song to evoke all of these reactions out of their listeners.

But, if you could look past his outlandish boasts on the mic about partaking in illegal activities of all sorts, you’d find lush musical backdrops, driven by the funkiest of bass lines and the bluesiest of guitar licks, sometimes with vocals sung by the man himself. People that hate the type of music that Pimp C made would probably dismiss him as not being “musically talented” — little would they know just how wrong they were. Being on the late train in becoming familiar with Pimp’s discography made me that much bigger a fan of his — very few hip hop artists in ’96 were making music like him, and even fewer are nowadays.

Chad Butler took his craft way more seriously than he ever took himself. Bun B noted on “The Story” (off his solo debut Trill) how hesitant Pimp was to jump on “Big Pimpin’”, fearful of how UGK’s core audience would’ve taken to it. There’s no greater shame than the fact that Pimp’s death came just as UGK was starting to get recognized for their own achievements, with “International Players Anthem” (off their #1-charting self-titled double album) receiving a Grammy nomination. If there’s any positive spin that we can put on his untimely passing, it’s that, after a career spanning nearly two decades, Pimp C went out on top. To that I say, “Smoke something, bitch!”

Contributing to this Beat Drop (in addition to myself and AaronM) are Noz from Cocaine Blunts, Quan from Hater Player, Ivan from Hip Hop Is Read, Brandon Soderberg from No Trivia, and Jonathan from Screw Rock ‘n’ Roll. And, on the (very, very, VERY) special guest tip, ML is esteemed to have none other than Bernard “Bun B” Freeman, the yin to Pimp’s yang as one half of UGK, joining us. Bun chopped with up with Knobbz (credit due for providing transcribing, homie) to discuss his five favorite Pimp C productions, and provided some great insight and historical anecdotes about Pimp.

The following is in memory of Chad “Pimp C” Butler (12/29/73 – 12/4/07). R.I.P.

Download: UGK – “Tell Me Something Good” (off The Southern Way, 1988)

Bun B: The original EP version, because the album version — the record company changed the beat because the sample didn’t clear. He initially made that beat in like, I want to say the Summer of ’90, and we didn’t release it until… I want to say that record got released on Houston Home Jams on the first week of January ’92 on the radio. It’s my favorite beat because, basically, it’s the one that got us in the door. Out of all the different stuff that we were doing at the crib at the time, that was the one that was like, “You what? This is gonna be the thing.” We had already done it and sat on it for awhile and we we’re doing other styles of music. Pimp had gotten into trying to mix southern hip hop with reggae for the initial, ’cause UGK was called, at one time, 4BM, which stood for “Four Black Ministers”, and everything we rapped to was like roots, reggae or dancehall, which was the theme for the group. When we ended up getting ready to sign with Big Tyme Records, everybody had already said “Tell Me Something Good” was always our best song. And we gave him everything that we had that we were doing new and including the older stuff. That was the one he picked to run with first. We played it on the radio station. It was entered in this contest called Houston Home Jams and we got in on the last day of two weeks of people and we ended up winning that day and because they got so many calls, the radio station ended up having to put the record in rotation and the rest is history. It was the first song I ever got BDS on and it basically opened up doors for us.

Download: UGK – “Trill Ass Nigga” (off The Southern Way)

Brandon: Regional rap classics like Spice-1′s “Welcome To The Ghetto” and Scarface’s “A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die” utilize Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” for the loop, but this early UGK production does it better by playing off the loop and doing all these interesting production tricks, too — the way it starts with only drums, that weird laugh in the background, quick snippets of horns, holding off on Marvin’s voice until the chorus, etc. The best part, though, is the mid-song breakdown, where the drums switch up and go front and center, accompanied only by that creepy chuckle and ever shorter horn stabs, and then Bun comes in and it feels like the song is starting over. The version of this song that ended up on Too Hard To Swallow is slower and funkier, and perhaps more typically UGK-like, but the original is more immediate and just as steeped in musicality, which is the thing that distinguishes Pimp C’s country rap tunes from the beats of many other legendary producers.

Download: UGK – “Pocket Full Of Stones” (off Too Hard To Swallow, 1992)

Bun B: I think when it’s all said and done, I think that ["Pocket Full of Stones"] is going to be the song that UGK is remembered for more than anything. It’s the emblematic song of our whole career, if you ask me. It’s the one that explains us better than anything. It’s the one that really reflects not only what we represent, but it’s one of our first songs where we talk about street shit, we talk about flossing and balling and shining and talk about the hustle and the grind and, at the end of the day, we end up getting caught up in it because it’s something that’s not real. Thinking that we could beat the game was never real, but because we caught the cycle, we ended up going to prison, coming back out and just starting all over again. We had different churches and whatever thinking that we were trying to glorify the trade. We were like, “No, we’re not glorifying anything. We got caught, you know what I’m saying? We didn’t get away with anything, we got caught and we’re actually still caught in this cycle and we’re trying to expose the cycle and show cats what it is. Like, you think you’re gonna beat the game, but you’re really just going to end up stuck in it forever if you hustle without a plan.” It’s still to this day — 15 years after its first release — I can get on any stage in America and perform that song and people go apeshit. In most cities, if not all cities that I’ve performed in, it would be a crime if I didn’t perform that song out of everything else in the 6-album discography, not to mention soundtracks and various feature songs and all this other stuff that I’ve done, to not perform “Pocket Full of Stones” on stage for whatever reason is pretty much criminal.

Ivan: The jazzy horn sample used on this Southern classic evokes the same sound and feel as any great Tribe record — with a Southern twist, of course. The string and bass sample comes courtesy of Eugene McDaniels’ “Freedom Death Dance”, also heard on the intro portion to Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s “Act Like You Know”, as well as Organized Konfusion’s “Black Sunday”. “Pocket Full of Stones” is one of the most — if not the most — memorable and cherished production jobs in Pimp C’s discography.

Download: UGK – “Feel Like I’m The One Who’s Doin’ Dope” (off Too Hard To Swallow)

Brandon: One of the craziest and most disturbing pieces of music ever? Maybe. Kanye West teamed up with the fruit that produced Fiona Apple to make some “crack music”; Pimp C did it without a shit-ton of strings and indicating musical histrionics. It’s just squashed drums, screwed vocals, a synth-line that resonates for miles behind the song’s melody, and a whole lot of open space.

Download: UGK – “It’s Supposed To Bubble” (off Super Tight, 1994)

Ivan: This beat oozes with groove and cool vibes — you just can’t help bobbing your neck and shoulders to this right here. Bun Beata and the Pimp provide one of the smoothest (and definitely overlooked) house party records from out the South. I often think of this track as an H-Town counterpart to the Ice Cube’s Cali classic “It Was a Good Day”.

Download: UGK – “Front Back And Side To Side” (off Super Tight)

Jonathan: Before Mannie Fresh updated it as a T.I. banger on the 2006 King album, Pimp C had already laid out the blueprint on the original “Front Back And Side To Side”. Though his was not as hard as Mannie Fresh’s remake, Pimp C more than compensated with straight-up funk. Thick, sweaty organ swells burst over thwacking drums and sinuous synth-lines, while throughout a subtle ticking keeps time. Few songs are so aptly suited to their subject matter. “Front Back And Side To Side” is built to boom out of big American cars cruising slowly down wide boulevards and baking beneath the hot Texas sun.

Noz: “Front Back” is probably the purest example of the UGK method in action. Those Eazy-E ticks multiplied by Meters’ organs. Dre slump meets gut bucket funk, 808s banging, gorilla in the trunk shit. The beat change in the middle of Bun’s verse is a must rewind moment. (And then you have to rewind again as to hear his Gulfway Boulevard menace talk.) Really just one of the most perfect hip hop beats of all time, especially if you are fortunate enough to have a car with a decent system.

Download: UGK – “Front Back And Side To Side (Bass Remix)”

Bun B: We had two remixes to “Front Back And Side To Side”. One of ‘em was more like a dancey, clubby remix and the other one was a bass remix. What happened was, if we wanted to turn in remixes for the single, we had to do it a weekend that we were in Dallas, Texas at Dallas Sound Lab studio. The only room that was available, it didn’t really have a lot of major equipment. It really only had like a Dr. Rhythm drum machine and like just a regular keyboard and I watched this dude max that keyboard and max that fuckin’ Dr. Rhythm out to the point where it’s still one of a lot of people’s favorite remixes from UGK. He took a song that was originally produced in a full service studio with whatever equipment they had available and also with the ability to rent equipment if needed, and took that fully produced song and remixed it with, like I said, just a Dr. Rhythm and a just a regular little Casio keyboard and made a remix even more stronger and more popular in certain circles as the original record. It really opened my eyes up to the fact that my brother wasn’t just a cat that could make beats, he was a real producer, meaning that whatever he was in the room with, he was capable of making a hit record with it and that’s the real meaning of a producer.

Download: UGK – “Protect And Serve” (off Super Tight)

Quan: Nevermind the funk dripping out of every ounce of this, every bass pluck, every change-up, the hook wins. I’m not sure if the singing comes from a sample or if Pimp hired some singers, but the chorus line is pitch-perfect, empty, limp, achieving a biting, humorous irony that you don’t hear in too many “Fuck The Police”-tracks. And it’s just really catchy. I get the feeling that most anti-police rap songs are just hammering home the same things in the same angry way. That “Protect And Serve” has the nerve to be somewhat playfully mocking makes it stand out and it’s a testament to Pimp C’s abundant charisma.

Download: Big Mike – “Havin’ Thangs” featuring Pimp C (off Somethin’ Serious, 1994)

AaronM: Pimp basically just looped Bill Withers’ “Use Me” for the 1992 UGK track “Use Me Up”. Here, he uses the churning keyboards as a foundation for the beat, and adds soaring organs and hard, metallic drums, along with some subtle twangy guitar riffs. Pimp’s chorus fits the song’s theme and instrumental like a glove.

Brandon: Pretty much everything about Pimp C’s production brilliance is contained in this beat. It starts out with this wonky, stumbling funk melody like “Pocket Full Of Stones” or “Use Me Up”, then there’s this crooned chorus courtesy of the Pimp himself. The drums are hard as fuck but live-sounding, too, and then there’s about twenty other things hiding in the background. A real thick, ugly synth pulses in and out, some countrified organ plays under the hook, the drums are boom-bap hard but sound live, too, and there’s some fascinating interplay between Pimp’s prominent hook and another soulster answering him. Pimp C’s production work is like his rap persona — a mix of sincerity and shit-talking, warmth and ice-cold aggression.

Buhizzle: This track walks that fine line between being musically lush and hard-hitting that is so characteristic of a Pimp C production. Fans of Young Buck probably already know the hook from Buck’s sophomore album (though, with slightly different wording), but, if your a fan of Buck, then you should be a fan of Pimp regardless… unless you’re just a G-Unit stan… in which case, you’re probably not much of a fan of Buck’s anymore, so nevermind.

Jonathan: Every great Pimp C beat is thick, slow and low, and few things come thicker, slower or lower than his beat for Big Mike’s “Havin’ Thangs”. Butler contributed his own sneer to the hook; his nasal singing offset perfectly the grimy interplay between the crisp organ washes and the dirty, rippling low end. The chorus dares you to deny Big Mike and Pimp c their rightful acquisitions; the beat backed up their pugilism.

Download: Master P – “Break ‘Em Off Somethin’” featuring UGK (off Mr. Ice Cream Man, 1996)

Ivan: The first time I played Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, I recognized some of the same sound effects used on “Break ‘Em Off Somethin’”. The beat is emblematic of a segment in hip hop culture during the mid-’90s — a point at which Master P and No Limit were at the top of their game.

Download: UGK – “One Day” featuring 3-2 and Ronnie Spencer (off Ridin’ Dirty, 1996)

AaronM: At this point it’s cliche, but it’s still worth mentioning — “One Day” feels eerily prescient with Pimp C’s passing. His passing really made me appreciate what he did behind the boards. His instrumental sets the song’s tone, constructed around mournful wah-wah guitar riffs and a thick bassline. Pimp adds programmed shakers, tambourines and 808s for that Southern feel. Singer Ronnie Spencer sounds eerily like Ron Isley, and his cooing chorus and occasional interjections complement the song perfectly.

Ivan: I’m a fool for any track that samples some good ol’ Isley Brothers. Pimp C flipped a loop from “Ain’t I Been Good to You?” to craft an evocative narrative of life, death and avoiding the big house. “One Day” is the kind of track you’d assume would find its spot at the back of an album. Instead, UGK added it as the kick-start to Ridin’ Dirty and it worked just fine! This is hip hop and soul at some of its finest.

Jonathan: The key to this beat is the guitar. Pimp C uses its hushed, brooding chords like a bassline, and, unlike guitar-wielding rap producers, Pimp makes the instrument the rhythmic center of the track rather than a melodic feature or incidental coloring. But it’s not like a rock guitar, either; your average rock band would have little idea what to do with a chord progression so subdued and repetitive. If anything, like much of Pimp C’s production, it hearkens back to the instrumentation on which early soul or blues tracks were built. The direct, soulful rapping makes “One Day” one of UGK’s most beloved tracks, but those lyrics would not sound quite so good without the straightforward and emotional beat beneath them.

Download: UGK – “Murder” (off Ridin’ Dirty)

Quan: It’s generally pretty hard for me to talk about Pimp C beats because you can’t just say “Here’s the sample, here’s how he flipped it” like usual. Pimp C is a masterful composer who consistently turns out layers of lush, rolling funk that requires some semblance of knowledge of music theory to talk about that I don’t have. But then even in “Murder”, one of the closer things you’ll get to a traditional hip hop loop from Pimp C, you still have to marvel at the subtlety of his composition. This mean bassline no doubt anchors the song, but it’s really everything that he lays around it — “oohs” and “aahs”, whistles, incoherent posse chanting — that make the song. These elements are so quiet that they’re almost not there but they are, so it creates this hollow, kinda haunting feeling. Even the scratched sample for the hook is incoherently fuzzy and you can only guess that it should be saying “Murder” but who can be sure. So it’s there, but sort of not there in a sense, and adds to this chilling ghostliness that you feel in your gut. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Bun rips this beat apart either.

Download: UGK – “Ridin’ Dirty” (off Ridin’ Dirty)

Bun B: It was a Wes Montgomery sample and it was one that he had been wanting to interpolate for years, but he wasn’t really sure if people were gonna understand him fucking with Wes Montgomery. Pimp C was a real big fan of Wes Montgomery and Coltrane and Miles Davis and different people like that and always wanted to incorporate those different elements into a lot of our music, and that was one of the ones where he was able to fully insert something and present it the way he wanted to present it and interpolate it exactly the way he wanted to interpolate it. At that point, he had the keyboards, he had the guitars, he had the bassist and he was able to recreate the music and flip it and produce it the way he wanted to, and I was really proud of him for that, because I knew that that was something that was real close to him.

Download: UGK – “Outro” (off Ridin’ Dirty)

Brandon: This isn’t really a “beat” and there’s not necessarily “rapping” over the top of it, but it shows just how slow and musical Pimp was willing to let UGK’s music go. This is The Meters’ immediacy meets “Maggot Brain”-spaciness mixed with Philly soul or Motown session player intricacy. And it doesn’t scream out “experimental” or “foray into soulfulness”, it just makes perfect sense at the end of Ridin’ Dirty and reminds you of the mournful aspects of the record that get more implicit — but don’t disappear — once “One Day” screeches into “Murder”.

Download: Sleepy’s Theme – “Simply Beautiful” (off The Vinyl Room, 1998)

… also known as …

Download: UGK – “Bump & Grill” featuring N.O. Joe (off I Got The Hook Up OST, 1998)

Noz: Sleepy Brown’s debut The Vinyl Room is probably the most overlooked R&B album of the ’90s, and Pimp’s involvement is even more under-appreciated. As far as I know, his three co-productions on here accounts for the only straight forward soul music he produced, which is unfortunate. One of the beats, “Simply Beautiful”, was originally a UGK track entitled “Bump & Grill” that was featured on the I Got The Hook Up soundtrack. “Simply” more or less turns down the drums a little and adds some light organs, and it becomes a full on soul ballad. The point being that UGK were literally just rapping over genuine soul records. Always.

Download: Crooked Lettaz – “Get Crunk” featuring Pimp C (off Grey Skies, 1999)

Ivan: Listen closely to the beat and you’ll hear the melody to Run-D.M.C.’s “Rock Box”. Adding the patented flavor of southern-brand kicks and hi-hats, Pimp C blended a rock-hop classic into his own unique concoction of crunk.

Buhizzle: Just when I thought I could be the whiz-kid to uncover the fact that the melody to “Rock Box” is tucked under this smokey Pimp production… though, I can’t say that I’m disappointed by being one-upped by hip hop sample god Ivan. I will take this opportunity to say that Grey Skies — the only LP to be released by Crooked Lettaz, consisting of a pre-”David Banner” Lavell Crump and partner-in-rhyme Kamikaze — is an incredible album. And nothing else on that album sounds like “Get Crunk”. And I love “Get Crunk”.

Jonathan: Damn, when I’m in the right mood, I start to think the wah-wah on this track is the best use of the effect since Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile (Slight Reprise)”. It sounds like Pimp C’s voice does — drawled and swaggering. And even though this isn’t a UGK track, the bassline sounds like Bun B — commanding and authoritative, the ideal counterweight for its freewheeling partner. This single, from David Banner’s before-he-was-famous duo Crooked Lettaz, sound nothing like the early ’00s crunk coming out of Atlanta, but it still smacked as hard. Like “Front Back And Side To Side”, it was virtually remade (by Mr. Lee) years after its release, in this case for the harsher, more digital Paul Wall track “Sippin’ Tha Barre”. It was the latter that I heard first, and, though I now prefer the more organic-sounding Crooked Lettaz tune, a beat like this could be revived once every decade and I would not mind in the slightest.

Download: Pimp C – “Got A Thang” (off The Sweet James Jones Stories, 2005)

Noz: Pimp’s underground Live From The Harris County Jail was presumably a work in progress, aborted when he got locked up, and it’s an interesting look at his process. He riffs on old soul hooks over sparse and somber production sketches. “Got A Thang” is his Funkadelic vamp and is a total downer. J. Prince and company completely butchered much of this album for the Rap-A-Lot release The Sweet James Jones Stories. This track was fortunately spared by a pretty fantastic bluesy Mike Dean interpretation, but it’s still not seeing this original. Hopefully, whoever has charge of his archives also has the good sense to let us hear his music how he left it.

Download: UGK – “Chrome Plated Woman” (off Underground Kingz, 2007)

AaronM: The CD credits for this album really show Pimp’s incredible capacity for production and show how far he’s come since Too Hard To Swallow. Instead of simple loops and 808s, Pimp brought in a crack team of session musicians to replay elements of Allen Touissant’s funk classic “Hercules”. It all adds up to perfect riding music, and that’s coming from a white Jew from the suburbs. I couldn’t imagine a better backdrop for Bun and Pimp to floss and brag spectacularly about their rides.

Download: UGK – “Underground Kingz” (off Underground Kingz)

Brandon: This is a stubborn beat. It revels in its out-dated-ness, the 808s, the synthesized horns, and the overall tinny sound of the whole thing, but it’s perfect for a song in which Pimp C brags of “risk[ing] everything to be an underground king”. There’s also a sense that like most Pimp C beats, it grows more immaculate and more complex as it goes on. Like the funk music that obviously inspired Pimp’s production, this beat is all about layering and a bunch of stuff going on at once, but working together, too. That really cool, glam-rock piano intro comes back a few times but never really totally goes away because a soft touch of piano punctuates the entire song and pokes its head out between robotic bass and funk guitar swipes.

Download: UGK – “Quit Hatin’ The South” featuring Willie D and Charlie Wilson (off Underground Kingz)

Bun B: It was a [Kenny] Lattimore sample. It’s literally a sample that we’ve wanted to rap to probably since about ’94, and he would always pull it up and he never kept it. He would always reproduce it every time.  While we were doing the Super Tight album, he produced it, and then was like, “No, it’s not time yet.” He cut off the ASR. Then we were doing Ridin’ Dirty. Produced it again and he was like like, “No, not time yet.” He cut the machine off. I was like, “Jesus Christ.” [Then] Dirty Money. He produced it again. Still, it just wasn’t time. Ended up going to prison, coming back, he was like, “Now, it’s time.” And it’s definitely a lot of people’s favorite song off the double album, Underground Kingz. Like, in the South, it’s most people’s favorite song off that album. And like I said, the beat is something that we’ve been sitting on for years. He had an ear for these things. He knew the time and he knew exactly when people would be ready for these kind of things and he was able to do it. That was a credit to his ear, because if we had done it on say, Super Tight or Ridin’ Dirty, it may not have been as impactful content and lyric-wise as it was when we decided to do it on the Underground Kingz album.

