No one does anything by themselves. For every rapper who has made it to the big time, there are 10 producers who helped them get there. Rappers get the majority of the shine -- that is fine. But it can be immensely satisfying to watch a young producer emerge to reap financial gains and popular and critical acclaim for their talent and hard work. Producers rarely breakout as hard or fast as rappers. But often times it just takes one successful record to set off a chain reaction that soon makes a producer in such demand that their supply cannot meet.
In this article, we spotlight eight producers who have emerged in 2016 and have the potential to do great things in 2017 and beyond. Click through the galleries to see our selections.
Murda Beatz
"This dude white....thats gangsta" - HNHH /u/JCOLEISAFUCKBOY, regarding Murda Beatz
2015 was the year Niagara native and Shaggy doppelgänger Murda Beatz burst onto the scene with his production on Migos' "Pipe it Up." 2016 was the year he proved his versatility. From the glassy-eyed, numb post-club reflections of Drake's "With You" to the jagged glass of French Montana's "No Shopping" to the funhouse mirrors of Travis Scott's "sweet sweet" to the peak Bay vibes of Kool John's "Ahh Shit Got Damn" -- Murda has been nothing short than a jack-of-all-trades in 2016, a rap game Scottie Pippen. His triumphant year culminated in the release of his debut mixtape Keep God First.
Knxwledge
Despite producing “Momma” on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and “Killuminati” on Joey Bada$$’s 1999 and releasing about 458 beattapes in the last six years, Knxwledge gained more recognition than ever this year for his work with Anderson .Paak, specifically as “the guy in the Raisin Bran shirt in the ‘Suede’ video.”
Though “Suede” came out in 2015, it marked the beginning of NxWorries, Knx’s partnership with .Paak that culminated in their album Yes Lawd!, named for .Paak’s joyful ad-lib shouted from the pews. In a year of great artist-producer duos like Gucci Mane-Zaytoven, 21 Savage-Metro Boomin, and Tory Lanez-Play Picasso, perhaps no combination proved as magnetic as NxWorries. .Paak and Knx are blood brothers in taste. .Paak’s smoky tenor melds effortlessly with Knx’s atmospherics, which evokes the bright Los Angeles sun refracted through a glittering haze, a potpourri of soul samples and experimental rhythms that defy the grid. Knxwledge is a mirage.
DJ Swish
23-year-old, jazz-trained DJ Swish made inroads into the LA rap scene via RJ before breaking through with five production credits on YG’s Still Brazy, including “Don’t Come To LA,” “Who Shot Me?,” and “FDT.” Swish’s spare, cinematic style invoked the spirit of ‘The Godfather’ and Dr. Dre while providing a distinctly West Coast mis en scene for YG’s expositions on gangsterism and paranoia. Although Swish was in the studio when YG was shot three times, but musically he acts independently of the rapper. Swish’s creeping, understated shuffles are devoid of anger, driven rather by the dispassion of a drive-by.
Play Picasso
"Play Picasso is a Cuban dude, with long-ass hair, and he's from Miami," Tory Lanez told HNHH at SXSW earlier this year. "He's actually a myth, nobody actually seen Play Picasso, he has no pictures on the internet.” Moments later, he called for Picasso to emerge from the mansion they were renting on the outskirts and introduced him to the crowd while forbidding them to withdraw their cameras.
Picasso’s quiet, polite personal demeanor belied the sheer massiveness of his beats, to which the public was introduced last year on Lanez’s “B.L.O.W.” and “Diego.” This year, the producer continued to develop his opulent sound, which combines dramatic piano, operatic choir, and wispy synths and is a perfect compliment to Lanez’s quest for greatness. Picasso contributed to 10 of 14 tracks on Lanez’s debut album I Told You.
K Swisha
K Swisha was still finishing his college degree somewhere in the northeast when “Uber Everywhere,” a song he produced for Madeintyo, began to gain traction. Travis Scott could not resist the track’s whimsical charm; neither could the masses. “Uber Everywhere” eventually went platinum.
Swisha’s success can largely be attributed to his chemistry with Madeintyo -- he was the chief architect of You Are Forgiven 2 & Thank You, Mr Tokyo -- but his career has thrived beyond the cozy confines of the Private Club. He has collaborated with trappers like Yo Gotti and Rich the Kid, and his 2016 concluded with an appearance on 2 Chainz’s superb Hibachi For Lunch. Indeed, It takes only one trip to his online beat store to realize the depth of his arsenal of bangers.
Frank Dukes
Frank Dukes is not new to the game. Prior to 2016, he had already worked with Drake, Eminem, & Future. "Diamonds Dancing," "Maria, I'm Drunk," "Planez"... all Dukes.
But it has been a career year for the Toronto-based producer-composer His credits from the past 12 months include Kendrick Lamar's "levitate," Kanye West's "Real Friends," Travis Scott and Young Thug's "Pick Up the Phone," Ty Dolla $ign's "Zaddy," Post Malone's "Deja Vu," Pusha T's "Circles," Drake's "Fake Love," and J. Cole's "Immortal."
Dukes operates within the lucrative niche of composing samples and selling them to producers at a fraction of the price that it would cost artists to pay the publishers of pre-existing songs. Hip hop is in the midst of a streaming revolution; with the amount of money that artists lose to sample clearances (as much as 80%), Dukes may be leading a sampling revolution.
Jahaan Sweet
Jahaan Sweet
Frank Dukes co-produced “Zaddy” with Jahaan Sweet, a Jacksonville native and graduate of New York’s prestigious Juilliard School, where he studied jazz piano. While Sweet’s strong foundation of musical theory and technical ability are admirable, he has been able to transfer his skills to become more than a session musician. He is a true producer, a craftsman of vibes who does not lean on his rich harmonies but rather uses them like a painter to to color his hypnotic, straight-ahead drum grooves. Besides “Zaddy,” his biggest songs of 2016 were Kehlani’s “Table” and Ty Dolla $ign’s “$.”
Sweet is already one of the most cerebral producers in the game, and a big reason why Kehlani’s SweetSexySavage is one of the most anticipated releases of early 2017.
Maaly Raw
Each of Lil Uzi Vert’s last three tapes has opened with a Maaly Raw production: LUV is Rage’s “Safe House,” Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World’s “Canadian Goose,” and The Perfect LUV Tape’s “Do What I Want.” Indeed, Maaly Raw’s legend has grown in step with that of his fellow Philadelphian. And while Maaly’s quiet demeanor is the complete opposite of the hyperactive Uzi ("Uzi annoying," he told HNHH. "I can't make no beats in front of Uzi,”) his particular brand of bangers -- booming 808s paired with psychedelic jolly rancher synths -- has come to define the anime-loving Uzi’s sound. Other than "If young Metro don't trust you, I'mma shoot you," no producer tag had the capacity to excite the club into a frenzy like "Dat be Maaly Raw!"