Producers have always been seen as intermediaries, the creatives working behind-the-scenes who make the music come to life in the studio. Their work is an integral part of the recording process, yet many don’t get the recognition that they deserve, and in some cases have been denied proper credit and/or payment.
In 2017, individuals like Metro Boomin, Murda Beatz, and Pi’erre Bourne changed the tone of the conversation, branching out with their own brands of music, making appearances in music videos, and electrifying the internet with irresistible producer tags. Their efforts have helped to usher in a crop of remarkable new talent that is already shifting the landscape of the genre.
Below are several of the most notable names that have continued to set themselves apart within the past year, and ones that we predict will continue to do so for the remainder of 2018 and beyond. These producers may not all be household names like Metro Boomin just yet, but with the ready support from the artists they're often found working with, it won't be too long. These are producers for a new age of artists, thus they know no bounds when it comes to exploring and exploiting all sounds.
Who are you checking for?
ChaseTheMoney
Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, ChaseTheMoney is bringing the sounds of his hometown to the mainstream.
The thriving beatsmith grew up listening to Timbaland, Mystikal, Busta Rhymes, Diddy, Mobb Deep, Tupac, and Biggie, with whom he shares a birthday. He started making music at the age of 14, right after Waka Flocka and Lex Luger came out with “O Let’s Do It.” After downloading FL Studio, he began to develop the skills needed to create his own unique sound and style. When he turned 18, he made the decision to move to Chicago with the car that his mom had given him as a graduation present. His first major placement was with Soulja Boy on a song called “Tweakin," and he ended up working with Young Chop and the Chop Squad. Eventually, he linked up with Valee, the recent G.O.O.D. Music signee who is the whispering voice behind ChaseTheMoney’s producer tag. Since then, he has grown his relationship with Valee, and the two are beginning to reap the rewards. “Grandma House” was one of the first songs that came from their collaborative efforts: “Him coming with the new flow on my beat inspired me to make even weirder beats, just to keep going, basically. It really just motivated me to keep going," he said in a recent interview with Fader. Elaborating on the camaraderie that he has developed with the up-and-coming rapper, he added, “I feel like if you working with somebody for a period of time and y'all have a good chemistry, that chemistry is valuable. Music is a precious thing.”
ChaseTheMoney has cited Three 6 Mafia and fellow St. Louis producer Metro Boomin as a couple of his biggest influences, and describes his sound as dark and "radical," full of mechanical and industrial sounds. His music is further characterized by drifting 808s, booming sub-basses, and tight snares, a combination that has caught the attention of a number of artists including Z Money, G Herbo, Comethazine, Lil Wop, and Steve Cannon. When asked about his formula in the same interview with Fader, ChaseTheMoney got straight to the point: “I have to make hits. Point blank, period.”
Nick Mira
If you’re at all in tune with the music emerging from SoundCloud in 2018, then you’ve no doubt heard the production of Nick Mira, a producer from Richmond, VA.
Mira and close collaborator Sidepce have become the go-to producers for Chicago rapper Juice WRLD, who recently announced a $3 million dollar deal with Interscope Records following the viral success of “All Girls Are The Same.” Inspired by Bullet For My Valentine, My Chemical Romance, and Paramore, Mira has latched onto the guitar melodies that made such bands so popular in their heyday. He creates many of his own loops using a telecaster and acoustic guitar, and has voiced the importance of live instrumentation in his music: “A lot of songs that I have and a lot of beats that I have out there (are made up of) live instrument (sounds) that I created myself.”
Early on, Mira connected with Internet Money head Taz Taylor, who wisely took him under his wing. Since then, Mira has helped carry the brand to new heights, and continues to push the boundaries for internet producers. He helped produce “Strictly Business,” the 12th track from Lil Skies’ debut mixtape Life of a Dark Rose, and is perhaps best known for co-producing XXXTentacion’s “Fuck Love” featuring Trippie Redd. His most recent effort is Nessly’s “Lifevest” featuring Madeintyo, a track that pairs a reverb-heavy guitar loop with vibrating percussion.