Download: UGK – “How Long Can It Last” featuring Charlie Wilson (off Underground Kingz)

Buhizzle: Charlie Wilson has a hell of a voice — he may not be able to hit the highest of notes, but when he does hit a note, he hits it hard. Before 2007, and since The Gap Band’s hey-day, his talents were really only being put to use by Snoop Dogg — Charlie laced the hook for “Snoop’s Upside Your Head” off Tha Doggfather, and added some always-welcome “ooh-wee”‘s to the Justin-Timberlake-featured smash “Signs”. My already-peaked interest in UGK’s self-titled double-album grew even higher after seeing that Charlie would be featured not once, but twice. Neither of the two tracks failed to disappoint. If anything, hearing Charlie’s voice on a more serious track like “How Long Can It Last”, another song that has taken on new meaning since Pimp’s passing, was a refreshing change of pace from The Gap Band’s many party-starting jams (like “Party Train” and “Burn Rubber”). Credit to Pimp for utilizing Charlie’s talent in such a way. Also, a well-done job slyly inserting a muffled female vocal sample in the background — very Kanye West/Just Blaze-ish in its execution.

You know how most hip hop magazines will have that issue where they go back and gave perfect ratings (5 Mics, XXLs and what have you) to certain albums that they had given lesser ratings to before? You know, basically rewriting history to cover up their prior mistakes? Well, we here at ML have no respect for such tactics…

Just kidding! In fact, we’re kind of doing the same thing now.

Back in June 2007, when DJ01 and I came up with the Beat Drop idea, our guest lists were practically non-existent — in fact, our very first Beat Drop post, covering Alchemist, was just he and I. And I laugh at myself for suggesting in that first post that we’d try to put these out on a weekly basis. I was so ambitious in my early blogging days!

In our past few Beat Drops, though, we’ve established connections with some great hip hop bloggers (and even a couple of artists) — so, we reached out to as many as we could and asked them what ALC productions we missed the first time around (including his work since June 2007, of which we can’t fault ourselves for not picking). In the process, though, we encountered a couple of big-name first-time contributors who weren’t able to read our first Alchemist Beat Drop in advance, so some picks may overlap. Oh well, charge it to the game.

Are we re-writing history? Well, if we are, that would mean that we had made history before, which is something we wouldn’t want to say about ourselves. But, thank you for suggesting it.

Start here with our original Alchemist Beat Drop post — zShare divShare links (zShare’s been acting shifty lately) have updated for your listening pleasure. Then, read on and listen to what our special guests would add to (or agree with from) the list…

Download: High & Mighty – “Top Prospects” featuring Evidence and Defari (off Home Field Advantage, 1999)

“Top Prospects” is one of those beats I’ve listened to dozens of times and still cannot figure out how the hell the producer pulled it off. Released on High & Mighty’s debut album Home Field Advantage in ’99 and featuring Evidence and Defari, this is one of Al’s most surreal productions. The opening, spacy sample sounds like you’re floating in orbit high on oxygen, “calm as a Hindu cow” to quote Tyler Durden. It was Dilla-esque but darker and colder. The change-up for the verses features either a dirty bass guitar or minor piano cord with the octave kicked down to its heaviest and darkest range. In retrospect, “Top Prospects” sounds like a leftover from Deltron 3030 or Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein and suffers from three kinda aiight verses from Mr. Eon, Ev, and Defari, because none of them philosophize on quasars, Robotech, and that spaced out shit that don’t even make no sense. This particular chamber from Alchemist has rarely been revisited but it’s great to know that the same guy who produced the grittiest and most brutalizing beats for Mobb Deep, Freddie Foxxx and company got something for the lazerface in all of us. — Zilla Rocca from Clap Cowards

Download: Pharoahe Monch – “No Mercy” featuring M.O.P. (off Internal Affairs, 1999)

Searching through Alchemist’s catalogue, I was unexpectedly awe-struck when I came across the sleeper joint “No Mercy” on Pharoahe Monch’s Internal Affairs. My favorite CD of 1999, maybe all time. “No Mercy” features M.O.P., the monsters of hard rock rap, and complements the meeting of their raw energetic flows with the maniacally (pronounced meh-nye-ick-lly) lyrical mind of Pharoahe Monch. It opens with a themed yet subtle sample that fades out to introduce a hi- to mid-pitch string melody and an incredibly precise stab rhythmically placed. Inspiring rhymes as quotable as “You know that my hammer is heavy and it got kick like tae kwon do”, “This rhyme/ will remain in the mind/ of my foes forever in infamy”, and “The epitome/ of lyrical epiphanies/ Skillfully placed poems with carefully plan symphonies/ Who would be ignorant enough to have the audacity/ to fuck wit the likes of I and my tenacity?” , which gave me a shameful feeling that I was going to write about the beat “Desire” when I could give an ode to the type of rap that turned me out when I was young. An emotionally-charged backdrop for true lyricism the type of music Alchemist is known for. This beat is a historic landmark in the world that is Alchemist’s career. — Kirk Franco from Hot Block and The Last Dragon

While “Hell”, the track immediately preceding it on Pharoahe’s album, is a glimpse into the dark recesses of Hell, “No Mercy” is an adrenaline-filled ride through Hell itself. The beat sounds like you’re being thrown into the midst of a thermonuclear, biochemical World War III fought between Dick Cheney and Beelzebub. Alchemist salvages this gem of a sample from an obscure, B-grade ’70s action flick, The Last Run, and constructs the beat almost entirely from different elements of it — from the terrifying-but-beautiful string loop to the intermittent stabs to the foreboding flute intro. I like to put this on in the car driving home from work. Because after a long day of slave labor leaves you spiritually broken and battered, nothing else gives you that rush of power like banging your head and screaming “SHOW NO MERCY! For the love of this shit here, niggaz are bloodthirsty!” at the top of your lungs while the three other cars around you in traffic pretend not to look or hear or laugh. But y’know what? Fuck ‘em because this song is serious. — Quan from Hater Player

Download: Prodigy (of Mobb Deep) – “Keep It Thoro” (off H.N.I.C., 2000)

“Definitely “Keep It Thoro”… just the way he pieced it. For one, I know the drums, where he got ‘em from, and as a producer and a person that digs and like to make beats. Other producers like to dissect the beat. Like, I wanna pull the drums apart, figure out the pattern, see, ‘Oh, he got that from there.’‘ I wanna figure everything out to just make sure that I’m that sharp and vice-versa. I’m sure he wants me to be just as sharp on my level. So, the way he pieced it together — and it was so simple — and then Prodigy melted it. It was that dope. That and the joint he did… “The Realest” with Kool G Rap and Mobb Deep on the Murda Muzik album. “Keep It Thoro”, though. Oh, and “We Gon’ Make It”, Jadakiss. All of those are number 1′s to me, all three.” — DJ Premier (transcribed by Knobbz)

Download: Jadakiss – “We Gon’ Make It” featuring Styles P (off Kiss Tha Game Goodbye, 2001)

… also known as …

Download: Ras Kass – “Home Sweet Home” (unreleased, 2000)

Alchemist’s dramatic strings were an ideal backing for Ras Kass, the track’s original owner. But while Ras’ Van Gogh sat in limbo at Capitol, Al passed it on to a rapper who would actually release an album. Jadakiss and his LOX partner Styles tag team the track classically. Ras was obviously displeased. Disses followed, shitty diapers were dropped from bunk beds and when the smoke cleared (yes, shitty diaper smoke), the record proved to be just a minor success for Kiss. Meanwhile, Van Gogh remains unreleased. (Al and Rassy have since squashed whatever beef stemmed from the incident.) — Noz from Cocaine Blunts

Download: Big Daddy Kane – “The Man/The Icon” (12″ single, 2002) (also appears on DJ Babu – Duck Season, Vol. 1)

The weird loops of nostalgia and reverse nostalgia coursing through Alchemist’s “The Man/The Icon” beat are nearly too much to parse out. Let’s start with Alc taking “Lucky Me” — a piece of near disco from Philly soul legends The Stylistics — and chopping it back into the warm R&B they were doing five years earlier. Those disco party strings become warm Thom Bell orchestration, near Santa Esmeralda horns revert back to the gloriously maudlin sound we associate with The Stylistics; it’s all tight and immediate instead of loose and bell-bottom ready. Alchemist’s fingers are no doubt dusty due to DJ Premier, but he’s particularly Primo-like on this track. The sample’s chopped so tight the record fuzz is barely there, and the focused-but-all-over-the-place drums invoke boom bap in a major way. Then, the rapping starts and you’re in the ’80s with Big Daddy Kane. Oh yeah, and there’s scratching from Mister Cee, who goes way back with Kane and had a hand in the ’90s hip-hop too. In a way, Cee brings the whole thing together, musically and conceptually. So, you’ve got a disco song turned into a blaxploitation banger, produced in the style of DJ Premier, with a rapper more from the Marley Marl era, that’s also undeniably the rarified work of the Alchemist. This beat sees beyond all the superficially disparate elements at work and comes together to sound current and nostalgic, with one foot actually in the past; an apt description for Alchemist’s production as a whole. — Brandon Soderberg from No Trivia

Download: Infamous Mobb – “Mobb Niggaz” feat. Prodigy (off Special Edition, 2002)

The ONLY reason I bought the album WAS because of the fact that Alchemist had his hands in a sizable chunk. Lord knows it wasn’t for the lyrical abilities of the ol’ IM3. I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a bit of Prodigy in the mix either. The song itself is perfect Champion-hoody-Carhartt-jean-and-concealed-carry music. That stupid horn sample makes you automatically throw on a screw face and limp for no apparent reason. One thing about Alchemist is that he can find that one loop that’ll send us beatmakers back to the lab. Had the Infamous Mobb actually been OK at rhyming, this song could have been beyond belief… but since they weren’t, I just have to marvel at the beat… kicko. — $port from Way More Fresher

Download: Alchemist – “Hold You Down” featuring Prodigy, Illa Ghee and Nina Sky (off 1st Infantry, 2004)

“The first one that comes to mind with Alchemist, ‘cause I just seen the video for it last night on MTV Jams. I forgot about the joint, and when I seen it last night, I was like ‘Damn, that joint was dope!’ “Hold You Down” with Prodigy on it. That track was ridiculous to me when I first heard it. Especially because after I heard the track, I found out that I had the sample, and I was kinda salty about that shit. Like, ‘Damn!’ [laughs]. Wish I woulda chopped it up!” — Black Milk (transcribed by AaronM, full interview coming soon)

Download: Cam’ron – “Wet Wipes” (off Killa Season, 2006)

“Keep It Thoro” goes hard. Simple two-note piano loop on the verses, into that amazing full-on instrumental coda — it’s a really clever structure (“Heavy airplay all day with no chorus…”) and you almost forget how good the beat is because it’s such a showcase for Prodigy’s mobbphonics and infamousbonics. I think the best producers make tracks to complement the artist rather than overshadow them and “Keep It Thoro” is the textbook example… alternately, there are a million people that could have ripped “Wet Wipes” (no offense to Killa), it’s just a dooooope beat on its own. The synth-ed out Earth, Wind & Fire flip is unexpected — sonically, it’s a real departure from Alchemist’s boom bap-ier stuff, but still maintains his signature feel. At the time I thought he was gonna go further in this new direction (see also: Mobb Deep – “Cobra”) but then he went back to shit with a more traditional feel. I like that he’s exploring the sound again on records like the new CNN single “Follow The Dollar” — I’m really looking forward to Chemical Warfare. — Nick Catchdubs (still on tour, too!)

Download: Evidence – “Letyourselfgo” feat. Alchemist and Phonte of Little Brother (off The Weatherman LP, 2007)

I’ve been a fan of Alchemist after first hearing “No Mercy” by Pharoahe Monch (off Internal Affairs) and have since been keeping tabs on his amazing production skills. Before moving to Queens, New York to work tediously with the infamous Mobb Deep, Alchemist lent his hand and MPC to one of Dilated Peoples’ most recognizable albums, The Platform. And, ever since, Dilated front man Evidence and Alchemist formed a close relationship, which in turn inspired the monotone MC to pick production up himself — which leads us to Evidence’s debut solo, The Weatherman LP, where Alchemist handcrafted 5 of the 21 cuts, my favorite being “Letyourselfgo”. The song starts off with his trademark choppage of a soulful sample (I’ve yet to figure out the original sample!) and slow marching drums and a slightly high-pitched synth which occasionally slips in and out. This is definitely a neck breaker — and Evidence sets it off speaking on sticking persistently to his grind in order to reach where he stands today. Phonte lends his vocals for the hook and Alchemist spits the second verse, focusing on his come up from his humble beginnings in LA, the ABB record label, as well as life behind the boards. Although it may not be a certified “classic” track, it works for me, both sonically and lyrically — subtle, yet enough head-nodding snap to give you whiplash. — Ges from KNOWxONE’s Business

Download: Pharoahe Monch – “Desire” (off Desire, 2007)

I’ve been bumping this since June of last year, and I still can’t kill it. Al stretches and stutters some lovely soulful strings and pairs them with thudding claps. The M.O.P. samples woven into the beat are genius. It’s a testament to Al’s talent that a year and a half after “Desire” dropped, I’m still discovering parts of the beat I’ve never noticed before. Put on a good pair of headphones so you can hear the bass line that subtly echoes the melody of the strings. Pharaohe and Alchemist need to do more tracks together. — AaronM

Download: Prodigy – “The Life” (off H.N.I.C. Pt. 2, 2008)

I don’t know what sample Al flipped, or what instrument he played, or what small animal he tortured to create the wailing, screeching sound effect that stretches over every 4 bars of this beat, and sounds like it’s in stereo halfway through. But, whatever is was, it was well worth it, because this shit is beyond ill… unless, maybe, it was that third option. (I’ll take this moment to state that neither ML nor any of its contributors support or condone cruelty to animals.) — Buhizzle

Download: Evidence – “Calmly Smoke” featuring Alchemist (off The Layover EP, 2008 (forthcoming))

I don’t even smoke and I’ve been bumping this nonstop since it dropped. Everything about this track is so precisely put together. The delicate keys over the pounding bassline perfectly create the “psychedelic, dreamlike quality” described by the voice in the beginning. And the beat dropping on the bong hits effectively cancels out those “Just Say No” ads. It’s that awesome. — Knobbz

Download: Alchemist – “Key To The City” featuring Prodigy and Nina Sky (off Chemical Warfare, 2008 (forthcoming))

I’m going to have to put it down on “Key To The City”, the lead single off Chemical Warfare. I could slap this beat on repeat all day and I’ll be vibing out just as hard in the early morning as I would be in the late night. The half-time intro should tip you off to the ridiculous funk that follows — it’s that setup that just reels you in. Alchemist smacked it out of the park with this one. He creates this beefy, organic, absurdly soulful motion that only masterful producers can nail. Sample-wise, I’ve heard Primo hint at this — it just embodies a funk that makes you move. You really can’t help it. This one is something special, feels good. Grown-folk music, you betta check yo’ self, sucka! — Jorge at Bang The Box

As a Wu-Tang stan — and a stubborn one, at that — I always hated reading and hearing people say shit along the lines of the Wu being “over”, or “dead”, or trying to start rumors that they were “breaking up”. Yes, the quality of music coming from the Wu camp is not the same as it was some 10 years ago, but that could be said for roughly 95% of rappers, and that’s an underestimation if anything. And recent history has only further proven the fact that rap crews can’t be on top forever (i.e. G-Unit now, DipSet circa the last time Cam’ron and Jim Jones spoke to each other). It’s as if the fact that the Wu was the greatest shit in the game back in the mid-to-late ’90s means that they shouldn’t be allowed to still put out records today.

As for the “breaking up” rumors, I would always tell my non-Wu-listening friends that the relationships within the Wu dated back to before music — at least, that’s the impression I’d received over time listening to their music, reading interviews and what not. I’d always believed that the Wu would never “break up”, even if they decided to stop recording music together… and, unfortunately, things may have come to this point with the disaster that was 8 Diagrams. (And, when I say “disaster”, I’m referring to the well-publicized complaints over the sound of the album from Wu members, not the actual album itself, which I honestly enjoyed. But, again, stubborn Wu-Tang stan talking over here.)

I say all of that to say this… I was initially skeptical about doing a Beat Drop for The RZA. I mean, I figured it would have to come — if the aim of these posts is to compile different opinions on the greatest beats from the greatest producers, then leaving the Wu-Tang Clan’s maestro out of the equation would be criminal. But, unlike many of the producers that we’ve covered in the past, The RZA’s best almost entirely comes out of one collective group of albums, those being the Wu-Tang Clan and its many members. Likewise, Organized Noize’s best would almost entirely come out of Dungeon Family releases, and DJ Paul and Juicy J’s best would almost entirely come out of Hypnotize Camp Posse releases.

I guess that my skepticism was based around the likelihood that a RZA Beat Drop would come off like a whiny bitch-fit about how hip hop was great before, and sucks now, and so on and so forth. So, I had a by-myself meeting, as I do every evening, and I asked myself, “Self… so what?” That is but a small price to pay to properly honor someone like The RZA.

Robert Diggs has one of hip hop’s greatest ears for music, using innovative samples that helped pave the way for the future of hip hop production, always willing to take risks to advance his sound (though those risks and advancements may not have always pleased everyone). He had the foresight necessary to build the first true hip hop empire, strategically planning out the first wave of Wu-Tang solo projects. And, above all, he’s a really intelligent dude.

I had the honor of hearing him speak back in my undergrad days, during his promotional tour for The Wu-Tang Manual (which I’d still like to read one day). It was an experience that I’ll never forget — hearing him talk about going to his first block party at 8 years old with The GZA, selling newspapers with Ol’ Dirty to save up money to buy equipment, how one could make a breakbeat out of everything from rock-and-roll to samba, how he loved Kung Fu because it reminded him of struggles he encountered as opposed to the black history at the time that seemed to focused on either slavery or pimps. Though I certainly wouldn’t want to take on the task of transcribing his at-times-mumbled words (word to AaronM), hearing him speak makes it clear how hard he has worked to get to where he is, and how humble he has remained. Simply put, success didn’t stumble upon The RZA — he sought it out, made it his, and it can never be taken from him.

Here our all-star list of contributors on this go-round (along with their respective plugs):

• 88-Keys, who, in addition to having produced numerous tracks for Mos Def and J-Live, has his debut album, The Death Of Adam, coming soon, featuring “Stay Up (Viagra)” with Kanye West (cop it here via iTunes) and the greatest promotional campaign ever
• Producer Aeon of Tanya Morgan/Lessondary Crew fame
• Ben from Floodwatch Music
  
• Brandon Soderberg from No Trivia
  
• DJ Eclipse of La Coka Nostra fame (Ill Bill’s The Hour Of Reprisal in stores!), whose “Rap Is Outta Control” show can be heard on Sirius Satellite Radio
• Enigmatik from Boo Goo Doo Boom
• Eric from Commonwealth (VA) and Whats The Scenario?
• Jerry L. Barrow, former editor of Scratch, from Nodfactor
• Joseph from Geek Down
• Khal from Rock The Dub
• Kirk Franco from Hot Block
• ML favorite and occasional passer-by Marco Polo, who recently contributed to Large Professor’s latest album, Main Source, and is currently working on a full-length LP with Torae entitled Double Barrel
• Statik Selektah, whose Stick 2 The Script (the follow-up to last year’s Spell My Name Right) hits stores October 21st
• Zilla Rocca from Clap Cowards

You make the call! I make the call! It’s all for all!

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Bring Da Ruckus” (off Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 1993)

Knobbz: Enter The Wu-Tang couldn’t have started any other way. When I first heard this song, it was grimier than anything I’d ever heard before. The sample used at the beginning and the end from Shaolin & Wu Tang intrigued me and then the snapping, the chopped-up horns and all the stuff going on in the background knocked me on my ass. This track sounds like a car breaking down. I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but I knew I had to keep listening.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Da Mystery Of Chessboxin’” (off Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers))

88-Keys: This was the first RZA-produced beat which I was like, “Okay… I’m checking for this dude” (a.k.a. the very first Wu-Tang Clan song I liked a lot).

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit” (off Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers))

AaronM: The unconventional percussion is genius. Who else but The RZA would have thought of combining the drums from “Nobody Beats The Biz” with castanets? RZA took dusty crates to another level by making new records sound like they were old. “Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit” is grime and filth embodied in audio. This track made the theme from Underdog sound menacing, for goodness sake.

Jerry: It’s hard to pick one off of the album that started it all, but I gotta go with this riot on wax. Taking not just one, but two classic drum breaks (“Hihache” and “Impeach The President”) and wrapping them around the theme from the Underdog cartoon? GEEEEZ, what a mind job. Just another example of how he could make anything feel like a kung-fu sample when it wasn’t. An ass-kicking is still an ass-kicking I guess, even if it’s from a masked dog.

Enigmatik: Music to destroy something to… or increase your bench press by 30-50 lbs.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “C.R.E.A.M.” (off Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers))

Statik: This one is self-explanatory, but a lot of people don’t understand how crazy this beat is, and he has the drums in the background slowed down to the point where the bassline in the drums is in key with the piano loop. Craziness. Probably the first RZA beat I ever heard, too.

