Listing, Part 2

As promised, I present to you the 5 Hottest Producers in the game right now.  I say "hottest" to avoid any quibbles about "catalogue."  Production's all about the now.  So with apologies to DJ Premier and Dr. Dre (Dre, if you ever decide to drop Detox instead of phoning in beats for Em, we'll talk), let's begin.

1. Kanye West

Let's face it; he's always going to be remembered as a better producer than rapper, and he is.  I've enjoyed every stage of Ye's production career so far, and so has the general public.  Even those right-minded people who thought his singing on 808s & Heartbreak was pansy couldn't say the production wasn't on point.  With no signs of stopping, looks like Yeezy's breaking the mold on this one, and anyone who complains that he samples too much needs to jump off something tall and try to land on their head.  Tracklist:

-Love Lockdown

-Flashing Lights

-Let The Beat Build, Lil Wayne

-Swagga Like Us, Everyone

-I Poke Her Face, Kid Cudi

2. Dion Wilson - a.k.a. No I.D.

First the student, then the mentor.  Rap godfather of the Chi, No I.D.'s best work has come recently, in my opinion.  Namely, his yet fully public work with Mikkey Halsted.  He has described it in interviews as his symphony and from what I've heard, it certainly sounds like nothing else and utterly fantastic.  Props to dude for his recent mainstream acclaim on Jigga's last album and the rumors he helped Kanye with most of the  upcoming The Blueprint 3.  Tracklist:

-See You In My Nightmares, Kanye West

-Karma, Mikkey Halsted

-Put It On Ya, Plies

-Rebel To America, Mikkey Halsted

-Success, Jay-Z

3.  Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones - a.k.a. Polow da Don

So we all know Love In This Club was crazy, and I don't really care that he used GarageBand; that's what it's there for.  You're just mad you didn't figure it out first.  He's also got Rich Boy under his belt, which you might call his symphony.  Yeah, maybe a lot of his production is geared toward singers, but face it, rappers love his beats.  What do you think remixes are for?  Tracklist:

-Let's Get This Paper, Rich Boy

-Love In This Club, Usher

-Role Models, Rich Boy

-Turnin Me On, Keri Hilson

-Forever, Chris Brown

4. Marcello Valenzano and Andre Christopher Lyon - a.k.a. Cool & Dre

These two have really had a magic touch of late and the work they've done down south has given them a whole bag full of hits.  They're best when they're working with epic sounds, and the end result of most of their tracks are some wicked freestyle beats, hence the popularity of their group tracks.  Listen.  Tracklist:

-Brown Paper Bag, DJ Khaled and Friends

-My Life, The Game

-Hot Revolver, Lil Wayne

-Blown, Busta Rhymes

-All My Life, Jay Rock

5. Christopher Gholsen - a.k.a. Drumma Boy

This guy has a mad musical background and it really comes through in the production.  You can tell he likes classical music.  That synth crescendo you've been hearing at the beginning of your favorite tracks?  Yep, that's your boy.  He's making some of the most fun music out right now.  Tracklist:

-Watch Dis, Plies

-I'm Da Man, Plies

-Put On, Young Jeezy

-My Life, Your Entertainment, T.I.

-Lost, Gorilla Zoe

Shout out to J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League.  Y'all made Rick Ross' career; just got squeezed out here.  Dem beats are buttery!