UGF's Decade Wrap Up: Top 10 Producers of the Decade

Welcome to Part 2 of UGF's Decade Wrap Up (realizing I should've titled it "Rap Up" cuz puns are cool) and UGF’s 100th post! This is Dimxsk and today we're looking at the best producers of the past ten years. I've always felt that producers don't get the recognition from casual listeners that they deserve. Before I got deep into hip hop I'd always hear songs my friends loved and the beat would be fire but the lyrics mediocre at best. I'd wonder why the unoriginal rapper would get the name recognition while the musician behind the boards went unnoticed. One thing that's been refreshing about the indie scene is that this seems to be less of an issue, not only do producers seem to have more control over who raps over their music (and more importantly who doesn't) but a good producer can make a name for themselves alone by putting out albums with friends (such as Factor and Sixo's solo joints). I think we're a community that has a lot of appreciation for talent. With that, here are UGF's Top 10 producers of the decade!

Dimxsk's List

1. Factor:
As I told Trylemma, Factor and Graves warred for the top spot for a few days before I finally settled on giving Factor the distinction. The truth is that Factor Chandelier's influence on Ceschi and the rest of the Fake Four roster was what decided it for me. I actually tend to like Graves production more than Factor's later work, it's just more my style (I did absolutely love Lawson Graham and 13 Stories though). However, the tremendous amount of effort put into producing folks I love, and the exceptional albums Factor put out during the first half of the teens made it clear who really deserved the title of top producer of the decade.

2. Graves 33:
Now that's not to say Graves doesn't deserve recognition. I think his work behind the boards is so distinctive, so stylistically interesting and so f*cking dope that I've liked basically everything he's ever done, from his sample based work to his System Revolution experiments on digital media. In addition he's done so much this decade from self produced projects to collaborations (like the excellent and rare Good Bye EP by Wolf Hotel with the singular Barfly on lyrics) that it would really be impossible for me not to include him in the top 5.

3. Zavala:
As I mentioned last Wednesday, Vessel was one of my favorite albums of the decade. Onry and Zavala were absolutely made for eachother, his spacey and tripped out soundscapes lend so much depth and emotion to Onry's poetry, it's a shame they haven't worked as DTS in a while. While Dark Time Sunshine is the major reason I've included Zavala on this list, his work with Grayskul on Zenith and the always quirky Chicharones on Swine Flew ("Bankers Bonanza", it's classic Zavala sound is a dead giveaway) make me think he could transform the style and elevate the sound of a great many lyricists. Maybe a solo project with collaborations, a la Factor?

4. Sapient:
Sapient was another shoe-in for a top 5 spot for me. While I don’t absolutely love everything he’s ever done (I’m alone among my friends in preferring Dry Puddles to Slump), his talent as a musician and willingness to experiment with unusual chord progressions and sounds traditionally more suited to alternative rock make him something of an oddity, in a good way. Like Trylemma I want to see more from him in the next ten years, he’s released some excellent singles recently and Fool For Gold was in my opinion his best offering to date, I think we can have high hopes for Sape in the next decade. And, although it’s unrelated to his skills at production, it must be said that he can absolutely sing his ass off.

5. Misanthrop:
German producer Misanthrop gets another of the top spots for his world influenced production dating back twenty years. I don’t speak German but I’ve enjoyed every one of his projects, his use of unusual samples in unique ways fits perfectly with his often less than conventional rhyme style, and I’ve found myself on more than one occasion blown away by the sheer genius of some of his compositions.

6. Eligh:
Probably my favorite Living Legend, Eligh has been clawing his way to the top of the indie scene, one masterpiece at a time. From the very beginning of the decade with 2010's Gray Crow to last years recovery epic Last House on the Block, Eligh has made a name for himself with his spacey, lush and often beautiful production as well as his personal and enlightened lyrical content. Something you might want a young son to listen to as he grows up, Eligh's unique personality and journey is reflected in each and every one of his projects. Many of us have come to rely on his work to reflect, trip out or dance to when nothing else will serve. His Patreon tracks are absolutely amazing as well, and if you have the cash on hand I recommend you give them a listen. Definitely deserves a spot on this list.