Enigmatik: The song that started my love for the Wu-Tang Clan. The soulful sample of The Charmels provides the perfect backdrop for the rhymes of two brothers-in-arms painting vivid pictures of life in the hood. You want a classic beat? Look no further.

Buhizzle: The first five seconds of The Charmels’ “As Long As I’ve Got You” (which was produced and written by David Porter and the late Isaac Hayes) was a mere speck of dust in the history of soul music before ’93. The RZA saw something greater within those few seconds, and thanks to him, now the whole world does as well. If you don’t consider this to be one of the 10 greatest hip hop singles ever, it should only be because you consider some other Wu-Tang single(s) to be better.

Marco Polo: Love the piano loop and the hook. Really anything from 36 Chambers could be on this list.

Eric: Debated by many as the greatest track The RZA has ever made. While I’m on the fence in that aspect, this track surely plays in my nightmares. It’s downright creepy. The drums, piano and guitar set up the perfect scare for any unsuspecting listener.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Protect Ya Neck” (off Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers))

DJ Eclipse: When this one hit Stretch & Bobbito’s show, I remember thinking, “Who the hell is this?” Not ready to accept them for a new group, I started thinking, “Is this L.O.N.S.?” I mean, who else has at least 4 emcees in a group? Well, although I was a fan of Prince Rakeem’s “Ooh We Love You Rakeem”, I was no where prepared for “Protect”. The RZA’s minimal production here was perfect to unleash all 8 emcees fury and prepare us for the Wu dynasty.

Statik: This beat changes so damn much it’s ridiculous. Probably the best song of all time with 8 people on it. It just completely represented a raw cypher, back when rappers were good, that is. The RZA changed hip hop with this one.

Joseph: The first time I ever heard Wu-Tang Clan was on the first X-Games compilation on Tommy Boy. I was probably in fifth or sixth grade at the time and it was one of my first CDs. Back then, I only had a tape player, so I always had to listen to my CDs on my parents stereo in our living room. This was pretty annoying because they had these full-ear headphones, that in retrospect were really cool, but felt awkward on my little-kid head and I didn’t really have privacy when listening. I had never heard anything like Wu-Tang Clan until that point. (The closest I probably came was seeing Biggie videos on MTV at my friend’s house.) The idea of people rapping in a way that was simultaneously technical and interesting was completely new to me and I’d be hard-pressed to think of more interesting technical rappers than the Wu, even today. I think The RZA’s influence as the Wu-Tang’s resident producer has just as much impact on their sound as his beats do. To be a producer of eight other members and in charge of the creative direction for such notoriously volatile personalities must take incredible skill. As I step back from marveling at the aesthetic splendor of early Wu-Tang, the fact that everything came together enough to birth these songs is amazing.

Download: Gravediggaz – “Diary Of A Madman” featuring Shabazz The Disciple and Killah Priest (off 6 Feet Deep, 1994) (co-produced by RNS and Prince Paul)

DJ Eclipse: The RZArector (along with RNS and Prince Paul) concoct one of the eeriest tracks to date. I remember walking down the street in NYC right after this dropped and bumping into my man Prodigal Son, who was with Priest and introduced me to him. At that point, both Priest and Shabazz were unknowns. Kind of dope when you go back and find people kicking their first verses. FYI — Wildman Steve from WBAU fame played the judge on this joint.

Download: Method Man – “Tical” (off Tical, 1994)

Brandon: “Tical”, the first song on the first solo Wu album — and the start of The RZA’s hyper-productive 1994-1997 production period — was still rugged and raw, but musically, it felt a little more cohesive and musical; even more of a step away from the Marley Marl-style still prevalent in early ’90s New York rap and kinda there on Enter The Wu-Tang. Thick, rolling drums and an oppressive keyboard line dominate this track and perfectly fit Method Man’s weeded persona, while a foggy cloud of voices talk shit in the background for most of the song. A lot of producers would’ve taken the inexplicable success of stuff like “C.R.E.A.M.” and decided to actively court hit singles after that, but RZA and Meth dove further in, trying to sound as dusted as possible and still pull out a hit.

Download: Method Man – “Bring The Pain” featuring Booster (off Tical)

AaronM: The RZA has always been adept at using the less controlled parts of a vocal sample, like grunts or moans, and integrating them into a beat. “Bring The Pain” centers around an amplified murmur that’s looped until it becomes a steady hum. Occasionally the hum slows down, turning into a bassline before coalescing back into the main beat. RZA tops “Bring The Pain” off with a simple drum pattern, and occasionally adds keys and wah-wah guitar to the main loop. But the humming remains the focus for the entirety of the song, until the last 6 seconds, where it drops out and the keys and guitar play it out. Dark, unsettling, and oddly catchy.

Statik: This was my favorite song when I was 12. The low end is just so crazy and sonically off, but yet perfect. Plus all the random sounds through the beat. He was just on some whole other shit.

Kirk: It’s real. Something you can feel. Pain sounds just like this beat. All I hear is “Bring The Pain” whenever I see my own blood.

Aeon: I’m gonna admit it to the world — when this first dropped, Wu as a whole sort of scared me. This didn’t help! A couple snippets from Jerry Butler’s “Mechanical Man” and you’ve got a Hall of Fame Wu joint that people still go nuts over when it comes on. As a beatmaker who generally takes a lot from a song to chop up, The RZA was one of the few who rarely needed more than a few seconds — if that — to get the shit popping for real.

Download: Method Man – “You’re All I Need (Razor Sharp Remix)” featuring Mary J Blige (original version off Tical) (link goes to instrumental)

Khal: The original was cool — I remember when it first dropped, and my homies and I were in D.C. reciting it line for line. The Puff Daddy mix, yea, that won a Grammy and shit, but RZA’s Razor Sharp Remix was the icing on the cake. The track sort of mirrored Meth’s steelo — a grimy nigga who can still seduce the ladies. The track maintains the original’s feel in the hefty, trunk rattling bassline, but that hard snare and those infectious stabs are what really set this one off. While daytime rap radio had the Puffy version on, the nighttime jocks threw this one on, and the head-nodding commenced…

Download: Method Man – “Release Yo’ Delf” (off Tical)

Jerry: If you can take anything as metrosexual as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and make it appeal to the hood, genius you are young Jedi. Yes, I was amongst the high and ambitious in my dorm who incorrectly thought he sampled the theme to Rocky for this. Hey, SOMEBODY had to get their ass-kicked after hearing this shit for the first time.

Download: Ol’ Dirty Bastard – “Baby C’mon” (off Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, 1995)

Joseph: My favorite thing about this beat is the breaking glass sample that introduces the first chorus after the intro. It’s something that can be heard more often nowadays but (I’m assuming) at the time it was a pretty inspired choice. It’s also pretty funny that the breaking glass sample is preceded by a missile-taking-off sample. I feel like a lot of the time, The RZA’s work takes on a sound design-ish quality, where he’s creating environments and moods as opposed to narrative-based backing tracks. I think this song is a good example as it’s able to sonically represent the chaos behind Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s verses and evoke an appropriate landscape in the listener’s head.

Download: Method Man – “The Riddler” (off Batman Forever OST, 1995)

DJ01: Such a bizarre beat, but it worked. At the center of it was a very low bassline with nice crisp drums. All around the rest of the beat were weird bumble-bee buzzing noise patterns, and random horns. You couldn’t really figure shit out — maybe that’s how it got the name.

Download: Raekwon – “Incarcerated Scarfaces” (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, 1995)

Kirk: Listen to these drums and you’ll understand that this beat is very necessary. Classic RZA. Samples come in sounding almost random at their entrance, but his composition is flawless.

Download: Raekwon – “Rainy Dayz” featuring Ghostface (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)

Jerry: Wait for it, wait for it… yeah, 52 seconds of yammering and crow squawking before the beat dropped, but it was worth it. The drums knocked like the landlord on the 5th of the month (yeah, I’ve been late before, what?), and those angelic strings weaved around what could have been squeaky brakes on the cross town bus for all I care. What brings rain, hail, snow and earth quakes to beat breaks? The RZA…

Eric: Do you still have your Purple Tape? This track starts off in deep meditation, but as the beat goes on you slowly begin to be brought out. It hits you but doesn’t knock you over. Something you put on during a shitty day and put one in the air. It just puts you in the zone.

Enigmatik: This beat is like crack cocaine mixed with heroin rolled into a joint. Rae and Ghost spit hot fire over a perfectly cinematic track that is absolutely timeless.

DaddyL: One of my friends once formulated an argument that this is the most perfect hip hop song ever created. It went something like, “Dude, when you’re high… it’s like… you don’t even know… seriously.” I found it a little dubious, but I think I’ve listened to the song every day since. Coincidence? Probably.

Download: Raekwon – “Guillotine (Swordz)” featuring Inspectah Deck, Ghostface and GZA (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)

AaronM: “Poisonous… poisonous…” From the moment you hear the kung-fu sound effects, the beat grabs you and shakes you. Pounding, repetitive drums are accompanied by ominous, minor key strings. No hook, no bullshit, and it sounds like the soundtrack to filmed assassination. I love the way the looped strings vibrate and hang on the last note for a few extra seconds. Also, how could I not pick a song where Ghost says, “My career is based on guns, throwin’ cats in wheelchairs”? [Personally, I always enjoyed Rae's (mis-)pronunciation of "stamina." -- Buhizzle]

Download: Raekwon – “Ice Water” featuring Ghostface and Cappadonna (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)

Buhizzle: Long-time followers of these Beat Drops probably don’t may remember on the DJ Premier post, I said that this was my second favorite use of a vocal sample in a hip hop beat (Gang Starr’s “JFK 2 LAX” being #1). This is like pleasant alarm clock music — the type of shit that makes you want to rise out of bed and take on the day.

Download: Raekwon – “Glaciers Of Ice” featuring Masta Killa and Ghostface (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)

Khal: What is being sampled in this track? In various states of my weed smoking days, I’ve tried to dissect what was going on in this track, and can’t pin down each and every sample. Sometimes, I’m just hearing that 4-note loop, but those hurried strings, sounding like a swarm of bees in the ghetto — that shit throws me off. Then you’re ducking the fierce snares, literal gunshots and bomb blasts. What the fuck? The RZA just created a companion to wars in Beirut or something. And you could STILL throw this down in a set and get the crowd hyped. This track alone is one of the reasons why Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is one of the greatest examples of that classic Wu sound.

Ben: Had The RZA never created another track after “Glaciers of Ice”, his legacy as one of the most influential and unique producers in hip hop would have been firmly cemented based on it alone. I’ll confess that it’s ridiculously impossible for me to choose my top five favorite RZA tracks, but I can state with certainty that “Glaciers of Ice” would be in there somewhere. A long time ago I recorded the instrumental version from the B-side of the “Criminology” 12″, put it on an infinite loop, and cleaned the house for 45 minutes. Or cooked dinner. Or installed a ceiling fan. In other words, “Glaciers of Ice” used to soundtrack whatever I was doing. I still can’t get enough of its claustrophobic atmosphere (which rivals “Welcome to the Terrordome” for sheer sonic density), the distant gunshots, that staccato violin, and Blue Raspberry’s atonal wailing.

88-Keys: The very first time I heard this beat, my best friend from high school — Dr. Andres Jiminez — was teaching me how to drive in his brother’s Jeep Wrangler… stick shift… no doors… on the Southern State Highway. “Glaciers of Ice” came on and the beat/song was so charged and full of high octane that I automatically started putting the pedal to the metal. I think I damn near floored it. We did about a buck that day before my boy snapped me out of the zone. A couple of years later, I got my own (first) car — ’79 Mazda RX-7 — and I used to do a buck 20 going to the city. Every single time I wanted to drive fast I had my “Purple Tape” nearby and ALWAYS played “Glaciers of Ice”. Now I have a wife and two baby daughters so that song’s out!

Download: Raekwon – “Verbal Intercourse” featuring Nas and Ghostface (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)

Marco Polo: Dope chop and three N.Y. Giants on it. Classic. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx defined a whole summer for me.

Kirk: It’s so awkward, it fits. Somehow, The RZA has the perfect sound for good lyricism accompanied with fly style. Nas, Rae and Ghost = 3 flyest rappers ever. This song was a supergroup waiting to happen.

DJ Eclipse: A perfect example of The RZA’s slightly-off production style which came into play many times after. Also a good example of a vocal sample loop that Kanye and Just Blaze get most credit for popularizing. And the “Marvel Team-Up” of Wu-meets-Nas made it that much more classic.

Aeon: This is probably one of my favorites for the wrong reasons, but, to me, this shit just made everybody on it sound good, with Nas being no small exception. Classic RZA. That repetitive “I wanna love him, but what if he…” from The Emotions’ 1971 “If You Think It (You May As Well Do It)” pitched down is a perfect example of The RZA’s particular genius. There are only a few producers who were as good at picking out obscure splices of samples, and turning them into monsters — like he is.

Statik: Another one that defined his sound. The voices in the background are so evil. The drums were different than anything anyone heard at that time, too. The intro is so long but it makes the anticipation of the rhymes build. Genius.

Download: Raekwon – “Ice Cream” featuring Ghostface, Cappadonna and Method Man (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)

Kirk: This is the best hip hop joint ever. I mean, The RZA just put together a sample so vicious, it sounds like something you can touch with your hands, but refuse to. This is the reason why everybody on the internet is still talking about the Purple Tape. RZA was at his best on the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx album.

Aeon: Probably in my top-5 Wu joints of all time. Don’t know where the drums came from. Let’s not even discuss the sample. But think back to September 1995 — The RZA had shorties dancing to THIS! This is something you could commit a murder to. Incredibly dark loop, but for some reason that ill juxtaposition of lyrics about fine ladies in the hood spelled instant classic. The drop when Cappadonna spits “Politic ’til ya deficit, step, gimme ya number” — fantastic. Big drums, beautiful loop, GENIUS hook — definitely one of his greatest cuts ever.

Knobbz: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx saw The RZA using fuller melodies to create more cinematic beats. The spooky production on Cuban Linx creates a more vivid picture of New York than any other hip hop album, except for maybe Illmatic. “Ice Cream” starts off with a man wailing “The ice cream man is coming!” and then rides on a heavy bassline and a dope piano loop. Rae, Ghost and Meth rap just as aggressive as always and the result is a sex anthem that’s as filthy as it is hardbody.

Download: Raekwon – “Heaven & Hell” featuring Ghostface (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)

Eric: Everyone’s had those days. The ones where you want to be locked in a room and let all the stresses of life just escape from your brain. This is the track that eases that pain for me. Whether its losing a homie or losing a job, the struggles of life are on full display from start to finish. I don’t think this song can ever get old for me. It relates to yesterday, today, and the promise of tomorrow that we all hope for. Who knew the Wu could be this deep. So, what do you believe in?

Download: Raekwon – “North Star (Jewels)” (off Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)

Brandon: The cinematic, end-of-the-movie type track that an album like Cuban Linx needs, but still done like in the Wu-Tang style. It’s weird how much great movie music The RZA made before he did middling scores for Ghost Dog and Kill Bill. An exercise in production that isn’t beat-making, but production in the traditional sense of mixing and balancing a mess of sounds. RZA has always used voices as a kind of atmospheric instrument — those classic interludes and skits, or often filling out the background of a track with a bunch of Wu-Tangers talking and laughing — and here, Poppa Wu’s speech wanders around on the same level as those Barry White strings or lightly knocking drums. When Raekwon comes in, RZA puts a quick pause in the beat and then drops it again with a huge volume increase and switches those strings to the forefront, lowers Poppa’s voice to the background, and lets Raekwon go wild.

Download: GZA – “Liquid Swords” (off Liquid Swords, 1995)

Khal: First off, not only is this the best intro song to any album I’ve ever owned, but it’s one of the illest intros to any album the Wu has ever put it out. In any case, the fact that this track is built on this skankin’ beat flipped to some solid drums, it just has a crazy swing to it that GZA coasts effortlessly over. Plus, that classic hook (I wonder how long ago they wrote it) is the perfect addition. RZA’s hypeman antics (“weeeeeeeed”) kill me.

Statik: One of my favorites of all time. Just the way he EQ’d it and looped it so crispy yet dirty. Play it loud with the windows down and your good. It defined his sound. That beat screams Wu-Tang. No one else would have down it the same justice.

Download: GZA – “Duel Of The Iron Mic” featuring Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck (off Liquid Swords)

DJ01: Most of it is so simple. No one does kung-fu samples better than The RZA — this track was a prime of example of that. Sort-of-high tempo drums set the tone for GZA, Killa and Deck to pretty much run all over the beat.

Marco Polo: Sounds like Halloween meets hip hop. It should be played yearly to frighten children.

Download: GZA – “4th Chamber” featuring Ghostface, Killah Priest and The RZA (off Liquid Swords)

Marco Polo: The whole fuckin’ album is a masterpiece — the vibe, the themes. Dark and sinister sounding. Possibly my favorite Wu-Tang solo album… I know I just the LP a whole shout, but this is my favorite RZA beat of all time.

Buhizzle: Among the first wave of Wu-Tang releases, Liquid Swords always felt like the riskiest collection of RZA beats. The high- and low-pitched screechs that lay underneath the thick bass sound like a combination of fingernails on a chalkboard, rusty machinery, and screaming cats, but when it’s all put together, it’s something wildly captivating.

Aeon: Maybe my wannabe-rapper clothes are showing. This and “Verbal Intercourse” were tracks that, when they dropped, made me wanna spit. Nothing spectacular except a banging ass loop and boom bap on the drums. It’s a straight lift of Willie Mitchell’s “Groovin’”, but the shit’s so sinister that you owe RZA an act of obeisance ANYWAY.

Zilla Rocca: The whiny West Coast synthesizer bends and cries like a man hanging off a rooftop with one hand. The pounding, fuzzy guitar riff spoonfeeds you broken glass, dirt, and bones. The main melody, lifted from Willie Mitchell’s “Groovin’”, pokes its head out sparingly only to get wacked by the kick drum and the 4-inch thick sub bass. The video for “4th Chamber” showed clips of a battle scene in the woods, but this beat by itself sounds like you’re being chased through the forest in Evil Dead, and your arm is broken, and you’re high on mescaline, and your feet aren’t moving as fast as they normally do. Terrible things will happen.

Download: GZA – “Gold” (off Liquid Swords)

AaronM: There’s so much going on in “Gold” — the ghostly chorus vocals, the foreboding strings, the raucous horns every few bars. This beat is so damn dense that it takes several listens to parse all of the different musical elements The RZA integrated into the song. The skeletal drums hold “Gold” together until the end of the song, where RZA pulls the beat apart and puts it back together again, just in time for the fadeout.

Download: GZA – “Shadowboxin’” featuring Method Man (off Liquid Swords)

DJ Eclipse: It’s safe to say that this is one of the best RZA-produced albums following the Wu’s debut release. Before Bobby went Digital, his analog loops and hard drums had heads boppin’ violently while Meth gave us “You know my steez”. Slang, style and music all derived from the Abbot’s master plan.

Download: GZA – “Swordsman” (off Liquid Swords)

Ben: Is there another track in the Wu oeuvre more frightening than “Swordsman”? Listen to it through a decent pair of headphones with the lights out to see what I mean. The drums tumble like concrete blocks, the bass lurks somewhere at the edge of darkness, and various atonal sounds hover above the mix like a spectre. Respect to any DJ who can seamlessly blend this track into another cut during their set — its clunky rhythm makes it nearly impossible.

Download: RZA – “Wu-Wear (The Garment Renaissance)” featuring Cappadonna and Method Man (off High School High OST, 1996)

Buhizzle: Being a soundtrack cut/clothing line promotion, this track may have been forgotten by many, but it’s a great cross between a gritty Wu-Tang production and an infectious upbeat head-nodder (thanks in large part to Method Man’s hook). The doorbell sound that pops up here and there adds a nice touch.

Download: Ghostface – “260″ featuring Raekwon (off Ironman, 1996)

Enigmatik: The perfect soundtrack to a kick-door robbery. The RZA provides the soundscape while Rae and Ghost take us a on run throughout the track that leaves the listener anticipating the next turn.

Download: Ghostface – “Assassination Day” featuring Inspectah Deck, RZA, Raekwon and Masta Killa (off Ironman)

Ben: I still don’t understand why “Assassination Day” works as well as it does. None of its individual components have any business interacting with each other whatsoever — those dry 8-bit drums, a synthetic guitar motif, the thick scratching of a kick drum, an out-of-tune bass hit, and what sounds like the “siren” button from one of those cheap, shitty keychains from a gag gift store that makes various sound effects. Somehow RZA makes it sound as menacing as a rabid wolf and as serious as a national plague outbreak. It took me years to appreciate the unassuming brilliance of this cut.

