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2. Forest Swords - "The Weight Of Gold"
Who should do it: Pusha T
At his best, Pusha T's delivery cuts through production like a plasma torch through a sheet of steel. Forest Swords' "The Weight of Gold" is intense, dark, and there's a slight tribal vibe going on. It's the kind of stuff appropriate for a pre-war ritual, and Pusha's "eghck" and a little sinister coke rap would be great for it.
3. Ta-Ku - "Boom"
Who should do it: Joey Bada$$
The biggest criticism of Joey Bada$$ is that he borrows too heavily from the '90s, but you know what? That shit has been working. For Ta-Ku's Dowhatyoulove album, he channeled the simple thump of Dilla, and it's the kind of no-bullshit beat that would be a perfect fit for Joey's style, especially if it got extended a bit.
4. Sinjin Hawke - "Prom Nite"
Who should do it: Danny Brown
Epic. Triumphal. Grandiose. From calm beginnings, Sinjin Hawke's "Prom Nite" explodes around the one minute mark, calms things down a bit in the mid-section, and then really comes back and blows your mind for the final third. As Danny Brown has already worked with dance music producers like Rustie and Darq E Freaker, we know he can handle beats this big, and it's impossible not to think of him coming in with something wild at the drop at 2.50.
5. Zomby - "Horrid"
Who should do it: A$AP Ferg
"Horrid" is just the kind of dark, menacing, bass-heavy beat that Fergenstein killed time and again on his recent Trap Lord album. Those massive 808s, crisp snares, and eerie melodies just cry out for the A$AP Mob's newest star to let us know about all the drugs he's done, money he's piled up, and women he's run through.
6. South London Ordnance ft. Brolin - "Black Acre"
Who should do it: Drake
As much as we make fun of him, when it comes to choosing collaborators or good beats to jump on, Drake knows what's up. Whether it's hopping on SBTRKT's "Wildfire" beat, using Jai Paul's "BTSTU," collaborating with Jamie xx, or featuring Hudson Mohawke on his new album, Drake has made good decisions time after time, and demonstrated a pretty good knowledge of interesting British producers. Maybe the next step would be to take things even more underground and hop on a remix of South London Ordnance and Brolin's haunting "Black Acre" for some "Marvin's Room"-esque soul-bearing crooning.
7. Wookie ft. Eliza Doolittle - "The Hype"
Who should do it: Childish Gambino
Remember when Donald Glover went in over Jamie xx's remix of Adele's "Rolling In The Deep"? It was a surprising choice, but oh so perfect for Gambino, who seemingly tried to fit as many punchlines into his verse as was humanly possible. We figure this remix would work out the same, with Wookie's swinging beat and Disclosure collaborator Eliza Doolittle's vocals setting things up for Gambino to come in and kill it.
8. Keys 'N Krates - "Dum Dee Dum"
Who should do it: Big Sean
Big Sean doesn't always get enough credit, but he can rap his ass off. It might be more obvious if he hopped on a beat like "Dum Dee Dum," which features some massive, pretty straightforward production that hits hard and encourages a high-energy, balls-to-the-wall flow.
9. King Krule - "Neptune Estate"
Who should do it: Earl Sweatshirt
In a lot of ways, King Krule is like the indie Earl Sweatshirt. As a teenager, he's already making the kind of music that artists twice his age should be jealous of, but most of all he's exciting because his potential and creative aspiration is unlimited. His debut album, 6 Feet Under The Moon doesn't sound like a final product—it's scattered and a little rambling, much like Earl's Doris, but we can't stop listening. These two would be a perfect fit together, and listening to "Neptune Estate," it's easy to imagine Earl's dense, mischievous flow.
10. Thundercat - "The Life Aquatic"
Who should do it: MF DOOM
Creepy, off-kilter, and plain weird, this is exactly the type of production that suits DOOM best. It's even the perfect length for one of those songs where he raps straight for a couple of minutes, with only pauses for breath, because we all know DOOM is the king of rap songs with no chorus.
11. The Two.Fifteens - "Holiday Island"
Who should do it: A$AP Rocky
If it's "Wild For The Night" or "Fuckin' Problems" A$AP that you're looking for then this one probably isn't for you. This hazy but bumping "Holiday Island" beat would be perfect for some laid-back, hazed-out rapping, the kind of thing Rocky proved so adept at on Love. Live. ASAP., but visited less frequently on his debut album proper.
12. Janelle Monáe ft. Miguel - "PrimeTime"
Who should do it: Kendrick Lamar
This song is cool, but a rap verse would give it another dimension that Ms. Monáe and Mr. Miguel can't deliver. But Kendrick, could, and over production like this that gives his intricate raps some breathing room, he'd murder it. We can already hear those pitched up, alien-sounding vocals mixed with some rapid-fire rhymes.
13. UZ x Clicks & Whistles - "Bull Dozer"
Who should do it: 2 Chainz
2 Chainz doesn't take on enough strange beats like this, but he should, because, as he once told us, he's different. UZ and Clicks & Whistles came with some big trap beats on this one, but those discordant, almost painful buzzing sounds ensure the track is anything but obvious. The perfect place for 2 Chainz to get weird and let his imagination run wild with some of those laugh out loud punchlines.
14. Instra:Mental - "White Snares"
Who should do it: RZA
Instra:Mental, the duo made up of Boddika and Jon Convex, are real dance music innovators, and it's pointless trying to categorise their sound as it changes from one release to the next. "White Snares," released on NonPlus' recent Think & Change label compilation, would demand the type of performance that the ever-versatile RZA delivered on James Blake's "Take A Fall For Me," but if anyone could take this beautiful beat and do something werid and wonderful, it's got to be the RZA.
15. Joker - "Emerald Ring"
Who should do it: Chance The Rapper
Chance is one of only a few rappers who wouldn't sound lost and out of place amongst the 8-bit, video game inspired beats of Joker's recent Sega Drive project. His bouncy, off-kilter delivery and ability to mix rapid-fire rhymes with sing-song sections would make his raps and Joker's beat a surprisingly awesome pairing.
16. Kingdom - "Corpse"
Who should do it: Pusha T
There's no dobut that Pusha T can destroy a triumphal, epic beat, but he inhabits those darker beats with equal ease—just look at the menacing "Numbers On The Boards." Kingdom's "Corpse" beat, from his recent, excellent, Vertical XL EP is a mixture of eerie melodies and hard hitting drums, and if things were slowed down just a little it would give Pusha the perfect backdrop for some gritty tales of street supremacy.
