Top 10 Worst Beat Pickers in Hip-Hop
Some people say that Nas is the worst beat picker for some reason, but these rappers prove otherwise.
Germaine Williams, better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican born-American rapper and actor.
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is known for being a member of the group The Lox, as well as being a member of the Ruff Ryders collective and for his solo work. His first solo album, Kiss Tha Game Goodbye,... read more Terrible beat picker outside of The Lox, for the most part.
His awful production is what keeps me from listening to him more. If only he had production like Freeway...
John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition for his talent when he performed live on DJ Clue's Hot 97 radio show. Fabolous is already a pretty boring rapper for me, and the fact that he raps over some of the wackest production doesn't help either.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg... read more
Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name JAY-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and investor born on December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his albums Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album. He is considered to be one of the best rappers of... read more
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, known professionally as Big Sean, is an American hip hop recording artist from Detroit, Michigan.
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was discovered by Brian "Baby" "Birdman" Williams at a very young age, and was signed to Cash Money Records, where he would be one quarter of the rap group Hot Boys. In the years to follow, he would go on to find his own... read more Wayne's beats are probably one of his weakest elements as you mostly focus on his vocals and lyrics as opposed to the production. However, the beat for 6 Foot 7 Foot is amazing.
Especially on the Carter, a lot of the production is either boring or just underwhelming.
Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is an American rapper, actor and music producer born on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Eminem has sold over 300 million records making him the bestselling hip-hop artist of all time. In addition to his solo career, he is a member of D12 and (with Royce... read more Yeah, a lot of his beats, like "Love the Way You Lie," are not any good. Like ShrekTheGoat said, a lot of his songs have bland percussion/beats, but the lyrics are good. However, the beat for "Rap God" is really fairly good.
Like Wayne, Eminem's lyrics are where you are supposed to pay attention. His beats are usually generic and uninteresting.
The Newcomers
Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy (January 23, 1998 - June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, and often referred to as X, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and criminal.
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, better known by his stage name Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan.
Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, better known as Logic, is one of the most influential artists in the rap game today. He was Born on January 22, 1990, in Gaithersburg, Maryland and first gained major fame through making 2013's edition of the XXL Top-10 Freshmen List and has easily become the most successful... read more
Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American rapper and songwriter from Miami Gardens, Florida. He released his debut full-length album, titled Nostalgic 64 on September 3, 2013. His second full-length album, titled Imperial, was released on March 9, 2016. His third album, Ta13oo, came... read more His beats are honestly pretty weak to me and just sound cheap and unfinished. For example, the song G**k has potential, but it just doesn't hold up. I honestly can't play it on a good stereo system because it has no bass. He has a few great beats like Black Balloons and Ta13oo, but other than that, his stuff is underwhelming. The production on *ZUU* was somewhat better but still basic and generic.
Radric Delantic Davis, known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper who has released 12 studio albums and over 70 mixtapes. In 2007, he founded his own label, 1017 Records. He helped to pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy... read more Even for trap, a lot of his production is so boring and forgettable, and I don't even see how people would want to listen to him! Even back when I was into trap music, I always had a hard time finding that "good Gucci song."
He has forgettable production, but some of it is still great like I Get the Bag.
Water Handblast (born Ardy Robert Andrews) better known by his name Submarine Man, is an American rapper known for his songs that heavily feature lyrics about foot fetishes as well as heavily autotuned vocals.
David Andrew Burd, better known by his stage name Lil Dicky or LD, is an American rapper and comedian.
He has a couple of beats that are pretty good, most notably the ones for Drought Season, Fake Energy, and I Wish. His other beats, especially on his debut album Revenge Of The Clones, are just forgettable, bland, and poorly mixed sometimes.
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon... read more
Eric Kaiser (born 9 September 1970), better known by his stage name K-Rino, is an American rapper and record producer from Houston, Texas. He is a pioneer of the Southern hip hop scene, and has been rapping since 1983. K-Rino's first release was the single "rocking It" with his group Real Chill in 1986,... read more
Patrick Lanshaw, better known by his stage name Lil Wyte, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee.
Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne, born April 18, 1996, is an American rapper and songwriter from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is well known for his goofy and sometimes nonsensical lyrics and songs and his fast flows, as well as for collaborating with the late XXXTentacion. He has a few decent and hard beats, but mostly his production is just horrendous and pretty much insulting to the ear.
Michael Render, better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American hip hop recording artist, actor and activist from Atlanta, Georgia. He has good beats from El-P in RTJ, but the production throughout his solo career is a little more than questionable at times.
Fredrick Tipton, better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper from Gary, Indiana. He used to pick good beats when he was first starting out, but nowadays most of his production on his solo albums sounds either generic, unfinished, or just boring.
Aubrey Drake Graham, known professionally as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, born on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Canada. He started his career on Canadian reality show "Degrassi: The Next Generation". He picks lame beats nowadays because he is a lame rapper.
His beats are terrible for the most part. I'm glad I'm not a fan of him because ADHD was disappointing.
Jeffrey Lamar Williams, better known by his stage name Young Thug, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He became known for his commercial debut single 'Stoner', as well as other songs such as 'Check', 'Digits', and 'Best Friend'... read more