The Audible Doctor

Brooklyn-based rapper and producer The Audible Doctor was selected through Sonicbids to perform at the 10th Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival on July 12, 2014 alongside headliners Raekwon and Jay Electronica. The festival is New York's largest hip-hop festival, showcasing the genre's most innovative artists while promoting social change and building community.

Originally from Madison, WI, The Audible Doctor started out playing keyboards at a young age. He quickly developed talent and passion that his parents helped to nourish by encouraging him to join a choir and study guitar. He was later introduced to hip-hop by his older brother and soon found his niche. He became a DJ in high school and started making beats, writing rhymes and recording. He eventually moved to NYC to study audio engineering and recording, which lead him to an internship at the world-renowned Fat Beats Records in Manhattan.

After meeting people in the New York hip-hop community, he formed a group called The Brown Bag AllStars and became more serious about recording and performing original music. The Audible Doctor later ended up becoming the manager and buyer for the Fat Beats Record Store, finding himself at the center of a thriving music scene. This enabled him to meet and collaborate with countless musicians. In 2010, he left Fat Beats to pursue his own music full-time. He now continues to release music solo and collaborates with others.

How did you get into the hip-hop scene?

I have to thank Fat Beats for that. I moved to New York in 2003 (on the day of the blackout), but it wasn't until I started working at the Fat Beats Record Store that I truly got a feel for what the local scene was about and how to get involved.

What has been the most exciting moment in your career so far?

A few things that come to mind are: DJing for Large Professor and having him freestyle over one of my beats, getting to drop the "Ante Up" instrumental for Lil' Fame, getting to do a full length album with Fredro Starr (of Onyx), doing a collab album with Bumpy Knuckles and producing a track for 50 Cent.... My 15-year-old self would literally shit himself if I told him he would get to do all that in the future.

What are the top things that you'd say have brought you this far?

I have to shout out a lot of people who have supported and mentored me over the years like DJ Eclipse, Large Professor, DJ Premier, Consequence, Fredro Starr and many others. [Working at] Fat Beats Record Store played a huge role in developing my sound and style, as well as teaching me about hip-hop culture and the history. But honestly, no cosign or helping hand will do anything if you don't put in the work yourself.

How did you react when you found out you were selected to perform at this year's Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival?

I was mad excited! I rocked the BHF in 2009 with my group The Brown Bag AllStars and I've been wanting to come rock again ever since then, so I'm really looking forward to having the opportunity this year.
Quote_blogDon't let others' successes mess with your confidence or change your path.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing the festival?

The energy. I try to go every year regardless because they always have a phenomenal lineup, but the best part is the crowd. They're actually genuine hip-hop-loving fans, which is surprisingly rare to see nowadays.

How has Sonicbids benefited your career?

Sonicbids is a great tool. It's a great way to get yourself on a lot of people's radars. It makes it a lot easier to have a direct line to submit to people who you'd otherwise have no way to contact.
How have you built your fanbase?

I've been building my fanbase slowly for years through a lot of different ways. An online presence is important, but definitely not everything. Consistently releasing quality music, as well as getting up to perform as often as possible, are big parts of building my fanbase.

What’s coming up next for The Audible Doctor?

I have a few show dates coming up and a brand new EP on the way called Can't Keep The People Waiting, which will be out in a couple weeks. Then my group The Brown Bag AllStars has a collaborative album with Bumpy Knuckles coming – we're just putting the finishing touches on that. I have a lot more that I'm working on, but those are the next to drop.

What are the main pieces of advice you can offer to aspiring hip-hop artists?

1. Always try to make yourself available to your fans. Fans fuel your success, so listen and communicate with them.

2. The industry is a disgusting backwards-ass system, but the important thing is to just stay positive and not become bitter. Don't let others' successes or your lack of success mess with your confidence or change your path. Ignore everyone – just do you.

3. Keep your head down and work! Have no expectations that all your work will be recognized for the value you place on it. Just be grateful for any recognition and keep it moving. - Christiana Usenza (of Sonicbids)

Audible Doctor’s been making huge strides since we first heard him over here with his crew the Brown Bag All-Stars. Besides helping his team of underground all-stars craft their unique brand of boom-bap, he’s been busy working with a guy named Fredro Starr from some group known as Onyx. That’s not all, though. Unbeknownst to A.D., 50 Cent not only chose one of his tracks, but recorded to it and leaked it at the top of the year, exponentially increasing the double threat’s rise to elite.

