Here Are the Best Hip-Hop Producers of 2022
2022 was a healthy year for music. Big dogs like Drake and Kendrick Lamar reminded folks of their artistic dominion. Lyricists like JID, Smino and Saba came through in the name of substance. New Atlanta popped out with new efforts from Gunna, Lil Baby and a storied string of boss moves from 21 Savage. And new blood from GloRilla to Yeat claimed their territory in hip-hop as well. There was truly something for everybody. So, now that the curtains are closing on this year, it’s time to salute the established producers who helped push the sounds and songs of these rappers forward, making their music all possible.
On the note of mainstream looks, ATL Jacob cemented his name into the Producer of the Year convos thanks to his work on Future’s multiplatinum-selling lullaby "Wait For U" featuring Drake and sampling Tems. Metro Boomin released his own chart-topping album, Heroes & Villains, in the fourth quarter, which houses classic performances from The Weeknd ("Creepin") and the late Takeoff ("Feel the Fiyaaaah"). Elsewhere, Tay Keith was fired up over the last 12 months, contributing to several heat rocks, including Cardi B’s "Hot Shit" with Lil Durk and Kanye West, as well as the OVO and Slaughter Gang link-up on "Jimmy Cooks."
Outside of popular demand, there were a lot of producers who reigned in 2022 as silent assassins. For example Daoud, who took care of the foundation on pensive records like Saba’s "Still." Kal Banx got busy, too. He helped usher in Top Dawg Entertainment’s new era by producing on a number of Doechii records like "Persuasive," and then with a groove for Smino to dance through on "Matinee." Plus, Beat Butcha chopped up some fire, most notably in the form of Benny The Butcher’s "10 Crack Commandments" and Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa’s "Wraith."
There were also a number of hip-hop scenes that stood out this year and are worth noting. SoundCloud’s new wave can be attributed in part to producers like BryceUnknwn, who assisted on tracks like SoFaygo’s "Hell Yeah" with Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely's "Blitz." The Midwest hasn't stopped having motion, and producers like Helluva Beats have been holding their weight in making sure that the movement stays strong by making music with BabyTron ("Prince of the Mitten") and Tee Grizzley ("Jay & Twan" series). And additionally, drill music has continued to prosper with more melodic elements to counter the staticky drum patterns, so shout-out to Great John and records like Sheff G’s "Listen" for setting the tone in that regard.
Elsewhere, OGs in Pharrell, Kanye West and The Alchemist proved that they haven’t lost a step. Hitkidd crafted arguably the biggest rap song of the year next to Big Glo, before passing the baton to Macaroni Toni to do the same. Hit-Boy continued his hall of fame run, as did Internet Money, who have been consistently paying it forward for years now. And it doesn’t stop there. A lot of masters behind the boards are mentioned above, but there’s plenty more to highlight. Check out XXL's best producers of 2022 below.
ATL Jacob
ATL Jacob set both the bar and the tone in 2022. He arguably had the most popular rap song of the year by co-producing on Future’s "Wait For U" featuring Tems and Drake, which is a sample of Tems’ track "Higher." The song received two Grammy nominations: one for Best Rap Song and another for Best Melodic Rap Performance. Elsewhere, among the other many feats, the Freebandz beatsmith contributed to albums like Kanye West’s Donda 2 ("Pablo") and Lil Baby’s chart-topping It’s Only Me ("Waterfall Flow"), as well as ushering in a new crop of talent by co-producing on new vibes from GloRilla ("No More Love") and Big30 ("Uh Huh"), plus many more.
Hit-Boy
Hit-Boy was again on his hall of fame flow this year. He laced the third installation of King’s Disease with Nas, where records like "Thun" and "Michael & Quincy" were consensus standouts. And aside from that G.O.A.T. link-up (plus a cross-pollination of eras between Nas and 21 Savage with "One Mic, One Gun"), he assisted in the magic on new albums by Dreezy (Hitgirl), The Game (Drillmatic) and Beyoncé (Renaissance). He also paid it forward by working with Kalan.FrFr ("Facetime") and Doechii ("This Bitch Matters").
