Best Producers Of All-Time

What's happening peeps?!  Thanks for coming back with me for this new post.  This is for all things relating directly and indirectly to hi-hop.  This post concerns the celebration of hip-hop producers.  While current trending jacks like Zaytoven, Metro Boomin, Noah "40" Shebib, and Hit-Boy are dominating the airwaves, they had to have gotten their sound from somewhere.  Who were/are their influences?  This is for all the producers that have either paved the way for the current sound or are still making waves for future producers and beatmakers to sink their teeth into.  There are a lot of producers who's sound we don't bump as much as used to, if we still do at all.  However, this is for those who (I feel) have left legacies to remember or are still building there's up.  Without further a due , let's get started with my top 20 (in no particular order).

 The Alchemist

                                                               


















Anyone that personally knows me knows the fact that this cat from Los Angeles is my favorite producer in the game and definitely one of my favorites ever.  This former member of The Whooligans crew started working with the likes of Dilated Peoples, Mobb Deep, Defari, and Nas and became one of hip-hop's most in-demand producers for his very melodic creations.  Citing DJ Premier and Pete Rock as influences of his, it's no wonder why he's being compared to him in terms of greatness.  Here's a taste.





DJ Premier

                                                           

There's NO way you can mention revered hip-hop producers without mentioning this legend.  This producer-de-force originally from Texas made a name for himself being taught by Queens legend, Large Professor, and from there he was responsible for all of he and partner-in-rhyme the late Guru's albums as Gangstarr.  Seen as the quintessential NY sound maker, other than Da Beatminerz, Premo has a zero fail formula, and is the innovator of the "scratch chorus", which a lot of producers emulate to this day.  He has since blessed everyone as diverse as Nas to Snoop Dogg, to Bun B to even Christina Aguilera (!) and all sounded ridiculous.  All hail King Preme! 

Pete Rock

                                                                          

The "Chocolate Boy Wonder" himself is as highly influential as anyone during the nineties, and is still relevant today.  Most remember him as the producer half of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, and their landmark hit "T.R.O.Y.", but let us not forget he also contributed to one of Nas' most legendary singles, "The World Is Yours".  He dropped his first compilation album, Soul Survivor, in '98, thus bringing people into his brand of boom-bap production.  The cousin of the late Heavy D has since dropped gems for INI, Busta Rhymes, Smif-N-Wessun, and Ghostface Killah among many others.  Whenever you've been seen as an influence to the likes of Kanye, 9th Wonder, and the late J Dilla, consider yourself a god in hip-hop betaking and producing.

 J Dilla/Jay Dee

Arguably seen as the most respected and praised hip-hop producer within the past two decades, the late James Yancey left a legacy that was seen as unrivaled.  His lush arranging and sampling was his trademark and he became subsequently one of the true masters of the MPC.  Most known for early work with his high school friends of T3 and the late Baatin to form the trailblazing Detroit trio Slum Village, he later decided to branch to combine his talents with Tribe's Ali Shaheed and Q-Tip to form the trio The Ummah, which had produced Beats, Rhymes, and Life and The Love Movement from A Tribe Called Quest and cuts from Keith Murray's exceptional sophomore album, Enigma.  A true genius behind the boards, everyone from Kanye to No I.D., 9th Wonder, Hi-Tek, and more have been greatly influenced by Dilla.  He never allowed his battle with lupus to deter him from his passion, thus leaving behind TONS of instrumentals for the world to hear, and we can't thank him enough for it.  His instrumental albums consisting of Donuts and Jay Stay Paid among others showed the unmatched talents of this brilliant producer.  Rest well Dilla Dawg!  Your legacy isn't going anywhere.

 Dr. Dre

                                                                         

The almighty D-R-E.  Seen as hip-hop's Quincy Jones, he's looked at as one of the single most influential and masterful producers in all of hip-hop.  The innovator and originator of the nineties west coast gangsta sound, Andre Young was already a hellacious producer since the N.W.A. days, but completely evolved his sound come 1992 with his benchmark, The Chronic, and it marked the beginning of the renaissance for the west, but also in hip-hop period.  From The Chronic, he made another masterpiece with Snoop's debut, Doggystyle, and we were off and running with this new Cali sound.  Ten years after The Chronic, he dropped 2001, which evolved his sound even more, but where the hell is Detox??  No doubt a perfectionist, it's very possible we may never see Detox emerge, but regardless, if Dr. Dre did a track, best believe it's murda!  