HipHopGame sits down with Audible Doctor to discuss his breakout year in 2013, how the 50 Cent track happened, crafting an album with the legendary Fredro Starr, his Brown Bag crew, and much more in this exclusive interview.

IMG_22002013 was a monster year for you, both as a producer and as an MC. What stands out the most about last year to you?

I think it was probably solo-wise for me, was probably the biggest year that I’ve had so far. And even coming into the first two weeks of 2014, some of the biggest things that have happened in my career happened at the end of the year and into 2014.

I think the main thing for me, because everybody knows I produce, but they don’t necessarily know the MC side of me as much. So I think a big part of 2013 was me stepping out as a rapper, basically, and just letting people know about that. I put out more projects of me rhyming more and stepping out into the solo spotlight and letting people know what I sound like. I was also booked in festivals, solo-wise, without my group, I did the Wake-Up Show Unplugged event with Sway and Tech. Sway brought me out to Sway in the Morning. There were a lot of things that happened for me solo-wise in 2013.

That’s happening with other guys in Brown Bag as well. Was that always the plan or are you guys just taking things as it comes?

That wasn’t really the plan. I mean, it kind of was and it kind of wasn’t. We came together as different solo artists and we came together because we had similar ideals, sounds, and styles. And we just worked very well as a group. When we met, we had all been in previous groups, separately, but for one reason or another, we decided to leave the group that we were in and kind of all went solo. And that’s when we met each other, when we were all branching off and doing our solo thing. We formed another group together and that’s what Brown Bag was.

It wasn’t really a plan though, to do it as a group and then branch off solo. We just made music in the group environment, and it worked out well for us and it brought us to another level of skill and artistry and gaining fans. We’re still doing group stuff and we’re still finishing up the album, but we’ve also branched out lately with doing more projects on the side.

We are very much a group still. We have the debut album that’s going to be released later this year.

You also just produced “This is Music, Not Murder,” for 50 Cent. How did that happen?

I’d been sending 50 beats for years. I met one of his A&Rs and I’ve been sending him stuff for years. It just kind of came as a surprise because the A&R I sent the joints to was out of the country. He actually recorded to another one of my songs too. But when the song dropped, that’s why I was so confused because I was never told about it. I guess that was the first joint he liked and how it happened.

When did you first hear the song?

This is the full story. So I sent 50 a few beats, probably in November of 2013. That was the most recent batch of beats. I didn’t hear back about any of the joints so I kept it moving and I sent some beats to UK artist Genesis Elijah. We did a couple of tracks. He recorded one and shot a video for one and released it around Christmas Eve. So we put it out and were promoting it and then around January 4th, Genesis tweets to me the 50 Cent song and asks me if I heard it and then I realized that it was the same joint. That was the first time I had heard it. I was mad confused and I reached out to G-Unit and my guy said he’d get back to me when he was back from his trip. It just sucks for Genesis. I feel bad for him because he was either thinking I used the beat twice or sold it after he took it. It was a mess, but that’s what happened.

As an independent artist, every dollar is budgeted. How do you fix something like this, especially where it wasn’t like you did this intentionally?

I mean, you can’t really fix that situation and that was the problem. I had a discussion with G-Unit about that and was very clear about how they had kind of fucked me on this one. There’s no real way to fix it. It’s a shitty situation and it was all miscommunication. It wasn’t anybody’s fault and me and Genesis are still working. It’s just one of those things where he’s the homie and I got him for anything he needs. Everything happened within a week.

You just wrapped up a project with Fredro Starr, Made in the Streets. How did you guys link up?

I honestly don’t remember. I think I just hit him up on Twitter or something like that and just started sending him beats. He was working on a project at the time, I think he was doing either a mixtape or an EP. I gave him a couple of beats and he liked them and recorded to them. He already had other tracks for it too. And then he started leaking tracks and I guess the tracks that he was leaking started gaining a lot of traction than a lot of the other stuff he was doing and then it turned into me sending him more and then us doing an EP together. Then he said we have to do it right and do a full-length album together. That’s how it evolved.

What did it mean to you to work with a legend like Fredro?

It was crazy to me. It still kind of bugs me out that I did an album with Fredro Starr. He’s one of the dudes that I grew up listening to. It’s crazy to have someone that you grew up listening to validate your work. It’s been a couple of experiences like that, cats that I grew up listening to and that are legendary in my mind, validate my art. Every time it happens it’s crazy, but it lets me know that I’m on the right path and that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.

