It does not surprise anyone to see Dr. Dre on the list of the most prominent produces of the century. The only shocking thing here is to see him being ranked that low.
But again, this is the list made by Billboard staffers, and their bias is showing in every subjective list.
The 50 Greatest Producers of the 21st Century is a cross-genre list. Still, hip hop is well represented by producers behind era-defining projects as well as hits you have already forgotten. Six out of the top ten names on the list belong to producers working in hip hop and R&B.
Billboard awarded Dr. Dre No.19. The Aftermath mastermind who spun to success Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent, and shaped the sound of hip hop for over a decade barely made it to the Billboard’s top 20. Who are hip hop producers ranked higher? Swizz Beatz, Lil Jon, Noah Shebib, Just Blaze, Kanye West, Mike Will Made-It, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams / The Neptunes.
Here is Dr. Dre’s entry from the list:
19. Dr. Dre
Associated Artists: Eminem, 50 Cent, Eve
Signature Sound: Beginning at the end of the 20th century, Dre moved on from the warm soul samples and piercing synths of his ’90s-defining G-Funk sound for a sound that was more clipped, more tense and more nocturnal, with minimalist staccato hooks and drums that suggested fewer hands in the air and more hands locked on the steering wheel.
Defining Work: 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” produced alongside fellow West Coast icon DJ Quick and longtime right hand man Mike Elizondo — which rode a bellowing faux-string hook that makes more use of the space in between notes than in its own simplistic melody, but still sounded mighty enough to feel like 50’s very own superhero theme music.
Hidden Gem: Dre didn’t get a lot of neo-soul work in, but he did contribute a highlight to Soulquarian singer-songwriter Bilal’s 1st Born Second debut with the strobe synths and bleating bass of “Fast Lane.” — A.U.
Another producer associated with Eminem made an appearance near the bottom of the list – Boi-1da at No.46. Journalists named “Forever” by Drake, Lil Wayne and Eminem as a defining track of Boi-1da’s career.
You can read the list in full on the , and perhaps come up with your own alternative takes?