 9th Wonder

North Carolina's own 9th Wonder has progressively become one of the most hard-working producers in the game and is redefining hip-hop with his often soulfully induced sampled hip-hop.  A true student of the game, he was influenced by the likes of Premo, Dilla, Kanye, and other greats to help shape his sound.  His rise from fantastic underground producer to sought after mainstream producer came in the form of Jay-Z's "Threat" from his release The Black Album, and even garnered himself a spot for Destiny's Child's Destiny Fulfilled album with their hit "Girl", along with "Is She The One".  While us hip-hop nerds hope and pray for a Little Brother reunion one day, we'll be content with others such as Rapsody, Saigon, Murs, David Banner, and Skyzoo slaying over his outstanding smooth and soul-driven samples.  He also assembled a team of fellow NC producers such as Khrysis, E. Jones, Eric G, Ka$h, sand even Virginia's powerhouse Nottz to call themselves The Soul Council.  A future legend is among us, and believe me, a decade from now, he'll still be among your favorite rapper's favorite producers list.





Madlib

LA's own Madlib has been a constant dweller in the underground for nearly twenty years now but everything he does is quirky and eccentric, yet extremely melodic and keeps the repeat button going.  Primarily having a jazz-based influence, he has assembled some very creative pieces that have often been among some of the most acclaimed in all of hip-hop.  A multi-instrumentalist, Madlib has done work not only on his own stuff consisting of his group Yesterday's New Quintet, and his rapping alter-ego, the high-pitched Quasimoto and his acclaimed album, The Unseen, but outside work with the likes of Tha Alkaholiks, OGC, and Lootpack, but it was when he collaborated with underground legend MF DOOM for the timeless classic Madvillainy that more heads knew who he heads and he came really into his own.  He further generated more of a fan base with his fantastic collar with Dilla as Jaylib for their album Champion Sound and most recently with Freddie Gibbs for another instant classic in Piñata.  Be clear, he's nowhere near done, and that's all kinds of exciting.





Apollo Brown

This sought after producer from the D (Detroit for those not in the know) has emerged as a bonafide threat in hip-hop.  Often compared to a Detroit version of 9th Wonder, his thick-drummed, melodic sampling boom bap hip-hop has been widely acclaimed, especially with his work with O.C. for the album Trophies and with Guilty Simpson for the album Dice Roll.  His other work with the group Ugly Heroez and with former Little Brother member Rapper Big Pooh is continuing his momentum as one of hip-hop's most intriguing producers.





Mannie Fresh

Now you know we can't leave the South out of the mix.  One of the trailblazers for the southern sound is former Big Tymer and Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh.  Widely known for his work with early Cash Money consisting of The Hot Boy$ (Juvenile, B.G., Lil Wayne and Turk) and his own stuff with Birdman as Big Tymers, he branched out after a falling out with Birdman to do stuff for the likes of Clipse and T.I.  There's also an album he supposedly was working on with Mos Def called OMFGod, which may or may not ever see the light of day.  In any event, Mannie is still seen as someone who helped revolutionize the southern sound with thick 808s and trunk rattling bass.  One can only wonder what would happen if The Hot Boy$ were to all reunite and have Mannie produce the album.  The results would likely be amazing.





Mike WILL Made It

One of the current in-demand producers goes by the name of Mike WILL Made It, and he has definitely taken the rap world by force, most notably the southern region with his brand of knocking 808-hip-hop.  Known for the occasional "trap" style production, among his hits have been Juicy J's "Bands A Make Her Dance", 2 Chainz' "No Lie", Future's "Turn Out The Lights", and Rihanna's "Pour It Up", which are all constant rotators to this day.  Taking the "trap" style from the underground to a widely mainstream audience, Mike WILL Made It is beaning his own niche into established legacies of hip-hop producers.