I think that’s at the root of everything. I still remember dudes like Dres from Black Sheep or N.O.R.E. telling me how much they love the interview we’d done. I think that’s always a big part of why we do what we do.

Yeah. No doubt.

Are you happy with the final product you and Fredro came up with?

Yeah. It wasn’t intentional or anything. It was a very natural and organic thing. We didn’t want to make an updated ‘90s style and “bring it back.” We didn’t try to do any of that shit. Beatwise, I just sent him what I did and he did what he does. It wasn’t thought out or any industry crap involved. We just naturally made what we make and I think it came together perfectly. I think his style and my style, to me at least, I think the album came out sounding like great golden-era hip-hop without sounding dated. It didn’t sound like we made it sound like the ‘90s. It was what we did naturally and it came together perfectly. It is solid boom-bap hip-hop. We weren’t trying for anything and I think it’s a great project. In these days and times, it just naturally came together great, as far as what I think hip-hop standards should stand by.

There’s a lot of pining for the ‘90s sound today. There’s also a fine line between doing it right and just remaking what’s already been done. How do you go about making the boom-bap sound in 2014 without replicating what masters like Diamond D have already done?

I don’t’ think there’s any specific way to do it. It’s either natural or it’s not. If you’re trying to recreate something, it’s not going to sound right. If that’s what you enjoy doing and it happens to have that specific style to it and it works, then it’s all good. You can probably pick apart beats and try to mimic things, but at the end of the day, if it’s not a genuine sound that you enjoy making, then it’s not going to sound great. This Fredro Starr album didn’t sound like anything different from what I’ve been doing for the last five or six years. This is what I like to make.

And I think that’s why it sounded so good.

Exactly. Exactly. I think that’s the main thing. If you naturally make that sound, then it’s going to work. If you’re trying to force it, then it’s not. Just don’t step outside of your lane, basically.

How’s the Brown Bag album coming?

It’s been a little delayed because we have gotten distracted with some of our solo stuff. We do have all of the production picked out for it. Basically everything is laid out but we have to lay down a few of the tracks and mix. Our schedules have been crazy between doing solo shows and solo projects. It’s hard to get everybody’s schedule on the same page, but we should be able to wrap it up sometime in the next couple of months, which would give us a release date for later this year. But everything production-wise and theme-wise is done. We just have to finish up the last few tracks.

How would you compare the new material to what we’ve already heard on The Brown Tape and other BBAS projects?

Some of these beats and some of these ideas and songs have been in the works for years. I think everything that we’ve done up to this point has been great. We haven’t half-assed anything. We’d never do that. But the album is just more complete than anything that we’ve ever done before. There’s more thought put into it and it’s going to be more complex, production-wise. And this is part of the reason that it’s taking so long. But everything that we’re putting into the album is much more complex and takes much more effort than anything we’ve ever done.

Do you guys all record everything together? I’d imagine that’s a challenge with everyone’s schedules.

That’s the funny thing. When we recorded The Brown Tape and everything else, I don’t think we had all been in the studio together. We just had a natural chemistry. Even if we all write and record separately and send in the verses, for some reason they all flow properly. We all have the same kind of mentality and ear and it works. We don’t have to all be in the same room together. We’ve been recording the album together and that’s a pain in the ass, which is a part of the reason why the album is taking so long to do because we’re all on the same page. But most of the tracks we’ve done were recorded separately and sent in. We just have a weird chemistry that works.

That’s surprising.

Yeah, most people think that. But we never were in the studio together.

How do you continue improving and staying fresh as a producer?

I mean, really, it’s about continuing to work and trying new things. I think the amount of beats I’ve made in the past couple of years has doubled or tripled. It’s with anything. The more you do it, the better you get. I think it’s more of where I went full-force and worked as hard as possible. I think that with that, I’ve gotten better. Every little thing is progression. Every little thing is exposure and it catches somebody’s attention. It’s not like there’s one thing that’s going to blow you up. It’s always a series of small things that leads to a progression.

I was telling somebody else something like that the other day. People that you look at and that you want to get to, don’t look at what they’ve done. You have to look at how much work they’ve done and how many tracks they’ve done that have never seen the light of day. Think about how many tracks they’ve done and how many sleepless nights they’ve had because from everything you see from someone on a top level, there’s tons and tons of stuff that will never see the light of day. There’s so much more work that you have to put into this than what you see on the surface.

