Most die-hard hip-hop heads can rattle off their top five producers with no hesitation. These top producer lists will often feature the same old candidates. Usual suspects such as Dr Dre, J Dilla, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and RZA often dominate these lists.

But for every legend who gets constant recognition, there’s a whole lineup of beatmakers whose impact and influence is just as deep, yet are rarely celebrated. This list attempts to redress the balance, shining a light on 7 producers who deserve their beat-making flowers.

1: Kurtis Mantronik

For the top spot, we head back to the early days of Hip-Hop sampling. Where classics were crafted using just a few seconds’ worth of sample time. And while Marley Marl is rightfully celebrated (and often featured in top producer lists) as a pioneer of crate digging and sampling, this late 80s producer was taking things to whole new levels.

While not quite as prolific as Marley Marl, Kurtis Mantronik’s sample chopping techniques were so advanced that most people at the time weren’t even aware of his wizardry. Take his groundbreaking King of the Beats track. Here, tiny one-shot elements from Bob James’s Take me to the Mardi Gras break were reprogrammed into a completely unrecognisable yet supremely funky rhythm. The track also features a very early appearance of the iconic Amen Break.

Mantronik’s sophisticated sample chopping techniques were perfectly integrated with synths, drum machines and studio effects. Highly intricate midi sequencing was used to create truly original productions that were years ahead of their time. In fact his production for T. La Rocks Bass Machine is though by many to be an early example of what was to become Trap. It featured the iconic machine gun style TR 808 hi hat rolls that are a staple in the Southern hip-hop sound.

2: The Bomb Squad

The Bomb Squad, comprised of Hank and Keith Shocklee along with Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, truly lived up to their name, wreaking havoc on the conventions of late-’80s hip-hop production. Their sophisticated, multi-layered sampling techniques produced dense collages of sound that, on paper, shouldn’t have worked, but somehow did.

Best known for their work with Public Enemy, their production perfectly captured the urgency and intensity of Chuck D’s socially conscious lyrics. Masters of creating “beautiful noise,” they wove together disparate loops, textures, and vocal snippets into a chaotic yet cohesive soundscape. Their influence extended far beyond the U.S. UK hip-hop, for example, frequently drew on the aggressive, noise-filled energy of The Bomb Squad’s beats. And while they were hugely influential at the time, their sound was eventually superseded by a more melodic sound as the 90’s progressed. This, along with the fact that they were so synonymous with Public Enemy, might explain why they are not as widely celebrated today.

3: Salaam Remi

While Salaam Remi’s name might fly under the radar of many hip-hop heads his beats certainly won’t have. He has quietly been creating bangers for decades, covering a broad range of styles. While his background is very much as a hip-hop producer he is a highly versatile beat-smith, producing for artists as varied as Amy Winehouse and Shabba Ranks. He was highly influential in the crossover of dancehall with hip-hop, producing big hits for the likes of Super Cat and Mad Cobra.

His hip-hop credentials are vast, producing his first record for legendary old skool rapper Kurtis Blow back in 1986. Still prolific today, he has been behind many of Nas’s big hits and was also instrumental in the sucess of The Fugees, working behind the scenes as a producer on their breakthrough LP The Score. While Remi’s production style is varied and versatile he has developed a unique knack for reimagining and repurposing classic and iconic breaks and samples.

4: Q Tip

Q-Tip’s work as a producer is often overlooked, largely because he’s so closely associated with A Tribe Called Quest and is instantly recognised as an MC. But there are few producers alive with such a knack for innovative sample selection as Q-Tip. That is prehaps his biggest gift and undoubtedly encouraged producers going into the 90’s to step away from the standard funk and soul sample grounds, pioneering in particular the use of jazz samples. Tip turned the sourcing and placing together of different samples an art form. This combined with a mastery of sonics, thanks largely to his partnership with engineer Bob Powers, gave his productions the sheen and low end precision that other producers at the time couldn’t match. As well as his work as Tribes lead producer he also produced and remixed memorable tracks for the likes of Nas, Craig Mac and Mobb Deep.

And if you have any doubt of Tip’s greatness as a producer, J Dilla himself credited Q-Tip as one of his favourite producers and would collaborate together as the collective The Ummah alongside Ali Shaheed Muhammad. This production unit would go on to become key exponents and shapers of the Neo-Soul sound.

5: DJ Mark the 45 King (RIP)

The late great DJ Mark the 45 King was a highly influential and pioneering producer of the late 80s. A master of sampling, the 45 Kings crates were deep and legendary. As his name suggested as a DJ he had amassed a huge collection of 45″ singles which he lovingly plundered. Known for his trademark horn samples and deeply funky, loop based sampling, 45 King soon became the go-to beatmaker with MC’s clambering to get on one of his beats.

While producing for a wide range of artists in the late 80’s and early 90′ he would become synonymous with 3 iconic productions. Firstly, “The 900 Number” that was an infectious sax led instrumental guaranteed to turn a party out. Then a little later in his career he would produce the Dido sampling “Stan” for Eminem as well as the Annie inspired Jay Z anthem “Hard Knock Life”. Both of these hits proved he was not adverse to thinking outside of the box when sampling.

6: Mel-Man

While most will be familiar with Mel Man’s beat based contributions not so many will be familiar with the name. That’s because he stand’s, or more likely sit’s, in the shadows of the illustrious Dr Dre. As Mel Man is credited in a production role in many of Dre’s biggest hits such as “Still D.R.E”, “The Next Episode” and “The Real Slim Shady” by Eminem, you can’t quite call him a ghost producer. And to what extent he was involved is also unclear as many of these beats also featured the keyboard antics of Scott Storch. But unlike Scott Storch, who went on to have a stella career before running into trouble partying a little too hard, Mel-Man remains a somewhat un sung hero with very little information available about him. A point perfectly illustrated by the low res image used for this blog (There are not many photo’s of Mel Man online)

7: Prince Paul

Another pioneering figure of the late ’80s, one of hip-hop’s most fertile periods for sonic experimentation, was Prince Paul. Whilst still a teenager, he first made his mark as the DJ for Stetsasonic, hip-hop’s first live band. Frustrated by the group’s creative limits, Paul found the perfect outlet when he linked with an unconventional trio from Long Island by the name of De La Soul. The result was 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), a debut that remains one of the most inventive and joyful albums in hip-hop history, thanks in large part to Paul’s genius-level sampling and offbeat sense of humour. Across 24 tracks and skits, he injected an anarchic, quirky spirit that pushed hip-hop into uncharted territory.

That spirit came at a cost, however. One of the album’s skits triggered hip-hop’s first major sample infringement case, after 1960s band The Turtles sued for the use of their song “You Showed Me.” The lawsuit resulted in $1.7 million in damages and forever changed the landscape of sampling.

Undeterred but wiser, Prince Paul went on to produce two more De La Soul albums and played a pivotal role in birthing horrorcore through his dark, theatrical production with the Gravediggaz. While his output has slowed in recent years, Paul’s late-’80s and early-’90s run remains unmatched for its creativity and sense of fun. Few producers before or since have managed to bend the rules of sampling so joyfully, inspiring generations to think outside the box when constructing beats.

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