Download: Ghostface – “Winter Warz” featuring U-God, Masta Killa and Cappadonna (off Ironman)

Marco Polo: Cappadonna probably kicked his best verse ever on this shit.

Download: Ghostface – “Daytona 500″ featuring Raekwon and Cappadonna (off Ironman)

Aeon: In my humble opinion, top-3 usage of Bob James’ “Nautilus”. What made it more crazy was the incorporation of Wu vocal samples scratched in and around the verses that made it probably one of Ghost’s most classic songs.

Download: Ghostface – “The Soul Controller” featuring The Force MD’s (off Ironman)

Khal: Ironman is one of my top 20 favorite albums ever, and this is one of the reasons why. Those Middle Eastern sounds always worked over straight-up bangers, but The RZA flips some interesting shit in here — from the droning bass that sounds like he sampled someone humming into the mic, to that scattered beat, with the hits dropping on different counts for no reason other than to keep it funky. The real treat, though, is the switch-up around 2:39 (accented by The Force MD’s singing, “A change gonna come”). Forgive me, I’m a sucker for producers who flip dope beats into even DOPER beats while the fucking beat is still playing. Classic.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Reunited” (off Wu-Tang Forever, 1997)

Eric: This record took me by surprise simply because it sounded like something I had never heard from the Wu before. The violins and guitars blew my mind. At the same time, however, key elements were still kept in not straying too far from what people like myself had grown to love and admire.

Brandon: A sharp tangle of avant sounds — free-jazz horns, stabs of descending bassline, squeaking maybe vaguely synthesized violins, even some sound effects — over surprisingly clean (clean for The RZA, at least!) programmed drums, “Reunited” was an effective reinvention of the Wu-Tang sound. In one way, RZA probably could’ve rode that ominous Wu-Tang sound for two more decades, but his earlier beats did lose some of their “Oh shit!”-appeal once you dug up the samples. Back to those violins, though, which are on some 20th Century classical shit. I’m reminded of plenty of string-oriented rap beats, but the stinging strings and violin squeaks also recall stuff like Penderecki’s “Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima” or Shostakovich’s “String Quartet No. 8″ (which was dedicated to all the victims of fascism and war). Wu-Tang Forever is certainly going for that same end-of-days feeling as those dudes’ music and that apocalyptic feeling is established by the one-two punch of Poppa Wu’s intro and “Reunited”, the first proper track.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “For Heavens Sake” (off Wu-Tang Forever)

Khal: What was ill about Wu-Tang Forever was that The RZA blended his styles, from that really dirty, dusty analog shit he bashed us in the dome with on 36 Chambers with that more synthesized sound he started teasing with Ghostface’s Ironman. This track marries both styles, with that deep, fuzzy bassline played underneath that piano loop that just gets shorter and shorter, but still maintains its freshness. That string loop adds a sick element to the track. This cut also contains my second favorite Cappadonna verse, ever.

Ben: During the first week following my purchase of Wu-Tang Forever upon its release, I rarely played any other track besides “For Heavens Sake”, such was my conviction that nothing else on the record could stand in its shadow. Attempt, for a moment, to ignore Deck’s jaw-dropping verse and focus squarely on The RZA’s production, a beautiful maelstrom of fuzz bass, chalky piano comping, disembodied chipmunk vocals, and the urgent “Wu–Tang!” mantra. There simply isn’t another producer in hip hop warped enough to conjure up a track like this.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Triumph” (off Wu-Tang Forever)

DJ01: Do I really have to explain this one? I think the beat alone had yours truly writing “WU-TANG FOREVER” all over his suburban elementary school 5th grade folders. It really sounds like some theme you’d use to motivate troops for a war.

Enigmatik: Five minutes and thirty-eight seconds of one of the top posse cuts of all time. Everyone knows the opening verses and everyone knows the thunderous beat that is purely triumphant from beginning to end. From the little bells and chimes in the song to the pounding drums, the organs and anything else you can think of, this is easily one of hip hop’s masterpieces.

Kirk: I refuse to give any reasons as to why I’ve chosen this beat. This is the reason why The RZA is one of the best producers ever.

Download: Bjork – “Bachelorette (RZA Remix)” (original version off Bachelorette, 1997)

DaddyL: It’s not every day that Bjork gets shine in the hip hop world. Maybe that’s a good thing because a lot of her songs sound like something concocted in an Icelandic lab with hopes of making your brains melt out of your ears. But the strings in “Bachelorette” are wonderfully tripped out and soar in a way that seems perfect for a grandiose hip hop beat. Props to The RZA for branching out and respecting good music, wherever it may be.

Download: Cappadonna – “Run” (off The Pillage, 1998)

Buhizzle: Mentioning a RZA-produced track called “Run” probably brings to mind the more-popular Ghostface and Jadakiss collabo from The Pretty Toney Album (in fact, see below). It’s too bad that this cut usually gets overlooked as a result. Both tracks are great cinematic-sounding “chase scene” music, but while the Ghost/Jada version sounds more fit for a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster, Cappa’s version is more on some independent film type-shit. I love how the violins linger on for so long — it reminds me of Madlib’s production on “The Mission” from Champion Sound. (Dope video, too.)

Download: Funkmaster Flex – “Put Your Hammer Down” featuring Wu-Tang Clan (off The Mix Tape, Vol. 3: 60 Minutes Of Funk, The Final Chapter, 1998)

Zilla Rocca: This outtake from Wu-Tang Forever was extremely out of place on Funk Flex’s 60 Minutes Of Funk, Vol. 3, but Loud Records, home of both Flex and the Wu, didn’t care — we want more Wu-Tang, dammit! A stripped down 2-bar loop taken from a cheesy Vegas funk band was all the Clan needed in ’97. The RZA employed the same strategy of looping two bars and adding almost nothing on Cappadonna’s “’97 Mentality” and Tony Touch’s “Rock Steady”, but “Put Your Hammer Down” is most notable because it’s really — what’s the word — happy! A great contrast to the vicious and hardcore rhymes of Method Man, Inspectah Deck, and co., this beat would be right at home on an early ’90s Diamond D or Prince Paul album.

Download: Big Pun – “Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy)” featuring Prodigy, Inspectah Deck and Roc Raida (off Capital Punishment, 1998)

Jerry: All you homophobes take note — a gay vibraphonist can make some of the illest hip hop! Along with Organized Konfusion’s “Stress”, Gary Burton’s “Las Vegas Tango” helped make this triboro trilogy one of the sickest beats on Pun’s album. It was so dark and crusty I thought it was Havoc at first, but Roc Raida scratches in RZA’s ID around 3:30. Way less annoying than a Diddy adlib.

Download: RZA – “Domestic Violence” (off RZA As Bobby Digital In Stereo, 1998)

Joseph: I first heard “Domestic Violence” in work a few summers ago. I was working this clerical job that required a lot of filing and mind-numbingly repetitive tasks, so I could afford to listen to my iPod and actually concentrate on and think about whatever I was listening to. So I would fill my iPod with music I hadn’t listened to yet, so I could half-assedly educate myself while doing these mind-numbing tasks. I preferred to listen to music with an aggressive bent because it seemed to make time go faster than wimpy-sounding music. (Aggressive music also helps keep you awake when you’re running on two hours of sleep and hungover.) At the time, I was listening to a lot of hardcore, metal and New York rap, which hit the spot perfectly. Anyway, I always notice that there are a lot of hardcore and metal band members who wear those black Wu-Tang shirts with the yellow W logo. Anyone questioning their motives for donning the shirts need only hear this song (even if the shirts are really cliché and lame at this point). “Domestic Violence” hits harder than a floor punch at a Hatebreed show (and Hatebreed are exactly the sort of assholes who would wear Wu-Tang shirts).

Download: “RZA #7″ (off Music From The Motion Picture Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai, 1999)

Ben: I’m not an aggressive or even athletic person by any means, but when the beat drops on “RZA #7″ from the Ghost Dog original soundtrack, I immediately want to start dismembering foes with a series of swiftly-executed jumping lunge kicks. This cut would eventually provide the backing track for “16th Chamber (ODB Special)” that closed out 8 Diagrams last year, leading one to suspect that it’s been a back-burner weapon in The RZA’s beat arsenal for ages. God knows what kind of shit he was on when the beat somehow falls out of synch with itself two-thirds of the way through the track. It’s one of those timeless productions that would make any MC sound like fire spitting on top of it, regardless of talent.

Download: Charli Baltimore – “Stand Up” featuring Ghostface (off Cold As Ice, 1999)

Zilla Rocca: Few random singles from throwaway rap chicks have made more of an impression on me than Charli Baltimore’s “Stand Up”. Sure, her shelved album Cold As Ice had a remake of “Ice Ice Baby” featuring Ma$e, but it also featured one of The RZA’s most dazzling beats of the late ’90s, a time when he should’ve been getting more calls for beat tapes from rappers not named after a Gina Davis/Samuel L. Jackson vehicle. Combining a cold classical piano score with adlids swiped from a crackling vinyl soul sires, The RZA added a crossing guard’s whistle and an ominous Rhodes pattern to bring it all back home. On paper, this formula has no business being good on a hip hop song, yet it’s right next to Big Pun’s “Tres Leches” as one of The RZA’s rare outside productions that knocks just as hard as anything on a Wu record. And bonus points to Ghostface for bragging about getting his “balls licked in hell”. Umm… yeah!

Download: Method Man & Redman – “Cereal Killer” (off Blackout!, 1999)

DaddyL: This whole album is a Wu head’s wet dream. But I always liked this song in particular because it is not overly obtrusive, but it’s funky enough to let the dream duo tear shit up. Plus “The Rub” (by George & Gwen McCrae) is a superb track, and I always appreciate a great sample.

Download: Ghostface – “The Grain” featuring RZA (off Supreme Clientele, 2000)

88-Keys: This was just a straight raw-ass hip hop beat to rap to. This beat should be used when people battle each other with lyrics… or swords.

Download: Ghostface – “Buck 50″ featuring Method Man, Cappadonna and Redman (off Supreme Clientele)

88-Keys: ANYONE who’s used this sample has yet to go wrong — from Q-Tip’s remix to “Scenario” (which was the first time I heard it), to this song Kanye West produced years ago for some R&B group that got dropped from Def Jam (and I only know this because ‘Ye borrowed my Kool & The Gang this sample came from) to the Just Blaze-produced super smash hit “Pump It Up” by Joe Budden. Shit… come to think of it, now I want to do something with this sample. Oh wait! ‘Ye never gave me my record back. There goes my Grammy. **frowns**

Download: Ghostface – “Stroke Of Death” featuring Solomon Childs and The RZA (off Supreme Clientele)

Knobbz: What I love about this beat is how so many people would think it’s broken. The constant scratching makes it sound like the track has gone haywire, but it’s just The RZA being the maverick producer that he
is. On paper, this beat sounds like it would be really irritating, but it’s just not. Very few producers could make a beat like this and have it sound so good.

Zilla Rocca: The weirdest song from the weirdest major label rap album released this decade, “Stroke Of Death” works perfectly in conjunction with the rest of Ghostface’s dada-inspired Supreme Clientele — it’s the sonic equivalent of Ghost’s “disease breath, elephant skin, black Boy George” rhymes. I remember the first time I played this song, I thought my CD was damaged. By shanking the sample with a vinyl cartridge, RZA made a percussive element out of a truly ear-splitting sound. This beat today would work on an album released by Def Jux, Stones Throw, Edan, or MF Doom. “Stroke Of Death” is the kind of beat most consumers skip over and most producers call each other at about 2:00 a.m. like, “YO DIDYOUHEARTHATSHITRZADIDONTHENEWGHOSTFACESHIT??? Yo fam… shit… is… CRAAAAAY-ZEEEEE!”

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Careful (Click Click)” (off The W, 2000)

Knobbz: I think The RZA may have been having a bad day when he made “Careful”; it’s probably his darkest work. Aside from the gunshots and the Clan’s murderous rhymes, the lack of a main melody is what makes this song so unsettling. The melody in the beginning dies out right away and in comes that odd little chime that stands out so much. “Careful” gives you the feeling that there’s someone unfriendly waiting around the
corner. Great song to scare the neighbors with.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)” (off The W)

Brandon: In Joseph Schloss’s really great book Making Beats, there’s a part — on page 141, if you want to look it up — where The RZA’s tendency to not “quantify” his beats is discussed and it’s ultimately cited as one of his biggest “strength[s]“. A good example of that would be the original “Protect Ya Neck”, which kinda clunks along drum-wise, while “Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)” is kind of the antithesis, all ordered and quantified. That intro stir of strings come in at the right time, while the guitar scronk from Lowell Fulsom’s “Tramp” and what sounds like a bird crowing bounce between one another in a way that’s easy to anticipate. Not that there’s anything wrong with being predictable. When the track’s as good as this, it gets a pass. In some ways, “Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)” is the most representative Wu-Tang single because it plays the game of sounding clean and radio-ready, but it doesn’t compromise the Wu sound at all. If radio didn’t grow more corrupt every year, this song could probably be a hit even in today’s rap climate. Start with the first posse cut “Protect Ya Neck” off Enter The Wu-Tang and end with “The Jump Off” — the last great Wu posse cut that doesn’t sound like an approximation — and you’ve pretty much got a history of the part of the Wu’s career that really matters.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Gravel Pit” (off The W)

DJ01: I just love the horns at the start that set off the beat. I really dig the way fast tempo of the beat with some sci-fi mysterious sounds hovering in the background.

Download: RZA – “Bong Bong” (off Digital Bullet, 2001)

Knobbz: The Bobby Digital albums have always given The RZA room to go off the deep end. The beats are always exotic and somewhat atypical of traditional Wu, whereas the lyrics are usually completely lacking subtlety (“I ain’t know she suck dick like that”). “Bong Bong” features outlandish percussion and a very simple two note melody. The song relies mostly on the weird ass sounds and the vocals — something fairly uncommon.

Download: Ghostface – “Flowers (Original)” featuring Raekwon, Method Man and Superb (alternate version off Bulletproof Wallets, 2001)

Jerry: Just when you thought Bob James’s “Take Me To the Mardi Gras” couldn’t be flipped anymore, The RZA slides past the oft-used intro percussion and disembowels the track somewhere around 1:07 seconds. By lifting the bassline out and focusing on the more subdued drums, he makes it hard to believe this beat is in the same family tree as “Peter Piper” and “Rock The Bells”. The final version that appeared on Bulletproof Wallets was a hollow attempt to save the song when the sample couldn’t be cleared… which makes no sense since they still ended up sampling (or replaying?) James.

Download: Tony Touch – “Rock Steady” featuring Raekwon, Method Man and U-God (off The Piece Maker 2, 2004)

AaronM: Sometimes you don’t need more than a 2-bar loop.

Download: Ghostface – “Run” feat. Jadakiss (off The Pretty Toney Album, 2004)

AaronM: Much like his beat for Ghost’s “Stroke Of Death”, “Run” consists of a scratched-in loop and a simple drum pattern. The blaring horns are broken up by a short guitar figure that plays before and after each verse. The instrumental is claustrophobic and seemingly endless, and Ghostface’s frantic, breathless delivery matches its intensity. “Run” is a rare and welcome return to The RZA’s pre-”digital orchestra” sound that he began to favor after Wu-Tang Forever. The sound effects accompanying Jada and Ghost’s verses are a nice touch.

88-Keys: I remember liking this not only because it sounds raw as hell, but also because this sample was on the late/great J Dilla’s beat CD from a while back and I always wanted to hear SOMEBODY rap on it. Ghost and J-To-The-Muah thug’d it out, too. Kudos!

Joseph: I wouldn’t have guessed that The RZA did this beat if I didn’t see it on Wikipedia. It must be because there’s an obvious record-rewind sound in the song. That’s not something I’m used to hearing from RZA, who usually masks whatever clarity his samples have in a thick cloud of dust. As the main loop is only one measure long, it needs to be rewound right before every fourth beat. This constant repetition gives the record-rewind sound the feel of being a musical part of the pick-up, as opposed to some abstract, non-musical sound. It’s so seamless that before I gave the song a close listen, I thought the sound was just overdubbed record-scratching.

Eric: I feel an instant desire to cause some serious chaos whenever this comes on. Bank robbery, looting, or even a high-speed chase — it’s all fair game! The beat comes full steam ahead through the speakers and doesn’t slow down one bit. The horns are on some Dirty Harry shit, and mid way through it seems to revert back to the beginning of the track only to have Jadakiss run (no pun intended) rampant to close out. This track is simply devastating and shouldn’t be listened to by the faint of heart. Next time you have a power outage, just hook up this track up and let it generate the energy needed. It’s that powerful!

Download: Masta Killa – “No Said Date” (off No Said Date, 2004)

Brandon: Underneath the prominent back-and-forth strings and shuffling drums, there’s this casually-rising low-end hum of like cello or something that never goes anywhere, but adds to the gravity of Masta Killa’s verse. It’s the sort of sound that The RZA, a decade earlier, would’ve put to the forefront, but sticks in the background here because he’s constantly on some other shit, for better and worse. It must be hard to be The RZA, smart enough to know it’s a real bad look to tumble into elder statesman status and just make kinda-good, vaguely wack Wu approximations for the rest of his life, but not entirely sure where to go with his more forward-thinking production either. “No Said Date” nails it, though, and has some of that inexplicable catchy, pop appeal Wu can possess, Bobby Digital-style production touches, and a palpable analog hardness that connects all RZA touches to those earliest Wu beats.

Download: Masta Killa – “Old Man” featuring RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard (off No Said Date)

DaddyL: The Quincy Jones sample on this track is just too good to be true. “The Streetbeater” is an epic song, if you haven’t checked it out, and The RZA utilizes it to perfection. The way he flipped the Outkast strings (from “Skew It On The Bar-B”) on the title track is also worth noting, but that’s another day. [See above. Needless to say, there's no time for our contributors to compare picks. -- Buhizzle] What I really love about this song is how bright and fresh it sounds. RZA doesn’t get pigeonholed by the grimy darkness of his earlier production (even though that’s arguably his best). In the end, this song makes me bop in a different way than Enter The Wu-Tang, and I like it.

Download: RZA and MF Doom – “Biochemical Equation” (off Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture, 2005)

DJ01: My favorite “recent” RZA beat. It really has to do with the symphony sample and the way he looped it. He somehow made it perfect to rhyme over and yet you can barely make out a bassline on this.

Download: Wu-Tang Clan – “Unpredictable” featuring Dexter Wiggles (off 8 Diagrams, 2007)

Zilla Rocca: Take some Hitchcock strings, a bass guitar having a seizure, and a drum break that could appease any b-boy, and you have the newest incarnate of The RZA sound. His years of scoring films are realized on this beat from Wu-Tang’s 8 Diagrams LP. Unlike his efforts on Ghost Dog and Kill Bill, “Unpredictable” is cinematic, striking, focused, and most importantly full of boom-bap, practically begging to get bodied by Inspectah Deck’s 30 bar killing spree. Unlike the over-indulgent “The Heart Gently Weeps”, “Unpredictable” is the perfect blend of “hip hop hippie” and “punch you in your shit” (word to Shallah Raekwon).

Before there was…

… there was…

Like previous Beat Drop subject Isaac Hayes (and unlike all other Beat Drop subjects), Curtis Mayfield has not produced any hip hop records — at least not directly. However, he has produced, written, and performed (either with his heavenly voice or ability to play multiple instruments) many great songs that have been sampled by some of the best hip hop producers, some of whom we’ve highlighted in the past.

But, as impressive as (if not more so than) the sonically-amazing musical elements of Mayfield’s music was his way with words. Whether it was a love ballad, a depiction of life in the ghetto, or an anthemic nod toward the Civil Rights movement of the 1970s, Mayfield wrote lyrics with unmatched emotion.

Curtis Mayfield was a musical genius who was ahead of his time, and, sadly, who was taken well before time should’ve allowed for. Below are some of my favorite tracks from Mayfield’s catalog, along with several hip hop tracks that were built upon these classic recordings. Of course, what follows is not a complete list of Mayfield songs that have been sampled, but rather, a “sampling” of samples, if you will. (For a more comprehensive list, sans mp3s, The Breaks would be a better resource.)

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “Superfly”

… as sampled on…

• Beastie Boys – “Egg Man” (prod. by The Dust Brothers, off Paul’s Boutique, 1989)

Ahhh, how simpler times were in hip hop prior to 1991, when Biz Markie found out the hard way that you can’t simply take old music and make new music out of it. Of course, this precedent was nowhere to be found in 1989, so the Beasties, and producers The Dust Brothers, had free range on Paul’s Boutique, and they sure made the most of it. The opening guitar melody from the title track of Mayfield’s classic blaxploitation score lays the groundwork for this insane ode to egging, and is topped off with elements of Public Enemy, the theme from Jaws, and whichever reggae song contains the cautionary lyric, “I do not sniff the coke/ I only smoke the sensimilla” — words to live by, if I may say so myself.