Who are your favorite producers today?

My all-time favorite producer is DJ Premier. He’s been my favorite producer forever. It’s funny because I don’t sound anything like him but he’s my favorite. J-Dilla and Just Blaze. Current producers that I really like are Marco Polo. S-1 is doing some really dope stuff. Illmind is really dope. There’s a lot of dope producers out now.

What’s the most valuable advice you’ve gotten from other producers?

I always pick everybody’s brain about industry things and I get pieces of advice from here and there. But I think one of the things that gave me the most confidence, and it’s going to sound stupid, but years ago I was talking to Large Professor and he was talking about Brownies, it was an instrumental project I did with all James Brown samples and Large Pro really liked that project. He said, “Yo, man, that boom-bap soul shit, man, you should just do that shit forever!” It was a simple line, but for me, it really validated what I was doing. That really just kind of gave me the confidence to do my style and do what I do naturally. It was a stupid, simple thing but it meant a lot to me.

You’ve done a lot of remixes too. How do you approach a remix and when do you know it’s right?

It’s a weird process for me. A lot of people build the beat around the acapella, and that’s the normal way to do it. I do it opposite. I will find the bpm of the acapella and put it on top of my beats and change the bpm of the beat until one sounds right, and then from that point I’ll rebuild the beat around the acapella. A lot of the beats are ones that I’ve already made, but then I have to remake it to have it sound right.

What’s your focus going to be now that the Fredro project is out?

From the 50 Cent placement and the Fredro Starr project, a lot of people have reached out for production. I’m just making a bunch of beats and just shopping some stuff to the people who are reaching out. But my main focus, project-wise, this year is the Brown Bag album. I have two EPs that will come out, The Spring Tape and The Fall Tape, which are the second two in the Season Series that I’m doing. And then I have another project with an artist from Detroit. The album is pretty much done and it should be dropping on Mello Music Group. We’re waiting to announce everything. I have various other projects in the works and I don’t know what’s coming this year and what’s not, but those are the main project that are coming this year. - HipHopGame.Com

As one of the most sought after up and coming lyricist/producers in New York City at the moment, this kid is shaking the underground scene by the shoulders and awaking the masses to his abilities in a major way. The Audible Doctor is versatile and his rhyme schemes and flows are the cross-roads where verbal adeptness and cleverness meet. But what impressed us the most with him this year was how far he was willing to go when he wanted to be a part of King Tech and Sway’s Unplugged project. He was suffering from an awful case of the flu and could hardly speak at all…but the guy sucked it up, got on a plane, traveled across the country and spit his verse anyway! - AllHipHop.Com

Many artists in the independent hip-hop world like to brag about how much they're hustling or grinding. MC/Producer The Audible Doctor is far too busy to speak of such things because he's actually doing it. The past two weeks have seen him release projects with both his group the Brown Bag All Stars and his own solo I Think That...EP as well as announce his forthcoming instrumental album Doctorin, which will be executive produced by famed hip-hop producer/MC Large Professor. We spoke to the Audible Doctor this week to get the diagnosis on what makes him such a prolific force in indie-rap.

How do you balance the time between all of these projects?
It's a lot of very sporadic working. I get inspired very randomly, and when I work, I work in bulk. I'll sit down and knock out four tracks at once, and then record three of them in one day. Same thing when I make beats, I'll make ten beats in a day and 40 beats in a week, and that's the batch I use for the next few projects. It's a sporadic, impulsive way.

Do you plan out these stretches, or is it just when inspiration hits you?
I try to plan it out, but it never works that way. I'll plan to work all day, and nothing will happen. When inspiration hits me, I just run with it.

Is there a lot of carry over between these stretches?
I do that all the time. I have two batches of beats, one that's for sale and one of beats that speak to me more than others do. All my projects sort of evolve and change. I'm consistently moving things around, and my beats will wind up somewhere.

When working on a beat, do you know while working on it if it's going to be an instrumental or one you plan to have rapping over?
Well me, as an artist, I feel I can rap over anything. A lot of rappers can't rap over my production. I have too many vocal samples and my beats are a little too cluttered, unless you're Ghostface. But, with me, I've never had that problem. From listening to Ghostface, I've had the mentality that I can rap over anything and it will sound good. So, when making beats, I never think of who's going to be on it, I make it out of how I want to hear it as an instrumental and gauge, once it's finished, whether I want to rap on it or not.

