Random Rules Playlist 006: The 50 Greatest Leftfield Producers/DJs in Hip Hop History
Featuring an entirely instrumental playlist
This is the second post in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop, this time I’m paying tribute to my favorite beatmakers / producers / turntablists, etc., especially those who have worked with the more leftfield artists in hip hop. I have a few more ideas for other themes to explore within the context of 50YOHH but I’ll probably take a break after this post and maybe come back to it later in the year. Would love to hear from you, reader on any other specific 50YOHH themes you’d like to see explored. Trying to come up with stuff that you wouldn’t hear covered on say, Fresh Air (who have actually done a great job with their 50YOHH coverage, as well as SPIN Magazine). Please hit that like / save button on Spotify if you enjoy my playlists and lemme know!
I decided to make this playlist completely instrumental, which made it a bit harder since it’s pretty difficult to find instrumental tracks on Spotify for certain producers, especially from the 70s and 80s. But, I wanted to actually highlight the production styles on these tracks, so I figured the best way to do that would to force you to only listen to the production. I acknowlege that I also left off some pretty big names - basically any producer whose producer tag or biggest hits you regularly hear on modern rap radio was left off, from Dr. Dre to Metro Boomin. There’s also a few guys who got themselves canceled for very legitimate reasons, so I left them off too. The playlist is not really in any particular order, other than the undisputed GOAT J Dilla at #1. Please tell me who I missed and who I should have left off in the comments.
J Dilla - “The Diff’rence”
Marley Marl - “Big Faces”
Madlib - “Deeper”
9th Wonder - “Whatuptho”
Prince Paul & Dan The Automator aka Handsome Boy Modeling School - “Holy Calamity” (feat. DJ Shadow & DJ Quest)
RZA - “Shadowboxin’”
Mix Master Mike - “Jack Knyfe”
Hi-Tek - “The Sun God”
DJ Shadow - “Midnight In A Perfect World”
Peanut Butter Wolf (feat. like 100 other DJs) - “Tale Of Five Cities”
Kenny Beats - “Take_it_Back”
Oh No - “Gladius”
The Alchemist - “Bbs”
DJ Krush - “Song 2”
Kid Koala - “Fender Bender”
Cut Chemist - “I Gotta Weapon”
DJ Qbert & D-Styles - “Razorblade Alcohol Slide”
RJD2 - “Ghostwriter”
Prefuse 73 - “One World Extinguisher”
Rob Swift - “Rabia - 1st Movement”
J Rocc - “Thru The Tulips”
Flying Lotus - “Obligatory Cadence”
Nosaj Thing - “Aquarium”
Knxwledge - “letuleave.[geekdop]”
DJ Spooky - “Synchronic Disjecta”
Neotropic - “Under Violent Objects”
DJ Cam - “Bronx Theme”
DJ Rhettmatic - “Stratasphere”
The Beat Junkies - “Scratch Monopoly Pt. II”
DJ Babu - “Round and Round”
Alias - “What Used To Be”
UNKLE - “What Are You To Me?”
Tony Touch - “I Wonder Why? (He’s The Greatest DJ)”
Sixtoo - “Boxcutter Emporium”
Blockhead - “Farewell Spaceman”
Ras G - “Been Cosmic”
Odd Nosdam - “Teasy”
Mndsgn - “Sumdim”
Teebs - “While You Doooo”
The Herbaliser - “Another Mother”
DJ Scott La Rock & D-Nice - “Scott Made Me Funky”
The Egyptian Lover - “Egypt Egypt”
Clams Casino - “Illest Alive”
Pete Rock - “A Little Soul”
Jel - “Know You Don’t”
DJ Premier - “Dots”
DJ Nu-Mark - “Melody”
Large Professor - “Hardcore Hip Hop”
dj honda - “Travellin’ Man”
Controller 7 - “The March”
Here’s last week’s post & playlist:
