The Best Up-and-Coming Hip-Hop Producers

The best new rap and hip-hop producers.

As it gets easier and easier for anyone with an internet connection and the right inclination to download some music production software and start making beats, the world of hip-hop production is becoming ever more fragmented. No longer are there one or two dominant sounds. Instead, kids with nothing but their own imaginations to limit them, and influences ranging from EDM to grime to 90s R&B to classic boom bap, are making the world of hip-hop production as exciting as it has ever been.

While people like Clams Casino, Hudson Mohawke, and DJ Mustard have established themselves as artists, go to creators of certain sounds, or both, we've decided to take a look at the best up-and-coming hip-hop producers, the next wave of names that will be dominating airwaves, production credits, and clubs for the foreseeable future.

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2. Childish Major

Highlights: Rocko ft. Future and Rick Ross - "U.O.E.N.O."

With a perfect storm of a catchy Future chorus, a spot of controversy, and a thumping, otherworldly beat, Rocko's “U.E.O.N.O.” became one of the year's unlikely hits, a song approaching five hundred thousand in sales and spawning the much-used titular catch phrase. Though it's easy to attribute the success of “U.O.E.N.O.” to the attention drawn by Rick Ross' lyrics, Childish Major's instantly recognizable production played a huge role in pushing the song from a mid tier rapper's unanticipated single to a legitimate cult smash. With his particular ability to introduce unusual, otherworldly sounds into familiar, bass-heavy contexts, Childish combines rap radio's current trap fixations with an eclectic palette of sounds that ranges in influence from grimy, early 90s Memphis hip-hop to east coast boom bap. His taste for variety bodes well for the young South Carolinian's production future.

3. Evian Christ

Highlights: “MYD”

If you're a producer who has worked on a Kanye West album, but few people have heard your name, it's a safe assumption that a) people should be paying attention to you and b) you're going to get a lot more calls when that album comes out. Such is the case with English producer Evian Christ (though we don't have access to his phone, we've got to imagine it's been ringing pretty frequently since June 18th), one of a handful of mysterious names who popped up on Yeezus's production credits. Across the handful of Christ's tracks available online, the producer showcases a sound closely tied to cloud rap, full of airy vocal samples and 808s, heavy on murky atmospherics and sampled vocals. Though it's hard to know who did what in the collaborative gumbo of Kanye's latest album, Christ contributed to “I'm In It,” one of the darkest, most experimental songs on an album steeped in black.

4. Mr. Carmack

Highlights: "Birth Control," "Muney (Gimme Dat)," "Then They Talk" ft. Jalen

Though Hawaii-based producer Mr. Carmack's best production has mostly been free of vocals, his beats are the sort that practically beg for the right rappers absolutely slay. Though he hasn't precisely nailed a signature sound, Carmack's knack for skull-rattling, meticulously selected drums makes him a prime candidate to serve up tracks for an emcee like Kendrick Lamar–someone with the capacity to play off the force of a beat like "Birth Control" (which you can hear below). Hopefully, Carmack's increased notoriety due to his recent affiliation with Mad Decent and continued high quality output will put him in contact with rappers that can do his percussive talents justice.

5. Wonda Gurl

Highlights: Jay-Z - “Crown” (co-prod), Travi$ Scott ft. A$AP Ferg - “Uptown” (co-prod)

In rap, female producers are an all too rare breed–rarer still when they're teenage girls. Marked by a penchant for heavy bass and ominous sonic flourishes, WondaGurl's beats quickly put the 17 year-old Canadian on listeners' radars. Scoring a high-profile placement on Jay-Z's hotly anticipated Magna Carta Holy Grail certainly helped accelerate her ascent, giving WondaGurl a major platform to display her nascent talents. Now in the studio with Beyonce, she's one to watch closely

6. MP Williams

Highlights: A$AP Rocky ft. Gunplay & A$AP Ferg - “Ghetto Symphony” (co-prod), Doley Bernays - “Raise Your Weapon”

In the wake of the mini cloud rap revolution spearheaded by Clams Casino's production, few producers have been able to capture the New Jersey beat maker's brew of modern mysticism, a style that turned samples into whole new worlds. By combing more orchestral touches with a slew of evocative samples, New York's MP Williams has begun to forge a path out of Clams' influence toward a sound that plants its feet on the ground while keeping its head firmly in the clouds. Between epic soundscapes like A$AP Rocky's “Ghetto Symphony” and more varied collaborations with frequent partner in crime Doley Bernays (“Raise Your Weapon,” “Tommy & Keish”), MP has managed to create a distinctively emotive vibe and display the versatility within its hazy confines, suggesting greater things to come.

