In a recent interview, DJ Mustard shared that it took him just 30 minutes to create the beat for Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” That got us wondering—what other iconic hip-hop beats were made in a flash? As it turns out, quite a few!

With that in mind, here’s a top 10 list of classic hip-hop beats that were crafted in half an hour or less.

1. “Big Pimpin’” – JAY-Z (Produced by Timbaland)

As a master of the Ensoniq ASR10 sampling workstation, Timbaland is known for having a fast workflow. This Bollywood Bouncer is a prime example. Timbo claims the main elements of the track that samples Hossam Ramzy’s “Khusara Khusara” took just 15 mins to put together.

2. “In Da Club” – 50 Cent (Produced by Dr. Dre & Mike Elizondo)

The basic loop of one of Hip-Hops most enduring club bangers “In Da Club” was claimed by Dr. Dre to have been made in under 20 mins. Elizondo then didn’t hang around adding bass and additional instrumentation to finish it off.

3. “Not Like Us” – Kendrick Lamar (Produced by DJ Mustard)

One of 2024’s biggest tunes this Drake Diss track beat has been reported to have been made in less than 30 mins. Comprising of some fairly basic string sample chops lifted from a Monk Harris cover of “I Believe to my Soul” DJ Mustard’s thought process was, what would it sound like if Lil Jon was in the studio with Dr.Dre.

4. “A Milli” – Lil Wayne (Produced by Bangladesh)

One of the quickest conceived beats on the list, Dirty South prod. Bangladesh claims to have made A Milli in About 10 minutes. The beat revolves around a simple syncopated vocal sample chop over some 808-infused trap drums so it’s not exactly Mozart but that doesn’t stop it from destroying dancefloors every time it drops.

5. “The Story of O.J.” – JAY-Z (Produced by No I.D.)

While the exact timings on this one are a little sketchy producer No I.D. has gone on record to say this beat practically fell out of his sampler. Built around some intricate Nina Simone sample chops it’s thought that it took around 30 mins to cook up most of the sequences.

6. “Mask Off” – Future (Produced by Metro Boomin)

Mask Off is built around a heavily processed flute loop lifted from the track “Prison Song” from the 1976 soundtrack Selma. Metro Boomin has gone on record to say this beat came together in less than 15 minutes. Proof if proof were needed that sometimes you just need some trap drums and the right loop to create a classic.

7. “Otis” – JAY-Z & Kanye West (Produced by Kanye West)

Kanye claims he chopped up Otis Redding’s Try a Little Tenderness in just 20 minutes to create the beat for Otis. As with many of Kanye’s statements, it’s worth taking with a grain of salt, but given the beat’s relative simplicity, it’s certainly plausible.

8. “Backseat Freestyle” – Kendrick Lamar (Produced by Hit-Boy)

Produced by Nas’s go-to beatsmith, Hit-Boy revealed he made this Kendrick beat in under 30 minutes. Comprising of just Drums, an 808 Bassline and some heavy percussive rattling, he also confirmed that it was originally intended for RnB singer Ciara before Kendrick picked it up.

9. “I’m On One” – DJ Khaled ft. Drake, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne (Produced by T-Minus & 40)

This synth-led trap banger was conceived and knocked up in roughly 20 minutes according to it’s producer T-Minus. As with many Trap beats, once you are in the zone and come across an inspiring synth patch, inspiration can strike quickly.

10. “Versace” – Migos (Produced by Zaytoven)

Prolific Trap producer Zaytoven is recognised for his quick turnaround of beats. Probably as a result of his beat leasing background where more beats equals more earning potential. In an interview, he boasted that the main section of the Versace beat took about 10-15 minutes to knock up.

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