DJ Quik

Another pioneer of the Cali gangsta sound is David "DJ Quik" Blake.  Quik since his childhood has been a musician, but put that with his love of hip-hop and we have a winner (as with most on this list).  Since his seminal debut in '91, Quik Is The Name, he has had a sound all his own that isn't quite as melodic consistently as Dr. Dre's per se, but is every bit as funk fused if not more.  Aside from his own projects, he has worked with the likes of various artists such as Xzibit, Eightball & MJG, R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone, and even Talib Kweli to further establish his notoriety.  Best believe if a funky, party starting groove if what you're looking for in your production, Quik is a name that will be at the top of the lists throughout time.





Pharrell Williams/The Neptunes

From Virginia comes one of the most unique, yet successful, producers of our era.  Starting out with Chad Hugo to form the ever successful Neptunes production duo, they broke up only to have Pharrell emerge as one of the most in-demand and go-to producers not just in hip-hop, but all of popular music as well.  Grammys galore, Mr. Williams has been a juggernaut, composing greatness with the likes of Britney Spears, Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, and many others.  It was in 2014, however, that he hit his biggest achievment in the form of "Happy", which sold nearly 14 million copies and making it one of the biggest single ever.  His pedigree so far is that among legends, and he isn't showing any signs of slowing down any time soon.




 

Marley Marl

This production innovator is widely considered one of the true giants of hip-hop.  He was the first to use sampling in hip-hop, and has since put together classic pieces that still get rotated to this day.  Mostly known for his in demand work in the 80s working with the likes of The Juice Crew, Heavy D & The Boyz, and MC Lyte, he reached a whole new audience when he produced the entire album Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J, which is considered LL's magnum opus.  Once the 90s hit in full bloom, he worked with artists like Da Youngstas, Lords Of The Underground, Fat Joe, and CNN on their classic debut The War Report.  Many producers such as Pete Rock have used Marl as an influence in their beat and sampling techniques.


  

Kanye West

What can you say that hasn't already been said about Mr. West?  Some call him eccentric.  Many call him conceited.  One thing everyone should call him: genius.  Revered as the Quincy Jones of this era, Kanye continues to push the musical boundaries of what hip-hop should sound like.  A student of the game, he studied under the likes of J Dilla, Pete Rock, and hometown hero No I.D. and became the single most intriguing producer in all of the genre and perhaps in all of music.  Aside from constructing his own monuments like The College Dropout, Graduation, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Late Registration, he has also helped to put together great albums from Consequence, Pusha T, and especially the greatest Common album ever presented, BE.  Guaranteed to go down as one of the greatest producers of all-time, heads can look forward to a new album from him this year, and one can only imagine what he has in store for us when he drops it.  Perhaps a new standard in pushing more boundaries in music altogether.

 

Large Professor

Queens' Large Pro is credited with a couple of key things.  For starters, he taught DJ Premier how to use an SP-12 drum machine, and he also introduced the world to a young, nasal voiced Queensbridge up-and-comer named Nasty Nas on the now famous cut, "Live At The BBQ" from his former group Main Source's outstanding debut album, Breakin' Atoms.  Since then he's been a frequent collaborator with Nas, along with the likes of Cormega, AZ, Torae, Jeru The Damaja, and Joell Ortiz, which shows how much NY heads respect and appreciate Xtra P.  His own debut album, appropriately entitled The LP, is considered a true gem of an album some twenty years after it was supposed to be released (it got released finally a few short years ago).  Salute to Large Pro!





 RZA

  


The Ruler Zig-Zag redefined a whole NY sound in the early 90s when he came through with seven other emcees that knocked the world off its axis called the Wu-Tang Clan.  Their debut, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is considred one of the greatest albums to ever hit ears and showed the unorthodox stylings of RZA. His penchant for kung-fu samples mixed with dusty drum patterns and slowing or speeding up soul samples (a style later used by Just Blaze, Kanye, Apollo Brown, 9th Wonder, and a host of others) made him a standout in east coast beatmaking.  Aside from his own Wu-related projects, he has done stuff for The Throne (Kanye & Jay-Z), the late Big Pun, Earl Sweatshirt, and Talib Kweli and has even done scores for films like Kill Bill and Man With The Iron Fists.  Truly a renaissance man.




