Following up on part one of our list of Best Trap Producers of All Time we are diving into part 2. While in the early 2000s the producers paved the way for what has now become the most prevalent form of hip-hop today, The 2010s is where Trap Music reached its maturity, and these producers were the ones leading the way into the future.
Lastly, even though we are starting at #7 remember that this list is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER. Part 3 is on the way!
7. Sonny Digital
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone more responsible for the sound of Trap & Atlanta as a while than Sonny Digital. Sonny’s contributions to the music scene cannot be overstated and if there were a Mount Rushmore of Trap Producers he’d be on it next to the founding fathers.
Many hip-hop fans’ first introduction to Sonny happened in 2011 via the YC & Future record ‘Racks’ — the record that also introduced us to Future. He would follow us ‘Racks’ with the monster future record ‘Same Damn Time’ Sonny’s hard-hitting 808’s and snare rolls ultimately became a staple of Atlanta production going forward and his range was displayed on records like Makonnen’s ‘Tuesday’ which after adding a feature from Drake netted him a Grammy nod. In the years since Sonny is still producing amazing records and has now come from behind the keyboard to become an artist himself.
8. Nard & B
Nard & B are a producer duo that often gets overlooked in these conversations but are a huge staple in shaping the sound of Atlanta. Although the duo started their careers as in-house producers for T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records they were an instrumental part of building Future’s sound, and have more recently done work for The Migos; producing the standout single ’T-Shirt’ from their 2017 album Culture. Nard & B currently work closely with a handful of acts and now have their own imprint ‘Trenchwork Entertainment.’
9. Metro Boomin
The one tag that fans have surely heard this decade surely belongs to Metro Boomin’. Metro’s story is a thing of legends. He got his start connecting with OJ Da Juiceman on the internet during the Myspace days (originally going by the name Metro Beats). After forming a a solid bond with OJ Metro would travel with his mother from St. Louis to Atlanta on the weekends to work on music.
After building a solid foundation in the Atlanta music scene, Metro decided to further his studies at Morehouse College where shortly after his Freshman year began a record he produced for Future (Karate Chop) caught fire and jumpstarted his production career; This led to Metro leaving Morehouse to pursue music full time and in the years since he’s produced for artists including Kanye West, Drake, 21 Savage, etc.
10. Mike WiLL Made It
If you listen to the radio and hear ethereal synth sounds against hard-hitting 808’s then there’s a good chance that MikeWill Made it (sorry, that was too easy to pass up). On a serious note, a large chunk of music to come from Atlanta and influence the world in the past few years has come from Mike Will & Ear Drummer Records.
Mike Will got his start producing records for Gucci Mane in 2010 — a connection he formed at Patchwerk Studios in Atlanta and strengthened through collaboration on countless records throughout the years.
Although his work with Gucci got him on the radar of fans throughout the Atlanta scene, Mike Will’s music reached a national platform the following year when he produced Meek Mill’s breakout single for ‘Tupac Back‘ and he hasn’t looked back since. In the years that have followed Mike Will has produced smashes for JAY-Z, Juicy J, Rae Sremmurd & more; each time enrapturing the artist in his signature and sound driving them to success.
That was part 2… Drop a comment with who you think should be in part 3.