7. Kno:
So if memory serves me Kno started out the decade with Cunninlynguists’ beautiful Oneirology, an album chock full of immersive melodies, electronic sounds forming sweeping and epic compositions. I loved every song it had to offer. While I feel some of his best work was back before 2010 (A Piece of Strange has yet to be topped), his recent work is still often phenomenal. Strange Journey Vol. 3 proved that Kno’s production could fit anyone’s style with it’s varied group of guest musicians, and his album Death is Silent made very clever use of folk rock samples to give his solo work an original and fresh sound, emotional without the emo (mostly). It’s also worth noting that I have yet to meet a fan of rap who does not appreciate his production to some degree, and that’s no small feat in and of itself. Accessible, clever and in this decade more mature and experimental. Great musician, and definitely one of my top 10.

8. Sixo:
One of the MANY musicians who've tragically passed this decade, Sixo put out two full length albums and an EP in the last ten years, all of them full of great guest spots and seriously dope production. He's been behind the boards for some of my favorite songs by some of my favorite artists ("Snowballs 2012 feat. Ceschi" being one from the Tracking Perception EP) and I am confident that his creativity would've continued to elevate his art and the art of those around him for many years if not for his tragic accident. I believe he belongs on this list not just because of what he was able to accomplish, but what I know he could have if he'd been allowed to continue producing.

9. Edison:
Edison was a founding member of the seriously weird Papervehicle group, and in that time both produced and rapped his way into my awareness and musical heart. This decade saw him strictly producing, and doing it with a personality and ingenuity that is a rare wonder to behold. One of the most famous "circuit benders" in the indie scene, Edison utilizes both analogue and digital sounds from novel sources (Gameboys, baby toy soundmakers etc) to create beats with a singularly unique sound. His full length album with Les Swashbuckling Napoleons (as well as the single they put out on Mism, "Smash the Compass, Kill to Play" which has an incredible beat) introduced his genius to a wider audience, and his EP's with Babelfishh and Evak cemented his reputation with the weirdos like me. Unofficial "Most Ingenius West Coast Division".

10. El-P:
Finally, while I will always have a soft spot for El Producto's early work (I'm not ashamed to admit that it took hearing Cannibal Ox and other Def Jux releases to open my mind a bit when it came to rap), I feel like there's no way I can leave him off this list even if only for his hard climb to mainstream awareness with Killer Mike. Starting with 2012's excellent R.A.P. Music, produced by El with raps by Mike it became apparent that the pair had chemistry. Mike's larger than life voice and ghetto intellectual lyrics combine with El-P's industrial influenced bangers to give the perfect crossover, something to be enjoyed by the more casual music fans who want something with a message but don't have the time or desire to dig deeper into the scene. As Run the Jewels the duo has released several full length albums, a remix album utilizing cat noises (weed was probably involved in that one) and an EP. All of them have El-P's crushing signature sound, cynical lyrics and Mike's clever rapid fire delivery. When I heard their Record Store Day single with Shadow elevating a scene from Netflix's Ozark, I have to say I was glad that so many are discovering what many of us have known for 15-20 years. He gets a lower spot because production wise I feel like he's lost a bit of his creativity this decade (nothing to rival "Live from the Planet of Eat", sadly), but he's still amazing and still independent. RTJ is in the studio with Rick Rubin these days, next years gonna be fire...

Trylemma's List

Trylemma's list is in countdown format.

10. Ryan Lewis:

It's not popular to say, especially in snob circles, but I loved both of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' albums this decade, and Lewis perhaps carried a bit more weight than Mack. The ability to craft a variety of anthemic pop crossover hits that still allow for Macklemore to rappity rap is pretty special. His absence in Macklemore's solo release was felt greatly.

9. Zavala:

"Vessel" and "ANX" are two of the best albums of the decade thanks heavily to Zavala's house-ready production. It's hard to think of another producer that creates so many hectic layers only to end up with a cohesive sounding instrumental that explodes with color. The great Zav may be the most visual-inducing producer on this list.

8. Dr. Wylie: 

While his solo efforts haven't been amazing, Dr. Wylie's work with Toussaint Morrison has been exactly that. For the majority of the decade, Wylie was remixing, recreating, and, let's be honest, improving upon well known pop hits from yesterday and yesteryear. I can probably count on one hand the times when Wylie failed to make the sample his own. And when it came time to produce for Toussaint's official debut album, he delivered yet again with a set of more lowkey, yet equally hard-hitting, instrumentals.

