10 Hip-Hop Producers That Could Win in Dance Music

Hip-Hop and dance music have been intertwined from the very beginning, ever since Afrika Bambaataa "searched for the perfect beat" and started utilizi

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Complex Original

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Hip-Hop and dance music have been intertwined from the very beginning, ever since Afrika Bambaataa "searched for the perfect beat" and started utilizing sounds from Kraftwerk. It has always been a weird marriage, though - not because the music has been bad, but because the two scenes can be seen as so different, its hard for artists to shake any preconceived stigmas that listeners might have for rap music, or electronic music. Just look at how trap is perceived by both the EDM and hip-hop worlds and you'll start to understand the struggle that's been brewing over the last few decades.

Luckily, dance music is very prevalent in the rap world these days. Be it the storm that trap rode in on, or EDM artists like David Guetta working with everyone from Ludacris to the Black Eyed Peas, or Skrillex getting production credits on A$AP Rocky's debut album; now would be the time to strike. And whether it be previous production that this batch of producers has done, or the potential we hear in their sound, we have no doubt that these artists, if they so chose, would win in making dance music.

Dr. Dre

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If you remember, Dr. Dre started out as part of the World Class Wrecking Cru', making straight-up electro years before NWA started up. Since then, Dr. Dre has been known throughout the music community as having the best mixdowns of any producer in the game. Imagine what Dr. Dre could do to dubstep tracks?! Making dubstep, there's a certain air of raw, undiluted bass, but with such a beat scientist like Dre, he could probably make a huge living mixing tracks to give producers clean, humungous bass without diminishing the overall feel of a track.

Kanye West

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Kanye's already flirted with dance music, be it his part on "Mercy" or sampling Daft Punk for "Stronger." He has a certain vibe about him, where he could bring loads of hip-hop fans into the dance scene without making them feel less "cool." Plus, Kanye's ability with flow allows him to coast over a dance track while still hitting you with great lyrics. Could be a fresh one-two punch.

Just Blaze

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Just Blaze has already proven himself with house music as well as trap, and his dance music project has already been picked up by Fool's Gold. He's even made a Baltimore club remix of The A-Team theme song! Just has enough cred in the hip-hop scene and the dance scene that, if he truly wanted to push himself as a dance artist, he'd have no problems doing so.

The Neptunes

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The Neptunes literally ran the hip-hop and R&B charts in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and are still producers that can be sure to bring the slapping beats and beautiful melodies when asked. Their chord progressions are still envied by some of the best in the production game, and if they took their years of knowledge and applied it to, say, house or dubstep, they could open the floodgates and make the credible hits that could render the huge, obvious Guetta jams obsolete.

Timbaland

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On the low (read: on the Internets), many were pissed when Timbaland made comments saying that he started dubstep, especially when the thought was he'd already been cribbing from the drum & bass sound back in the late 1990s with the percussion work in his tracks. He might not be in that zone as a producer now, but if he attempted to dig deep into the dance music scene, he's got enough sounds - and more than enough flavor - to craft some timeless EDM tracks.

Swizz Beatz

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Swizz is the guy who sampled Daft Punk's "Touch It," and he has a way with bringing an infectious swing to his tracks. He's been crafting infectious, crowd-rocking anthems since he started out producing for the Ruff Ryders in the '90s, and he's proven that he can churn out some dirty rhythms for the dancefloor, and even add his own adlibs and chants to the tracks. We could see him twisting his sound a bit to accomdate the dirty house sound.

Mannie Fresh

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Mannie's a student of the 808, and has used it throughout his career, including being the in-house producer for Cash Money. Mannie was also a DJ in the 1980s, so he knows how to rock a crowd, and he's elevated some decent rappers into globally-recognized stars. He could bring the classic electro vibe to today's trap sound, as well as craft some funky house numbers if he wanted to.

Q-Tip

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T-Minus

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T-Minus has been on a roll as of late, helping provide the moody soundscapes that Drake, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, and others have been capitalizing on. While he wouldn't be someone making huge EDM anthems, he could be out there crafting some hypnotic, trap-esque flavors ala a Ryan Hemsworth or Ta-ku.

The Bomb Squad

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Truth be told, the Shocklees are already dipping into dubstep, and have been dropping mixes in the UK over the last few years. We have a feeling, if the entire Bomb Squad "wall of sound" approach that created the classic, early Public Enemy sound was given to drum & bass or dubstep, they could create some off-the-wall productions that would satisfy the leftfield scenes.

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