Mira has his finger on the pulse of the music industry, and with plenty of music in the works with artists like Warhol.ss and Uno The Activist, he’s sure to make a splash in 2018. Don't miss the Mira-produced "Lucid Dreams," a track that features a lush guitar sample from Sting's "Shape of My Heart."
CashMoneyAP
French producer CashMoneyAP has always been inspired by American music, even when he was living in France. He started making beats when he was 15-years-old after his cousin, Batgangbeats, introduced him to FL Studio.
Now based out of Los Angeles, CashMoneyAP jump started his career by making “type beats” on his SoundCloud and YouTube pages. Using Beatstars to grow his social media, he got in contact with Desiigner's manager and SVP A&R at Universal Music, Steven Victor. From there, he produced two tracks for the G.O.O.D. Music rapper: "Up" and "Holy Ghost." With Victor backing him and providing him with connections, CashMoneyAP has since linked up with several big names in the industry.
He produced Lil Skies' "Lust" and "Nowadays," the latter of which has 75 million plays on YouTube. He has also worked with Ski Mask The Slump God, and went on to produce "BabyWipe" and "JustLikeMyPiss," both of which appeared on Ski's 2017 mixtape You Will Regret. The prominent French producer has collaborated with Migos, Young Thug, Chief Keef, Smooky MarGielaa, and YoungBoy Never Going Broke Again. His most recent release is Pries’ “Deuce Deuce,” a song that is characterized by bouncing drums and a pitched-up vocal sample. CashMoneyAP is planning for the future, as he looks to continue to expand his sound both in the U.S. and France: "My goals are to keep pushing like I do, try to keep working with the best."
Buddah Bless
Born in Long Island and raised in Atlanta, Tyron “Buddah Bless” Douglas grew up going to church with his mother and brother on Sunday. He quickly gravitated toward the instruments at his disposal, trying his hand at the organ before making the transition to the piano. His uncles, The Smith Brothers, introduced him to music production and the process of mixing and mastering records in his early teens.
From there, things took off naturally. With a self-described style of “your grandmother’s music mixed with Gucci Mane,” Douglas’ talent for pairing catchy piano melodies with elaborate 808 patterns have made him a household name. His sound combines elements of his New York roots with his Atlanta upbringing: “New York’s where hip hop started. Atlanta’s where it’s at,” he says. “I was born where it started and I live where it’s at. Both sides gave me both parts of my swag. I’ll come up top like I talk a little country, but I still wear my brim to the front.” You can catch the “Buddah bless this beat” tag on hits by Migos (“Call Casting," “BBO,” “Supastars"), 2 Chainz (“Big Amount”), and Young Dolph (“But I’m Bulletproof” and “Slave Owner”).
Watch him dissect the making of Travis Scott and Quavo’s “Modern Slavery” and explain how he was introduced to Otis Redding’s “Cigarettes and Coffee” in this Genius Deconstructed video.
Tay Keith
Tay Keith knew that Blocboy JB was going to make it. “BlocBoy has always been a good rapper, people sleep on him and shit. I have seen the days when people were sleeping on him. With him to keep rapping and stick to his sound, it just shows me that you can make it in the industry just from being yourselves and sticking to what they believe in and not worrying about what everyone’s else opinions are.” JB stuck with the Memphis sound, and so did Keith. Now, the two close collaborators (see "Rover" and "Shoot") are sitting on one of the biggest songs of the year in “Look Alive,” a track that has changed their careers overnight.
From designing JB’s first mixtape cover and letting him use his Spinrilla account to get his tape on the front page, to now working with Drake, Keith is getting his sound out to the masses in a way that he never imagined was possible. “I got most of these hits with Blac Youngsta, and Moneybagg Yo and JB and they are from Memphis so now that I’ve been branching off, more artists in the industry like Juicy J, Jeezy, just more artists in different cities. I feel like it’s going to help me build more.” By working with artists like Moneybagg Yo, Blac Youngsta, Blocboy JB, and Yo Gotti, Keith is helping break down barriers in his hometown, a city that has long been plagued by territorial gang violence. With a certified smash record under his belt in "Look Alive," a beat that he produced in 30 minutes, Keith has solidified his place as one of the most sought after producers of 2018.