 

Just Blaze

One producer that started to set fire to the early millennium was Jersey's own Just Blaze.  Coming almost from relative obscurity, he became Roc-A-Fella's go to producer, along with Kanye, to construct some of the most hard hitting chipmunk soul tracks during that time period.  Producing albums for Jay, Beanie Sigel, Young Gunz, and especially Freeway's sick debut Philadelphia Freeway made him a household name.  Since his departure from the ROC, he has still put out bangers from Slaughterhouse (with whom he's executive producing their next Shady Records album, Glass House), Saigon, Cam'ron, Talib Kweli, Kendrick Lamar, and even Maroon 5 for their smash, "Makes Me Wonder".  One thing's for sure: if you see a track with Blaze's name attached to the production credit, it'll be on constant repeat.






 Battlecat

Long Beach's own Battlecat has supplied his own brand of g-funk all throughout the west coast for over twenty years.  Known for his work with Snoop, Tha Eastsidaz, Kurupt, Lucy Pearl, Xzibit, and others, he's characterized his super thick synth bass lines and hand clap snares into a signature west coast sound.  Usually the perfect soundtracks to Crip Walk to.  It's something about that Battlecat g-funk.


 

Timbaland

This Grammy Award-winning producer from Virginia has etched out a legacy that has placed him among the greatest to ever do it, in any genre.  First making his name known on Ginuwine's debut, Ginuwine...The Bachelor, he later paired with the late Aaliyah for her One In A Million album and for Missy Elliot's debut, Supa Dupa Fly, both of which were commercial successes.  From there, he became one of pop music's most sought after producers and songwritiers, collaborating with the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Nas, Rihanna, and Rick Ross.  He found enormous with Justin Timberlake and his  Futuresex/Lovesounds album and Nelly Furtado's Loose album, both of which hit Diamond status and above.  He returned with Justin for his other outstanding album The 20/20 Experience, in which nearly four million copies have been sold, and is considered a pop music masterpiece.  His upcoming solo album, Opera Noir, promises to change the landscape of urban music as we know it.  Knowing Tim, don't bet against him.


 

Erick Sermon

The self-professed "Green Eyed bandit" is a legend in this game.  As one-half of the seminal duo EPMD, Sermon has been producing since their landmark debut in '88, Strictly Business.  It wasn't until he started on his own solo work when he started finding his own sound, and it worked with often fantastic results.  His debut, No Pressure, was a slept-on album of sheer dopeness, then along with Redman and Keith Murray, he created the Def Squad and the three of them put out some of the craziest hip-hop throughout the late nineties to the early millennium.  Among them were Redman's Muddy Waters, Keith Murray's incredible album, Enigma, and the Def Squad album, El Nino.  Outside of the Squad, he has worked with the likes of Illegal, Scarface, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, Xzibit, and Ludacris with his patented E-Double funk.  Although he's been on the low over the past few years, notably due to an unfortunate heart attack in 2012, he returns this August with his first album in eight years, E.S.P. with more of the same that we've been missing.





Other notable producers that have made an impact in the game include:

No I.D.
Organized Noize
Da Beatminerz
Buckwild
Easy Mo Bee
EZ Elpee
Havoc
Lord Finnesse
N.O. Joe
Mike Dean
Terrace Martin
Ayatollah
Lex Luger
DJ Toomp
Khrysis
Marco Polo
Statik Selektah
L.E.S.
Swizz Beats
Wyclef Jean
Missy Elliot
Prince Paul
Nottz
Oddisee
DJ Scratch
Dan The Automator
Danger Mouse
Hi-Tek
Sir Jinx
The Bomb Squad
Ant Banks
DJ Jazzy Jeff
K-Def
Diamond
Lil' John

As you can see, producers have been the embodiment of the hip-hop sound from generation to generation.  With so many up-and-comers, one can only hope that they can step in the shoes that have been set for them to fill when it's all said and done.  Until next time dogs and cats, have a great week, and stay living hip-hop!