Of the beats you've produced for other artists, do you have one you particularly enjoy that you wish more people knew about?
One I go back to that I really, really enjoy was Has-Lo's "Reincarnate" It encompasses my style, but it's a little different from what I usually do. It's a beat I created that sounded more in tune with my usual work, but I ended up remixing the song for him and changing the beat to fit his track, and I love the way it turned out.

How did you link up with Large Professor?
I met him at Fatbeats at the Killa Sha in-store. I gave him a copy of my instrumental Brownies project, not thinking he would listen to it. A few weeks later, [producer] Marco Polo came into the store and said "Large Professor just shouted you out on Hot 97 on Rosenberg's show." I was like "Are you sure? That's crazy." Sometime later, Michael Rappaport came to the store for the [A Tribe Called Quest] documentary and he said that he interviewed Large Pro for the documentary and he shouted me out. He had no reason to do so. He supported it because he liked it. I reached out, and that's how the relationship began.

What is your "Andy Kaufman Theory?"
Even before I made it into a song, I called it my theory on the way the industry is. At a certain point, there were artists in hip-hop who were getting a lot of money and respect who I thought were horrifically bad. It went from me wondering how they were getting so much attention, to thinking that they are so bad that they have to be playing a joke on the world, like a social experiment that they're conducting with the labels. That's how that song was born. They're so bad that they have to literally be a joke they're playing on the world. - The Village Voice

He’s created a name for himself thus far for his phenomenal production skills and his eclectic voice within the conglomerate of spitters known as the Brown Bag AllStars. And, with his recent EP titled I Think That…, The Audible Doctor has demonstrated yet again that he is ready, willing, and able to step up to most any rap challenge.

His readiness is even more apparent now that his new solo project has dropped, and in a recent meeting with AllHipHop.com, The Audible Doctor spoke on I Think That… and his feelings about stepping to the front of the stage on his own. He also promised he isn’t going to be “shutting up anytime soon!” Check out AllHipHop.com’s interview with Brown Bag Allstars member, Audible Doctor:

AllHipHop.com: Thanks for sitting down with us, Let’s just get right to it. This is your very first solo project on this side of the mic. How did it feel to create this project as a solo act versus as a member of a large group?

The Audible Doctor: Thank you for sitting down with me. It feels really good, but it’s also scary. I’ve been rapping longer than I’ve been producing, but this is really the first time I’ve stepped out on my own as an MC. It’s very different having all the creativity and all the content of a record resting on just your shoulders, but it’s something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while now, and it feels good to finally have the first project out. I hope people like it, because there’s a lot more on the way. I’m not shutting up anytime soon.

AllHipHop.com: Can you speak to the inspiration for this project and who worked on it with you, both the artists and producers?

The Audible Doctor: A lot of the inspiration for this record was just things that have been happening in my life and things I’ve been thinking about. There wasn’t any direct theme throughout the record, although you’ll hear me coming back to certain ideas and certain topics on different songs because I’ve been thinking about them a lot recently. Part of the idea of naming the project I Think That… is it’s really just a bunch of my thoughts put to music.

This was my announcement to the world that I rap as well as make beats, and a lot of the artists you hear on the project are people I’ve been working with in some capacity. I didn’t reach out too far for any special features; it’s mostly just family. I also reached out to a few people for outside production in an effort to try to get myself out from under that “oh he’s just a producer” shadow.

AllHipHop.com: What was the biggest lesson learned for you during this process?

The Audible Doctor: I procrastinate WAY too much [laughter]. I always knew that about myself, but I really stressed myself out with this one. I think I put too much pressure on myself because it’s my debut vocal project. I ended up having to cut a song, because I didn’t have the time to finish it and stay on track with the deadlines. But I’m very happy with how it came out, and I feel like I can only get better from here.

AllHipHop.com: What do you hope the listener takes away from this project?

The Audible Doctor: Really, I just hope they can relate to it. I connect with the music I love on a very personal level. I feel like I understand what the artist is going through and what they felt when they made the song, and that’s what I want to give to my fans. I hope they appreciate the music I make the same way I appreciate the music made by those that I’m fans of. I met a fan once that told me that I saved his life. He was going through a hard time and was suicidal, and in his darkest time, he found a CD of mine and put it on and just started writing. He ended up writing an entire project about his situation and came out the other end stronger than ever. Music is a very powerful thing, and I try to make genuine music that people can connect with.