Romil Hemnani
The architect responsible for producing the genre-blending sounds of Brockhampton is a 22-year-old producer by the name of Romil Hemnani. Hailing from a small town in Connecticut called South Windsor, Hemnani has been making music in his bedroom since a young age. He got his start producing some of the early solo work of Matt Champion, Dom McLennon, and Kevin Abstract, and eventually linked up with the other members of the group through online forums and social media. Over time, they began to build chemistry, gradually coalescing into the boy band that took the world by storm in 2017.
Over the course of two national tours, and three critically-acclaimed studio albums, Hemnani’s versatile style has grown significantly. His goal with his work has always been to “bring out the best in the artist,” and his dynamic ability to cater to the strengths of each individual member of the group is what makes his production really shine. His willingness to experiment with the unusual and unexpected is what gives Brockhampton its distinct energy and sense of self, and it’s connecting with fans in a major way. On March 30, Brockhampton announced that they had signed a major label deal with RCA in preparation for PUPPY, their upcoming album. In addition to recently posting a picture with the legendary Rick Rubin, the group also shared a snippet of new music on Instagram live, with none other than Hemnani behind the boards.
Jabari Manwa and Kiko Merley also play a role in production, but Hemnani is undoubtedly the mastermind, having produced 33 of the 48 songs in the Saturation trilogy. And if you can believe it, the entire trilogy was recorded in his bedroom. Hemnani has an innovative approach and the talent and mindset to go far, particularly if he one day decides to branch off to pursue a solo career like his greatest influence Pharrell Williams. In the meantime, he seems content to continue to perfect his craft with Brockhampton: “I get to wake up every day and do what I love with the people I love and they inspire me. It’s kind of like a family. A lot of people aren’t fortunate enough to have one stable family, and I’m lucky enough to have two. It means the world to me. It’s a very good creative environment to be in.”
Ron-Ron
Los-Angeles has produced some of the biggest names in music over the past few decades, and more recently has become the epicenter of SoundCloud rap. As the music has evolved, so too have the players. 03 Greedo, Shoreline Mafia, and Drakeo The Ruler are bringing their own unique flair to the city’s traditional gangster rap sound with the help of 21-year-old Ron-Ron.
The Watts producer was raised on G-funk, but combines elements of the dance-based jerking movement, the Bay Area’s hyphy sound, and DJ Mustard’s signature style to create music that transcends regional boundaries. Characterized by raucous bass and high-stepping percussion, Ron-Ron’s production has gained plenty of exposure in the past year on the underground L.A. rap scene. He started producing in his mid teens, but it wasn’t until after he got out of high school and acquired his own studio that he started to take it more seriously. By the time he met Ralfy the Plug and FrostyDaSnowMann, Ron-Ron had begun to set himself apart as one of the rising talents to emerge from the area. The success of street songs like “Milwaukee Bucks,” "Bottle Service," and “Musty” stand as a testament to the growing popularity of the sound that Ron-Ron is helping revolutionize.
Taz Taylor
Over the course of the past half decade, Florida native Taz Taylor has made a name for himself selling beats online, with hundreds of beats now stockpiled on his website. For someone who dropped out of seventh grade to make money by any means in order to avoid homelessness and pay for his mother’s medical bills, Taz has helped redefine “internet hustling.”
The founder of Internet Money, a collective of talented producers, started producing in 2010, when he was a graphic designer: “There’s a lot of downtime in that and people would mess with FL Studio around me. I have a musical background so it was easy for me to pick up the software.” He became an advocate of beat-leasing, and quickly changed the perception of how producers can make money online. Of course, many in the industry, specifically 9th Wonder, have voiced their displeasure with Taylor’s unorthodox approach as an “internet producer.” Still, that hasn’t stopped him from churning out hits. Taylor has worked with Kodak Black on “Dream Doll” and “My Klik,” and also put together three tracks off of Lil Skies’ debut tape including “Welcome to the Rodeo,” which recently got the Cole Bennett visual treatment.