7. Young Chop

Highlights: Chief Keef ft. Lil Reese - "I Don't Like," Chief Keef - "Love Sosa," Pusha T - "Blocka"

Though Chicago's Young Chop has been a known commodity since he burst through listeners' speakers in the summer of 2012, he is still only 19 years-old–hardly a time to proclaim his full arrival as a producer. While his particular brand of riot-making might not be everyone's cup of tea, Chop quickly made a name for himself as the sonic architect of a scene, crafting thunderous drill beats in seemingly endless volume. Though closely derived from Lex Luger and the 808 Mafia's anarchic trap stylings, Chop packs his beats with unusual touches–swirling organs, sci-fi synth leads, haunted funhouse melodies–that separate him from armies of impersonators and soundalikes. His sub-woofer crushing low-end also separates him from the horde, each beat seemingly designed to punch a hole in speakers. While it's yet to be seen if he can stretch his original formula to avoid the fate that of repetition that befell Lex Luger, Chop has a larger than life personality (as evidenced by his Vine) and enough musical idiosyncrasies to suggest he might be able to avoid an early expiration date.

8. Sango

Highlights: Waldo - "Finally," Waldo - "Poison," "Let This"

Properly handled, sounds that might otherwise be tired and repetive can take on new life, reminders of the power of context. Michigan-based producer Sango combines the south's snapping snares and bottomless low end with the increasingly vogue use of 90s R&B-inspired textures and an occasional touch of jazz to craft expansive, creative beats that satisfy and surprise. Sango's production is the sort that invites and challenges rappers, creating pockets over airy pads in one section, challenging with careening keys and snapping snares in another. On the heels of recent album North, Sango seems poised to make a leap as 2014 approaches.

9. Nate Fox

Highlights: Chance the Rapper - "Juice," Chance the Rapper - "Chainsmoker," Lorine Chia ft. Chance the Rapper - "Living in Vain"

When you're a producer on the rise, it helps to be closely attached to a similarly ascendant rapper. It also helps to have a skill for making soulful, nostalgic hip-hop that never sounds stuck in the past. Both characteristics are true of Nate Fox, frequent Chance the Rapper collaborator and architect of the warmly modern sounds that gave the emcee's breakthrough tape Acid Rap its lush, throwback-inspired sound. Grabbing familiar samples and crafting original works alike, Fox possesses a capacity to make jazzy figures and chopped guitars sound simultaneously familiar and fresh, qualities of the song that has become a signature for both the producer and Chance, "Juice." With his recent appearance on Lil Wayne's Dedication 5, Fox's sound continues to gain exposure, potentially paving the way for soul to seize the spotlight in hip-hop production once more.

10. SPVCE

Highlights: Bitches is Crazy - "Yo Soy Widdit," Overdoz, Worlds Fair, Flatbush Zombies - "Mood Swings," World's Fair - "B.O.T.P."

Blending thumping drums and outerspace synths, New York producer SPVCE may have figured out a way to pair an old school sensibility with thoroughly modern sounds. His production on catalog standout "Yo Soy Widdit" for Bronx natives Bitches is Crazy sounds like a deranged history of New York rap subgenres attempting to all dive in the pool at once, building a bubbling, soupy concoction of Def Jux-worthy synths atop a solid boom bap bedrock. SPVCE beats are the sonic embodiment of what filmmakers imagine post-apocalyptic New York might look like, a nice addition to the city's attempts to regain it's composure on the vanguard of hip-hop.