7. Smoke: 

The Oldominion vet has proven, throughout the decade, that his production skills are wide-ranging. From boom bappy projects with the likes of Eastern Sunz, OnlyOne, and Iame, to more left-field electronic projects with acts like James Barrie, Sarx, and Ephyme (and most recently Diveyede,) to indie pop records with Selector Dub Narcotic - Smoke can do it all...and do it all very well. It almost makes me forget that we are long overdue for a Smoke vocal project...almost. 

6. Incise: 

There's no shortage of beatmakers looking to become the next Nujabes. However, none have a stronger claim, at least in terms of talent, than Incise. If you're looking for jazzy mellow-mood instrumentation, Incise is your man (though, unlike many a producer on this list, he has yet to really collaborate with any top top tier rappers which is unfortunate.) Incise has been sort of m.i.a. this last half of the decade. I hope to hear him again soon.

5. Sabzi: 

For a while there in the 2000's, it really looked like Sabzi was destined for some bright lights. 2011 gave us the amazing "Cinemetropolis" but from there, both Blue Scholars and Common Market took a long hiatus (though both are now back it seems.) While it wasn't given as big of a spotlight, Sabzi continued to make some really incredible beat-tapes and projects with Made In Heights. While he can cover various styles, my preferred (as heard throughout "Cinemetropolis") is the hollowed-out echoey happy electronic instrumentals that force a good mood.

4. Sapient: 

At this point, you should really be able to recognize those snazzy Sapient synths that are responsible for so many great beats this decade. Hell, even the gods Freestyle Fellowship had to get on board! Equally as impressive are Sape's thick heavy folk boom bap sounds, the ones that can make you break your neck head-bobbing and hum along at the same damn time.

3. Kanye West: 

Kanye gets the #3 spot for the instrumentation itself, no doubt. So many top notch beats have come from the man's mind over the past 10 years. Now is also a good time, however, to acknowledge that "producing" isn't limited to making a beat. The noise intricacies, the features, the song structures, the allusions found in the sounds of projects like "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," "The Life of Pablo," and "Kids See Ghosts" are creatures of their own. Those with their head stuck in the underground (where Kanye once thrived) would do well to appreciate.

2. Maulskull: 

Maulskull is basically my favorite producer of the 2010s. Listening to his "dreamtrap" sound is like eating cotton candy while you watch a storm hit shore from indoors. It's like holding a collection of balloons and floating to the sky on a sunny day with an evil smirk on your face. The melodies resulted in two great solo albums, a collection of solid projects from his Black Mask crew, and one of the best albums ever, "Oregon Failure," with Sleep. His Death By Thr33s series (which has sadly been removed from online,) made some, well, plain bad rappers sound great haha! And like I said, he might as well take the top spot of the decade because the only person left is really on a different planet. 

1. Factor: 

The 2010s have given us lots of great producers. The aforementioned 9 producers are on a tier of their own. Then there's Factor. To put things into perspective, if I was to make a list of my favorite 100 beats from my Top 10 producers, I wouldn't be surprised if over half were from Factor. That's how far and ahead he his. This decade, he took his melancholy prairie-hop production style that he trademarked throughout the 2000s (yes, he was the best producer of the 2000s as well,) and kicked things into high gear. In the opening year of 2010 alone, the man made a boom bap album with D.Dove, a spacey funk album with Moka Only, a gloom pop album with Gregory Pepper, a prairie-based album with Kay The Aquanaut and Joe Dub, a lo-fi album with Cam The Wizzard and Subtitle, a folk solo album, and a concept solo album. And they were all amazing. That was year one. The highlights are too many to name. "The Landmark" with Awol, both Paranoid Castle albums, the Ceschi collabos, "Woke Up Alone," "Famous Future Time Travel" with Myka, "Wisdom Teeth," "Scott Free Red Handed" with Nolto. He's the only artist to have at least one entry in my Top 10 Favorite Projects of the Year, each year, from 2010 to 2019. Most importantly, however, he always brings out the best in the artists he works with. From LMNO to Noah23 to Open Mike Eagle to SelfHelp to Ahmad. They all sound better with Factor. King of the decade no question.