The 90s is known for being the golden age of hip-hop. We’ve seen so many legendary acts surface during this time and with every great artist there’s a great producer along side them. The year 1996 was responsible for some of the best hip-hop albums known to date such as Tupac’s “All Eyes On Me,” Jay-Z’s “Reasonable Doubt,” and “Atliens” by Outkast. Here are a few of the top producers responsible for making these albums classics.
Dr. Dre
During 1996, there was a lot of drama surrounding Dr.Dre because of his fall out with Eazy-E and departure from Death Row Records. Before his departure from the label he helped co-produce hits on Tupac’s “All Eyes On Me” album with the single “California Love” topping the charts. He had the help from fellow Death Row producers Johnny J and Daz Dillinger to create a cohesive body of work. He also teamed up with the R&B group “Black Street” for their single “No Diggity” that later won a Grammy in 1997 for best R&B vocals by a group.
Daz Dillinger
Being in the same company as Dr.Dre, Daz was also a producer for the label Death Row as well as a member of Tha Dogg Pound with Kurupt. After feuds with Dr.Dre leaving the label Daz was the main producer for Death Row records. He was responsible for the standout hits on Tupac’s “All Eyes On Me” album with production for “2 of America’s Most Wanted,” “Ambitionz Az a Ridah,” and “I Ain’t Mad At Cha.” He was also featured on Snoop Dogg’s sophomore album “Tha Doggfather,” providing five produced tracks.
In Dj Premier’s early years he was half of the duo GangStarr as well as PRhyme alongside Royce Da 5’9. Premier contributed production to Jay-Z’s debut album “Reasonable Doubt,” with fellow producer DJ Clark Kent and Ski. Today he has continued providing solid production to those of Kanye West, Game, and Joey Bada$$.
The sonic geniuses responsible for the unique sound of Outkast are Organized Noize. Getting their start in the industry with production on Outkast’s debut album “Southernplaylisticcadillacmuzik” and their sophomore effort “Atliens.” By incorporating several different genres into one original sound this group of producers “Gave the South something to say.” They later contributed tracks to the soundtrack of “Set it Off” and Ludacris’s “Saturday (Oooh! Oooh!)