Soundtracks...How Much We Miss You

What's good peoples!!  Glad to see you rocking with me once again!  What a half-year we've had in terms of releases.  Last week I delivered the best albums of the past half-year, with stellar releases from Kendrick, Skyzoo, Slum Village, L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae, Georgia Anne Maldrow, and Oddisee being among the standouts, with more to come from artists like Gangrene, De La Soul, Nas, Scarface, and Slaughterhouse.  However, this week I'm going to dive into an ocean that's been sorely under-utilized and has lost its flair: the hip-hop soundtrack.

With the arrival of the movie Southpaw, its accompanying soundtrack has the makings of a throwback of nineties excellence with Eminem playing the role of Executive Producer for this project, with selections from Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, 50 Cent, Action Bronson, Joey Bada$$, and Slim himself contributing three or four tracks.  This made me reminisce about how monstrous hip-hop soundtracks used to be.  Trust and believe, there were exceptional soundtracks in our day, and we'll go over a few of them, in no particular order.

This particular soundtrack has to be considered the best soundtrack Def Jam has ever released.  From top to bottom this was a smash, and with production from the likes of Erick Sermon, P. Diddy & The Hitmen, Q-Tip, and Warren G, the soundtrack spawned such hits as the magical combo of Red & Meth "How High", Warren G's group, The Dove Shack's "Summertime In The LBC", and Bone Thugs N Harmony's "Everyday Thang".  This set a new standard of hip-hop soundtracks and how well each artist and their contributions can come together seamlessly to make an incredible project.

This was arguably the last great project from Loud Records, which was seen as the best underground label besides Rawkus Records there was in all of hip-hop.  The movie was documenting Kenny Jones and the relationship with his prodigious street ball players.  The soundtrack was just straight RAW.  This was as gutter of a soundtrack one would hear during this time period.  Contributions from Mobb Deep, Big Pun, dead prez, Xzibit, and Wu-Tang brought the streets in such hard fashion, with the the title track from the Wu All-Stars of Shyehim, Killa Sin, and Timbo King putting the stamp on one of the most ridiculous albums Loud Records ever dropped.

This one was actually a sleeper, as Jive Records put out a rather formidable soundtrack which centered around the first single by Cube (who also starred in the movie), "The World Is Mine".  From there, production was very strong, especially from Pete Rock on the Bahamadia/MC Lyte/Yo Yo/Nonchalant banger "Keep On Pushin".  Also, tracks from Spice 1, Keith Murray, KRS-One and even Jay-Z were highlights on a formidable soundtrack that Jive excellently pulled off.  We never saw a lot of soundtracks from them, but this one was quite hard.

Man!!  This was a hard-hitter from Tommy Boy Records, which was the home of acts like De La Soul and Penalty Records (CNN, Crooked Lettaz, Half A Mil) dropped a monster of a soundtrack for a movie that almost matched the strength of the soundtrack.  This soundtrack mixed everything from R&B, southern hip-hop, west coast and of course a strong east coast influence.  This soundtrack was known for dropping two breakout singles: Outkasts's "Benz Or Beamer" (which introduced the much adored Bankhead Bounce dance) and the debut of Total, with their breakout hit with Biggie, "Can't You See".  Other notables include cuts from Lords Of The Underground, Keith Murray, Young Lay, Heavy D, and of course Maze & Frankie Beverly for their legendary hit "Before I Let Go".  The interesting thing was this was a split series.  The other volume of the soundtrack dropped about three weeks later, but wasn't as hard-hitting as this one, although one could argue Jeru The Damaja's Premo-powered cut "Invasion" could hold the entire album up by itself.  In any case, NJD was one of Tommy Boy's craziest releases ever.

