Many producers don’t get the credit they deserve.
But it still stands true that behind every great hip-hop song is a producer who made it all happen.
Every hip-hop producer has different genres in that they excel, and the ones in this list have brought us some of the best beats in the history of hip-hop.
We hope you enjoy this list of the twenty-five best hip-hop producers of all time.
1. Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young, who is better known as Dr. Dre, is a producer, rapper, and CEO who founded Aftermath Entertainment, Beats Electronics, and Death Row Records.
His production discography spans thirty years, beginning in 1986.
Many of his production credits feature singles and albums with the group N.W.A., which he was a member of.
The most successful single that he produced was “In Da Club” by 50 Cent, which Dr. Dre often produced singles for.
2. RZA
RZA, who is known to his friends and family as Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, is a producer whose career began in 1991 and continued until 2022.
He produced almost all of Wu-Tang Clan’s albums and singles, as he was the leader of the group.
He also produced many of the hip-hop crew’s solo releases, including releases by Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, and his own solo recordings.
3. Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith, otherwise known as Just Blaze, is a producer who is well-known for producing many of the best-performing songs in history.
He has produced for big names in hip-hop like Kanye West, Jay-Z, Eminem, and Kenrick Lamar.
His work has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards, and he is best known for producing the number one hit “Live Your Life” with vocals by T.I. featuring Rihanna.
4. The Alchemist
Alan Daniel Maman, better known by his professional name The Alchemist, is a Californian record producer who began producing in 1996.
He has worked with huge hip-hop artists and groups such as Mobb Deep, Prodigy, Ghostface Killah, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Dr. Dre, and SchoolBoy Q.
5. Metro Boomin
Leland Tyler Wayne, better known by his stage name Metro Boomin, is a record producer and executive.
He became known when Future helped him to adopt the producer tag “If Young Metro don’t trust you, I’m gon’ shoot you”.
He has produced for some of the biggest hip-hop artists in the history of rap, including Kanye West, Drake, 21 Savage, Travis Scott, and The Weeknd.
He even won four Producer of the Year Awards and the BET and BMI hip-hop Awards in 2016 and 2017.
6. DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin, who is best known as DJ Premier, formerly known as Preemo, is widely considered one of the best record producers of all time.
His production discography spans from 1989 to 2023 and contains some of the best hip-hop artists ever.
He has worked with Prodigy, Public Enemy, Drake, J. Cole, and Kanye West.
The Source even selected him as one of the twenty best producers in the history of the magazine in 2008 and won second place in Vibe’s greatest hip hop producer of the Year contest.
7. J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey, also known by the name J Dilla or Jay Dee, is a producer who made his way to fame in the underground hip-hop scene.
He began producing in 1994 and certainly earned his spot on this list.
He has produced for some of the best hip-hop artists, including most of Wu-Tang Clan (Raekwon, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah), Sean Paul, Busta Rhymes, Common, Q-Tip, and A Tribe Called Quest.
8. Pete Rock
Peter O. Phillips, otherwise known as Pete Rock, is a Jamacain-American record producer and is recognized for his East Coast hip-hop production work.
He made his debut in 1989 when he produced Big Tyme by Heavy D & the Boyz.
He went on to produce more of their tracks and also worked extensively with Public Enemy, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Jeru the Damaja, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L, and Busta Rhymes.
9. Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin is a very well-known record producer and executive.
Rick is the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, the founder of American Recordings, and was formerly the co-founder of Columbia Records.
He is credited for the rise in popularity of hip-hop and has the trademark of a stripped-down sound that features bar instrumentals.
Rubin has won nine Grammy Awards, including two lots of Producer of the Year in 2007 and 2009.
10. Jay-Z
Jay-Z, whose full name is Shawn Corey Carter, is a record producer and rapper, known as the greatest of all time.
He has produced over ten albums, including Ne-Yo’s Because of You, J. Cole’s Cole World: The Sideline Story, and Cam’ron’s Come Home with Me.
11. Mike WiLL Made-It
Michael Len Williams II, best known by his stage name Mike WiLL Made-It, is a producer known for producing trap beats and southern hip-hop songs.
In 2013 he won a BET Hip-Hop Award for Producer of the Year.
He also won a Grammy Award in 2018 for “HUMBLE.”
by Kendrick Lamar.
Some of his biggest productions include “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd, “No Lie” by 2 Chainz, and “Mercy” by Kanye West.
12. The Neptunes
Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo formed the production duo The Neptunes in 1992, and have produced hits for some of the best hip-hop artists out there, including Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Nelly, and Ludacris.
They have won a total of six awards with eighteen nominations, with a total of four Grammy Awards.
They won the Grammy Award Producer of the Year in 2004, and also Producer of the Decade in 2009 at the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Awards.
13. Madlib
Otis Jackson Jr., otherwise known as Madlib, is a record producer from California.
His production discography began in 1993, and he began by largely producing his own singles and studio albums under the stage name Yesterdays New Quintet.