Tay Keith
This year, Tay Keith reminded folks of how undefeated his brand of music is. He started the year by dropping a collabo with BlocBoy JB (Bacc 2 Da Bloc) and then he provided a helping hand on Yo Gotti’s CM10: Free Game. He got even crazier as the year progressed, contributing to smashes like "Jimmy Cooks" by Drake and 21 Savage, "Hot Shit" by Cardi B, Kanye West and Lil Durk, as well as DJ Khaled’s "Let’s Pray" with Travis Scott and Don Toliver. In the last couple of quarters, he helped Drake and 21’s joint effort, Her Loss, and Lil Baby’s sophomore album, It’s Only Me, reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart, thanks to his efforts on tracks like "Rich Flex" and "Back and Forth" with EST Gee, respectively.
Hitkidd
Hitkidd made a lot of noise over the last 12 months. He’s the beat-builder behind GloRilla’s breakout song, "F.N.F. (Let’s Go)". And in the vein of success, the track might mess around and win a Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 2023. Hitkidd continued to get busy behind the boards in alignment with Megan Thee Stallion ("NDA"), Baby Tate ("Sl*t Him Out Again"), Rob49 ("Alright") and Lil Uzi Vert ("Cigarette"). Not to mention, he’s still working with the group he stood by since day one, as tracks like "Shabooya" by K. Carbon, Slimeroni, Gloss Up and Aleza seems to now have a chokehold on the masses.
Sounwave
Kendrick Lamar not only came back after five years with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, but he came correct. Sounwave contributed to the majority of the songs on that chart-topping effort, with the most notable being "Savior," "Rich Spirit" and "Silent Hill," among plenty others. Before the year wrapped, Sounwave brought it back to TDE by contributing to Ab-Soul’s latest album, Herbert, and its lead single "Gang’Nem" with Fre$h.
Wheezy Outta Here
Wheezy Outta Here went crazy in 2022. He scored production credits on several No. 1 albums, including Gunna’s DS4ever, where he received a 2023 Grammy nomination for "Pushin’ P," Future’s I Never Liked You ("Chickens"), Lil Durk’s 7220 ("Expedite This Letter"), Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me ("Never Hating") and Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss ("Broke Boys"), just to name a few. He also stood tall as the 2021 XXL Freshman beat curator. Wheezy produced beats for versatile talent like Babyface Ray, KayCyy, Nardo Wick and SoFaygo.
Kal Banx
Kal Banx continued his prosperous production run into 2022. The rising beat builder helped stamp Doechii’s arrival to hip-hop with tracks like "Crazy" and "Persuasive" featuring SZA, the latter of which was housed on Doechii's latest project, She / Her / Black Bitch. He also made music with Denzel Curry ("Sanjuro"), Ab-Soul ("Hollandaise"), Maxo Kream ("Football Heads"). Kal even produced two of the best cuts from Smino’s Luv 4 Rent: "No L’s" and "Matinee."
Macaroni Toni
GloRilla and Cardi B’s "Tomorrow 2" was everywhere ever since it dropped a few months ago. Macaroni Toni is the sole producer on that gold-selling smash. He also provided his production talents for other Glo tracks like "Blessed" and "Unh Unh," which were both featured on her EP, Anyways, Life’s Great… His work in 2022 is a textbook example of how you introduce new talent in the right way.
Beat Butcha
Beat Butcha was in his bag this year. For starters, he produced a third of Benny The Butcher’s highly anticipated album, Tana Talk 4, where tracks like "10 More Commandments" jump off the page. Elsewhere, he helped lace up Dreamville’s Gangsta Grillz hit "Stick," and then connected the dots between Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa for "Wraith." Looking at the whole picture, he was also a part of Smino’s Luv 4 Rent ("Pudgy"), Latto’s 777 ("Like A Thug"), Cordae’s From A Bird’s Eye View ("Momma’s Hood") and on a R&B note, Brent Faiyaz’s Wasteland ("Heal Your Heart") and SZA’s chart-topping S.O.S. ("Far").
