One of the more fun things to emerge from the lockdowns around the world has been the abundance of beat battles between legendary producers from the worlds of hip-hop and R&B.
And this weekend ahead (at 9pm EST, Sat 11th April), we have a beat battle that will have hip-hop heads salivating.
Two of the all-time great producers, behind the Wu-Tang Clan and Gang Starr, amongst so much more – RZA and DJ Premier face off in a 20 vs 20 contest. Check out the Beats by DJ Premier playlist I put together, and also this Wu-Tang tribute mix and playlist by DJ Noise
Many would look at the two, and expect an easy win for Primo – with a more consistent near-30 year run to call on, whereas RZA has maybe 8 years of his real peak (from early Wu-Tang to around 2000), and hasn’t really made much essential music since then. But with the format of 20 vs 20, he could actually be the favourite – his peak was pretty special, and he is arguably a much more diverse producer! Whatever happens, this is essential viewing for hip-hop lovers!
There have been some amazing beat battles in the last few weeks! Here’s a selection of the highlights – between these producers, there are literally hundreds of hits! Its great to see these guys have some good-natured competition amongst themselves, and promote the culture!
Swizz Beatz vs Timbaland
What can you say about this pair? Between them, they are responsible for some of the biggest, most reliable club tracks of the last few decades!
Scott Storch vs Mannie Fresh
Storch has a stellar selection of bangers behind him, while Mannie Fresh is the mastermind behind a decade long run of hits at Cash Money Records. They clashed, and here is the outcome…
T-Pain vs Lil Jon
OKAYYYYYYYYY! Another clash of the titans! And they go deep here, over two and half hours of classic beats!
Ne-Yo vs Johntá Austin
Coming more from the world of R&B than the previous battles, with two of the leading lights from recent decades, responsible for countless hits!
Check out loads of these guys’ tracks over at the Heavy Hits pool, and if you want more from me, head over to my Instagram or Twitter!