Is it just me or does it seem like all rappers are producers now too? This used to be a rare thing no? Is the definition of producing more relaxed now? Are more rappers producing? Am I just tripping?

-more accessible technology
-less money to go around
-less major label gatekeeping
-more home recording

And here is just my opinion: right now, in a post-sampling world, beats don't have to be as unexpected or quirky. Even artists with really big budgets seem to gravitate towards beats that are very professional sounding but operate on a pretty basic level. From Black Thought to Cardi B, there just aren't a lot of beats where they throw you some cool little curveball. The little strangely compelling moments that the sampling era seemed to prize are in short supply. The exception are the rappers who really seem to be embracing the experimental electronic stuff, like say, Norf Norf.

01 Q-Tip
02 DJ Quik
03 Jay Dee
04 Kanye West
05 Dat Nigga Daz
06 Large Professor
07 Oddisee
08 Black Milk
09 MF DOOM
10 Diamond D

HONORABLE MENTION

Havoc
Curren$y
Lord Finesse
Quelle Chris
Rashid Hadee

And Big KRIT would be up high too. But our top 10s would look similar.

I knew I forgot somebody.

on my list, i replace daz/large professor/black milk with dr. dre/erick sermon/pimp c/

Havoc is probably should be the number one rapper who has proven to be qualified in both fields (rapping and producing), and like others said above Erick Sermon as well.

While I will say it is others who are better producers than rappers but some people on that list, Havoc's output of produced joints and spat some dope verses than most but usually gets overlooked cause of Prodigy but he usually goes toe to toe lyrically with Prodigy.

I also don't know a lot of 'new' rappers so I could be off base

Von Pea makes beats. Chaundon makes beats now.

Royce Da 5’9 made a lot of the beats on his most recent album.

Like I can tell he's heavily influenced by Prince Paul and De La
just based on how he uses samples and constructs his albums.

For some reason Von and Tanya Morgan fell off my radar for much of the 10s and I don’t know why. His City for Sale album last fall got me back into them - both revisiting their old stuff that I used to listen to a lot, and checking out their stuff I’d never heard. Von and TM have really got a very good catalogue.

him and Che Grand started making their own beats recently as well. But I've always been a big fan of Von/The Beatmaker alias.

Kota the Friend

This article is actually about it. Kind of makes some sense of it.

https://centralsauce.com/dual-discipline-artists-rap-produce

It lists:
Tyler the Creator
Childish Gambino
Janelle Monae
J Cole
Big Krit
Kid Cudi
Earl Sweatshirt
Travis Scott
Logic
Mac Miller

Now all of those aren't strictly rappers and some only started producing after they had been rapping but I think the point stands.

The article points out its more that in the late 90s there was a shift away from rappers producing their own music than this being a completely new thing.

Thats the other side, it feels like recently we are hearing about older rappers actually having produced their own songs when most people probably thought someone else produced them. Rakim and all members of De La Soul being some examples.

And not only that, but played multiple instruments too.

Don’t think I even realized he did “Candy” for UGK on their double album, until a few years later.

I wish they did more works outside of their own circle because they have done some pretty nice beats, especially considering they are well above average rappers.

The average person no longer has to spend a fortune for it.

I saw Mr DJ in the park one year and had a whole fangirl moment smh

I saw 3k in the parking lot a whole foods on ponce. some white dude was talking his ear off. I could see that Dre was being nice and listening to somebody trying to get put on. lol.

I gave a head nod. he gave one back.

Especially in the rise of Kanye's craziness. And I like that he learned to take a slight back seat and share the production so he wouldn't burn out trying to produce whole albums solo-dolo.

He might have the catalogue I mess with the most, from 2010-present. Krit Wuz Here, Return of 4Eva, 4EvaNaDay, and the Double album are all classic projects to me.

his beats bang. he raps well. got several flows. that drinking sessions song....the beat and piano, along with his rapping and the topic.

agreed about him using other producers on KRIT iz here. added some other layers to his music.

anyway, good mention. he's dope.

Old Maid Billionaires shit was fire. Funny and different, too.

His track "Inauguration Day" was a fucking classic.

IDK

Lord Quas
Lord Finesse
RZA ( started off as a MC ,plus Bobby Digital)
Qtip
Extra P
Dilla
Doom
Roc Marciano
Diamond D
Eminem
Dr.Dre
Eric Sermon
Shock G
Pete Rock
Ced Gee
Daddy-O


Kanye’s hip hop card has been suspended. It’s not up for negotiation.