NEWS
EVENTS
Producers: The Not So Little Cogs That Make the Big Wheels Turn
RnB/Hip Hop | Thursday 31st May 2012 | Osh
When you listen to a track, what goes through your head? Let me guess...
- Is there a gully beat?
- Are the lyrics tight?
- Can you dance to it or is it a song for chilling?
Do you ever wonder who produced the song? Don’t worry if the answer's no, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I could tell anybody the producers of songs that I liked.
Think about popular songs such as ‘The Motto’ by Drake and co, ‘Rack City’ by Tyga or ‘B.M.F’ by Rick Ross. I’m sure they all ring bells in your head right? But do you actually know who produced these songs? The producer arguably plays the most valuable role in creating a song; in fact it’s fair to say without the producer, it wouldn’t be possible for most artists to be as successful as they currently are! Back in the day when super producer Quincy Jones was at the peak of his career, everybody knew the names of the songs he had touched with his magic. So why is it producers nowadays go unknown or overlooked?
There are a handful of producers who make themselves known by either rapping or appearing in the videos of hit singles they’ve produced. Some of whom go by the names of Kanye West, Dr Dre, Timbaland & Swizz Beatz.
But what about the producers who stay behind the scenes? Have you ever considered what they look like, how they are able to make names for themselves or what other songs they’ve produced?
T-Minus is a name that you’re probably not familiar with; unlike most of the tracks he’s produced. He’s the mastermind behind hits such as ‘She Will’ by Lil Wayne, ‘Moment 4 Life’ by Nicki Minaj, ‘I’m On One’ by DJ Khaled, ‘The Motto’ by Drake and many more. At only 24 it’s amazing how much the Canadian producer has achieved. His discography stretches back all the way to 2006 and there’s no sign of him slowing down anytime soon.
There are countless other producers with similar stories. These include the likes of Bangladesh, who’s signed to Cash Money and produced hip hop monsters such as ‘What’s Your Fantasy?’ (Ludacris) and ’A Milli’ (Lil Wayne) and the 21 year old prodigy Lex Luger who’s worked alongside industry giants Rick Ross, Kanye West and Jay-Z to name but a few.
Although some may prefer to stay out of the limelight, perhaps the main reason producers get such little recognition is because they are harder to market than artists. As most producers tend to work freelance, marketing them is not profitable for a label. Besides, it’s not necessary for producers to have an image because that’s the job of the artist.
In the same way you await the next release of your top artists, wouldn’t you do a similar thing with producers of your favourite songs, if you knew their names? At the end of the day it shouldn’t be all about the money, producers are like bangers to mash, they’re an essential part of the recipe and deserve recognition for their contribution to the overall flavour.
Ade Adeosun