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “Pusher Man”

… as sampled on…

• Ice-T – “I’m Your Pusher” (prod. by Afrika Islam, off Power, 1988)
• Eminem – “I’m Shady” (prod. by The Bass Brothers and Eminem, off The Slim Shady LP, 1999)

Mayfield’s famous “I’m your pusherman” hook gets re-worked in rap songs released over a decade apart — if that doesn’t exemplify timelessness in music, then just wait until the next time it happens. Ice’s reinterpretation is more of a continuation of Mayfield’s, seeped in the same sentiment of the era that Superfly came from. Em, on the other hand, has new, updated drugs (mushrooms, acid), and, as was a recurring theme in his big-selling debut, he probably wouldn’t be too disappointed if he’s unable to find a buyer and is forced to resort to taking them himself.

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “Little Child Runnin’ Wild”

… as sampled on…

• Jay-Z – “Justify My Thug (9th Wonder Remix)” (prod. by 9th Wonder, off Black Is Back, 2003)

Black Is Back was the title of 9th Wonder’s The Black Album remix album… album. Danger Mouse’s The Grey Album — his infamous(ly illegal) remixing of Jay’s quasi-retirement LP over beats sampling The Beatles’ The White Album — was good for novelty purposes, as I honestly can’t recall listening to it more than once. I rocked with 9th’s, though, and, being the Mayfield fan that I am, I dug this remix the most… even though I’ve never successfully been able to nod my head to it the whole way through. Of course, as is the case with most remix albums, the producer is cheating quite a bit — I mean, who knows how much of Jay’s budget it would’ve cost to clear this sample? (Who am I kidding? Would a Jay-Z album even have a budget?)

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “Do Do Wap Is Strong In Here”

… as sampled on…

• Jadakiss – “Real Hip Hop” featuring Sheek Louch (prod. by Swizz Beatz, off Kiss Of Death, 2004)

I can’t help but love this D-Block collabo, in large part because I love the song it samples. Swizz Beatz graduates from his Casio king status on this one, chopping up Mayfield’s original, making sure that the bluesy guitar sneaks in just in the nick of time in each bar (although the original song sort of does the job itself), and throwing the rising violins into the hook as well. Actually, the violins, coupled with Swizzy’s ad-libs, pretty much are the hook in this track, but it works so well that you can’t complain — in fact, a written hook probably would’ve lessened the impact of the beat if anything.

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “Man Oh Man/I Want To Go Back”

… as sampled on…

• Young Jeezy – “Go Crazy (Remix)” featuring Jay-Z (prod. by Don Cannon, original version off Thug Motivation 101: Let’s Get It, 2005)

True, the original version of “Go Crazy” freaks the same Mayfield sample, but the original version does not include a Jay-Z verse… thus, you can probably guess which version I prefer. Don Cannon (CANNON! CANNON!) created a banger of blaring horns snatched from the song’s opening, but the original song itself is a calming, mellow track about falling in love overseas (though I wouldn’t bet against there being some hidden meaning underlying that).

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “The Makings Of You”

… as sampled** on…

• Masta Killa – “Queen” (prod. by True Master, off No Said Date, 2004)

Considering that No Said Date dropped on independent label Nature Sounds, one would assume that Masta Killa wasn’t forced into making a song for the ladies, and did so entirely on his own… twice, in fact (see “Love Spell”). Most of the time, the challenge is to not make the “for the ladies” song(s) detract from the overall flow of the album, but, on No Said Date, they not only fit in perfectly, but they were actually two of the better tracks on an overall-solid LP (in my opinion, at least).

** — “Queen” actually samples Gladys Knight & The Pips’ version of this song, but Mayfield’s version pre-dates Knight’s, and Mayfield actually produced Knight’s version.

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “Tripping Out”

… as sampled on…

• Camp Lo – “Black Nostaljack (Come On)” (prod. by Ski and Ill Will Fulton, off Uptown Saturday Night, 1997)

What can be said here that wasn’t already said on AaronM’s Remix Tuesdays post for this Camp Lo track? Not a whole lot. Moving on…

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “Future Shock”

… as sampled on…

• UGK – “Pinky Ring” (prod. by Pimp C and N.O. Joe, off Ridin’ Dirty, 1996)

Talk about pimping since been pimping since been pimping since! This shit is a prime example of how music so inherently derogatory and degrading can be so infectious and likable. Pimp C Beat Drop coming soon eventually.

Download: Curtis Mayfield – “Move On Up”

… as sampled on…

• Kanye West – “Touch The Sky” featuring Lupe Fiasco (prod. by Just Blaze, off Late Registration, 2005)

Apologies for not wrapping up this post with more of a surprise — this is probably the most obvious of Mayfield sample jobs, so much so that ‘Ye kind of snitches on Just by inserting the original track into the music video (during the vintage-looking “One Moment Please” graphic at around 3:09). And, if you find yourself home during weekdays (hey, it’s the summer), you could probably hear Mayfield’s track, crudely dubbed over with generic female vocals, in a string of Aleve commercials starring random old people dancing — something tells me Curtis didn’t sign off on that prior to his death.

(Our next super-duper guest-heavy Beat Drop will focus on The RZA, and should be ready around late August/early September.)

The “Neptunes sound” is candy sweet. Allow me to explain (so that I don’t have to say “no homo”)…

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, despite their initial successes as hitmakers for the likes of Noreaga and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, are responsible for some of the most “bubble gum” music of the past few years. Britney Spears, Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Kelis, Usher, Gwen Stefani — the ‘Tunes’ signature spaced-out drums, synths and keys, coupled with Pharrell’s crackly crooning, are all too familiar to 13-year-old white girls and “To Catch A Predator” detainees alike.

Yet, the “Neptunes sound” is also all too synonymous with another type of candy — the one that makes you dandy. Nose candy. Booger sugar. That white that, when cooked over a flame with water and baking soda, creates a rock-like substance that has contributed to such racial disparity in America’s prison system that Lil’ Wayne felt it necessary to dedicate about 5 minutes of Tha Carter III to discussing it. But I digest digress…

For all of their pop music and Kids’ Choice Award successes, they have continued to work with and develop artists like The Clipse, FamLay, and Rosco P. Coldchain, despite the label politic drama that seems to consistently rear its ugly head and shelve their albums. In fact, I’ve read at a couple of sites — and if random Internet blogs are no longer credible sources of information, I don’t want to live in this crazy world — that the Neptunes refused to sign off on their contributions to Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds album if Jive Records did not release Hell Hath No Fury (which would have been the second shelved Clipse LP). The end result was an insanely-successful Timberlake album with no input from the ‘Tunes, and a horribly-promoted album release from The Clipse’s former label.

Most would probably kick themselves when considering the amount of money lost by refusing to work with Timberlake, one of the biggest record sellers of our generation, at the expense of convincing a major record label that hasn’t cared about rap music for years to toss a “hit single”-less LP to the public, essentially as a tax write-off. But, I don’t think that the Neptunes regret this costly decision. Why?

Because Pharrell and Chad could have gone the easy route, ditched the flailing genre that is hip hop music, and stuck to making pop records, but they haven’t… at least, not yet. (Pharrell, Chad — if y’all are reading this, don’t let me give y’all any ideas). That’s why I respect ‘em, and why I was willing to break away from paying homage to the oft-praised “boom bap” producer — your Primo’s, Pete Rock’s, Large Pro’s and what have you — and tip my trucker cap* to the guys that “lace the beat like one of the best”. The Neptunes spent years crafting their unique sound, dating back to the days when they were carrying Teddy Riley’s bags and ghost-producing “Rump Shaker”, and deserve the right to share it with fans of all musical artists — even shitty ones.

[* - Reference intended solely for metaphorical significance. I proudly state that I have never owned a trucker cap, and have only worn one occasionally for the purpose of jokingly making an ass of myself.]

In the comments to the wildly-successfully Kanye West Beat Drop from last month, some of y’all expressed interest in contributing to future Beat Drop posts. If you are interested, the easiest thing to do would be to email me (check “Contact Info” on the main page), and you could join the ranks of this post’s contributors…

• Brandon Soderberg from No Trivia;
• Clyde from Find A Soul For Sale;
• Dan from The Elitaste (who also manages ML favorite Wale);
• DJ Franchise from Know The Ledge;
• GForce from bounce/oz;
• Josephlovesit from Geek Down;
• $port from Way More Fresher;
• Wes from Sit Down Stand Up;
• Zilla Rocca from Clap Cowards;
• … and, a very special guest, VA’s own Skillz, whose new album The Million Dollar Backpack hits stores on July 22nd… that’s tomorrow! (check snippets over at The Rap Up)

AND, if that’s not enough, check back very soon for an interview with The Clipse, where we ask them about their favorite Neptunes beats, and much more.

And I just wanna let y’all know… the world… is about to feel… something… that they’ve never… felt before…

• Ma$e – “Lookin’ At Me” (off Harlem World, 1997)

Clyde: I hear you guys snickering but lest you forget that Ma$e was The Source‘s rapper of the year in 1997… so the guy could rap. This track hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles and #8 on The Hot 100. This was a greatly produced track and it didn’t over shadow Ma$e’s monotonic/mellow flow. The beat did have The Neptunes signature sound and a distinctive drum pattern.

• Jay-Z – “The City Is Mine” featuring Blackstreet (off In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, 1997) [produced by Teddy Riley and Chad Hugo]

Clyde: Yea, I know this song flopped and that it is was some pop tart shit. But I’ll be damned if y’all hit this shit, cuz I liked it! Jigga was on that braggard shit. This was the first song that he vocalized that he thought that he was a better rapper than Biggie: “I’m the focal point like Biggie in his prime/ On the low though, shhh, the city is mine”. I also don’t think that the beat was ‘that’ bad… on here you can hear a young Chad Hugo playing sax and contributing on the snare drums. (Samples Glenn Frey’s “You Belong To The City” and The Jones Girls’ “You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else”.)

• Noreaga – “Superthug” (off N.O.R.E., 1998)

Wes: The first hard hip hop beat of theirs that I heard (I’d heard some of their R&B work with Total and SWV before) and I was an instant fan. One fond memory I have is my dad (who does not enjoy hip hop at all) picking me up somewhere and us driving in the pitch dark night blasting this song on the car stereo. I had prefaced it by telling him I wanted to play him my favorite song of the moment. After it was over, my dad asked if we could please never do that again.

• Brand Nubian – “Take It To The Head (Don’t Let It Go To Your Head) (Neptunes Remix)” (single, 1998)

DJ Franchise: The Neptunes have done a great job in their career of lending their synth/drum sound to many artists while giving the artist a fresh take on the song. This Brand Nubian track is no exception. In the late ’90′s, I was just happy to hear all 4 members back on any track but to get a remix that was so not “Brand Nubian” was a bonus. The original was an inspiring social commentary laid over a soft, mellow soul sample. The Neptunes flipped this theme but made it into a track suitable for a NY club. It was great to hear the Now Rule crew over an uptempo beat versus the common wannabe DITC beats they had been using. Now remember, this was in 1998 — Noreaga’s “Superthug” just dropped a few month’s earlier and they weren’t getting those million dollar checks yet. So, The Neptunes were eyeing a future in remixing and exploring untraditional sounds before the hype. Also, it was the beginning of Pharrell’s belief that he should be on the chorus/bridge of every song The Neptunes produced.

• The Clipse – “Taiwan To Texas” (off Exclusive Audio Footage, 1999)

Josephlovesit: One of the most hardbody beats The Neptunes produced is found on this shelved Clipse album. The kick and snare hit furiously, accompanied by a thin tambourine sound, keyboard-sitar and horror-piano lines. It suits a young and possessed Clipse perfectly, but it wouldn’t sound out-of-place on a Hypnotize Minds album. There’s this music sequencing program called Reason that has a built-in snare sound called “Clipse” that’s the same snare The Neptunes use here and all over Exclusive Audio Footage. I owe hours of self-satisfied head-nodding to that snare sound.

• The Clipse – “Power” (off Exclusive Audio Footage, 1999)

$port: The triple kicks and horns run the table on this song. I remember I had to find this on Napster because the album itself got shelved. You had to download stuff track by track back then, so an full album would take at least one day. I didn’t need the whole album after I found this.

• Maxi Priest – “Mary’s Got A Baby (Neptunes Remix)” featuring Beenie Man (off CombiNation, 1999)

Clyde: This was their intro to the U.K./Caribbean music scene (that would later prove fruitful with collabos with Beenie Man, Sean Paul, T.I., Kardinal Offishall & Madonna). Despite his dancehall past and flavour, The Neptunes teamed up with Maxi Priest for this combination of soul balladry, dancehall and hip hop. This song may not have tracked in the U.S., but in the U.K. (Maxi’s home country) this was a big hit amongst fans of Lover’s Rock. This is the antithesis of what we expect from The Neptunes — no spacey sound effects, and exotic snare drum patterns. This was minimalism Neptunes.

• Ol’ Dirty Bastard – “Got Your Money” featuring Kelis (off N***a Please, 1999)

Clyde: Before Gnarls Barkley, Andre 3000 and other oft kilter groups emerged, ODB was the first rapper (to me) to produce a commercially viable non-formulaic hip hop album. This song crossed genres and sampled everything from film (Dolemite) to rap (“Children’s Story” by Slick Rick) to pop (“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson). This was one of 3 Neptunes tracks that made the N***a Please album. In hindsight, the track seems very autobiographical — ODB discussed many of his problems (alcoholism, women and paternity tests). This is also one of the few songs that The Neptunes have produced that uses the sampling technique. By using very popular songs it gave ODB a bit of familiarity because it wasn’t some obscure sample(s).

AaronM: The ‘Tunes swipe the drums from “Billie Jean” and slow them down, making them sound thicker. They top the track off with repetitive piano keys, tinny synths, and finish with some pitch-perfect hand claps. This all adds up to a surreal disco backdrop for ODB say some of the craziest shit ever spit on record: “They said he had his dick in his mouth/ Eddie Murphy taught me that back at the house!”

GForce: Not only one of my favorite Hugo/Williams jernts, this is possibly one of my favorite songs of all time. It has everything — filthy lyrics, big-bottomed bassline, crisp drums, and references to prostitution. Recorded relatively early in The Neptunes’ career, it doesn’t have much of what would become their signature minimalistic production, but it’s brilliant still.

Knobbz: The infinitely-gully ODB working with The Neptunes sounds like high heresy, but for some reason, Dirty singing his heart out about bitches owing him money over a bouncy Neptunes beat with Kelis of all people singing the hook just works. This beat has a late-night filthiness that matches ODB’s exuberance perfectly. I remember watching the video when I was a little kid and recognizing something tantalizingly
vulgar about it without understanding a word. Rather than trying to emulate RZA’s grimy production, The Neptunes created a unique sound that was entirely worthy of ODB. Cherish this song, because you’ll
never hear anything like it again.

• Kelis – “Suspended” (off Kaleidoscope, 1999)

$port: You have to listen to the little intro before the song to really get the full effect. Kelis is buying pills or whatever, next thing you know, she’s high. “Suspended” worked wonders for her description because it’s so beautifully lazy. If you can find the track, you can best experience it in a totally dark room at truck volume.

• The Backstreet Boys – “The Call (Remix)” (single, 2000)

DJ01: Completely changed the OG track from a cheesy pop song to something fit for the clubs. Crazy simple during the verses — just a tight bassline with some whistle noises — then the beat during the hook changes when the vintage sounding Neptunes drums come in subtly. The only Backstreet Boys that is OK to bounce to this day, in my opinion. (Just in case, “pause” on all of these prior sentences.)

• Beenie Man – “Girls Dem Sugar” featuring Mya (off Art & Life, 2000)

Dan: I can listen to this song on repeat for hours on end. I have memories of making out with this chick freshman year of college in my tiny ass dorm room. I had replaced my fluorescent lights in the room with fluorescent black lights and just had this one lamp that provided normal light. I had the Parrot Bay bottles filled with water and highlighter, black light posters and wrote on my wall with highlighter (ended up costing me at the end of the year), but when the lights were on it was like some psychadelic dorm room. I remember I’d rock videos on my TV when girls would come over and this was the first one on the video mix I’d made. The melody of the beat is so beautiful and Mya’s voice just melds gorgeously with it. Beenie Man keeps his patois under control and this is just a real sexy banger. This and LL Cool J’s “Luv U Better” are two of my favorite sexy Neptunes songs. And you gotta love Pharrell saying “sim simma” in the chorus.

• Jay-Z – “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It To Me)” (off Dynasty Roc La Familia, 2000)

Wes: Probably my favorite pop hit spawned by our beloved hip hop genre. Makes even the most jaded people dance. The programming on this is great.

• Ludacris – “Southern Hospitality” (off Back For The First Time, 2000)

DJ Franchise: In 2000, Luda changed up his image and sound with his second single. “Southern Hospitality” had these strong bass beats, crisp snares and a crazy “Nascar car” sound that made every person that hated “What’s Yo Fantasy?” for its typical southern sound reconsider Ludacris. I recall having friends in NY, Chicago, and LA all yelling out “Throw them bows!” at one point in a club, car or on the phone. Ludacris’ energy and comical rhymes were perfectly matched with this beat. A true testament of this beat’s staying power is that you can drop this instrumental at any club and get a reaction. I challenge my fellow DJs to try this out in their next set.

Knobbz: The amalgam of thumping bass, a whizzing noise and a gong make “Southern Hospitality” the definitive Neptunes club banger. It begs to be played loud. My high school was called South High, so when this song came out, I was dying for it to become our school song. You can’t fuck with a team that has this blasting before a football game.

Dan: I vividly remember the first time I heard this song. It was at this Naughty By Nature concert my freshman year of college. I knew Ludacris’ “Phat Rabbit” joint and “What’s Yo Fantasy?” was bubbling hard in ATL, but when I heard “Southern Hospitality”, it was game over. It was Atlanta at it’s best, kind of like when I heard Lil’ Jon’s “Bia Bia” for the first time. Southern rap has kinda collapsed upon itself at this point, but back then, there was so much interesting music coming out of ATL. I love the video for this song too. Again, it’s very signature Neptunes but Ludacris’ voice is so powerful on the track that you don’t really realize just HOW Neptunes it is. And then Pharrell saying “Throw them bows!” — you don’t even know it’s him.

• Jadakiss – “Knock Yourself Out” (off Kiss Tha Game Goodbye, 2001)

Dan: A lot of people don’t know this but The Clipse, on their first unreleased album Exclusive Audio Footage, used a simpler version of this beat. I guess when it became clear that joint wasn’t coming out, The Neptunes jazzed it up and sold it to Jada. I was really feeling Jada’s first album, this and “We Gon’ Make It” were awesome, but this was a lot better in the clubs since it blended really well. I was sold on the first line of the song, “She said she was a model for a year and half”, and then they did an R-Rated video which was so sick. I love the classic Neptunes sounds on the track, I love Jadakiss’ wreckless over-the-top lyrics and Pharrell’s whisper chorus. Honestly though, Jada’s second verse starts out weak but the beat keeps you in it and then he drops the “I’m running out of my patience” line and you’re like, “Oh, okay.”

• Shea Seger – “Blind Situation” (off May Street Project, 2001)

Wes: This girl released a great album back in 2001, soulful singer-songwriter type, and for some reason completely disappeared afterwards. A shame. I don’t know if ?uestlove has ever heard this album, but I think he’d like it. (Note: this is technically Pharrell only, no Chad, but still.)

• P. Diddy – “D.I.D.D.Y.” feat. Pharrell (off The Saga Continues…, 2001)

Josephlovesit: “D.I.D.D.Y.” features a lazily-comped, one-note keyboard line as the main hook. This line goes on through the entire length of the song’s four minutes, barely dropping out more than a handful of times. If you focus on it the whole time, you’ll probably go insane. How the hell does this manage to be such a great song? Well, there’s the wild, syncopated drums being played, occasional bass accents, Diddy’s excellent verses (yes, seriously) and the stupid chorus that I still sing all the time. That tangled “Diddy did” chorus is almost absurd. The first dozen times I heard it, I didn’t even take time to make sense of the phrase in my head. I just assumed Pharrell didn’t have enough chorus time to spell out “Diddy” twice, but still kept the take ’cause it sounded cool. I’m completely serious about that.

• Fabolous – “Young’n” (off Ghetto Fabolous, 2001)

Josephlovesit: Forty-eight seconds into “Young’n”, Fabolous tells us to “listen to the two-way alert” and then the corresponding sound effect cuts in. Aside from that being the main standout in an all ready standout song, it’s a good summation of The Neptunes’ mission statement. The two-way and its sound-effect show a melding of fetishized lo-fi sounds and a modern fashion sense (technology as fashion). The Neptunes are all about using these budget keyboards with obvious/cheesy preset patches (for instance, the bland funk-guitar patch used in this beat). They match that with this dryly-futuristic composition/production style that favors clarity through isolation of its sonic elements. It’s really modern and stylish, but still practical and never garish, because of those budget sounds. I would bring up Pharrell’s fashion sense, which also fits with this analysis, but then I’d have to throw a “no homo” out there.

• T.I. – “I’m Serious” featuring Beenie Man (off I’m Serious, 2001)

Buhizzle: The Neptunes were churning out bass and synth-heavy beats like these at a machine-like pace in the early 2000′s, but I always dug this one for being a bit more unique than all the others. The beat is almost Latin-sounding, Tip is spitting his usual Southern drawl (though it’s much lighter than what we’ve become accustomed to), and dancehall star Beenie Man throws some “zig-a-zao”‘s on top for good measure. It was a pretty risky move to break a new artist, which didn’t really pay off at the time — it seems like the public wanted to hear more of what T.I. had in store before accepting this as a hit. But, some 7 years later, this shit still bumps.

• T.I. – “What’s Yo Name” (off I’m Serious)

Dan: Having gone to college in ATL starting in 2000, T.I. was already running shit down there. His first album had two Neptunes joints, this and “I’m Serious” featuring Beenie Man. My guess is that they did “I’m Serious” for Beenie Man and it didn’t make the album so T.I. ended up picking it up. But “What’s Yo Name” is my favorite T.I. song of all time and this song is legendary down in ATL. When I used to DJ in ATL, this was one of my staples and back then if you were white and knew T.I. people were like “huh.” It wasn’t until Urban Legend with “Bring ‘Em Out” that he really started getting mainstream. I used to have this F-150 Harley Davidson Edition truck (now I rock a Prius, lol) with the most ridiculous sound system and I’d always throw this on when I was leaving a club with a girl. The song is so dirty but so smooth and the sub would just pound in the back — that coupled with Pharrell’s falsetto is a beautiful thing.

• Kelis – “Intro” (off Wanderland, 2001)

$port: I was pissed once I learned that my baby’s second album would only be released in Europe, so once again I had to Napster it out. Again, the way an album starts is key for me. Once you feel those strings kick in, you really don’t have a choice but to stay put. The outro after “Little Suzie” is better because it lasts longer. If you’ve ever seen the cover of Wanderland, you’ll know that it’s pretty much sky blue and white. This track matches the artwork to a tee.

• Britney Spears – “I’m A Slave 4 U” (off Britney, 2001)

Clyde: Although they produced for N*Sync (“Girlfriend”) and had a few charting rap songs, this was the track that made them go-to producers for pop princesses. This was the song that remade Britney Spears from a virginal girl to a sexual woman. The song was originally written for Janet Jackson, but she passed on it because it didn’t fit her “sound.” Although the song didn’t do as well as others in the U.S., internationally it was a huge hit and was a top ten hit in Europe, South America and Australia.

• N*E*R*D – “Stay Together” (off In Search Of…, 2002)

$port: Any real fan of The Neptunes will tell you how special these few seconds are. You weren’t expecting it in the least, but as soon as you hear the noise after the drums, that’s it. The combination of the acoustic guitar and the synths took a lot of us on a serious ride. I’m not mad at anybody who skips to track 12… only to search back to the last bit of 11.

• N.O.R.E. – “Nothin’” (off God’s Favorite, 2002)

DJ01: The Neptunes were kinda heavy on the Middle Eastern sound trend of the time, it definitely shows on this song, as it sounds kinda dated today. But eff it, I loved this song before I even heard Nore spit his signature randomness. This song had so many people checking Nore just based on incredible catchy flute sample loop.

• N.O.R.E. – “Full Mode” (off God’s Favorite)

Zilla Rocca: Noreaga can’t rap. In fact, he fucking sucks. Save for The War Report, he’s been able to make a million dollars while saying nothing on the track. Thank God for piracy. The only redeeming quality of Jose Luis Got’cha’s past decade is his collaborations with the Neptunes. “Full Mode” is an overlooked gem from the I Spy soundtrack that hits harder than the frat party-approved anthems “Nothin’” and “Super Thug”. The hook is just as live (“I’ll hit you ’til you drop (WHAT!), I’ll hit you ’til you shake (WHAT!)”). The rhymes are just as retarded. Never has a clarinet sounded so grimey. With a drum pattern that is more in tune with Harry Connick, Jr. than “Grindin’”, this track relies on a Spaghetti Western guitar and vicious synth stabs for the knockout blow. At least one good thing came from an Eddie Murphy/Owen Wilson vehicle.

• The Clipse – “Grindin’” (off Lord Willin’, 2002)

Skillz: ‘Nuff said.

$port: The greatest thing about Star Trak in its heyday is that the ones under the umbrella got the best stuff first. This was the case with “Grindin”’ because, before that point, no one had done anything even remotely similar. Everybody was so wrapped up in biting the ‘Tunes and their work on the keys, it was a perfect time for them to monkey wrench everybody and come with no melody at all. “Grindin”’ is all drums and reverb, with a little sonar and a laseresque stab serving as parsley. As an aspiring producer, this one track definitely let me know that, when done right, the absolute least can be the absolute most. Oh, and after that, how many songs did you hear by other people with that damn clap???

Wes: Legendary and cliche to pick, but this is probably the hardest beat to ever launch a new rap group into popular mainstream culture consciousness in the last 10 years and that alone makes it inevitable as a pick. Raw, minimalist, perfect.

Buhizzle: The Jive execs that signed off on this as the first single from Lord Willin’ probably didn’t sleep too well in the days/weeks leading up to its eventual catching-on with the public. I wasn’t sure what I was listening to the first time I heard it — crack rap over a live performance of Stomp? — but, like most things, it got better with time. The uniqueness of this beat isn’t in its sound, but its originality. I’m sure that any number of producers could’ve replicated “Grindin’”, but none thought that it could’ve been a success until the ‘Tunes pulled it off.

Knobbz: The bare bones trash can drums on “Grindin’” coupled with some of the greatest crack-dealing metaphors ever jump started The Clipse’s career. Its simple, hard-knocking drums easily made it a summer anthem and an instant classic. “Grindin’”‘s reliance on its dope drums make it a new generation’s “Top Billin’”.

Dan: Again, I can vividly remember the first time I heard this song. I was DJ’ing a Ludacris concert at my college and after I was done, Luda’s DJ got on and this was one of the first records he dropped. The beat was absurd. I looked at his vinyl and it said Clipse on it and I had just heard about them but hadn’t heard the music yet. I asked him about the record and he was like, “This shit is crazy and gonna be huge.” He was right. People try to hate on this record because apparently the sounds in it are all right next to each other on a certain keyboard sound package, but who cares? Nobody else made this beat. This beat was so cinematic to me. And then you put Clipse on there? They were the pioneers of the coke rap and they just paint pictures all over this beat. I personally liked the Selector Remix with Sean Paul and Kardinal more than the original, I would actually spin that more, but the beat is fire nonetheless.

• The Clipse – “When’s The Last Time” (off Lord Willin’)

DJ01: My favorite off Lord Willin’ (“Grindin’” is a very close second). The bass is so crisp on in this, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better song to break in some speakers. The fax-like/electronic noise sample (truly a Star Trak sci-fi sound) takes this to the next level — without it, it wouldn’t really stand out from other early 2000-era Neptunes’ productions.

GForce: This is what I hear in my head whenever somebody mentions The Neptunes. All you need to do is hear the opening lyrics — “Top. Down. Chrome spinnin’” — and it’s over for the next 4:14. And there’s something so funny to me about how these polo-shirted suburban boys like Pharrell and Chad can put such a grimy banger for drug dealers like The Clipse. But they do, and damn.

• Justin Timberlake – “Like I Love You” feat. The Clipse (off Justified, 2002)

Zilla Rocca: This song was released around the time of the first N*E*R*D album when The Neptunes added live percussion to their arsenal. Sadly, Justin Timberlake was the first person to benefit. “Like I Love You” was built on Spanish guitars, swinging drums, an ambient drone on the hook, and Skateboard P’s infectious “HEY!” It was the most underproduced single of Timberlake’s career at that point. The breakdown at the end with the homage to “Planet Rock” was fresh as well. All parties involved went on to do bigger and douchier things, but “Like I Love You” sounds like a bunch of guys walked into a studio with a lot of time and money and spent the majority of it on vinyl copies of Michael Jackson and Ultimate Breaks and Beats.

GForce: I’m not gonna front at all — I’m a straight JT stan. If we can just forget about the Nelly Furtado mess he made last year, it’s clear — this white boy is no joke. But back when he was working on his breakaway-from-cheesedom solo album, he had his work cut out for him, so he wisely enlisted a little Neptune magic for his first single. The result was this effortless jammie that somehow makes one note on a guitar and a snare one of the hottest singles of the year. And please — don’t even act like you didn’t learn the video dance (**side eye**).

• Baby – “What Happened To That Boy?” featuring The Clipse (off Birdman, 2002)

Ziilla Rocca: I can’t front — this jawn came out while I was in the midst of my backpacker/Okayplayer/college elitist mode. And I still loved it on the low. Sure, the bird call sounds more like a turkey rape whistle, and Baby unfortunately has to marble-mouth his way through a 16, but this track is inescapable. It’s hollow, cold and catchy all at once. It’s like the best elements of trip hop marrying the trap. Pharrell and Chad bypass the kick drum for a tabla, replace snare drum with a femur bone tapping against a wooden fence, and ditch smooth organs for a faint synthesizer that sounds like the entrance of a Jon Carpenter villain. Fellow producers: don’t compare them to you, you ain’t this, whoa!

Wes: Minimalist, great use of delayed handclaps and they even make the “Birdman call” work. Here they again employ the silence between the sounds to great effect. It’s what they leave out that makes this song so good. The only Birdman song worth having in your iPod. There, I said it.

• Snoop Dogg – “Beautiful” featuring Pharrell and Charlie Wilson (off Paid Tha Cost To Be Tha Bo$$, 2002)

AaronM: A bouncy, summery rhythm that stutters in all the right places. A snaky guitar loop accompanies a fantastic mix of bongos, snares, and hi-hats tightly clustered together. Pharrell and Wilson’s falsetto backing vocals fit the beat like a glove. I love the outro where the beat drops entirely and Pharrell is singing over handclaps. Then the drums kick back in and the beat slowly fades out, yet the beat stays in your head for days. The song is the perfect summer jam; it’s only right that the video is set in Rio.

• N*E*R*D – “Locked Away” (unreleased, 2003)

Brandon: It’s no surprise that The Neptunes dudes are basically these band nerds, especially on “Locked Away”, which starts off with what sounds like the cool kids in your high school jazz band goofily jamming before the winter concert, but eventually turns into a real song and a melody stumbles out. The entire thing feels almost tossed-off, which is sort of The Neptunes’ appeal. It’s hard to explain why or how the minimalist clap of a track by Chad and Pharrell gets in your head but it does and slowly, all of its complexities and weirdnesses pop up but never become clear. There’s not the club-ready resound of Timbaland in The Neptunes and from the outside, they’ve got none of Kanye West’s pop appeal, but they have it too — it’s weird. N*E*R*D’s a great example of how out-there The Neptunes are without even knowing it. It could’ve been a rock concession but instead it’s this weird funk-rock vanity project. The songs still have those Neptunes signifiers like heavy drums, lots of bass — it’s still totally rhythm-based — and best of all, this Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” on-speed synth-line.

• Jay-Z – “La La La (Excuse Me Miss Again)” (off Bad Boys II OST, 2003)

DJ01: Some of the bongo-ish sounding drums on this almost sound like something Kanye would use around that period. Add this with the “Neptunes sound” snares, distorted snyths and the result is you’ve got a hypnotizing banger.

GForce: I love a remix that sounds nothing like the original. As soon as The Neptunes got their hands on “Excuse Me Miss”, it went from a come-hither joint with a pretty melody to a dirty, menacing demand that got you ridin’ tonight. The topper is that insane repeating piano sound that makes you pretty sure somebody’s about to squeeze some clips up in here. The best part of Bad Boys II.

DJ Franchise: Much like Brand Nubian’s “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head”, The Neptunes took a very mellow, 2-step song and flipped the mood to a club banger. The synth reverb bass track, the haunting piano loop, Pharrell’s wanna-be James Brown “Come watch me now!” — these elements made this an immediate classic that demanded your attention. This song evokes energy and swagger, hype and cool, clever lyrics and infectious beats. This song was both a comeback for the Bad Boy franchises (movie and label) as well as a recovery from Jay-Z’s Blueprint 2. Not a bad job.

AaronM: The best Jay/Neptunes collaboration, in my opinion. That music box piano locks with the buzzing synths into an endless loop and Hov rides the drums effortlessly. The chanted “Ho”‘s and the distorted backing vocals are just icing on the cake.

• The Neptunes – “Intro” (off The Neptunes Present… Clones, 2003)

$port: I’m a stickler for how an album starts. The beginning of an album should always sound like a genesis of some sort. This is one of those songs where you would argue with your folks about who should’ve rhymed over it. It was a genius move to make it only eight bars long because you had no choice but to keep on playing it back. One thing that nobody has on Chad is his ability to freak the hell out of a synth lead. It’s damn near screaming at you.

• The Neptunes – “Frontin’” featuring Jay-Z (off The Neptunes Present… Clones)

Brandon: “Frontin’” is basically a funk song — short synthetic guitar stabs, squelchy keyboards, Pharrell’s Bootsy Collins register — and like most good funk songs, it’s not so much about doin’ it as it is the complexities of doin’ it. A lot of Neptunes beats, especially their more conventional “hits” or club songs, follow the funk and disco formula of layering more and more junk over a main, snapping riff or melody and then falling back, only to bring it back even stronger. But unlike funk or disco, even the most “banger”-like Neptunes beats let up for their hook or chorus; there’s no glorious explosion. Notice the bridge on “Frontin’” loses energy and gets really warm (and way less funky) and moves along with Innervisions-esque keyboards and some soul strings. This step-down for the hook is weird, but it might be a symptom of how direct and immediate most Neptunes songs are from the start. They explode the second the song begins and so, they have to calm down and take a breather for the hook.

• FamLay – “Rock & Roll” (off The Neptunes Present… Clones)

Buhizzle: One of my Kanye picks that got left on the blogging-room floor was “Get ‘Em High” off The College Dropout, not so much because the beat itself was great (it was good, but not “Top 5”-worthy), but because it was a great example of a producer taking a beat out and bringing it back — the type of thing that makes a great beat into a great song. Shawty Lo’s “Dey Know” is another great example of this (as 50 recently mentioned), as is “Rock & Roll”. The way the silences place emphasis on certain lyrics (“Hustlin’’s in my veins, you cannot stop it/ Walking down the block with life in my pocket”) makes Fam’s lyrical display sound that much better. And the violin-sounding synths take on a life of their own.

Knobbz: I love how dangerous this beat sounds. The heavy synths make it sound like some serious shit is going down. And while such a grandiose beat would seem to lend itself to someone with an equally commanding voice, The Neptunes brought in FamLay instead, whose calm flow is juxtaposed with the imposing beat in a cool ass way.

• The Clipse – “Hot Damn” featuring Ab-Liva, Pharrell and Rosco P. Coldchain (off The Neptunes Present… Clones)

Zilla Rocca: The best song on an otherwise skidmark of an album (Clones), “Hot Damn” has all the elements of a normal Neptunes production — plastic cup Triton drums, catchy melody, Pharrell moaning on the hook. But that’s where the similarities end. “Hot Damn” introduced Havoc keys and declarative war horns, the kind the guys would never include on a beat tape for Britney or Bow Wow. It sounded like the streets of North Philly dipped in gold then thrown right back into a ditch, and the newly-formed Re-Up Gang tossed dirt all over the track and buried the motherfucker. “Hot Damn” was actually a single from an album full of failed singles, but it would’ve been the perfect album cut that you always go back to on a great rap LP.

• Jay-Z – “Allure” (off The Black Album, 2003)

Skillz: Smooth beat, and it made sense to have it close the end of the album is was on. I just remember the organ on that — it was mesmerizing.

$port: In order to fully appreciate “Allure”, you have to watch the scene in Fade To Black where P is telling Jay to get back in the studio because he has the equivalent of Carlito’s Way ready for him. [Not sure if this the whole scene. -- Buhizzle] One thing I learned from that scene is how you have to sell songs. Pharrell set it up so that all Jay had to do was deliver his verses. You can even see him rapping the hook to Jay. Now, do we really have to talk about the piano/string combo???

Brandon: With uncharacteristically weak drums, organic-sounding keyboards, and just sounding generally introspective, this beat is like a Neptunes approximation of a Just Blaze/Kanye West beat for The Blueprint. Plenty of Neptunes tracks employ strings, but it usually sounds like the “strings” setting on an expensive keyboard and maybe that’s all “Allure”‘s strings are too, but they feel more real, which fits the almost-stumbling, naturalistic keyboard playing here. The only thing that really stands out and nears Neptunes heavy is the occasional gun-shot percussion sound. They pull the listener out of the relaxed feeling of the song and also fit Jay’s verses about being perpetually pulled back by the “allure” of “the life.” The shots put you a little on edge, like at any moment it’s going to go crazy and explode like most Neptunes/Jay-Z collaborations. But it doesn’t; it just fades out. Given Jay’s two post-”retirement” albums and no apparent intent on re-retiring, “Allure” would’ve been a more fitting closing track for The Black Album than “My 1st Song”.

• Snoop Dogg – “Let’s Get Blown” featuring Pharrell (off R&G: The Masterpiece, 2004)

Skillz: That beat was soooo smooth. The hook was perfect and Pharrell killed it. When I heard Snoop singing in a Steve Arringtion tone, I was done — that shit was incredible.

• Natasha Ramos – “Midnight Hour” (2004) [NOTE: The mp3 is mislabeled -- it's NOT Vanessa Marquez.]

Skillz: I remember seeing this video on YouTube where Pharrell was making it from scratch, and once he came up with the melody, I was hooked. The way he played those chords was stupid!! I loved that song from the jump. The funny part is he was trying to come up with a melody and the guy filming him was trying to help and was totally throwing him off. YouTube it, its craaazy. [I think this is the clip Skillz is talking about. -- Buhizzle]

• Slim Thug – “I Ain’t Heard Of That” featuring Bun B (off Already Platinum, 2005)

AaronM: Damn, the drums on this are crazy. Insistent bongos and a variety of other hand drums are densely packed and thinly mixed for maximum catchiness. The ascending and descending waves of synthesizer glide smoothly over the drums. The blend of the organic yet stilted percussion and the robotic synth lines makes this a natural choice. With “I Ain’t Heard Of That”, The Neptunes crafted the ideal blend between a regional sound and general commercial appeal. The track fits Slim’s slow Houstonian drawl to a tee.

• Skillz – “Suzie Q” featuring Cee-Lo and Jazze Pha (off Confessions Of A Ghostwriter, 2005)

Skillz: Pharrell played me this beat and I wasn’t feeling it at first, then he sang the hook to me and it was a wrap. I knew then I had to have it on my record.

• Twista – “Lavish” (off The Day After, 2005)

Brandon: A lot of more recent Neptunes stuff is either the super-minimalist scronk of “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “Mr. Me Too” or the super laid-back airy new-age vibe of “Lavish” or, say, “Don’t Stop” from Beanie Sigel’s The B. Coming. The drums are still weird and thick and tumble around a little off-kilter, but this near-Vangelis synth tone pulses in the background along with a Care Bears-like piano twinkle and it’s just really strange and unexpected. It’s not an evolution of their sound, it’s really just a change. A skim of their discography still reveals stuff that mines the typical Neptunes sound (Nelly’s “Flap Your Wings”, Slim Thug’s “Like A Boss”), but they seem increasingly disinterested in that sound and only do it because if they don’t, who else will?

• Pharrell – “Can I Have It Like That” featuring Gwen Stefani (off In My Mind, 2006)

DJ01: I wasn’t crazy about this track when I heard it first. I thought it was too abstract, but it grew on me like none other. When you close your eyes, the low-frequency beat feels like a movie score piece, you can really picture Pharrell’s own little grand movie sequence. The Chad Hugo remix of this is also fantastic.

• Sleepy Brown – “Margarita” featuring Big Boi and Pharrell (off Mr. Brown, 2006)

Buhizzle: Borderline-cornball stuff, but smile-inducing nonetheless. Makes you wonder why Dungeon Family and The Neptunes haven’t collaborated more. The summer is creeping away quicker than you think — have a BBQ and throw this on the playlist. 4th of July would be perfect… oh yeah, sorry.

• The Clipse – “Wamp Wamp (What It Do)” featuring Slim Thug (off Hell Hath No Fury, 2006)

Brandon: What’s the deal with Hell Hath No Fury? Technically, this is credited as “produced by The Neptunes”, but only Pharrell’s name appears on the song-writing credits. Oh well, it doesn’t really matter because this late-period Neptunes or just Pharrell stuff is all really bizarre. The first thing you notice about this beat is its steel-drum sound but soon enough, your ears make it over to the main drum loop. It sounds like Pharrell or Chad just banged on something, recorded it, almost randomly chose a place to chop it, and then looped that shit and layered it with steel drum pings and obnoxious synth for four minutes and had The Clipse kill it. The drums remind me of one of those maybe-true-but-near-mythological stories of how Dilla would go out on the street and record things like kids’ off jump-rope rhythms and shit and make a beat out of that.

