If you read my first post about why I think rappers from the
past were far more gifted than today’s artists, then you probably already know
that I am an old school hip hop fan. I still have a hefty collection of albums
from Pac, the NWA, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, and Biggy Smalls just to name a few,
and I still put these nasty boys on blast whenever I feel like taking a cruise
down memory lane. As far as this new generation of rap artists go, I am just
not feeling them that much. I like listening to a bit of Chris Brown and The
Game from time to time, but I just can’t hold their music in the same standards
of the rappers from the 90’s.
Tupac Shakur - Greatest Rapper of All Time
Nowadays, rap music is all about money, bling, cars, and who
has the biggest house. It’s no longer about stories of how they struggled when
they were young, how they dealt with racism, and other issues plaguing society.
Even though some of their lyrics were
very explicit (gangsta rap in particular), they still had a message hidden in
them. I don’t want to say that today’s generation of rappers suck because that
would be straight up dissing them. Instead, I’m going to be civil here by just
saying they are not as good as people make them out to be. In other words, they
are overrated.
I am an old school rap fan for life and there is nothing that’s
going to make me change my views on the subject. Leave me some comments below
and give me your take on today’s generation of rap artists.
Over the last decade, the
world of hip hop music has seen a lot of big names come and go. Some of them
have gone on to continue having awesome careers while others seem to have just
faded away into obscurity. In this article though, we will be focusing on the
top beat makers from 2011. There are a ton of names to choose from, but instead
I will be narrowing down the choices to the 5 people who really made quite a
splash in the world of hip hop music during 2011.
Okay, so let us get right
down to business now, shall we? Here are the 5 best hip hop beat makers that
made a huge splash in the year 2011. By the way, this list is in no particular
order because I think all of these guys deserve an equal amount of respect from
the hip hop music community.
Boi-1da
Matthew James Samuels (his real name) has been producing for
a lot of stars over the years. Some of his most famous clients include the
likes of Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Das Racist, and Eminem. So as you can see,
the guy’s clients are nothing special (sarcasm).In 2011, Boi-1da helped produced Drake’s
second album “Take Care”. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200
charts. The single “Headlines” was produced by Boi-1da and Noah “40” Shebib. It
reached number one on the Billboard 200 rap charts and has been certified
platinum. I guess this goes to show that Boi-1da has a lot of magic in his bag
of tricks when it comes to producing songs.
Timbaland
Timbaland is no stranger to success as a producer and as a
beat maker seeing as he has had a hand in producing some pretty successful
albums in the past. Worthy examples would include Justin Timberlake’s “FutureSex/LoveSounds
and Nelly Furtado’s “Loose”. Both of these albums would go on to sell 10
million copies each. So what did Timothy Zachary Mosley do in 2011 that’s
earned him a spot on this list? For one thing, he started Timbaland Thursdays which was a weekly free music initiative that
ran from January 10, 2011 up to May 20, 2011.
Most of the tracks from the Timbaland Thursday’s initiative
came from Timbaland’s “vault” and also included the single “See You Again”
which was dedicated to Aaliyah.
Dr. Dre
This guy apparently needs no introduction since he is one of
the most well-known and most respected figures in the hip hop community. Not
only has Dr. Dre established himself as an icon in the world of rap, but he’s
also helped other artists reach success as well. Dre, really didn’t do much by
his standards in 2011, but he did a couple of things that are definitely worth
mentioning. First he helped produced Slim the Mobster’s album, “War Music”
which was well received by critics. The other thing that he did was produce
Kendrick Lamar’s debut album “Section.80. The album got good reviews from
contemporary music critics even though it did not get enough mainstream
promotion.
Now even if Dre was just “lying low” in terms of production
in 2011, he still managed to help guys get a couple of pretty good albums out.
Now that right there is legendary, ladies and gentlemen and still proves that
Dre still has his touch when it comes to creating beats for other artists.
Statik Selektah
Okay, now in case you don’t know who this guy is, DJ Statik
Selektah is the CEO of Showoff Records and has been known to produce some very
wicked beats. In 2011, Statik released his album “Population Control”. Now even
though the album wasn’t really that popular outside of the underground hip hop
music circle, it is still worth nothing because DJ Statik’s authenticity and
innovative skills can be felt and heard throughout the album.
Whether you like Statik Selektah or not, this guy definitely
deserves some respect for what he has contributed to the music world with his wide array of hip hop beats.
Drumma Boy
This guy has been around since 2002 and ever since he burst
into the hip hop music scene, he has captured both our hearts and our ears.
Drumma Boy is a multi-platinum award winning rapper and producer, so by those
accolades alone you can pretty much see how much of a star he is. In August of
2011, Drumma Boy released his mixtape album entitled “The Birth of D-Boy
Fresh”. Like Statik Selektah’s
“Population Control” album, The Birth of D-Boy Fresh was not that well-known
outside of the hip hop circle.
However, it has some sick beats which further
prove how much of an awesome beat producer Drumma truly is. Even though his
mixtape release didn’t get that much media attention, it is still worthy enough
to have Drumma Boy on this list simply because of the sick beats that album
has.
Any person who wants to know how to become a singer or a rapper can definitely learn a thing or two from the guys on this list.
I first started listening to rap music back when I was about
6 years old. At first, I didn’t try to fully understand the lyrics that much
because I found myself being more attracted to the beats. As time went on
though, I became more and more appreciative of the lyrics of some of my
favorite rappers. Tupac Shakur comes into mind with his song “Dear Mama”, a
tribute that he made for his mother. I still consider this to be the greatest
rap song ever made and the lyrics truly touch my heart every time I listen to
it.
It was then that I finally realized how truly gifted rappers
are. People that casually listen to their songs have no idea just how difficult
it is to come up with lyrics that are not only catchy, but also deep and convey
a powerful message. This is something that I just don’t find in
most of today’s rap artists because their lyrics just don’t solicit the same
kind of message as the ones in the past. Call me an old timer or whatever, but
I don’t think that I am the only one feels the same way about this.
To be more precise, I think that the rappers
from the past were far more gifted than most of the ones that we have today. I’m
not saying that today’s rappers are untalented, but if you were to compare them
to the ones that came before them from the 80’s and 90’s, the gap is just too
big.