He produced “Cadillacs” by Snoop Dogg, “No More Parties in LA” by Kanye West featuring Kendrick Lamar, and “What a Day” by Tyler, the Creator, to name a few.
14. No I.D.
Ernest Dion Wilson, better known as No I.D. or formerly Immenslope, is an Illinois hip-hop producer.
In 2010 he won a Grammy Award for “Run This Town” by Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and Kanye West, which he produced with the latter.
The most popular song that he produced was “Holy Grail” by Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake, which was a number-one, multi-platinum hit.
He worked a lot with Jay-Z, Common, Kanye West, and Bow Wow.
15. Q-Tip
Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, who adopted the stage name Q-Tip, is a record producer who is nicknamed The Abstract.
His production style is hip-hop based but introduces jazz influences which gives his productions a distinct sound.
His production of “Galvanize” with the Chemical Brothers won him a Grammy Award in 2006, and he also received nine other nominations.
His debut production was in 1988, for “The Promo” with Jungle Brothers.
16. Hit-Boy
Hit-Boy is a record producer and rapper signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music label.
Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., as he is known to his friends and family, has produced a multitude of number-one, multi-platinum singles.
Among these are “Ni**as in Paris” by Jay-Z and Kanye West, “Trophies” by Drake, and “Racks in the Middle” by Nipsey Hussle featuring Roddy Ricch.
The latter won him a Grammy Award in 2020.
17. Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Daoud Dean, i.e. Swizz Beatz, is a record producer and rapper from New York City.
He has been involved with the production of over one hundred and sixty projects, including a large amount of gold-certified singles in the United States.
He has worked with Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, T.I., Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Drake, and Gucci Mane.
His most well-known production is “I Can Transform Ya” by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Himself, which is platinum certified by the RIAA.
18. Marley Marl
Marlon Lu’Ree Williams, better known as Marley Marl, is a hip-hop producer who began his career in Queens, New York.
He has worked with brilliant rappers such as LL Cool J, Raekwon, KRS-One, Busta Rhymes, and Nas.
His production debut was “Sucker D.J.’s (I Will Survive)” by Dimples D, released as an A-side in 1983.
His most recent production was the 2017 “Gleamin’” by M-Dot featuring B.A.M..
19. Mike Dean
Mike Dean is a producer and audio engineer from Texas, known for his work with the biggest artists in hip hop today, including Kanye West, Kid Cudi, 2Pac, Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Jay-Z, and Drake.
He received a nomination for a Grammy Award in 2016, for his producer credits on Beauty Behind The Madness, The Weeknd’s studio album.
20. Mustard
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, better known by his stage name Mustard or DJ Mustard, is a record producer from California.
He frequently produces the singles and albums of fellow Californian rappers Tyga and YG.
His production debut was “Rack City” by Tyga, which reached number one and was awarded quadruple platinum certification.
21. Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley, also known as Timbaland, is a record producer and record executive from Virginia.
He has won Producer of the Year twice, at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards and the 2007 Vibe Awards.
He has worked with hip-hop artists like Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Ludacris, Nate Dogg, and countless others.
22. Kanye West
Kanye West, sometimes nicknamed Ye, is a record producer, executive, and rapper.
He began producing in 1999, with his debut being “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop” by Dead Prez featuring Tahir and People’s Army.
He has worked with some of the biggest in the business, including Lil Nas X, Playboi Carti, Nas, Drake, Chance the Rapper, French Montana, and A$ap Rocky.
23. Eminem
Eminem is a rapper and record producer, with a large production discography.
He has produced many of his own singles and studio albums, as well as for other artists such as 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and D12 (his band).
Some notable mentions include “Without Me”, “Venom”, and “Lose Yourself” by himself, “Ghetto Gospel” by 2Pac, and “My Band” by D12.
24. DJ Quik
David Marvin Blake, otherwise known as DJ Quik or DJ Quiksta, is a hip-hop producer that is best known for his G-Funk, West Coast hip-hop style.
He has worked with some of the best rappers, including Snoop Dogg, The Game, and Kurupt.
His best-performing production was “Addictive”, a single by Truth Hurts featuring Rakim.
It reached charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
25. Tyler, the Creator
Tyler, the Creator, i.e. Tyler Gregory Okonma, is a record producer from California.
He has received two Producer of the Year nominations and has worked with some great hip-hop artists.
His projects include “Same Problems?” produced with A$ap Rocky, “OPEN A WINDOW” produced with Rex Orange County and featuring himself, and “Big Body’ with SchoolBoy Q featuring Tha Dogg Pound.
Best Hip-Hop Producers – Final Thoughts
The hip-hop producers in the list are the best of the best and have brought us some of the best songs in the history of the genre.
From West Coast to East Coast and throughout the decades, these producers have shown off their skills while working with the best artists in the industry.
We hope you enjoyed checking out these hip-hop producers, who are the best of all time.
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