The remaining five producers for the greatest Hip-Hop album, ever:

If you missed the first five, check them out HERE:

DJ Premier

Signature (the loop, NYC "pure hip-hop" sound)
Notable Artists (Biggie, Gangstarr, Jay-Z, Nas, Jeru, Group Home)
Defining track - Dwyck f/ Gangstarr, Nice & Smooth

Look, I know this list is current, but there are some exceptions to every rule. This is one. Remember when you used to get a new Biggie, Nas or Jay-Z album knowing for sure that one or two of those songs were gonna have that filthy D&D beat on it? The tailor-made track for you to turn the corner reeeeeeeal slow, while your left elbow is perched through the window and parallel to the block? I miss that. Primo went to Prairie View University down in Texas. I think they had the longest losing streak in NCAA history in the mid 90's in basketball and/or football. Primo is anything but a loser though. In fact he molded two loser rappers into a formidable duo. If you don't have it, go out and find Group Home's Livin Proof. I swear this is what almost makes me put Primo above Dre. Listen to those beats. When a producer can make you forget about the useless wordplay the rapper is stumbling over because the beat is so overpowering, that means something.

Primo's job = Create the Hip-Hop street song.

Just Blaze

Signature (raw old school chopped tracks)
Notable Artists (Jay-Z, State Property, Beanie Sigel, Game, Memphis Bleek)
Defining track - Roc Da Mic f/ Beanie & Freeway

The co-captain of the Roc-A-Fella beat renaissance. KanYe gets a lot of the credit for the soul sampling thing, but that's not to say the man who loves his video games and science fiction isn't "that dude" in his own right. I mean, he did create the beats that solidified Jay's position with his female fan base when he cooked up Girls, Girls, Girls and Song Cry for Blueprint. His ability to switch it up is what makes him an elite producer. To go from the heartfelt Song Cry to a rollercoaster in Lyrical Exercise or from a commercial hit like Oh Boy to an absolute heat rock in The ROC shows just how diverse Just really is. One of my favorite Just beats is Get Down from Beanie Sigel's The Reason. The beat is a perfect setup for a deal gone wrong in a 70's Blaxploitation film. Every time I hear it I think about ugly shirts and platform shoes.

Just's job = The introspective beat. The beat you can lose yourself in. He's capable of so much more, but these songs are the ones that give an album replay value.

9th Wonder

Notable Artists (Nas, Jay-Z, Little Brother, Destiny's Child, Justus League)
Signature (re-reinventing the remix, computer life reflecting soul samples)
Defining Track - Threat f/ Jay-Z

I'm a 9th Wonder fan-boy, so what? What can I say? Better yet, what can hip-hop purists say? How can a guy who makes some of the truest to form "Hip-Hop" beats in the game use a computer program called "Fruity Loops" to do it? Don't think too hard, your head might explode. I got a copy of a Justus League (9th's crew) mixtape a few years ago, before I was familiar with him, and chuckled at the first two beats saying to myself, "Whoever is doing these beats is getting his Pete Rock the fuck on." By the time I was half way through the tape, I was well on my way in tracking down Little Brother's The Listening, and anything else that had 9th Wondra's name on it. He's revolutionized these remix albums. Just know that all those yellow & fuchsia The Black Album spin-offs were fathered by 9th. Him, Soul Supreme and MF Doom really were the first ones to successfully do those remix albums, but 9th had the best beats out of the trio and consequently has sustained himself as the most successful, working on the REAL Black Album and a Destiny's Child project, among others. The knock on him was that he couldn't make anything that would be accepted in the mainstream. Well, neither Jay nor Papa Knowles would risk beats on their cash-cow albums unless they were on point. That should tell you to get on the wagon, now.

9th's job = Soul sample with an absurd drum pattern.

The Alchemist

Signature (fragmented sample genius)
Notable Artists (Mobb Deep, The Lox, Nas, Dilated Peoples, Cormega)
Defining track - We Gonna Make It f/ Jadakiss

I'll just say this, dude might be a prodigy. I know he hangs out with the diminutive rapper by the same name, but I'm talking about on a music level. I was listening to some records a family member had stashed away and I stumbled upon the song Alchemist used to piece together the now classic violin loop on We Gonna Make It. It was only three seconds or so, but after hearing it I immediately knew that this Jew was on the money (eh?). Or that his beats were tight (ehhhh?). No, but really, it was like 3:41 through the song that he spotted, ripped, looped and created a Hip-Hop masterpiece. Keep It Thorough could have easily been the defining track, but I just can't get over that sample. Genius work.

The Alchemist's job = The gutter beat. The sample must be chopped to the point where it would not be recognized without proper identification.

Hi-Tek

Signature (base thumping, 808, keys)
Notable Artists (Blackstar, Snoop, G-Unit, Rafael Saadiq, Morcheeba, Truth Hurts)
Defining track - The Blast f/ Talib Kweli

Often overlooked because of his affiliation with "backpack rap," but his use of baselines on his beats are just malicious. He's on that 1990 D-Nice 808 shit. You know a dude is rocking a baseline when a song comes on and you're humming the baseline instead of reciting the words. You also know a dude is extremely talented when he can work with Talib Kweli, Snoop and G-Unit and perfectly fit all of their styles. Having Dr. Dre recruit you for his elite production team doesn't hurt either.

Tek's Job = The SUV beat aka the rawest baseline on the record. Every time someone pulls out of the garage, this baseline would justify the hefty car note they're paying.

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Well, that's it. Those are the producers that will get this project to the promise land. Hate it or love it, it's an absolute list of lava from top to bottom and would easily make the greatest Hip-Hop album ev...Wait, I know what you're probably thinking, "No Timbaland? No Lil Jon? No Cool & Dre?" To answer your question, no. Lil Jon's been slacking a bit lately and he's pretty hit or miss anyway. I think Aaliyah was alive the last time I heard a Timbaland beat that moved me. Cool & Dre just missed the cut, as did Salaam Remi (NOOOOOPE) and two of my all time favorites DJ Quik and Big Hutch.

The Perfect Hip-Hop Album's FInal Producer List

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

KanYe West
Dr. Dre
The Neptunes
J-Dilla -------------------------------->
Scott Storch
DJ Premier
Just Blaze
9th Wonder
The Alchemist
Hi-Tek