Dahi
Dahi and Kendrick Lamar have a long-standing relationship and the potency in that was reflected in their link-ups on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Dahi helped shock life into records like "Count Me Out," "Rich Spirit" and the Grammy nominated "Die Hard." Racking up even more wins, he scored production credits on Vince Staples' critical darling Ramona Park Broke My Heart ("DJ Quik"), Freddie Gibbs’ $oul $old $eparately ("Decoded”) and Smino’s Luv 4 Rent ("Pro Freak"). Even outside rap but close enough to the community, he played a part in the creation of Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights ("Give You the World") and SZA’s S.O.S. ("Used" with Don Toliver).
Metro Boomin
Metro Boomin is like the human torch when it comes to producers. He slowly started putting himself back in the forefront earlier this year with records like "P Power" and "Banking On Me" by Gunna. He then caught more fire by working with acts like Duke Deuce ("Just Say That"), Kodak Black ("I'm So Awesome") and the tag-team of Drake and 21 Savage ("More M's"), before unleashing his own album, Heroes & Villains. His project topped the Billboard 200 chart in December and sold the most units by a producer ever, selling an impressive 185,000 units in the first week. Salute.
Vinylz
The fruitful output of rap in 2022 wouldn’t have been completed without the assistance of Vinylz. He came through with production on Cordae’s "Chronicles" with H.E.R. and Lil Durk, Kodak Black’s "He Love The Streets" and the Honestly, Nevermind gem "Jimmy Cooks" by Drake and 21. He went back to the well with the latter pairing by working on "Rich Flex," which is arguably the best song on Her Loss. And he also pumped heat into Bryson Tiller’s sleeper hit "Outside."
Rogét Chahayed
When it comes to production, Rogét Chahayed is really one of them ones. He proved that this year by taking care of a large portion of Jack Harlow’s Come Home The Kids Miss You, most notably on "Dua Lipa." Additionally, he got busy on Doja Cat’s "Vegas" and Freddie Gibbs’ "Space Rabbit." Overall and for his outstanding work in the music industry, Rogét scored six 2023 Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album (Good Morning Gorgeous), Album of the Year (Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Beautiful), Best Rap Performance ("Vegas"), Best Melodic Rap Performance ("First Class") and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media ("Vegas"). Hats off to a phenomenal effort.
Dez Wright
Dez Wright has been making his presence felt in the lane of hip-hop for years now. His power moves this year include contributions to Gunna’s DS4ever ("Mop"), Future’s I Never Liked You ("Chickens"), a deluxe version of Baby Keem’s The Melodic Blue ("Patience Interlude") and Drake’s Her Loss cut "BackOutsideBoyz," among many others. Putting in work would be an understatement.
Cardo
Diamond-selling producer Cardo is still reflecting greatness. In 2022, he worked with Vince Staples ("Bang That"), Kendrick Lamar ("Savior"), Larry June ("In My Pockets") and Baby Keem ("Naked Freestyle"), just to name a few. He also pushed out a fire collaborative effort with YoDogg called Raised By Wolves. There’s no other option but to respect it.
Turbo
Turbo’s impact in music should never go without notice and definitely didn’t this year. The Playmakers head honcho of course stood by his brethren Gunna for several DS4ever cuts ("South to West" and "Livin Wild" are among the many fan favorites) and as the year progressed, the diamond-selling producer made heat rocks with Bino Rideaux ("Best Friend") and got in the lab with Roddy Ricch for "Stop Breathing" and "#1 Freak," the latter of which was housed on Feed The Streets III.
Daoud
Daoud deserves a standing ovation for what he did this year. He was all over Saba’s sophomre album, Few Good Things, on tracks like "Still" and "Survivor’s Guilt" out of the many. Beyond the home team, he has production credits on wax with Cordae ("C Carter"), EarthGang ("Waterboyz"), Dreamville/J. Cole ("Freedom of Speech"), Baby Tate ("Do Better") and Smino ("Pudgy"). Moreover, he helped up the ante on Lizzo and Kehlani’s latest efforts, co-producing efforts like "Special" and "Up At Night," respectively.