• The Clipse – “Keys Open Doors” (off Hell Hath No Fury)

Josephlovesit: The main bell sound in this track reminds me a lot of the bell sound in Run-D.M.C.’s “Peter Piper”. But the track is too cold and isolated to come off as throwback. I love that crappy chorus sound in the background, providing the only concrete harmony in the whole track, quite creepy (and it’s only two notes!). But the dynamic, syncopated drumming is what really sends this shit into banger territory. That and The Clipse’s intense flows provide a nice counterpoint to the other spare and repetitive (but perfectly awesome) elements of the song.

Buhizzle: Upon first listen, Hell Hath No Fury didn’t do much for me. It’s grown on me a lot over time, though I still can’t claim to have ever drank the same Kool-Aid as the XXL staff that gave it a perfect rating. I guess the appeal of Pharrell’s beats on that album (Chad was M.I.A.) were that they didn’t have that quirkiness that pounded listeners over the head — their strength was in their simplicity. The drums on this track aren’t particularly out-of-the-ordinary for a Neptunes’ production, but the haunting humming underneath those drums are. It’s that great balance of moodiness and braggadocio that make Pharrell and The Clipse such a perfect combo.

$port: Pharrell doesn’t get enough credit for his hip hop work, and that’s mainly because he’s the go-to for singles and not bangers. Around this time, the general public really began to down him because he hadn’t really done much of anything that was really meaningful for a hot second. So my guess is, he took all that angst and channeled into an extremely exceptional album. Except for “Dirty Money”, the rest of the album was pretty much classic. It holds a lot of weight (no pun, but if you found it, gold star for you) due to the fact that it was unlike anything P had ever done before. Easily the darkest track in his catalog with those haunting voices and a rimshot that could break your orbital bone.

• The Clipse – “Ride Around Shining” featuring Ab-Liva (off Hell Hath No Fury)

Zilla Rocca: “Ugh ugh ugh!” That’s my favorite part of this jawn. Minimalism was the key to Hell Hath No Fury and this was the shining moments — no weird filters or digital farts to impress nerds and critics, no N*E*R*D noodling to impress Byron Crawford. The sustained harp loop sounds like the murder scene in a ’70s Dario Argento film. The drums are baptized by Marley Marl. The hi-hats skip around like a cricket in a shoebox. And the Re-Up Gang remind us that we are “fish the sharks’ll swim.”

Knobbz: It’s songs like this, “Mr. Me Too” and “Keys Open Doors” that made Hell Hath No Fury a classic. The Neptunes pulled out some Twilight Zone shit on this one. The sinister ringing is an excellent backdrop
for the Clipse’s crack rap. The paranoid sound of the beat comes through especially well when the drums drop out in the beginning of Malice’s verse. “Let that 9 millimeter turn a fella ghostly” — metaphors don’t get much iller than that. And to top it all off, The Neptunes deliver on their penchant for weird little sounds with that yelping noise that just makes the song complete.

• The Clipse – “We Got It 4 Cheap” (off Hell Hath No Fury)

DJ Franchise: How could you not include a Clipse song in a Neptunes Beat Drop? Many would claim “Grindin’” or “Cot Damn” as the best Neptunes/Clipse collabo ever. But I gotta go with this one for both the beat and story. Now, I don’t know this firsthand but supposedly this song was the first that a very pissy Pharrell handed to the Brothers Thornton after they told him to resubmit all new beats for this album. Pharrell, high off his “I have a Reebok Deal and do songs with Gwen Stefani”-attitude, sent Pusha and Malice some medocre and recycled beats for the Hell Hath No Fury project and they were like “Get that shit outta here and bring some heat!” Not happy with the reaction, Pharrell went back to the studio and found a grittier, street, cocaine-based sound for his boys. And as many know, although The Neptunes are credited for production on the album, this was basically a Pharrell-produced project because Chad was M.I.A. The song with the organ riff and congo drums makes a slept-on classic. It doesn’t hurt that they titled this song for the fans who followed them between albums.

• Twista – “Give It Up” featuring Pharrell (off Adrenaline Rush 2007, 2007)

GForce: Deliciously stupid, and says nothing. This song is basically a drum and two notes, but it’s somehow hotter than the surface of the sun. I guess it’s kind of like modern art — seems like it took almost no effort, but the thing is, they thought of it, and you didn’t. So just go with it and pop that ass.

• Kenna – “Say Goodbye To Love (Remix)” featuring Lupe Fiasco (original version off Make Sure They See My Face, 2007) [album co-produced by Chad Hugo]

AaronM: Sounds like U2 pressed through a dance-rock filter. The track is built off a bouncy bassline, doubled hi-hats and shouts of “Hey!” in the background. The keyboard-driven bridge leading into the chorus gives Kenna just enough room to sing the chorus before that bassline kicks in again. A gem of a single off Kenna’s unfairly overlooked sophomore album, this is a perfect modern pop song.

Clyde: I remember when I met this dude back in 2003, I actually thought he was a basketball player that hadn’t made it in the league. He sat next to me on the flight raving about some concert he did and that he was actually a musician. I was in disbelief (how many 6′ 5″ African dudes would tell you that they’re singers and you’d believe them?). His first album was a dismal (commercial) flop, but he recovered nicely with his second album has received much more acclaim. (Also check out “Loose Wires” and “Out Of Control”.)

• Jay-Z – “Blue Magic” (off American Gangster, 2007)

DJ Franchise: Like most Neptunes productions, this song lives in this blurred area of musical familiarity of synths/drums/falsettos and a emergence of a new sonic image for the artist. I think I would give this credit of customizing a beat to an artist while making you still ask “Is that a …. beat?” to a few talented producers (The Neptunes, Kanye, Just Blaze). The Neptunes have a created a niche for themselves when sampling suffered from the record industry and a cheaper alternative production for hip hop was needed. Many “hip hop” producers who could play a riff on a keyboard or a drum were being hired to make hip hop music and the music suffered. But, The Neptunes were true musicians and looked to elevate beyond the mediocrity. Now, they aren’t perfect (remixes for All Saints and The Backstreet Boys and common recycling of beats are still unforgivable) but they have a great track record for creating a new image or life to the artist or song. This is where “Blue Magic” comes in. “Blue Magic” gave us a synthesized late 80′s feel to the beat that let Jay go into it about with a Golden Era swagger. They created the simple riff and 808 bass to make us feel like we were back in ’89. Through this beat, Jay also got a chance to express himself without worrying about being hip hop’s bourgeoisie and just looked to be the street rhymer/hustler that’s in him.

• N*E*R*D – “Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In Line For The Bathroom)” (off Seeing Sounds, 2008)

Josephlovesit: This sounds like the type of song that someone makes when they first discover how much shit you can pile onto a song with a digital sequencer. The way that the crash cymbal is synched up with the kick drum rhythm, the combination of both synth-bass and standup bass, record-scratching sounds laid over the pre-chorus, screwed vocal sounds, it all looks overwhelming and amateurish on paper. And when you hear it, it is overwhelming, but in an energetic way. The composition conveys a sense of excitement and spontaneity. And then to add to the chaos, after that awesomely spliced-in piano breakdown in the middle, they layer the pre-chorus sounds over it, creating a beautiful contrast. It makes for some of the densest music I’ve ever heard from The Neptunes.

The College Dropout. Late Registration. Graduation. You don’t have to be too edumacated to notice the trend in Kanye West’s album titles.

It’s only fitting, though, as one could call Kanye a “student of the game”, so to speak. He encompasses so many aspects of so many great producers. He’s openly discussed the influence that RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan has had on his production style, going as far as to admit to making his Blueprint-era beats with Ghostface in mind. He worked closely with J Dilla, honoring the late legend by chopping samples the way Dilla would have on his beat contributions to Common’s Finding Forever (and doing a fine job, I might add). And his sound has always held a sense of purity rivaling that of DJ Premier, so much so that on the few occasions where Primo has added scratches to Kanye-produced records (on “Everything I Am” off Graduation and “The Game” on Finding Forever), they could have easily passed as Primo-produced records themselves.

But, Kanye isn’t your typical “student of the game”-type rap star — Kanye isn’t your typical anything, matter of fact. ‘Ye is the student of the game who’ll stand on his desk to show off when he’d get an A+, and who’ll throw a fit and squeeze out a few tears when he’d get anything less than that. He’d be nominated for “Most Likely to Succeed” and “Class Clown”. Sure, he was a mama’s boy (R.I.P.), and he idolized his big brother, but he was honest enough about it that he never set himself up to get teased. Although he had his close circle of friends who may not have been the most popular kids in school, all the cool kids knew who he was. And his personality was so likable that only the biggest bully on campus would try to pick a fight with him… AND, the bully wouldn’t even win.

To make this journey through Kanye’s beat-making career as thorough as possible, we called up some of the troops from the legendary (if I may say so myself) J Dilla Beat Drop, and also reached out to some new members of ML’s extended fam. Contributions included from…

• Andrew Barber from Fake Shore Drive;
  
• Brandon Soderberg from No Trivia;
  
• DJ Franchise from Know The Ledge;
  
• Ges from KNOWxONE;
• Josephlovesit from Geek Down;
• Khal from Rock The Dub;
• Friend-of-ML and past-Beat-Drop-contributor KoldShadow; and
• Travis from Wake Your Daughter Up

(Shout-out to Ivan from Hip Hop Is Read, who was set to contribute before having to take some time off to deal with some personal stuff. Hold your head, fam.)

As was the case with the aforementioned Dilla post, bringing so many great minds together may result in some repetitive ideas and terminology. I can all but guarantee that after this post, you’ll likely never want to hear the word “soulful” again.

• Nas – “Poppa Was A Player” (recorded in 1998-99)

Andrew: This track was originally slated for Nas’ planned double disc, I Am… Nastradamus. This was really the first major album leak on the Internet — all the way back in 1999 (you figured the labels would have started combating that issue back then). The double album was eventually scrapped and turned into the two albums, I Am… and Nastradamus, respectively. “Poppa Was A Player” made neither album — it did see proper release on Nas’ 2002 release, The Lost Tapes. When this track originally leaked, Kanye was apparently very distraught, as this was going to be his first major, major look. Not to mention that Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie was getting all the credit for Yeezy’s production at the time.

• Harlem World – “You Made Me” featuring Nas and Carl Thomas (off The Movement, 1999)

Andrew: Harlem World? Me neither. Actually, I can’t even front, I actually liked that album (shhh…) when it dropped — and it’s no secret that Mason Betha was once Kanye’s favorite rapper. Anyone remember this track?

• Goodie Mob – “Rebuilding” (off World Party, 1999)

Andrew: Man, people hated World Party so much that hardly anyone paid attention to the fact that Kanye had a track on it. I mean, it wasn’t their best work, but cot damn if this joint wasn’t a banger. This was one of the first tracks Kanye produced, and was credited for, on a nationally released album.

• Beanie Sigel – “The Truth” (off The Truth, 1999)

Ges: My favorite Kanye West beat, hands down. It’s a complete package, the way ‘Ye flipped Graham Nash’s “Chicago” and turned it into such a sinister sounding joint and Beans just blacking out on the track. Those organs and the bassline are captivating, it almost makes me want to throw on Michael Jackson’s infamous white glove and go out and murder monkeys. Almost.

Khal: This is the first Kanye West beat I flipped for, which is odd because it’s such a non-Kanye beat, compared to what he’s churning out today. I used to catch a ride home from work from this guy who would blast Beanie out his SUV, but all I knew was “Mac Man”. I soon replaced that cut with this, Beans’ boisterous banger over some hypnotic organ loops. Nod factor on that one is an 8.5, easy.

DJ Franchise: In Kanye’s recent production, his skills have evolved to become more and more layered and sophisticated — reaching near the heights of the Bomb Squad. However, this early Kanye production is so powerful yet so simple. Kanye’s great decision-making skills to give Beanie this beat for his aggressive persona was a great move. I think this song should be appreciated for its great simplicity and impact.

Andrew: I’ll be damned if this track doesn’t knock as hard as anything released before or after. Seriously. It’s crazy how the tables have turned between Beans and Kanye. Back in 2000, Kanye was just a hungry no-name producer, and Beans was the Roc’s next marquee act. Boy, how the mighty have fallen (sorry). Kanye is basically Michael Jackson these days.

• The Madd Rapper – “Stir Crazy” featuring Eminem (off Tell ‘Em Why U Madd, 2000)

Andrew: The best track from the otherwise mediocre Madd Rapper album (another D-Dot project). This dropped between Dr. Dre’s 2001 and Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP, at the height of Em pandemonium. At that point, I was buying anything that Em breathed on. Anyhoo, this is another one of Kanye’s ghost-productions — you can hear ‘Ye speak on it here.

• Jay-Z – “This Can’t Be Life” featuring Beanie Sigel and Scarface (off The Dynasty Roc La Familia, 2000)

Josephlovesit: There are so many ghastly aspects to Kanye’s production for “This Can’t Be Life”, yet each element is grounded in a thick, muddy texture, particularly the muffled organ, synth bass and sampled drums. The vocal samples are shortened to disembodied moans and shrieks, creating a sense of discomfort and anxiety. Mallet percussion accents do well to balance out the murky low-end of the song. The overall effect is a fairly elastic track that’s alarmingly creepy. It sounds ready-made for Scarface to gargle his other-worldly vocal chords over.

• Beanie Sigel – “Gangsta Gangsta” featuring Kurupt (off The Reason, 2001)

Buhizzle: Back in ’01, not only could one likely not match a face to Kanye West’s name, most probably couldn’t even pronounce the name (I had guessed that the “Y” was silent). Perhaps Kanye was still trying to find his niche at this point, as I can’t recall hearing a Kanye beat this grimey ever since. The blaring, stabbing horn sounds feel as if they’re coming from brass instruments that had been left in a closet for years and became corroded with rust.

• Jay-Z – “Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)” (off The Blueprint, 2001)

Travis: “Heart Of The City” was the joint that made me take notice of Kanye West. The Bobby Blue Bland sample that Kanye used made for a soulful feeling on the track and also cemented the track as one of the flagship songs for The Blueprint. Kanye does his thing on this track and utilizes his tools to the best of the ability, even applying a “break” of sorts right before Jay’s third verse. Everything about this track is just straight up beautiful.

DaddyL: It’s always hard to get used to a hip hop track that flips a song you’ve enjoyed for so long. Not in this case. I got down with ‘Ye’s Bobby Bland sample as soon as I heard it, and it’s still my favorite track off The Blueprint. The first few bars at the beginning, before the drums kick in, give it a nice soulful feel, and once they do come in, one can’t help but bop the head.

• Jay-Z – “The Takeover” (off The Blueprint)

Travis: The perfect orchestration for one of the ultimate mainstream diss tracks. It’s not that Kanye dug up some obscure sample for this one, in fact it’s almost poppy in nature, using The Doors’ “Five To One” track as it’s basis — it’s just the fact that it fit what Jay was doing so perfectly. The fuzzy and distorted bassline is nasty as a cheap French hooker that hasn’t changed her drawers in three days. It may not be Kanye’s most creative beat of all time, but just the way it worked for it’s purposes, Kanye nailed it right on the head.

KoldShadow: Scathing remarks call for sick guitars. Whatever Kanye was thinking when he made this beat, he had to have known he saved Jay-Z in the beef with Nas with this BANGA. Josie Scott does the damn thing and Jigga displays his over-braggadacious post-Vol. 2 flow.

• Jay-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” (off The Blueprint)

DJ Franchise: When I first heard this song, my reaction was that I knew this beat’s original sample but couldn’t place it. Not until I consulted some friends and did internet research, I found out about Kanye West — often seen typed as “Kayne”. I was amazed that he took such a familiar song by the Jackson 5 and flipped it to the point of new inspiration and excitement. The most recent time where I felt that same exact way was when I heard Just Blaze’s use of Rick James’ “Super Freak” on Kingdom Come. Coincidentally, that song was with Jay-Z too.

• Cam’ron – “Dead Or Alive” featuring Jim Jones (off Come Home With Me, 2002)

Josephlovesit: Admittedly, Cam’ron and Jimmy’s performances on “Dead or Alive” make the track just as much as Kanye’s beat, but I always thought that the whole “Chipmunk-soul” thing fit Dipset best anyway. I don’t consider either Cam’ron or Chipmunk-soul annoying, but they both share a sort of outgoing intrusiveness that a lot of people probably consider annoying. It’s like the kid in school who bugs others with personal questions that most people are too prude to answer, but at the base the kid’s just trying to get others to be outgoing. The vocal sample sounds like something from a country song, and with the use of the term “dead or alive” it fits Cam’s lone-jokester-gunman role well. Someone cast dude in a Western.

• Scarface – “Guess Who’s Back” featuring Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel (off The Fix, 2002)

DaddyL: Jay really runs this track, bouncing masterfully on the upbeat bassline. I love when Kanye brings a lush sound to his track. He has great attention to detail, and he utilizes it well on this one. As a side note, I was listening to this song and “On My Block” came on next — fuck, that song kicks ass.

Brandon: This is from Kanye’s best beat-making era. Right after the success of The Blueprint and before he became a superstar, Kanye laced a whole lot of rappers’ albums with two or three beats and usually one of them ended up a street or radio single. In addition to the obvious “trademark” chipmunk-soul, all of Kanye’s beats from this mini-era had these strange, really-thick-but-rather-limp drums on them. It’s like he chopped the drums so short that he removed the beginning and end of the drum sound and sucked out all the bump. Similar drums — probably the exact same drums, really — are all over The College Dropout and critics cited them as a weakness, but it moves Kanye’s production even further away from conventional boom-bap. The drums don’t charge through, they contemplatively knock in the background as basslines and soul strings and subtle “Guess who’s back?” vocal scratches bubble up. My single of this song — it’s the B-side to “On My Block” — credits Kanye, but I’m pretty sure that’s Mos Def on the hook…

Khal: Certified dope. ‘Ye’s old soul sample matched with that throwback drum beat? Reminds me of 22′s of Heineken b/w fresh bowls of Trenton funk. A real sleeper jam if you’ve never heard it before.

• Trina – “B R Right” featuring Ludacris (off Diamond Princess, 2002)

Ges: I’m a sucker for violins — it’s something about the dark orchestration of a whole string set in hip hop that gives me chills. Escalating choir vocals and the aforementioned violins which almost seem to be crying, backed with apocalyptic basslines make for a perfect joint to get a lapdance to. Only if it was the Baddest Bitch giving you that lapdance.

• Mos Def – “Brown Sugar (Fine)” (off Brown Sugar OST, 2002)

Khal: I remember watching Brown Sugar and getting captivated by this beat, and when I peeped the original (Norman Connors’ “Invitation”), and heard how many separate pieces Kanye flipped, I was truly impressed. That vocal loop, when I hear it, is guaranteed to be stuck in my head (and on my heart) for at least a day.

• Talib Kweli – “Get By” (off Quality, 2002)

DJ01: Ahh, backpacking Kanye how I miss thee. This is a song I can listen to multiple times on any given day, instrumental or not. The combination of the piano loop, perfect drums (which were way more traditional then Kanye’s light tap sounding rapid-fire drum style at the time) and soul claps gave birth to one of the most uplifting songs in hip hop.

• T.I. – “Let Me Tell You Something” (off Trap Muzik, 2003)

Buhizzle: Sampling Zapp records is as much a staple in hip hop as fishermen hats and dookie chains, and Roger and Larry’s legacy will never die, even if it’s currently living through the rampant use of Auto-tune (or, as I like to call it, the vocoder’s ugly sister). Nonetheless, I credit Kanye for taking a chance and sampling the one Zapp record that, more than likely, no hip hop producer had dared to touch in the past — their cheesy love ballad, “I Wanna Be Your Man”. ‘Ye breathes new life into it, and it stands out as a refreshing change of pace on T.I.’s Trap Muzik.

• Royce The 5’9″ – “Heartbeat” (off Build & Destroy, 2003)

DaddyL: I’m not such a fan of Kanye as a rapper, but the dude can pick a sample with the best of ‘em. This particular flip is a J.R. Walker track. When the soulful backing voices sing “Listen to my heart beat”, it lifts the track up beautifully. Plus, Royce is just a fuckin’ beast, so that always helps.

Buhizzle: As big a fan of Royce as I am, shit always seems to get in the way of him establishing a solid working relationship with a bona fide superstar. There was his falling-out with Eminem (though that seems to have subsided over time). And, before that, when Dr. Dre was recording 2001, Royce lost ghostwriting privileges after his manager mouthed off about Dre in some magazine. And, I recall reading somewhere that Kanye claimed to have not been paid for this beat (which may explain why this ended up on Build & Destroy, and not a legit album). It’s too bad, as this duo shows promise here — Kanye’s beat is chaotic, like theme music for a fast-paced emergency room drama, more than fitting for Royce’s lyrics.