AllHipHop.com: Are there anymore videos from this coming out soon?

The Audible Doctor: Yeah, I dropped the “Success (Part 1)” video featuring Chaundon, and I just dropped another video for “Baby Momma” recently. There is at least one more video on the way, but I’m not sure exactly when yet. The next video is going to be for “Andy Kaufman Theory”.

AllHipHop.com: Is there anyone that you haven’t worked with yet that you hope to work with in the future?

The Audible Doctor: Hell yeah, man, that’s a HUGE list. Um… lets just say my top five artists I hope to work someday with in no particular order are Ghostface, Pharoahe Monch, Black Thought, Andre 3000, and Gladys Knight. I feel like most of them are accessible, it’s just a matter of time. I’m coming for you, Gladys!

AllHipHop.com: What will make this first solo experience complete for you?

The Audible Doctor: A Grammy. No, I’m kidding. Honestly, it is complete. The project came out, and I’ve gotten a lot of really great positive feedback on it. I don’t like to dwell on things, so it’s time to keep it moving and focus on the next project. I set out to establish m - AllHipHop.com

The good doctor has been known as one fourth of a dope group and as an amazing producer for years now, but this year Audible Doctor stepped out into the spotlight on his own in a major way. The tracks on “I Think That” showcased the Doctors ability to cut up nouns, verbs, metaphors and similes with the precision of any good surgeon! The complexities of his storytelling became ever apparent on the song Baby’s Momma, a song that on the surface seems to be addressing one topic but upon truly listening you discover there is a whole lot more going on there then you might think. Audible Doctor proved that he is a threat both in the studio and on the mic this year. And if his growth continues at this rate, he is going to be a problem for Hip Hop! - AllHipHop.com

Over the past 365 days there have been many instrumental and beat tape projects that make their way to the inbox. Admittedly, I am more of a fan of instrumental albums and beat tapes than full albums for my personal listening. That being said, it was not an easy task to come up with a top 10 list of instrumental albums/beat tapes as there were a ton of Certified fresH projects that dropped in 2012. Ultimately, Audible Doctor took the number one spot with his Doctorin project, which was executive produced by Large Professor. Doctorin was an easy choice for the top spot based solely on the amount spins the joint got in the two months since its release. I guarantee that I’ve listened to it more than any other instrumental album or beat tape that dropped this year. The rest of the list was extremely hard to put together and I listened to thirty plus projects while making multiple alterations to the list. Some of the projects on this list may have been slept on and/or were not covered by the masses, yet they all earned their spot and are all worth copping.

Audible Doctor: Doctrin
Shuko & F. Of Audiotreats: Cookies & Cream 2
The Doppelgangaz: Beats For Brothels Vol. 2
maticulous: In Transit
Falside: East Toast
Big Cats: For My Mother
Ogi feel the beat: Glorious new era
Jansport J: MoveMeants II: The Reprise
Knxwledge: Hexual.Sealings.Vol.3
Small Professor: Cool Story, Pro
- KevinNottingham.com

My top producers list may have some familiar names on it, but probably won’t resemble most lists you’ll see for 2012’s top producers. I’m not going by who had the most placements, made the most money, etc. My top producers are the producers that made the tracks I personally felt throughout the year 2012. That being said, Audible Doctor takes the number one spot again; after all his project Doctorin is my number one instrumental album/beat tape pick, but it goes further than that. Audible Doctor put out a huge body of quality work over 2012, more so than any other producer I can think of. From his solo projects to his work with the rest of the Brown Bag AllStars to his countless production features and remixes, throw in the fact that he can rap nice, is Large Professor‘s DJ and has a girlfriend who he makes projects for, I don’t know where the good Dr. finds time to eat, sleep and shit. Not only has he put out a lot of material, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a track that doesn’t get me nodding my big ass melon.

The producers that make up the rest of my list are all real close contenders and any one of them could have any appointed number at a different time. It just so happens that when I made the list this is where they landed.

Audible Doctor
House Shoes
Knxwledge
Statik Selektah
El-P
Flying Lotus
!llmind
J57
Mike Frey
Apollo Brown - KevinNottingham.com