Forget buying $100,000 tracks from super-producers—the ability to self-produce beats in-house has become a financial and creative necessity for rappers. Shrinking budgets and little to no A&R involvement mean that artists who produce their own beats, like Soulja Boy and The Cool Kids, have a leg up. But for an up-and-coming rapper who doesn't make their own music, the best move is to recruit someone you mesh well with to become your go-to in-house producer. Let's not forget that most of today's biggest hitmakers—from Timbaland to Swizz Beatz—earned their stripes as in-house producers before going on to find freelance success. Could the following 5 newcomers be next?
BOI-1DA (twitter)
WORKS WITH: Drake & October's Very Own
HOME TEAM HIT: Drake "Best I Ever Had"
WHAT'S NEXT? They've already scored a hit with Jeezy ("Vacation") and a gang of tracks for Khaled affiliates Fat Joe and Rick Ross, and now the duo has a song on Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 album ("Real As It Gets" f/ Young Jeezy).
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