• Jay-Z – “Encore” (off The Black Album, 2003)

DJ Franchise: I love this beat because it shows Kanye’s imagination and vision for his music. If you don’t know what I am talking about, go watch Fade To Black and see the part where Kanye describes how he envisions Jay-Z on this song. Of course, everybody loves the horns and the chorus but Kanye just doesn’t make beats, he tries to create moments and memories with his music.

• Jay-Z – “Lucifer” (off The Black Album)

AaronM: The piano loop on this is so dope. Kanye brilliantly sped up and looped the a capella beginning of Max Romeo’s “I Chase The Devil”, where Max chants “Lucifer son of the mourning, I’m gonna chase you out of earth!” There’s a great scene in Fade To Black where Kanye plays his beats for Jay-Z, and when “Lucifer” comes on, Jigga just spaces out and this goofy smile plays across his face as he starts nodding his head — exactly the same way I feel whenever I hear this.

Travis: While I was aware of Kanye via The Blueprint, it wasn’t until I first heard “Lucifer” on Jay’s (*ahem*) retirement album that I was aware of just how talented a producer Kanye was. On my first listen of The Black Album, “Lucifer” was the song that jumped to the forefront in the quest for favorite song from the album. Kanye hooked everything up right on this track, with an almost Caribbean type of flavor that gives it that almost voodoo type of feeling to it. The vocal sample from the Max Romeo’s “I Chase The Devil” was really a step out as something different for Kanye. It gave Jay a track that really allowed him to branch out with a different flavor and broaden The Black Album‘s base.

• Twista – “Slow Jamz” featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx (off Kamikaze, 2004)

DJ01: A beat so funky yet soulful it gave Jamie Foxx a legit singing career, and Twista a mainstream career. Here he uses his signature drums, which he has moved away from using in the past few years. This song can almost be an R&B track, and even if it was, it would still work.

• Twista – “Overnight Celebrity” (off Kamikaze)

Buhizzle: I’m easily impressed with good double-time production, especially when it works around a vocal sample (even if it does tend to sound like a chipmunk singing). “Poppin’ Tags” is a good example of ‘Ye pulling this technique off, but I always dug the way Lenny Williams’ “‘Cause I Love You”, a song with a tempo equivalent to paint drying, is turned into a bouncy, fast-paced beat for Twista to sound comfortable over. If you want to be more impressed with this beat, check out “Girl U Know” off Scarface’s insanely-dope ’07 album Made, which samples the same song, but in a more “traditional” way.

• Kanye West – “Never Let Me Down” featuring Jay-Z and J-Ivy (off The College Dropout, 2004)

Brandon: In hip hop, “producer” often only means beat-maker, but on beats like this, Kanye’s a producer in the mad-musical genius throwing everything he’s got into the composition definition. This is one of the many kitchen-sink beats on The College Dropout where there’s just so many things going on. It begins like the baroque quasi-bangers Dropout‘s full of, anchored by a Michael Bolton sample/interpolation, and then after a verse from Jay-Z and Kanye, J-Ivy gives a spoken-word performance, and then after that, an uplifting gospel-like chorus, and then, one more verse from Jay! It’s a mess and it shouldn’t work, but it does. Check out the final moments of the beat when the chipmunk-Bolton is interrupted prematurely for that elegant piano loop. And listen real close for some way-in-the-background vocoder/Auto-tune shit.

• Kanye West – “Spaceship” featuring GLC and Consequence (off The College Dropout)

Ges: If “The Truth” is one of Kanye’s grimiest beats, then I’d have to pick “Spaceship” as his most soulful. Real talk, Marvin Gaye’s sped up crooning and the lush keys make for an almost “great” track, sans GLC’s verse. Playing Kanye’s verse makes me want to hustle just that much harder. “If my manager insults me again/ I will be assaulting him/ after I fuck the manager up/ then I’m gonna shorten the register up.”

• Kanye West – “Family Business” (off The College Dropout)

KoldShadow: A mellow piano solo followed by some chopped family values statements. For some reason, no Kanye track to date has moved me as much… so much that it gave me a dream about my family in Washington, D.C., because of how I’d go there and “not wanna eat nobody’s food but mine”.

• Kanye West – “Two Words” featuring Mos Def and Freeway (off The College Dropout)

KoldShadow: Choir-inspired hip-hopera sets the stage for Boogie Man, Kanyee Boogie and Philly Freezer to let loose, building tension pervasively juxtaposing triumph. Definitely G.O.O.D. Music.

• Slum Village – “Selfish” featuring Kanye West and John Legend (off Detroit Deli, 2004)

Knobbz: “Selfish” is more classy and just as playful as the average song about a rapper’s roster of females. At the core of the song is a piano loop that meshes really well with both the strings that come in at the
beginning and John Legend on the hook. The result is a sound that’s unique to Kanye — elegant and lush and still bouncy enough for the radio. And he has the best verse on the song.

Brandon: Kanye’s a weird producer in terms of getting mainstream-famous, because it’s only recently that he’s made anything that could conceivably play in a club. He infamously calls himself “the new version of Pete Rock” on this song, and that’s blasphemous, but it was kinda true too. Even the other Roc-A-Fella soul-beat-master of the time, Just Blaze, created these wailing explosions of soul, not the melancholy wobble of “Selfish”. The beat’s just a little off, like someone’s lightly touching the spinning LP sampled here, and it’s up to Kanye and John Legend to catch it back up with their wistful chorus. Speaking of John Legend, he really doesn’t get enough credit for how much he added to many of Kanye’s beats. He brought a lot in terms of melody and keyboard/piano-playing. We’ve since only heard hints of it in Legend’s solo work, while Kanye reaches out to over-producers like Jon Brion or electro-hop trends to fill the gap. It’s a sign of a good artist to constantly be pushing boundaries, but when you hear a song like this, you wish Kanye would’ve rode the soul-resurgence sound out for at least another couple of years.

• Mobb Deep – “Throw Your Hands (In The Air)” (off Amerikaz Nightmare, 2004)

Knobbz: The way the whistle echoes the squeaky guitar always sounded amazing to me. The song has a sense of poignancy despite the fact that it’s supposed to be party joint. It’s one of the few really dark-sounding Kanye beats, especially when the guitar goes crazy at the end, and works way better than anything Havoc has done as of late. We might get another Kanye/Mobb collabo if Kanye forgets about Havoc telling him to eat a dick a while ago.

• Shyne – “More Or Less” featuring Foxy Brown (off Godfather Buried Alive, 2004)

Khal: Another “non-Kanye” track, this one just had undeniable bounce. I was surprised that Kanye did this, but appreciate it more, because of the mash of old school hip hop drums and that operatic vocal thrown on top.

• Cam’ron – “Down And Out” featuring Kanye West (off Purple Haze, 2004)

DaddyL: One of the most thumpin’ songs on a great record. I was listening to this track once, cruisin’ through San Diego, bumpin’ and smoking a blunt. I pass the bud to my friend, look to the left, and a 5-0 pulls up next to me. He looks at me, shakes his head, and drives away. Is there any better reason to like a song?

DJ01: The intro gives a little hint of the rhythmic trip you are about to take with Kanye and Cam. This is just one of those soul samples that had hood dudes singing along to Mavis Staples’ “dooowwn dooowwn”.
Also, this is a prime example of what entertaining shit Cam can make with good production, that you acutally want to listen to on repeat instead of discarding after hearing the funny lines a few times.

• The Game – “Dreams” (off The Documentary, 2005)

KoldShadow: As the years have progressed since my hindsight-prophesized year of hip hop’s death (essentially corporate rap’s new world order), 2004, I’ve grown tired of dudes like The Game (and Slim Thug, Lil’ Flip, etc.), but he honestly did a pretty bang up job with this gem from Kanye. Hungry drums and soulful vocal samples set a solid audible stage for the second coming of NWA (?) to clinch his umpteenth hit single.

• Common – “The Corner” featuring The Last Poets (off Be, 2005)

DaddyL: It’s nice when a song makes it apparent that the producer had a vision. It’s even nicer when it’s actually executed. The storytelling theme of this song cries out for an authentic vinyl-based feel. Yeez delivers, keeping the wonderfully fuzzy sound of the samples in tact. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s him on the chorus (correct me if I’m wrong) and that little “eh-oh” stutter thing is flossy as shit.

• Common – “Go” (off Be)

Brandon: One of Kanye’s enduring production legacies is his ability to give sophisticated but decidedly mainstream beats to “underground” guys like Talib Kweli, Slum Village, or Common, and get them back on the radio. At some point, “smart” rappers got so up their own asses that they thought even making a song that was catchy meant they went pop or something, but Kanye reminded them of that healthy middle-ground. “Go” is a smoothed-out slow jam that doesn’t have the radio rap prerequisites for songs about doin’ it — no female R&B hook and a beat that doesn’t scream out “for the ladies”. The John Mayer sample is employed the same way Kanye’s usually swiping from dusty soul LP are used, and that’s a good idea. No rock concessions or explicit acknowledgment that the source of this sample is a big-time, contemporary singer-songwriter. It’s treated the same as a Luther Vandross or Gil-Scott Heron sample would be treated, as just another part of the song. Any song that has gross-out lines like “Servin’ you while servin’ me” — I mean, really, just imagine Common’s naked fetal-pig-like body sixty-nining — and doesn’t make me reach for the radio dial must have a pretty hot beat.

Josephlovesit: With beats like “Go”, Kanye West proves that he could’ve done the emotional, floaty-keyed stuff a lot better without Jon Brion’s hand on the mixing board (or conducting baton). That light and smooth sound comes across a lot clearer without tacky orchestral arrangements getting in the way, and benefits from a propulsive break to keep it moving. This is such a beautiful song.

• Common – “Testify” (off Be)

Khal: The first couple of times I heard this one, I had no idea of the story in the track. I literally kept rewinding the track to hear the progression of that sample. Total 70′s, back of the Caddy passin’ a spliff back and forth with some old head named Flip. Ultra cool.

• Miri Ben-Ari – “New World Symphony” featuring Pharoahe Monch (off The Hip-Hop Violinist, 2005)

AaronM: I’m a sucker for string samples and this one is genius. As the title indicates, Kanye sampled Dvorak’s “9th Symphony New World (4th Movement)” for the beat. The searing violins provide the perfect platform for an always-welcome Pharoahe Monch guest appearance. This track rocks classic thick Kanye drums. I dig the high-pitched peals of violin playing near the end of each verse.

• Kanye West – “Gone” featuring Cam’ron and Consequence (off Late Registration, 2005)

Ges: “You sweat her, and I ain’t talking bout Coogi.” How can I break this down? First of all, the way the Otis Redding sample jumps off with those keys in the beginning, you already get a feeling that you’re getting into something real serious. Then slowly you start hearing subtle strings start creeping in after the first few bars — but then Cam’ron comes in harmonizing, and it seems to sort of throw things off, at least in my opinion. But the breakdown definitely makes up for it, and, again, I’m a sucker for strings and violins.

• Kanye West – “We Major” featuring Nas (off Late Registration)

KoldShadow: Probably the most triumphant track I’ve heard since “Lose Yourself” or “The Takeover”. Nas and Kanye trade post-debut-album experiences over vibrant horns and hard bass cuts. Gets more addictive the more you hear it from the jump.

• Kanye West – “Crack Music” featuring The Game (off Late Registration)

Knobbz: The horns and marching band style drums on “Crack Music” make for some righteous crack rap which is juxtaposed with the hallowed singing of the choir in a dope ass way. Whenever I play this joint, I have to get my white ass out of my chair and bop my head something fierce.

DJ Franchise: On Late Registration, Kanye talked about wanting to get a high level of an emotional feel to the instrumentation of his music. With the enlistment of Fiona Apple producer, Jon Brion, Kanye found a producer and musician that could match the emotion of his tone and lyrics to the production. In my opinion, “Crack Music” is the song on Late Registration that epitomizes this the best. From the first bars of music, the delivery, the breakdown, the chorus, the drums, the violins — it all comes together to show the emotion Kanye can deliver with both lyrics and beats.

• Kanye West – “Addiction” (off Late Registration)

Knobbz: One of the spookier Yeezy beats, “Addiction” makes unsettling use of Etta James’ deepened voice; a fitting sample, for James has survived a number of drug addictions. Kanye’s flow is custom-fitted to the beat which consists of a foreboding guitar over bongo drums. I love “Addiction” because it manages to be mellow and on-edge at the same time, an effect that was definitely no accident.

DJ Franchise: The simple sample of Etta James’s voice and the introductory guitar of “My Funny Valentine” make this song a classic. Then, the late roll-in of Kanye’s drums makes the song change pace from mellow to up-tempo. I appreciate this song for the fact that Kanye takes the song to various levels of speed and tone from a very simple sample.

• Kanye West – “Drive Slow” featuring GLC, Paul Wall and T.I. (off Late Registration)

DJ01: This has my favorite Kanye sample — Hank Crawford’s “Wildflower” is simply amazing in its own right. This was custom made for Paul Wall’s (or most any other decent southern rappers) southern drawl. The beat doesn’t change that much over the span of the whole song yet you can’t help but nod the whole way. The light trumpet sample seals the deal.

• Diddy – “Everything I Love” featuring Nas and Cee-Lo (off Press Play, 2006)

Buhizzle: Certain conditions must be met before I can justify to myself that I actually like a Puff Daddy song. First, there must be good guests, because no way am I putting up with 3+ minutes of only Puffy. Second, Puffy must have a good ghostwriter — here, Nas penned both of Puffy’s verses in addition to his own closing verse. And, third, the beat must be dope — enter Kanye. I don’t like to describe shit as “crazy”, but that’s the only thing I say about ‘Ye’s drums on here. Coupled with the signature celebratory-sounding horns on the hook (which ‘Ye teases every 4 bars) and the church organ outro, this song just feels complete.

• The Game – “Wouldn’t Get Far” featuring Kanye West (off The Doctor’s Advocate, 2006)

AaronM: This has to be the most incongruous beat/vocal match-up ever, and I don’t mean that the rappers aren’t spitting on beat. Such ugly lyrics, such a gorgeous track. Kanye has been using the classic “Long Red” break for a while, and this was before he claimed he was chopping his breaks like Dilla. The female vocals paired with the looped “yeaahhh”‘s from “Long Red” propel the track forward perfectly. Reminds me of Freeway’s “What We Do” with Game and Kanye playing off the vocal samples.

Knobbz: It’s easy for a vocal sample to get annoying (see Fabolous – Brooklyn). Here, ‘Ye has the Mountain screaming at Creative Source’s “I’d Find You Anywhere”, which in theory sounds like some producer’s obnoxious little joke. But the beat is far from annoying and actually really catchy. The little chime at the beginning gives the song a kind of game show feel, which is a great backdrop for Game to tear apart video hoes.

• Nas – “Let There Be Light” featuring Tre Williams (off Hip Hop Is Dead, 2006)

Josephlovesit: My friend, who got me heavy into Hip Hop Is Dead, was telling me about a song produced by a former Boyz II Men production team (Tim & Bob) that got cut from the album. I misheard and thought that he was talking about a track that was actually on the album. The closet Boyz II Men fan I am, I started listening closely to the tracks for a sort of soulfulness that could be likened to that of the successful, mid-’90s vocal group. I eventually decided that “Let There Be Light” must be the song that was produced by the former Boyz II Men production team. How could it not be? It was so damn sweet and soulful. And not just “soulful” in that it evoked soul music, but in that there was a nearly-tangible communication of joy that pervaded the production (the entire thing takes on this feeling of constantly rising towards climax). Later on, when I shared my revelation with my friend, he re-informed me that the Tim & Bob production had been cut from the album. Then he either told me “Let There Be Light” is a Kanye West beat or I looked it up on Wikipedia. And that Steve Miller Band drum loop is fucking sick.

• Teriyaki Boyz – “I Still Love H.E.R.” featuring Kanye West (12″ single, 2007)

AaronM: It’s pretty much a straight loop, with a bit of stretching every few bars, but the uplifting horns and stirring strings always grab me. It’s reminiscent of his beat for Jay-Z’s “Encore”, and similarly sounds like celebration music. My favorite part — the beat drops at 2:03, and the loop pops right back in a few seconds later.

• Consequence – “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” featuring Kanye West (off Don’t Quit Your Day Job!, 2007)

Ges: I was always a fan of the Cons after I first heard him on A Tribe Called Quest’s Beats, Rhymes & Life. I bugged when I first heard this song — started digging and found that he sampled Al Green’s “I Wish You Were Here”. The sample is straight piff, and the fact that ‘Ye kept pushing to clear the sample showed his true passion for production and G.O.O.D. music.

• Common – “The Game” (off Finding Forever, 2007)

Travis: I should really hate Kanye for jackin’ the greatest producer and my all-time favorite Primo for his steez. And I would if he hadn’t done the Primo imitation so damn good. From the bassline to the hard hitting drums to the scratched and chopped hook, Kanye crafted a beat that made me lose five bucks on a bet to a buddy. “The Game” is a great beat that encompasses all that is good with hip hop. I’m not familiar with the samples (I’m sure I could look it up, but what fun would that be?), but the fuzzy horns and the dusty drums really made me look at Kanyeezy in a different light, if only for a day or two. It was the only song worth playing more than twice on Finding Forever.

• Kanye West – “Good Life” featuring T-Pain (off Graduation, 2007)

Josephlovesit: What initially put me off about “Good Life” and a lot of the Graduation songs in general was the mix-and-match style that the instrumentation and samples were characterized by. It came off to me as a lack of clear identity. “Good Life” is the best and now my favorite example of this. The synths aren’t any musical reference or homage to a certain style of synthesizer-past, but rather sort of generic sounding — TranceSynth Preset # 8 or whatever. The beauty is in the layering and repeated buildup and dissolution of the seemingly generic elements throughout the song’s structure (I guess a dance-music staple by this point, but still, it works). Strong harmonies take precedence over quick hooks, falling into each other damn near every other measure. Instruments react to each other in a cohesive and believable way providing lots of space and taking on a sort of call-and-response between themselves so that a musical chain reaction is audible. When hearing “Good Life”, it’s obvious how much Kanye has grown as a composer and arranger.

• Kanye West – “Flashing Lights” featuring Dwele (off Graduation)

Travis: One of my problems with Kanye is that he often over produces and a lot of his beats don’t have that “soul” attached to them. They are great for the clubs, gettin’ your groove on, but they usually lack any real substance. Sort of like a McDonald’s burger — it’s great for a some quick food, but toss any nutritional value out the window. “Flashing Lights” could very easily fall in that category, but it’s just so damn catchy. It almost reminds me of a storm slowly forming, churning, building up over the horizon. You see/feel the lightning (the synths), you feel like all hell is going to break loose as it darkens. Yet, the downpour never happens. This whole track, the beat is slowly building, making you think there is an outbreak ready to happen any minute, yet it never happens. You are teased the whole way, but it’s great. The feeling this track invokes in me when listening is one of many emotions. That is what music is supposed to do, and Kanye does great on “Flashing Lights”.

• Kanye West – “The Glory” (off Graduation)

Brandon: 37 seconds into “The Glory”, this insane bassline rips through the back of the track; thick and buzzing, it barely lets up for the rest of the song’s running time. It’s the kind of sonic detail that your ears can easily gloss over — too busy with regal string stabs and uplifting quasi-chipmunk hook, no doubt — but once you hear it, it spins you in circles. The best thing about “The Glory” is how it relies on some old tricks, flips them enough to not seem derivative, and still fits in with the futuristic electronics that dominate Graduation. Simple stuff like punctuating the verse by letting the beat drop out, that heavy-rock bassline, or accompanying the sample with a chorus of voices late in the song goes a long way.

• Kanye West – “Champion” (off Graduation)

DJ01: Sampling Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne”, and a rapid delivery of drums followed by some claps, Kanye made a song that non-hip hop heads can dig. He flips “… their eyes” so much that it sounds like it’s coming from an instrument, not vocals. The subtly-synthy intro before “Did you realize…” is genius.

• Rhymefest – “I Came Home” featuring Marsha Ambrosius (off El Che, 2008?)

AaronM: Kanye loops Gilberto Gil’s acoustic guitar from his “One O’Clock Last Morning, 20th April 1970″ and replaces his plaintive singing of the title with Marsha Ambrosius’s voice. I love the chunky drums and claps coupled with the gentle guitar strum. Kanye treats Ambrosius’s vocal like a sample, simply another element of his composition. Gilberto’s song was recorded during his political exile in London with fellow Brazilian singer/songwriter Caetano Veloso, and you can hear the homesickness in his voice. I love how Kanye tapped into the emotion of the original and re contextualized it as the backing for Rhymefest to explain what home means to him.