2013 was dominated by emerging producers. Mike WiLL Made It and DJ Mustard, who seemed like newcomers at the top of the year, ended things off with major label artist deals, hits with some of the biggest artists in the game.
That being said, 2014 could be anybody's year. While some of the artists collected in this list are more renowned than others-- they all have the ability to raise their profile significantly in the next 12 months.
In the increasingly unpredictable world of music, someone could easily come out of nowhere to dominate the production world, but either way, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on some of these names.
Wondagurl
Certainly one of last year's true breakout producer's, Wondagurl came to the public's attention when she showed up in the writing credits of Jay Z's late-career opus, Magna Carta Holy Grail. The Brampton, Ontario-hailing producer got her break by way of Travi$ Scott, who also featured her production on his experimental Owl Pharaoh mixtape.
At 17 years old, it's pretty safe to say that Wondagurl will only continue to develop her craft.
Paris Beuller
Known primarily as Lil Durk's go-to beatmaker, Paris Beuller is easily the most visible drill-producer after Young Chop. Paris is a good match for Durk, pairing hard-hitting low end with some ethereal synth-work (kind of like a more powerful take on Keef's "Citgo").
Coming from a city whose electronic and hip hop scenes often interact with one another, Paris also brings some unorthodox drum programming to the table. His willingness to experiment gives him an advantage against his Chicago peers.
Dun Deal
Dun Deal has been responsible for some of Atlanta's biggest breakout hits of the last year, and his fusion of the city's bouncy trap production with live instrumentation makes him one of the most interesting beatmakers ATL has to offer.
Electric guitar is an instrument rarely used in todays hip hop, but it plays an integral part in Dun Deal's unique sound. Rather than using it to a Rick Rubin-like effect, the beatmaker adds arpeggios and bends to color his instrumentals, which often give them a melodic edge. For a city like Atlanta, where the line between singer and rapper is getting increasingly thin, he's a perfect match. He even got a ballad from Gucci.
League Of Starz
As far as West Coast post-snap goes, DJ Mustard has a bit of a monopoly, which is a bit unfair to League Of Starz who have a very infectious take on the sound themselves. The collective have been behind a huge number of California-based hits, including Problem's "Like Whaaaat", but are yet to achieve the name recognition of someone like Mustard (their LOS.FM tape is arguably just as solid as Ketchup).
As the West Coast continues to invade the rest of the nation, its likely that the group will be getting a lot more placement in 2014. Make sure to check for them.
Childish Major
Childish Major is best known for his breakout hit, "U.O.E.N.O.", which unlike many of the year's smashes, was built off of a twisty and subdued instrumental. The ATL beatmaker has an ear for making more ambient sounds catchy and accessible, which we saw a lot of on Rome Fortune's Beautiful Pimp mixtape, for which Childish provided much of the production.
His unique and versatile style should see him working with a large range of artists in the new year.
Hudson Mowhake
Say what you will about Kanye's self-deifying, but the first time hearing the beat drop in "Blood On The Leaves" is a borderline religious experience. You can thank Hudson Mowhawke for that.
The Glasgow producer is pehaps best known for his work with arena-trap duo TNGHT, but he's been been doing his own thing for quite some time. Right now he's plantly firmly behind the scenes in Kanye's camp, so whether or not he ventures out to work with other artists, we will definitely be hearing more of him on GOOD Music releases.
For the time being his hip hop work can be heard on Yeezus, My Name Is My Name, and Cruel Summer.
Metro Boomin
Metro is an example of a producer who has been instrumental establishing a collaborative community of producers in Atlanta. His 19 & Boomin mixtape finds him working alongside Zaytoven, Sonny Digital, DJ Spinz, TM-88 and Southside on a number of tracks.
This open-studio approach has contributed to the abundance of interesting sounds coming from the region, not that the beatmaker isn't capable of putting out quality on material on his won-- let's not forget his biggest hit to date is still "Karate Chop". He continues to work with heavy hitters liek Future, Gucci Mane, and Rich Homie quan, so we'll no doubt be hearing a lot from him in the coming year.
Nate Fox
Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap came out of nowhere, and as quickly as Chance grew on people, so did his production. Nate Fox handled many of the highlights from the project, and in many ways helped to craft its atmosphere.
Coming out of Pennsylvania, the producer has already collaborated with the likes of MGK, and Tezo, but his most exciting prospect is still his work with Chance, with whom he also created the backdrop for Lil Wayne's Dedication 5 highlight, "You Song".
DJ Dahi
DJ Dahi has some huge tracks under his belt, most notably Drake's "Worst Behaviour" and Kendrick Lamar's "Money Trees", though he's also done work with Travi$ Scott, ScHoolboy Q, Mac Miller. Still, he's managed to keep a relatively low profile.
2014 seems like the year where Dahi can establish himself as a bonafide hitmaker. There's no telling what he's been working on as of late, but chances are after "Worst Behavior" he got a couple phone calls.