11. Hippie Sabotage

Highlights: Lucki Eck$ - "Count On Me 2," Izzy Bizu - "White Tiger (Remix)"

Though brotherly duo Hippie Sabotage first hit Soundcloud as purveyors of trap, they've quickly evolved the restrictive confines of the subgenre, bending conventions with their increasing ear for melody. At their best, they push beyond trap entirely: Lucki Eck$'s "Count On Me 2" almost exchews percussion entirely, relying instead on the plinking of strings, clicks, snaps, and tasteful kick drums to create something gorgeous and subtle, two rarities in an often heavy-handed genre (rarer still to be coming from a duo whose output 10 months prior was pure sonic violence). Early progression and expansive vision suggest a bright future for the Californian brothers capable of delivering wildly different styles and satisfyingly splitting the difference between them.

12. Buddah Shampoo

Highlights: Alley Boy ft. Ty Dolla $ - "RNGM," Ty Dolla $ign ft. Juicy J - "Ratchet in My Benz"

Mixing electronic influences into hip-hop can be a risky proposition. Excepting hip-hop's heavy influence on trap, the marriage of rap and EDM conjures the fright of genres like hip-house and Flo Rida's Guetta-hop. D.R.U.G.S. collective member Buddah Shampoo understands how to incorporate sounds and concepts from the world of EDM into his production without ever losing a decidedly hip-hop edge. In his hands, a song that might otherwise come across as stale–Alley Boy's "RNGM," which stands for "real nigga gettin' money"–gains new life through slowed synths that might bomb the dance floor in another dimension. Indeed, Buddah's imaginative synthesizer work readily differentiates him from his competition. While his catalog still has room to grow both in volume and style, his close partnership with Ty Dolla $ign and D.R.U.G.S. means he'll have plenty of upcoming chances to sharpen his craft.

13. Yung Carter

Highlights: Rich Homie Quan - "Type of Way"

Announcing his presence through Rich Homie Quan's slow-burning hit "Type of Way," South Carolina native Yung Carter kickstarts his career with a triumphant, deceptively straightforward sound. While so many producers are exploring the depths of darkness and deep bass, Carter keeps the proceedings clean and melody-driven, a wise choice for pairing with Quan's sing-song flow and for cutting into the current marketplace. Certainly it's a sound that leads towards pop-rap, but Carter seems to possess a skill for executing the catchier side of hip-hop without losing any force or authenticity.

14. Mike Zombie

Highlights: Drake - "Started From the Bottom"

Though he only has one truly high-profile credit to his name, OVO-signed producer Mike Zombie has been an undeniable landmark of hip-hop in 2013, the driving force behind Drake's meme-spawning single "Started From The Bottom." With its neck-snapping drums and hypnotic piano, "Started From The Bottom" hits immediately, a bolt from the blue that cut through rap radio with a sound that played on Drake's predisposition for Bay Area hip-hop while sounding like nothing else in the marketplace.

15. Nez and Rio

Highlights: Schoolboy Q ft. Ab-Soul - "Druggys WitH Hoes Again," King Louie - "Michael Jordan," Chance the Rapper, Kami de Chukwu, Vic Mensa, Tokyo Shawn, and Caleb James - "Seppuku"

With credits that read like a who's who of rappers on the rise (Schoolboy Q, King Louie, Chance the Rapper), Chicago duo Nez and Rio have begun to carve a lane for themselves with electronically-inspired beats teeming with alien synths, buzzing bass, dazzling arpeggios, and obligatory snapping drums. Their direct pipeline to the TDE crew and Chicago's seemingly neverending talent pool combined with their versatility–an ability to move from video game noise menace on King Louie's "Michael Jordan" to R&B warmth on singer Tinashe's "Who Am I Working For?"–give Nez and Rio both the platform the promise, solid elements on which to build a career.

16. Darq E. Freaker

Highlights: Darq E Freaker ft. Danny Brown - "Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine)," Tempa T - "Next Hype"

Darq E Freaker is one of a group of British producers who are revitalising and reinvigorating the UK grime scene. Alongside people like Royal T, Visionist, Faze Miyake, and Spooky, he is putting the focus back on the producers with hard-hitting beats full of jagged but colourful melodies that incorporate sounds not always heard in grime production. While there are a bunch of UK producers coming with fresh new sounds, there's only one who has already linked up with Danny Brown (on the madness that was "Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine)") and will be featured on his forthcoming OLD album, and that is Darq E Freaker. With Danny's album set to blow some minds, and speakers, Darq E Freaker is sure to have a whole load more rappers calling him up for some of his UK flavor.

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