When you have a soundtrack for an instant classic like Friday, it HAS to match it, and it came pretty damn close.  Easily one of the most laid-back soundtracks of that era, this utilized heavy doses of west coast hip-hop, with some old soul and funk and provided a meaningful soundscape for such a movie.  Most known for Dr. Dre's "Keep Their Heads Ringing" and Cube's "Friday", this was the soundtrack specially made for those Cadillacs to cruise through your local strip during the summertime, but also for that subdued house party filled with drinks and that good stuff.  No violent images, just chill in and maintaining.  Can't get much better than that.

In the mid-late nineties, there wasn't a stronger Southern label than No Limit (Cash Money was bubbling but didn't breakthrough until around '99 and 2000).  Master P had taken several cats from his New Orleans hometown and helped them become rappers.  Although most were never really critically acclaimed, they would also hit gold units with virtually no radio singles.  Percy took the next step into mainstream acceptance with a straight to VHS movie appropriately called I'm Bout It, which was an autobiographical look at P's rise to make it out of the ghetto and the never ending hurdles getting to that goal.  The accompanying soundtrack was the perfect wife to the movie, as it featured mostly No Limit artists with outside appearances by the likes of Eightball & MJG, the almost-totally-forgotten-about E-A-Ski, and Brotha Lynch Hung.  These artists and more hammered lyrics over menacing Beats By The Pound production that reflected the entire aura of this cult classic.

One of the greatest hood movies of all-time, and wonderfully put together by John Singleton, inspired an equally potent soundtrack.  This iconic movie's soundtrack had bits of R&B  but, overall performances by Kam, Cube, Compton's Most Wanted, and Yo Yo among others made this a huge standout in 1991.  Honestly, who wasn't KILLING "Growing Up In The Hood" during this time??

Another gripping hood movie, this time constructed by The Hughes Brothers, and the soundtrack was knocking.  This West Coast centered album contained some vicious, yet vivid, cuts from the likes of Spice 1, UGK, DJ Quik, Ant Banks, and the most known cut, the incredible MC Eiht contribution "Streiht Up Menace".  The only R&B contribution came from Hi-Five, with "Unconditional Love", but this was soundtrack was as intense as any soundtrack out during this period.

Tupac's first starring role in a movie was definitely worth the hype, as another hood crime drama (Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society came out that same year) gave us a thrilling and hard edged soundtrack.  While there were no Pac cuts on here, that didn't matter because just the tracks from the likes of Eric B & Rakim, Naughty By Nature, Big Daddy Kane, and EPMD took care of the satisfaction value.  Often seen as the East Coast equivalent of Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society in terms of hard knocking soundtracks, this will forever be a favorite for those who preferred slightly scaled down, yet still very street-themed, hip-hop as opposed to the brutality the likes Menace II Society would present.

Okay, so the movie wasn't any kind of scary for it to be considered a "Horror" movie, but its soundtrack was nothing to play with.  The Spike Lee executive produced movie is a lot more favorited than say Snoop's Hood Of Horrors, but the soundtrack was a dark, at times violent, collection of macabre joints that featured performances from Wu-Tang, the almost forgotten about Domino, South Central Cartel, Gravediggaz and a solo effort from the late Ol' Dirty Bastard that were excellent sound scales for this movie.

Around '93 and '94, NOBODY was touching Death Row Records.  Yes the east had Nas, Biggie, Wu-Tang, Tribe, and Boot Camp Click, plus the south was emerging with Outkast and Organized Noize, but the west was clearly running things.  They completely brought the west coast to prominence in a way like never before.  Captained by Dr. Dre and his then prodege Snoop Dogg, everything the "Row" dropped was considered a new level in hotness for hip-hop.  In '94, Snoop dropped a short film named after a cut from his landmark Doggystyle album called "Murder Was The Case".  This was also during a true-to-life situation, in which Snoop was fighting a first-degree murder case.  The soundtrack to this short film has to be considered as much of a classic as The Chronic and Doggystyle.  From the first time you hit play, Dre had you hooked, and these also showed off the production abilities of the likes of Daz Dillinger (known as Dat Nigga Daz at the time), Sam Sneed, and Soopafly.  This was not known for a reworking of "Murder Was The Case", but also for the reunion of Dre and Cube for the ominous "Natural Born Killaz", complete with his highly controversial video depicting their own version of the OJ Simpson murder case.  Nevertheless, performances from Tha Dogg Pound, Sam Sneed, and DJ Quik among others were stellar and counts as one of the most gangsta-filled masterpieces during this or any time.

