Producers don’t get enough credit. It’s no big secret. Fans can forget that often their favorite part of the songs they love, many times existed before the rapper or singer ever had a chance to put their input in. The artists behind the boards that craft the sounds, program the drums, sequence the songs many different sections are the unsung heroes. Give the Producer Some is a series wherein which will list some of our favorite local beat makers who are invigorating the scene with new flavors and styles. Let us know who you’d like to see featured in the comments below!
Koast – San Jose, CA
Koast is a 18 year old producer coming out of San Jose. The young beatsmith’s sound can be heard on SOBxRBE records like Yhung T.O’s “Slidin”, KiingRod’s “Rampage”, DaBoii’s “Mufasa” and more. He makes use of growing and popular style that samples 80s records and throws a ton of slapping drums on top of them. As young exciting acts like SOB x RBE are popularizing the Bay’s new sound, producers like Koast are the architects building that sound beat by beat.
SpencerxStevens – Oakland, CA
SpencerxStevens’ most recognizable work are his collaborations with ALLBLACK, LulBearRubberBand, and Legendvry. He makes records that feel like retro Bay and southern rap in their minimalism and utilization of chunky bass lines and slapping kicks and 808s. One thing that will remain true of SpencerxStevens’ production is that no matter who’s featured on the record, the beat is going to knock.
MMMOnTheBeat – Sacramento, CA
MmmOnThaBeat is a Sacramento producer who’s helping to bring back the mobb sound and reinvigorate the genre. Hix most notable and recognizable record is Mozzy’s 2015 breakout single “Bladadah”. The young producer would have only been about 16 when he made it. As of late he’s made slaps for Remedy and Dolla Dame, BOE Sosa and more. You’ve undoubtedly heard his work before if you haven’t been living under a rock.
Drew Banga – Oakland, CA
Drew Banga is in 1/4 of the Wave Bros along with SpencerxStevens. What sets Banga apart from the rest is the fact that he’s an accomplished bass player who’s played for some of your favorite local acts. Duckwrth, Rayana Jay and 1-O.A.K. to name a few. He borrows inspiration from classic R&B records to craft modern day slaps. He’ll tell you that if you want to make good beats, you have to listen to more than just hip-hop. Most notably he produced the intro to Kamaiyah’s 2016 hit mixtape A Good Night In The Ghetto. His most recent work has been for Text Me Records, a local record label housed at San Francisco’s Different Fur.
Lil Rece – San Francisco, CA
To point out that a producer has a musical quality to his beats might seem unnecessary. Beats are music right? Of course they are. However Lil Rece’s beats while mobby, and trunk rattling, do have a considerable musical quality to them. He brings more than just a series of loops to the process. His beats feel like they’re telling a story. You’ve heard IAMSU, Lil Yase, Semiautocec and others tackle his beats in the past. We expect to hear many more in the future.
That brings an end to our first installment of Give the Producer Some. Drop a comment below to let us know who you’d like to see on the next one!
