Give a peek to the bidness blog today. Mannie Fresh has left Cash Money Records, and that’s a big deal to a country boy like me. Unlike No Limit, CMR was able to build a label with a long-term plan, and the foundation was the same as No Limit’s–dope beats. Somehow, Mannie was able to spin those beats off in the national mainstream for eight years–and he’s been at it for much longer–and stay relevant. He made Juve, Lil’ Wayne, and others into stars they would have never been on their own. Here’s hoping Mannie can get into something dope.
But that got me thinking…

So, who are the top twenty producers of all-time? I’m scared to try to put them in order, but here’s a list of twenty.
Dr. Dre – what more can I say?
Rick Rubin – go back and listen to License to Ill and Raising Hell
Marley Marl – the innovator.
DJ Premier – the king of minimalism…and shaking chests with kick drums.
Pete Rock – wasn’t on top for long, but who can forget those snares?
Organized Noise – if you don’t know, there’s nothing I can tell you.
DJ Quik – got lost by his refusal to produce for East Coast artists through most of the nineties, but his sound is unmistakable and undeniable.
Mannie Fresh – might be the best ever at using drums.
Ant Banks – two words–Oakland bass.
Kanye West – is it even too early to say this anymore?
Timbaland – have you ever jammed to a Timbaland and Magoo record? If so, it wasn’t for the flows. In fact, something had to be seriously dope to overcome said flows, and that something was the beat.
DJ Toomp – from 2 Live Crew to “U Don’t Know Me” and “ASAP.” What more do you need to hear?
RZA – had an unreal run from ’93-97.
Neptunes – for real, might be top five ever. They’re the Jigga of production. They’re always around, but always dope.
Bomb Squad – masterminded the best album of the ’80s and ’90s, Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, and even a BBD album. That’s hot shit.
DJ Muggs – look at what I said about Timbaland, then put in a Cypress Hill analogue.
?uestlove – he runs the Roots’ sound, so he’s here.
Hypnotized Minds Productions – say what you want about Triple 6, but the beats stay on fire, and they gave Lil Jon half the blueprint for his sound. Look too Toomp for the rest.
Pimp C – Please go get Ridin’ Dirty. You’ll be glad you did.
Da Beatminerz – got kinda hard comin’ up with twenty. Here are more cats that kept a collective jumpin.
Honorable mention–Lil Jon, Just Blaze (not enough material right now), NO ID, Mike Dean, DJ Pooh, Heatmakerz, Trackmasters, Erick Sermon, Hi Tek, T-Mixxx, Easy Mo Bee, Mobb Deep, and a bunch more that are just slippin my mind.
Up and coming – Kent and Drake Murphy, the Beatmiserz. Please don’t sleep.
Am I forgetting people? Surely…so let me know who I forgot. I figure we can have some fun with this.