Their names aren’t always front and center when the music’s presented, but producers are integral to hip-hop. Their title refers to their job: Helping to produce, as in create, a song or body of work. Because rappers are the ones responsible for the vocals and rhymes heard on songs, producers are often credited with the beats. Although some of the greatest producers are beat makers, their work goes beyond this element of the music.
Production entails giving creative direction to artists. In an interview with Natalie Weiner for Billboard, the legendary DJ Premier explained what this process is like. When differentiating between producers and beat makers, he said, “We don’t just lay the beats down — we’re coaches. We tell you, ‘Your voice squeaked right there. You need to go back. Let’s fix that line,’ or ‘Can you do that again with more energy?’ or ‘Can you say this better?’ We’re about more than just putting the track down and calling it a day.”
With this in mind, it’s not hard to see why some of the best beat-makers have also been great producers. Because they’ve crafted the sounds that the MCs are building upon, the beat-makers have good insight into what the sounds call for. Some of the names that appear alongside DJ Premier as examples of this relation between beat-making and production are Marley Marl, Pete Rock, Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, J Dilla, and Timbaland.
Yet, the work of the producers mentioned here seems to have given people the impression that producers and beat-makers have to be one and the same. On the contrary, some of the most prominent producers in hip-hop never actually make beats or play instruments. Their role is to provide guidance to rappers that help them progress their music. The greatest example of this is Puff Daddy.
During the creation of Ready to Die by the Notorious B.I.G., Puff had to convince Biggie that rhyming over a sample of Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit” would be a hit. This advice from Puff is largely responsible for Biggie’s willingness to do songs like “Big Poppa” and “Hypnotize,” even though they differed from the sound that first earned him attention. Biggie’s skill as an MC would have led to great music whether or not Puff was the person behind him. However, the singles mentioned here added dimension to Biggie’s music and persona that attracted more fans to his music. Without Puff’s input, Biggie’s albums might have had less impact on music simply because fewer fans would’ve listened to them. It didn’t involve beat-making, but Puff’s work here was production.
Puff has produced for many hip-hop and R&B acts throughout the years. In the ‘90s as well as this past year, he has worked in conjunction with the Hitmen – a collective of producers that provide the instrumentation that brings Puff’s visions to life. Some of the members have been Mario Winans, Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie, Chucky Thompson and Stevie J.
Someone who has used a similar system to make music of his own is DJ Khaled. In an interview with HOT 97, Khaled explained that he made beats and programmed songs before his rise to fame, but he has since worked with a team of beat-makers to create his music. This team includes Lee on the Beats, Ben Billions and the Nasty Beatmakers. Although his team makes the beats, Khaled figures out which artists would work well together on a song, directs them so that they buy into the song’s concept, and alters the beats to get the sound he wants. It can be hard to see past his Snapchat posts and music video skits, but Khaled deserves credit for being a producer that consistently puts together hits.
Puff and Khaled’s careers prove that production extends beyond creating a beat. However, fans shouldn’t lose the value in beat-making. Instrumentation allows hip-hop music to exist and take on new forms. Furthermore, the process of crafting the backdrop to a hip-hop song can be a beautiful thing to witness. Proof of this can be found in the “Rhythm Roulette” series by Mass Appeal on YouTube. In the series, greats such as Large Professor and 9th Wonder compose beats while sampling records that they’ve chosen while blindfolded. From figuring out the parts of a sample that can be isolated to mastering the technology needed to do so, the series displays just how much skill is needed to make great instrumentals.
Beat-making and production are disciplines within hip-hop that shouldn’t be taken for granted. With better understanding of them, fans can appreciate more of the people that provide them with the music they love. Creators within the genre can benefit from this understanding as well because once they know what separates the two processes, they can figure out how they relate to each. In order for people to hone their crafts, they have to be able to identify their crafts.
Did you know what all went into music production? If you learned something, share this post on Facebook below!
READ NEXT: 15 Hip-hop artists from Toronto to look out for
