"...I'm number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5!!!"

What up hip-hop heads! Oooooook...I have a problem. A big problem. XXL Magazine recently rated the top 10 established producers turned rappers, and the only one I can agree with is the #1 slot. It's an ok list to me, but a couple of names were forgotten. I decided to construct my own list but I'm gonna keep it 100...I couldn't even make a top 10 because there are only a handful of artists who can balance both attributes well. While some are masters at one craft, the other is too weak to give credit for. I could only make a top 5.  XXL's list is as follows:

1. Kanye West
2. Dr. Dre
3. Diddy
4. RZA
5. Jermaine Durpi
6. Diamond D
7. Pharrell
8. Mannie Fresh
9. Swizz Beatz
10. Timbaland

Thoughts?

My list:

1. Kanye West This goes without saying. Ye has always been a monster with the beats but I admit I never truly started to rank him as a lyricist until Graduation. He started rocky with lines like “...so many aunties, we could have an auntie team...”....but as of lately he's been on a roll with his G.O.O.D. Friday series.  He actually makes you forget that he is also a producer. Dude is actually spittin! He actually murked Hov on his own joint!   
Memorable beats: “IZZO”, “The Truth”, “Gone”, “This Can't Be Life”, “Dreams”, “Get By”
Memorable songs/verses: “Big Brother”, “Barry Bonds”, “Run This Town”, “Live Fast, Die Young”, “Monster”

2. Havoc This is just personal opinion. Havoc is the most consistent as far as being well-rounded. His skills as a producer are second to none but his pen is not too far off. Of course, he's accomplished more as a producer by far, but lyrically he's proven he can hold his own with a Grade-A rapper like Prodigy (in his prime).  Similar to Kanye, Havoc is one who has gotten better with time.  
Memorable beats: “Shook Ones”, "Survival of the Fittest", “Quiet Storm”, “Why (Jadakiss)”, "It's Alright", "Nothing Like Home"
Memorable songs/verses: “Survival of the Fittest”, “Shook Ones”, “Temperature's Rising”, "Stole Something", "Clap"
3. Black Milk  As a rapper, Black  Milk is #1 by a looooooong shot. Talk about someone with skills – voice, wordplay, metaphors. It's his consistency as a producer that puts him at #3. He's a hit or miss. When the beat is hot, it's undeniable. But if it's not...well...two words: fast forward. But one thing's for sure, he's a beast!
Memorable beats: “Losing Out”, “Give the Drummer Some”, “Black and Brown”, "Hell Yeah"
Memorable songs/verses: “Losing Out”, “Bounce”, “Deadly Medley”

4. RZA RZA needs no explanation as a producer. C'mon son – he made “Triumph”. That's enough in itself. As a lyricst, I admit he lost me a few times with his vocabulary (“...perpendicular to the square, we stand bold like flare...escapse from your dragon's lair”)...but outside of that, when at his best, he had the charisma to stand out amongst arguably the greatest group ever - which consists of 9 above average emcees. He definitely earned my respect.
Memorable beats: “Bring The Pain”, “Triumph”, “Liquid Swordz”, “Tres Leches (Big Pun)”, “All I Got Is You”
Memorable songs/verses: “Protect Ya Neck”, “It's Yours”, “A Better  Tomorrow"  
5. Jermaine Dupri Yep. JD is #5. Why? Easy. As a producer, his legacy is solidified.  Dude has a resume that goes back to Kriss Kross' "Jump" (which he wrote).  On the mic, he's actually not a bad rapper bar for bar - at least not as bad as some make him out to be.  I feel like he's underrated and overlooked because of the type of rapper he brands himself as.  Perhaps he's the opposite of Black Milk:  his skills behind the boards are remarkable, but his pen is a hit or miss.  Though he comes up short on his subject matter (that wasn't a shot at his height), he makes up for it with personality and delivery.  I didn't even mention what he's done for R&B because I wanted to keep it hip-hop, but anyone who can say they contributed to most of Usher's "Confessions" album is ok by me!

Memorable beats: “Jump”, “Funkdafied”, "Give It 2 You", "Sittin' On Top of da World", “Grillz”, "Welcome to Atlanta"
Memorable songs/verses: “Welcome to Atlanta”, “Let's Talk About It (Clipse)”, "Money Ain't A Thang" 

Honorable mentions are:

Q-Tip, Andre 3000, Hi-Tek, Pharrell, Erick Sermon, Eminem, Timbaland, Mannie Fresh and Will.i.am.


The only reason Q-Tip and Andre 3K didn't make the list is because they don't have enough (hip-hop) production credits to their resume to make an argument.  Same with Pharrell on the rhyming tip.  Timbaland, Mannie Fresh, Erick Sermon, Hi-Tek and Diamond D were also close ones - all top-level producers, but not as gifted lyrically.  Will.i.am, who I've actually seen do a dope freestyle, doesn't have enough quotable verses on his resume to make an argument.  On the flip side,  Eminem is arguably one of the greatest lyricists we've seen.  As a producer we were beginning to see him step his production game up in the mid 00's, but we haven't heard too much from him lately. Dr. Dre and Diddy are legendary producers, but because they both admit to not writing their own lyrics, it seems unfair to include them in this discussion.  Swizz Beatz – really?! Dope producer but...I only hear him on hooks. Gimme 16 bars then we'll talk.  Speak on it!

Q-Tip

Hi -Tek

Timbaland