Taurus
Taurus’ career as a producer has been blooming steadily for some time now. As far as 2022 goes, his work in rap was spotlighted on tracks like Gunna’s "So Far Ahead > Empire," "You & Me" and "Idk That Bitch." He kept his foot on the accelerator, co-producing on Future’s I Never Liked You standout "Worst Day," Post Malone's Twelve Carat Toothache gem "I Cannot Be (A Sadder Song)" and G Herbo’s Survivor’s Remorse hitter "Breathe Slow," in addition to others.
Jahaan Sweet
Jahaan Sweet doesn’t seem like the type to take any days off. His track record is forever growing and as of late, his wins include contributions to tracks like Jack Harlow’s "Nail Tech," Blxst’s "Sometimes" with Zacari, Kendrick Lamar’s "Silent Hill" and "N95," Freddie Gibb’s "Gold Rings" and Don Toliver’s "Do It Right." All has been fair in the world of R&B too, as he helped new projects from Ella Mai (Heart On My Sleeve), Giveon (Give Or Take) and Beyonce (Renaissance) touch the world like air.
Boi-1da
There isn’t arguing against the fact that Boi-1da is a G.O.A.T. in this music thing. His track record speaks for itself. And adding to that in 2022, he co-produced on projects like Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers ("N95"), Jack Harlow’s Come Home The Kids Miss You ("Churchill Downs"), A Boogie’s Me vs. Myself ("Money Conversations"), Ab-Soul’s Herbert ("FOMF") and Drake and 21’s Her Loss ("Circo Loco"). Those wins barely scratch the surface, which speaks to how raw his talent really is. Oh yeah, plus he's nominated for Producer of the Year at the 2023 Grammy awards.
Murda Beatz
Murda Beatz is building a legacy in music that will never be erased. This year alone, he was recruited to work on new vibes from EST Gee ("Misery Loves Company"), NBA YoungBoy and Birdman ("Achievements"), Megan Thee Stallion ("Gift & a Curse") and Brockhampton ("New Shoes"). Also, he got a nice portion of wins by crafting some definitive sounds on Lil Baby’s It's Only Me ("California Breeze") and Quavo and Takeoff’s Only Built For Infinity Links. With the latter in mind, "Hotel Lobby" is respected material— expected when he’s involved.
TnTXD
Rod Wave and his go to beat-maker TnTXD are a Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen type pairing. Every time they link up, they get the job done, as heard throughout the entirety of Beautiful Mind and Jupiter’s Diary: 7 Day Theory, both that TnT helped shift. Songs like "Jupiter’s Diary," "Never Get Over Me" and "Stone Rolling" are among the standouts on those efforts. And elsewhere, the budding producer got some major looks on DaBaby and NBA YoungBoy’s collaborative effort Better Than You ("Little to a Lot") and a string of YB projects such as The Last Slimeto ("Stay The Same"), Realer 2 ("Purge Me"), and Ma’ I Got A Family ("Right Now"). There's plenty more where that comes from too.
Great John
Great John is an architect in the evolution of drill music. He helped the subgenre find extra legs by utilizing untapped samples and melodic backdrops, and an extension of that formula was heard this year on new music from Winners Circle’s holy trinity of Sheff G, Sleepy Hallow and Eli Fross. Sheff’s "Listen," Sleepy’s "Die Young" and Eli’s "Kickback" speak to the firepower in everything mentioned above.
F1lthy
Rap’s new era is in a great place right now. And a good handful of the new faces have all dropped songs in connection with F1lthy this year. Yeat’s "Smooktobër" and Ken Carson’s "Freestyle 2" are two of the most major examples. And otherwise, on the note of more established acts, F1lthy scored co-production credits on Lil Yachty’s viral loosie "Poland" and Drake’s Her Loss slider "Jumbotron Shit Poppin." He left no room for doubt when it came to his performance.
