PROMO: The Art Of The Beat

No man is an island, and no music producer lives in a vacuum. You can swear up and down that there’s no father to your style, but every beat is born from some inspiration, and the best and most creative producers spend as much time listening as composing. You need to go to the well, kid, if you want to perfect chopping kicks and snares. We suggest revisiting the classics as much as possible: names like The Bomb Squad, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, and the list goes on.

Obviously, beat-making has evolved alongside the technology available. It’s still all about finding a hook and a dope sample, but a Waves plugin bundle is a long way from a turntable and a cross fader. Nonetheless, beats from back in the day can be just as instructive in their rawness as the latest Kanye West track is in its complexity. Here (in no particular order) are ten producers to know and love.

As co-founder of Def Jam records, Rubin had a hand in some of hip-hop's early classics, from the Beastie Boys' License to Ill album to the timeless collaboration between Run DMC and Aerosmith, "Walk This Way."

Instead of reading about 'Ye, why don't you turn on the radio? He is, has been, and always will be a pioneer.

From gangsta rap to West Coast funk, Dr. Dre brought forth sounds from Southern California that got the whole world moving.

Some will say he reinvented the remix, and there is no question he was a visionary. Case in point, Pete Rock was one of the first to recognize the potential of melding jazz and funk with hip-hop.

One of the key architects of The Blueprint, which most will point to as the best hip-hop album of its era.

The godfather of the Wu Tang sound, the RZA has produced numerous albums for the Clan and its descendants, including the seminal Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers), which inroduced us to hip-hop–Kung Fu fusion.

Aside from launching a host of careers, including that of Missy Elliot, the multi-talented Timbaland has proven that party tunes can be both playful and sophisticated.

Some will argue he is the greatest hip-hop producer of all time. After coming up in the duo Gang Starr, Premier became a highly sought-after producer, and is credited with creating the influential "Boom-Bap" sound.

When you list your favorite tunes of the late 80s and early 90s, chances are this crew played an integral role in their production. Chuck D himself was a member of this production team that brought us the multi-layerd Public Enemy sound.

This crew of DJ/producers re-imagined the sound of the Dirty South, and gave a platform for lyrical trailblazers Big Boi and Andre 3000 to be heard around the world.