One of Taylor’s biggest hits to date is “Hard” featuring Tay-K and Blocboy JB. The song, which is the first release from No Jumper Records, is characterized by the kind of aggressive, unrestrained production that has made Taylor a force to be reckoned with. Internet Money recently announced a label deal with Alamo Records and Interscope Records, a move that will no doubt lead to even bigger ventures in the future. As for Taylor, he continues to be the mouthpiece of internet producers everywhere.
OG Parker
Multi-platinum Atlanta producer OG Parker has taken over radio waves in recent years, establishing himself as one of the go-to trap producers for artists such as YFN Lucci, Johnny Cinco, and Gucci Mane. Parker is the man behind Chris Brown’s massive 2017 record “Pills and Automobiles,” a song that he co-produced with Smash David and the Martianz.
With the help of longtime friend and collaborator Deko, Parker has gained significant recognition for producing “Slippery,” a song that earned him a Grammy nomination earlier this year, and “Walk It Talk It,” Migos' most recent hit featuring Drake. He has produced individual tracks for each member of the trap trio, and has also worked alongside DJ Carnage (he did the keys on "Waterworld"), YG, and Tory Lanez within the past year. Parker and Deko met years ago, when Parker was a student at Georgia State University and Deko was still in highschool. Parker credits his grandfather, a professional pianist who attended Morehouse, as the one who sparked his interest in music. He eventually left Georgia State, and went on to join OG Maco's OGG Collective, where he earned the name, OG Parker. Since then, Parker and Deko have developed remarkable chemistry, a potent one-two punch that makes their collaborative efforts especially hard-hitting. With Deko signed to Warner Bros. and OG Parker currently signed to Quality Control Music, the two have set the bar high for themselves going forward.
Ness
When “KMT” took over the internet in the spring of 2017, people were quick to pick up on the amped up production that sounded like it was the walkout theme for a boxing match.
Although he's no boxer, New York producer Ness is quickly becoming a heavyweight in the industry: he has placements with Drake, Kodak Black, PnB Rock, and A Boogie to his name. Currently a student at Marist College, the young producer has not taken his newfound success for granted. “I’m humbled by it,” he told Genius in a recent Deconstructed episode where he dissected the making of Kodak’s Billboard hit “Patty Cake.” Still, he remains as hungry as ever. “I just want more hits...I know I’m gonna get there if I just keep working hard.” Perhaps best known for his work with A Boogie on tracks like “Not a Regular Person,” “Say A’,” and “99 Problems and Messages,” Ness has a clear talent for musical composition and an ear for playful melodies.
16yrold
Ohio-born, New York-based producer and SoundCloud phenom Jerry Cruz (AKA 16yrold) has kept a fairly low online profile, releasing a select few images on his SoundCloud and Instagram. The mysterious internet sensation has been on Soundcloud for a minute, and although his page has been wiped clean of some of his early collaborations, you can still find the vibrant, booming beat of “Rita Ora” by Aaron Cartier.
He has since collaborated with Sahbabii, Thouxanbanfauni, Smokepurpp, Lucki, Nessly, and Lil West, and has worked extensively with D Savage and Chxpo. Though he is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Toronto rapper Killy on "No Romance" and "Very Scary," he is rapidly gaining popularity for "Mo Bamba," the trunk-rattling hit he produced for Harlem rapper and Cactus Jack Records/G.O.O.D. Music signee Sheck Wes. 16yrold recently released the laidback banger "Young Scooter" featuring Yung Bans, D Savage, and Tracy, and videographer Lonewolf worked his magic with the music video. Each of 16yrold's beats sound radically different, and he's someone to watch closely as he continues his rise from relative obscurity.