[v0id]

Got to be Hank Shocklee. What he did with 3 seconds of Sample time back in the late 80ties is just insane. I really miss that multilayer sound chaos in nowadays Hiphop. He was musically way more creative than all these cats who just take a loop from a seventies record and put a beat underneath it. I've got the impression, that most producers don't even do own sound-research anymore and resort to preset sounds (or maybe that's just some 'aspiring' ones i stumble upon). You don't hear stuff like Terminator Xs 'Transformer Scratch' as a basic element in tracks anymore, which is quite a shame. Well, to me, just musically, there's not much Hardcore Hiphop around anymore. It's all gone Pop and boring. Everyone seems to be out for the Benjis and experiments seem a thing of the past. Sorry for ranting.

Other producers I rate high are RZA, Dre, Muggs (although only their work in the early 90s). Apart from that, Pharell gets my props for being a rhythmic & melodic genius and not being afraid to experiment with freaky sounds and arrangements.