The hilarious comedy with Jon Lovitz and Mekhi Phifer also spawned a very formidable soundtrack that can still hold weight today.  This Atlantic-distributed album had some pretty good R&B contributions from the then unknown Braxton sisters, D' Angelo, Faith Evans, and Jodeci, but the hip-hop on here was truly fantastic.  The initial single was Wu-Tang's ode to their clothing line "Wu Wear (The Garment Renaissance)", however it just gets more dope from there.  Among excellent standouts from the likes of Real Live, Scarface, The Roots, Artifacts, and Tribe, the highlight has to go to the magical connection of Large Professor and Pete Rock, who presented one of the most hypnotic beats heard throughout the nineties in "The Rap World".  Overall, this was a fun and definitely rotatable soundtrack and has to be considered among the best.

The oft-times hilarious movie with Doctor Dre and Ed Lover had an accompanying soundtrack that had as much flavor as the movie.  With performances from House Of Pain, Timbo King, Erick Sermon, and Biggie (who could escape the riotous "Party & Bullshit"?), this soundtrack was simply a party waiting to happen.  Not far from equalling some of the best party soundtracks such as House Party and Disorderlies, Who's The Man is a knocking, yet fun, ride in spite of the short length.

This was the first soundtrack scored and executive produced by RZA, and of course the Wu-Tang sound and influence was all over this album.  This was a family album, with outside guests like Jeru The Damaja and Kool G. Rap shining as brightly as the Wu and their extended family members such as Royal Fam, LA The Darkman, and Tekeitha.  Complete with quotes from Forest Whitaker in full character from the movie, this was a unique, yet excellent, tour de force of an album.  With RZA doing every beat on here, one would think was another Wu-Tang Killa Bees compilation, however this was better and the movie itself, as good as it was, could've possibly taken a back seat to how tremendous this soundtrack was.  This is the Wu sound we miss today.

Among the many landmark, game changing albums that got released in '94 came this particular soundtrack.  Executive Produced by Suge Knight and released under Deathrow Records, this was almost as big of a monster as their previously stated Murder Was The Case soundtrack.  While there was almost as many R&B cuts as hip-hop cuts on here, the hip-hop that was on here went completely IN.  This marked the debut of the Lady Of Rage with her signature cut, "Afro Puffs" plus the debut of Warren G and the late Nate Dogg with "Regulate".  Once you include other stellar performances from 2Pac, Tha Dogg Pound, and 2nd II None, this was an exceptional soundtrack.  Furthermore, word is that there were supposedly more Pac tracks that were originally a part of the album but due to time constraints, they couldn't fit on there.  One could only imagine if the left off tracks were to be included.

Yet another Deathrow-released soundtrack makes its way onto this list, and this is actually the only double album on the list.  Released months after the tragic death of Biggie and a year after the death of Pac, this was met with a mixture of hesitance and intrigue.  However, the results were quite dope.  Previously released cuts like "Staring Out My Rearview" and "Life's So Hard" from Pac were at their gripping best.  Make no mistakes about it.  This album, practically from top to bottom, was a knocker.  With Daz Dillinger providing most of the production, this served as one of the best albums during the decline of the Deathrow era, and it went out with a bang.

This particular soundtrack from Priority Records wasn't as highly talked about as many other soundtracks during '97, but it should've been.  Much like The Show, this documentary centered on the origins and the various lifestyles within hip-hop culture.  This doc, however, was more raw and grassroots than The Show, and the resulting soundtrack was more underground as well.  Do not think that this made the quality of the soundtrack any less.  In fact, many have argued that, as time as passed, this is among the best soundtracks that's purely hip-hop ever presented.  The soundtrack was highlioghted by the magical collabo between Tha Dogg Pound and Mack 10, "Nothin But A Cavi Hit", but other bangers included "Uni-4-orm" by Ras Kass, Canibus, and Heltah Skeltah, "Tragedy" by RZA, and "Bring It Back" by KRS-One.  This was a hip-hop soundtrack that still stands the test of time.  While '97 was a tragic year in the game with the death of B.I.G., music like this made it a memorable one as well, only in a positive sense.