Chopsquad DJ
Chopsquad DJ is a major key in Chicago’s illustrious rap scene. Over the last 365 days, he linked up with Lil Durk for 7220, worked on King Von’s posthumous album What It Means To Be King, crafted a collaborative project with Lil Eazzyy called Too Eazzyy and contributed to G Herbo’s Survivor’s Remorse. Among those, standouts include the dedication "What Happened to Virgil" with Gunna, "Where I’m From," "Bring Some Mo" featuring NLE Choppa and "After That." He also took his talents to the East Coast by working with Lil Tjay on "Going Up" and far out West to work with the BlueBucksClan for Clan Way 3 ("Add It Up").
The Alchemist
The Alchemist has consistently been one of the best producers in the game for decades now. He went in this year, gaining co-production credits on Earl Sweatshirt’s Sick! ("Old Friend"), Benny The Butcher’s Tana Talk 4 ("Johnny P’s Caddy" featuring J. Cole), Continuance in collaboration with Curren$y ("The Tonight Show") and he joined forces with Roc Marciano for The Elephant Man’s Bones: Pimpire Edition ("Deja Vu"). Among the many wins that aren’t all mentioned here, he also had production on Kendrick Lamar's "We Cry Together" and for Freddie Gibbs' "Blackest In The Room."
TM88
TM88 started the year off with a bang. It all began with contributions to Lil Durk’s smash "Ahhh Ha" and then he reached further down the OTF lineage and laced a posthumous track by King Von called "Hard To Trust." On the note of commercial feats, he helped Future’s I Never Liked You climb to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 by co-producing on tracks like "Puffin On Zootiez" and he had one of the best songs on DJ Khaled’s top-selling album, God Did, by contributing to "Beautiful" by Pluto and SZA. His classic collab with Lil Uzi Vert "XO Tour Llif3" also went diamond this year, so big ups to that.
Internet Money
Internet Money could slick get a solo article dedicated to their musical imprint in 2022, but to try and summarize, they contributed to Yeat’s 2 Alive ("Call Me"), DC The Don’s My Own Worst Enemy ("iCarly :/"), Destroy Lonely’s NS + (Ultra) ("Louvre") and they were the executive producers of Rot Ken’s Free Me and Yaweh Child when it comes to artists who are next up.
In light of those who are already established, they extended their sauce to albums like Megan Thee Stallion’s Traumazine ("Who Me"), Rod Wave’s Beautiful Mind ("Never Find Us") YoungBoy’s Ma’ I Got A Family ("I Don't Text Back") and Drake and 21’s Her Loss ("BackOutsideBoyz") on top of plenty others. In addition to popping off with their own no-skips EP, We All We Got, they also played a huge part in the creation of Lil Uzi Vert’s viral banger "Just Wanna Rock." There’s plenty more where that comes from, but any fan of rap is hip to the motion that the whole gang has, so there's no need to overstate it here.
OG Parker
It’s hard to narrow down OG Parker’s run over the last 12 months. He worked with such a wide array of artists, including Megan Thee Stallion ("Budget" with Latto), The Game ("Save The Best For Last"), NBA YoungBoy ("Vette Motors"), Flo Milli ("Pretty Girls") and Kodak Black ("I Can’t Sleep"), among countless others. Talk about range. He also helped Lil Baby take the global stage by crafting the FIFA World Cup’s theme song "The World Is Yours to Take," which is a flip of Tears For Fears’ legendary anthem "Everybody Wants To Rule the World."
FNZ
There are few pairings in production that pack a one-two punch like FNZ. They’re usually wherever the good music is, as heard on co-produced efforts this year like Latto’s 777 ("It’s Givin"), Pusha T’s It’s Almost Dry ("Just So You Remember"), Future’s I Never Liked You ("Wait For U"), Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers ("Die Hard"), Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me ("Stop Playing"), Jeezy and DJ Drama’s Snofall ("MJ Jeezy") and Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss ("Rich Flex.") The list goes on, just like their archive of accolades.
