A few years ago when Jay-Z was supposedly embarking on his last album, he went into the project with the ideal of having about ten or so of the top producers in Hip-Hop each create a beat for the record. The Black Album turned out pretty good, but because of the connection Jay maintained with certain producers, the original blueprint (npi) was scrapped and a couple of the producers got two beats, while some were left out altogether. The thought of staying true to such a format is intriguing though. And so, without any further ado, here is a list of the best ten Hip-Hop producers you could assemble to make the perfect record, with an explanation as to why they are on the project and what their assignment would be:

MC not listed (that's a whole other feature).

KanYe West

Signature (feel good soul samples, arrogance)
Notable Artists (Jay-Z, Twista, Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron, Alicia Keys, Brandy)
Defining track - Jesus Walks

We all know about the beats he did for himself, Jay, Beans, and all of the radio singles that seemed to swarm in at one time a couple years ago, but some of his best work was actually on Freeway's first album. That's something I look for in a great producer; the ability to give even the lesser artists quality production. You've got a lot of cats out here doing the soul sample thing, but KanYe has pretty much perfected it. You hear that beat on Fade to Black that Jay didn't want to use? If I was a rapper and I saw a guy skipping over beats like that, I'd cry; seriously. Now, I know some may say that Takeover or Slow Jams is his defining track, but Jesus Walks shot a cold chill through my body the first time I heard the fuckin snippet. Not a little coincidental chill, I'm talking remembering some good sex chill. 'Ye says he played that for record execs when he couldn't get signed. I refuse to believe that.

KanYe's job = Lead single. Most important beat on the album. Must be sample based. Not necessarily soul, but definitely incredible with horns.

Dr. Dre

Signature (too many to name, but we'll just say G-funk)
Notable Artists (N.W.A., Snoop, G-Unit, Tupac, Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, Eve)
Defining track - Nothin' But A G-Thang f/ Snoop Doggy Dogg

The king, bar none. The first time I heard Nothin' But A G-Thang, I just sat there dumbfounded. I didn't quite understand what I just heard, but I knew I liked it a lot. Now, there is plenty of speculation on how much he actually has to do with the beats, but there's no denying that "Dre sound." The "hottest" come and go, but the Doc puts out heat every time around and manages to reinvent himself just enough to win, while avoiding a dated sound. He's the Barry Bonds of beats; No matter how much they try to taint his achievements, he keeps knocking it out to Alcatraz. Have you heard Snoop lately and thought where the hell his rhymes went? Well, guess what, they've always been elementary. That flow and, most importantly, those beats used to just cover that up. In Da Club could have went platinum as an instrumental. Give the Doctor his credit.

Dre's job = Not defined. No parameters set for this contribution, you trust Dre to be Dre and create a masterpiece. He has the 2nd single.

The Neptunes

Signature (diversity, the computer malfunction sound effect thingy)
Notable Artists (Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Mystikal, Noreaga, Clipse, Kelis, Usher)
Defining track - Grindin' f/ The Clipse

The most diverse producers; probably in music. I was told by a "source" that the work they did on Justin Timberlake's solo album was actually laid down for Michael Jackson, but when he passed (way to go, Mike), they went in the studio with Justin and pretty much just told him when and where to say what and how. I don't know if this is true, but listen to those tracks on Justified with your eyes closed and block out Timberlake. Now tell me you don't hear Off The Wall, vol. 2. How you can make such gutter beats for The Clipse then turn around and do Britney Spears Pepsi-friendly music is beyond me, but obviously not Chad and Pharrell.

Chad and Pharrell's job = Simple: give the record a feature with an easy to remember melody; 3rd single.

Jay Dee/J-Dilla

Signature (that cool, jazzy A Tribe Called Quest sound circa Midnight Marauders)
Notable Artists (ATCQ, Pharcyde, Dwele, Busta, Erykah Badu, Slum Village)  
Defining Track - Players f/ Slum Village

The "other" JD, from out of Detroit. Before Kanye did the Selfish track, Slum Village's beat-smith was none other than Dilla. What makes this guy so good on beats is that he's kinda like The Neptunes in that there's nothing he won't do. To throw another baseball analogy out there, he's Greg Maddux in his prime. He's not trying to overpower you; he's out there playing chess with your ass. You don't know where he's going next, but it's sure enough going to fuck your head up and make your knees wobble before the beat lands dead in the strike zone. Him, Hi-Tek and 9th Wonder own that off-beat/on-beat shit, but Dilla's on another level. It's like he brought a bunch of 5th graders and the beats they play on their lunchroom table into whatever crazy place he works and recaptures the sound. If I had to guess, I'd say he makes his beats in a studio with lots of drugs and big pictures of Jimi Hendrix adorning the walls.

Dilla's job = In a twist, Dilla is the wildcard being given the 4th single. He is slated to build the wildest and most spaced out beat that can balance itself between hardcore Hip-Hop fans and a crossover audience.

NOTE: This feature was completed before Dilla passed due to his on-going battle with problems stemming from his kidneys. We're not being trendy by throwing him up on a list because he just died. The brother was a pioneer and perfected the three-way union between Soul, Jazz and Hip-Hop. 33.3 % of Tha Uhmah 25% of Slum Village 25% of The Soulaquarians 100% Hip Hop R . I . P . J - D i l l a

Scott Storch

Signature (heavy sounding quirky instruments including keys and strings)
Notable Artists (Snoop, Dr. Dre, Fat Joe, Beyonce)
Defining track - Lean Back

The white vampire has been putting in work, my people. There's just no way around it. The Tuff Jew (no 'Cism, that's the name of his production company) who now likes to be called the Meyer Lansky (Google it) of Hip-Hop has really earned his top billing. After rocking keys for The Roots, he went on to work in Dr. Dre's camp, where he honed his skills until even Dre couldn't help but unleash the Philly's fanatic on the world. The result was a fused Dre and Organic sound, heavy with keys, strings and any other quirky instrument that could be found. Lean Back was so popular last summer, I just knew I would see it pop up on a soda commercial (too late guys, you totally missed out on that opportunity). His work on Beyonce's album was under the radar, but Baby Boy, Naughty Girl and Me, Myself and I aren't coincidences, folks.

Scott's job = The single that's not released as a single. On every album you anticipate a song being a single, but it's never released as one for whatever odd reason. Scott would create this so homemade mixtapes for parties and cookouts could feature a track that hasn't been run into the ground by radio.

There you have it; the featured producers on the boards for our perfect Hip-Hop album's singles. Be on the look out for the next five, who will be in charge of giving the album balance and the replay value only true classics behold.