During the early part of the new millennium, what wasn't being said about Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson?  He had MURDERED the game with his Interscope-debut, Get Rich Or Die Tryin', but it wasn't enough.  He released a movie by the same name, as well as the soundtrack that accompany it.  The album was primarily contained in-house, as only G-Unit artists provided the bangers on the soundtrack.  The album soared to triple platinum status, and with cuts like 50's "Window Shopper", "Best Friend" w/ Olivia, and "When Death Becomes You" by M.O.P., it wasn't hard to see why.  Say what you will about G-Unit, but they were at the top of the hip-hop world during their era and albums like this solidified their place.

How do you match one of hip-hop's perennial movies?  With an equally sharp soundtrack.  Did Eminem accomplish this?  Hell yeah he did.  This five-time platinum selling monster contained some of the dopest cuts heard during the early millennium.  Yeah, yeah, we know how insane "Lose Yourself" and "Wanksta" were, but how about the rest of the album?  Well, all you have to do is listen to cuts like "8 Miles & Runnin", "Rap Game" and "U Wanna Be Me", and any doubts that were had were erased completely.  There was even a release of More Music From 8 Mile, which contained the songs of the cuts played in the battle scenes in the movie like "Shook Ones", "C.R.E.A.M.", and "Survival Of The Fittest".  This was just a pure, unadulterated hip-hop movie, and its soundtrack rattled every bit as hard.

A very sorely slept-on soundtrack, Slam is a movie about a slam poet's rough struggle to escape his environment and the soundtrack to it is pretty damn good in itself.  Although performances by Black Rob, KRS-One, and Goodie Mob, among others were excellent, the title of best cut must go to dead prez and their amazing cut "Selling D.O.P.E.".  Released in a monstrous year of releases of '98, this was highly overshaowed, but deserves to be considered among one of the best soundtracks to exist, even if you've never heard it before.

This film of a P.E. teacher-turned basketball coach of troubled boys basketball team was a pretty decent film, but it was its soundtrack that was just the business.   The R&B tracks on here from Aaliyah, Adina Howard and Groove Theory were great, but the hip-hop on here was especially stand out, as Mobb Deep's "Back At You" was a right hook to the face in terms of how bangin' the cut was, plus Ghostface's "Motherless Child" was the start of an incredible run for the emcee also known as Tony Starks.  Performances by 2Pac, MC Lyte, and Big Mike also catapulted the soundtrack into one of '96's most rotated albums.

DUDE!!!!  This was so gutter raw, it made no sense!  Tommy Boy Records had already did damage with New Jersey Drive, but this was not just one of the best hip-hop soundtracks ever, but one of the best hip-hop albums to drop in '99 period.  There was no flaw in this album, ZERO!  Cuts like Screwball's "F.A.Y.B.A.N.", Crooked Lettaz "Firewater", and D.V. Alias Khrist's "The Attack Is On" matched the aggression and intensity the Jet-Li movie provided.  If smash-mouth, non-watered down, whoop your ass hip-hop is what you're into, this is your soundtrack of choice, bar none.


Other notable soundtracks include:
Sunset Park
New Jack City
Nutty Professor
Black & White
 House Party
The Man With Iron Fists
Afro Samurai
Next Friday

This was quite a list, and if there were others you felt I should've included, please feel free to let me know.  However, for all intents and purposes, this was a formidable list, and if you haven't peeped these soundtracks, don't be afraid to Youtube these soundtracks or visit iTunes or Amazon to check them out.  While I don't knock any R&B-geared soundtracks like Soul Food, Love & Basketball, and Love Jones, this, folks, is hip-hop, and that's the premise of this entry.  Until next time, peeps, keep rocking that hip-hop!  it's here to stay!