Charlie Handsome
There is no putting Charlie Handsome into a box. His wide-ranging arsenal of sound was exemplified on drops like Gunna’s "So Far Ahead > Empire," Jack Harlow’s chart-topping single "First Class," Post Malone’s "Lemon Tree," NBA YoungBoy’s "My Time" and Juice Wrld’s latest posthumous release "Face 2 Face." Talk about limitless, that’s him for sure.
Cubeatz
Cubeatz, the Germany-bred production combo, contributed to Lil Durk’s "Golden Child," the CMG label compilation cut "Big League," Lil Baby’s "Detox" and "No Fly Zone" and NLE Choppa’s "Ice Spice," all in this year alone. They also added some contributions to tracks like Drake’s "Jumbotron Shit Poppin," which helped up the ante on their combined résumé as one of the best songs on one of the best albums of the year.
Ambezza
Ambezza is the gift that keeps on giving in music. This year, he worked on NBA YoungBoy’s Colors track "Fish Scale," DS4ever’s "Die Alone," YB and DaBaby’s collabo "Head Off," off Better Than Me, Rico Nasty’s Las Ruinas favorite "Dance Scream," Roddy Ricch’s Feed Tha Streets III smash "Just Because" and YG and Lil Wayne’s flag tie "Miss My Dawgs," just to name a few. His production credits were nothing short of lucrative and rich, further proven on tracks like Babyface Ray's "Spend It."
Mustard
It’ll be a cold day in hell before Mustard cools off. This year alone, his production prowess was showed on songs from Coi Leray ("Mustard’s Interlude"), Vince Staples ("Magic"), Unc & Phew ("See Bout It"), Lil Uzi Vert ("Glock In My Purse") and The Game ("Heart vs. Mind"). He also spun the block on his undefeated relationship with Roddy Ricch, threading tracks like "Real Talk," "Ghetto Superstar" and "Pressure." He even linked with Ty Dolla $ign for the NBA on ESPN theme song and remix of "My Friends."
BoogzDaBeast
All of the moves that BoogzDaBeast made in 2022 were notable. Nearly every album he touched was touted as the best of the year, including Pusha T’s It’s Almost Dry ("Just So You Remember"), Fivio Foreign’s B.I.B.L.E. ("City of Gods"), Latto’s 777 ("Sleep Sleep") and Vory’s Lost Souls ("Dark Clouds" and "Believe In Me.") He put an exclamation point on his run by contributing to the Her Loss album intro "Rich Flex."
Pharrell
Pharrell has been working like the rent is due. The legendary producer has been paying it forward to a new crop of talent. The legendary producer and rapper contributed to new music from Latto ("Real One") and SoFaygo ("TookOff"). And with more seasoned rap architects, he did half of Pusha T’s first No. 1 album, It’s Almost Dry, and linked up with Kendrick Lamar for "Mr. Morale." Skateboard P also released his own singles: "Cash In Cash Out" with 21 Savage and Tyler The Creator, and "Down In Atlanta" with Travis Scott.
Kanye West
Kanye West’s personal life has never impacted the music. Proof of that is heard on his 2022 contributions that were all over Donda 2, where tracks like "First Time in a Long Time" flex his artistic muscle, and his shared record with Fivio Foreign "City of Gods." Moreover, Ye did the other half of Push’s It’s Almost Dry and also co-produced on the latest efforts from Vory ("Daylight") and DJ Khaled ("Use This Gospel"). Talent like that doesn’t disappear.
40
40 deserves plenty of credit when it comes to Drake’s ascension to the top spot. When one pops out, you see the other, and together this year, they linked up on both chart-topping efforts Honestly, Nevermind and Her Loss with 21 Savage. The fan favorites from those two include "Down Hill," as well as "Spin Bout U." He also had production credits on "Circa Loco" and 21's time stamp "3AM on Glenwood."
Southside
Southside had his foot on the neck of the competition in 2022. New vibes by Babyface Ray ("6 Mile Show"), Doe Boy ("Big Oh Really"), Future ("I'm Dat Nigga"), Lil Durk ("Ahhh Ha"), NBA YoungBoy ("My Time") and G Herbo ("No Guts, No Glory"), among many others, had his imprint attached to them. And in the world of loosies, he ran up the sonics with alongside Morray ("Ticket") and Polo G ("My All"). Everything above is proof that his sound will always be coveted.
Fridayy
Fridayy is a three-headed dragon who can perform, write and produce. He made the best producers list this year, thanks to his co-production on Rae Sremmurd’s "Denial," DJ Khaled’s "God Did" with Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Rick Ross and John Legend—a track he was also featured on—Rod Wave’s "The Answer Is No" and Lil Tjay’s "Give You What You Want." Keep an eye out for him in the future because if he continues being on this type of time, he’s closer than further to reaching legend status.
Bizness Boi
Bizness Boi’s name is in the rap dictionary next to "consistent." He extended his golden résumé in 2022 by co-producing on tracks like Tink’s "Cater" with 2 Chainz—a flip of Destiny Child’s classic of the same name—Flo Milli’s "Hottie," Rae Sremmurd’s "Denial" and Lil Baby’s "Forever." When it comes to budding talent, he also worked with Jeleel! on "Stone Cold!" and Big Scarr on "Houdini."
Hitmaka
Hitmaka touched base with many acts this year. For starters, he was the executive producer on Tink’s new album, Pillow Talk. Additionally, he was part of Wiz Khalifa’s Multiverse ("Memory Lane") and Lakeyah’s No Pressure Pt. 2 ("Mind Yo Business" with Latto). His seasoned beat-making was also gifted to other youngins like OMB Peezy on "Make Me Proud" and Lil Jairmy on "Alaska."
Jasper Harris
Jasper Harris didn’t miss in 2022. He co-produced on a string of respected records such as Future’s "Worst Day," Jack Harlow’s "First Class," Lizzo’s “" Love You Bitch" and Post Malone’s top 10 hit "I Like You (A Happier Song)" with Doja Cat. Other wins in his catalog also include working on Roddy Ricch’s "Tootsies," but everything just mentioned only speak to a portion of what he’s accomplished in the last 12 months.
G-Ry
G. Ry is known for crafting some of the most fire rhythms known to music. Tracks like Ty Dolla $ign’s Los Angeles Rams ode "Champions," Kaash Paige and Lil Tjay’s "24 Hrs," Bino Rideaux’s "If U Ever" and The Game’s "Save The Best For Last" are part of his 2022 output and of course emphasizes that notion. He’s been knocking them out the park for sure.
Buddah Bless
Buddah Bless snapped on everything he touched this year. He began the year by working with Doe Boy ("Boffum"), 2 Chainz ("10 Bracelets") and Kodak Black ("Back For Everything"). Then, he scored some wins midway by co-producing on Lil Poppa’s "Kardashian Ex" and Morray’s ("Momma’s Love"). And last but certainly not least, he had two of the best tracks on Quavo and Takeoff’s Only Built For Infinity Links: "Bars Into Captions" and the fiery intro "Two Infinity Links."
Ojivolta
Ojivolta had a great year. The tip of the iceberg came with their work on Fivio Foreign’s "City of Gods" and their contributions to Ye’s Donda 2 tracks like "We Did It" with the Migos, Fivi and Baby Keem. Later, They were also tapped to co-produce on a couple of Pusha T tracks such as "Rock N Roll." And they played a part in the link-up between Yeezy and XXXTentacion on "True Love." Lastly, they also got busy with Baby Keem ("Bank Account") and Vory ("Daylight").
Pi’erre Bourne
Pi’erre Bourne really does exist in a lane of his own. This year, he dropped collaborative projects with Juicy J likeSpace Age Pimpin, on which he produced tracks such as "Smokin’ Out," and Jelly's The Wolf of Peachtree 2, with production credits on "Ice Cream." Plus, he unleashed his own solo effort, Good Movie, which features his inescapable production on songs like "Psane." After flooding the market with premiere beats all year, he still didn’t let up, eventually securing some credits on Young Nudy’s EA Monster ("Project X"), too.
Helluva Beats
Helluva Beats is easily one of the best out of the Midwest. He always steps up to the plate, as heard on 2022 collaborations with BabyTron ("Prince of the Mitten"), Yo Gotti ("Cold Gangsta"), Baby Money ("Difference"), 42 Dugg and EST Gee ("Ice Talk") and Tee Grizzley ("Jay & Twan 1"), among countless others. His biggest though is arguably by co-producing for the revered pairing of Jeezy and DJ Drama on "I Ain’t Gone Hold Ya."
FOREVEROLLING
FOREVEROLLING isn’t the type to fold up when it’s on him. He of course worked with his right-hand man EST Gee on tracks like "Jumpout Gang" and "Death Around The Corner." Moreover, he contributed to Gee and Dugg’s collaborative effort, Last Ones Left, by helping on songs like "Spin" and the CMG compilation for songs like "Strong." Even outside the gang, he solidified some co-production on records by Real Boston Richey ("Watch How I Move"), DDG ("Straight Outta Pontiac") and Icewear Vezzo ("Times Like This").
BryceUnknwn
BryceUnknown is a big reason why the SoundCloud scene is back popping again. He has records with all the lead hitters, such as SoFaygo ("Hell Yeah"), Destroy Lonely ("Blitz"), Iayze ("Famous") and Rich Amiri ("All On Me"). He also started the year off by working with Internet Money to breathe air into "Flossin’" by NBA YoungBoy.
DJ Durel
Fans can always count on DJ Durel to make things shake and groove from a production standpoint with the Migos. When Quavo and Takeoff unloaded Only Built For Infinity Links earlier this year, Durel was all over it, co-producing on most of the album and standout cuts like "Big Stunna," "Chocolate" with Gunna and Young Thug and the Gucci Mane-assisted "Us vs. Them." He’s getting better at beat-building every year and his impression on that album is all the evidence needed.
Louis Bell
Louis Bell was all over Post Malone’s newest album, Twelve Carat Toothache, where he played a role in the creation of tracks like "Wasting Angels," "I Like You (A Happier Song)" and "Reputation," out of plenty others. That album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and aside from going crazy in that instance, he also helped create YG’s "Sober," which seems to have success from coast to coast.
Ben10k
Ben10k has been locked in all year. He has production credits on DaBaby and YB’s track "Head Off," he worked a ton with Rico Nasty on Las Ruinas ("Vaderz" with Bktherula and "Messy"), he linked with YB again by adding his flavor to tracks like "McQueen," off Ma I Got A Family. And in light of the next generation of talent, he also co-produced on records by Kenny Mason ("Nosedive"), Fridayy ("Come Through") and Joony ("Drugs and Fashion"), just to mention several power moves out of many.
DY Krazy
DY Krazy and his collective, Krazy Mob, are out here producing like they have something to prove. The way everyone locked in on records 2022 like "Emo Rockstar" by NBA YoungBoy, "I’m Dat Nigga" by Future, "Spending Spree" by Babyface Ray, "Favor for a Favor" by Roddy Ricch and "Not Finished" by Lil Baby exemplifies the type of time they're on. Everyone knows how much is still left in the tank, so stay tuned.
Synthetic
Synthetic’s work truly speaks for itself. He has some solid looks this year on Yeat’s 2 Alive ("Double"), Iayze's Virtuous ("Look At Them Racks"), KanKan’s Way2Geeked ("Hat4Hat") and Lucki’s Flawless Like Me ("Brazy Weekend"). He also co-produced Uzi’s "Just Wanna Rock," which has literally been inescapable since the day it dropped.
OZ
Multi-diamond selling producer OZ added his wizardry to a dynamic string of records this year, such as Jack Harlow and Lil Wayne’s “Poison,” plus Metro Boomin and Young Thug’s Heroes & Villains cut “Metro Spider.” His sonic stamp was also heard throughout Drake and 21’s blockbuster release Her Loss, as he secured co-production on “Treacherous Twins,” “Middle of the Ocean,” “On BS” and “3AM on Glenwood," which are all held the highest regard when it comes to that project.