The heartbeat of hip-hop has always been its producers. While mainstream names often grab the headlines, the underground rap scene is alive with innovative talent pushing the genre in fresh directions. Today, we’re shining a spotlight on the best rap producers you might not have heard of yet—but definitely should. These trailblazers are redefining beats, experimenting with soundscapes, and collaborating with some of the most exciting new voices in hip-hop. From soulful grooves to psychedelic textures and everything in between, these rising rap producers are not only capturing the essence of hip-hop’s roots but also shaping its future. Dive in and discover the next wave of beat-making geniuses who are bound to be the names on everyone’s lips in no time.
Whether you’re a die-hard hip-hop head or just beginning your journey into the world of underground rap, these producers will introduce you to sounds that are sure to become your new favorites. So, let’s explore the talent that’s pushing the boundaries and setting new standards for rap music today.
Driveby
In the increasingly crowded underground hip-hop scene, New Jersey producer Driveby has carved out a niche with a distinctive style that melds the essence of rap’s golden era with the sensibility of modern underground rap. Notable for his stellar self-released beat tapes like 2023’s BIBI—an album dedicated to his mother—Driveby has also collaborated with rising east coast rappers like Pootie on 2022’s Bermuda Duffles, Fatboi Sharif on Armored Mewtwo Has No Friends, OneShotOnce on 2024’s 6WD, and Wavy Bagels on A Carfull, which is already being hailed as one of the best rap records of 2024. Driveby’s soulful, wavy production style consistently delivers head-nodding bops that’ll leave you reaching for the rewind button, solidifying his place as a standout producer in today’s rap landscape.
Roper Williams
Roper Williams has become a linchpin in the east coast hip-hop scene thanks to his soulful, intricately chopped beats that have captivated the underground rap community as of late. In recent years, Roper has positioned himself as a sought-after producer, crafting tracks for underground stalwarts like Your Old Droog, Mach-Hommy, Navy Blue, and Maxo, among others. His collaborations with Fatboi Sharif on Gandhi Loves Children and with AKAI SOLO and YL on The Lightwork EP highlight his versatility behind the boards while also showcasing his ability to adapt to various lyrical styles. Roper’s Jersey City studio has also become a creative hub, fostering spontaneous sessions that resulted in the frenetic energy captured on his brilliant 2023 release Infinite Victory Loop. Recorded in a single 24-hour session, the album features a roster of tri-city talent including YL, AKAI SOLO, Fatboi Sharif, and Pootie, epitomizing the raw, collaborative spirit of his work. As a go-to producer for New York fashion brand Aimé Leon Dore and with several acclaimed beat tapes to his name, Roper Williams continues to push the boundaries of underground hip-hop.
Lapgan
Chicago-based producer Lapgan (born Gaurav Nagpal) has carved a unique niche in the hip-hop landscape by merging South Asian sounds with contemporary beats. His acclaimed 2021 project, Duniya Kya Hai, unearthed and recontextualized rare Indian and Pakistani music, transforming it into layered, beat-driven masterpieces. Earlier works like Badmaash (2019) showcased his ability to blend fluttering Bengali flutes and Tamil film music into dynamic hip-hop rhythms. Lapgan’s recent collaboration with Heems on the launch of the Veena Sounds label further solidified his status, with his album History serving as the label’s debut release. The project is a bold attempt to decolonize suppressed artistry, blending dusty Bollywood and Lollywood fragments with modern beats. His work on Heems’ 2024 comeback record, LAFANDAR, has also been hailed as one of the year’s standout rap records, highlighting Lapgan’s growing influence in the world of rap.
Steel Tipped Dove
In the world of independent NYC hip-hop, Steel Tipped Dove (born Joseph Fusaro) has carved out a unique and indispensable niche over the past fifteen years. Operating from an unassuming Brooklyn walk-up, his recording studio has become a haven for the city’s most unconventional voices. With a client list that reads like a who’s who of underground rap—R.A.P. Ferreira, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, Das Racist, AJ Suede and many more—Dove has quietly but profoundly shaped the sound of New York’s left-field hip-hop scene. His beats are a striking blend of rich jazz samples, raw industrial percussion, and nods to everything from trip-hop to psych rock. As a producer deeply embedded in the DNA of New York rap’s most inventive circles, Steel Tipped Dove embodies the spirit of a scene that thrives in the margins and flourishes against the odds.
Ed Glorious
Hailing from the storied streets of Gary, Indiana, rap producer Ed Glorious channels a deep well of influences to craft a sound that’s as soulful as it is eclectic. His beats are steeped in the nostalgic textures of DJ Muggs and Premier and draw on a diverse range of influences that include the rugged grit of Mobb Deep, the cinematic drama of Just Blaze, and the boundary-pushing spirit of Madlib. The result is a production style that’s transcendent in its storytelling—beats that feel like living, breathing entities. In an era where hip-hop continues to evolve, Ed Glorious stands out as a producer dedicated to preserving its soulful core while pushing the genre’s creative boundaries. For a good starting point, check out The Pride & Glory, a 2024 album crafted in collaboration with rising Iowa rapper Teller Bank$.
Controller 7
Hailing from San Jose, CA, Controller 7 transformed a childhood of spinning G.I. Joes on a Sesame Street record player and air drumming to mid-’80s MTV jams into a life steeped in beats and breakbeats. From the crude pause tape beats of his youth to his work producing tracks for artists like Buck 65, Aesop Rock, and Sage Francis, Controller 7’s journey into music production is a masterclass in DIY ethos, weaving his unique sound into the fabric of modern hip-hop. His 2024 endeavor, Nobody Planning To Leave, a collaborative album with Philly duo ShrapKnel (Curly Castro and PremRock), showcases Controller 7’s off-kilter, forward-thinking sound and adaptability in a constantly evolving music landscape.
Child Actor
After years as an electronic pop duo featuring Max Heath and Natalie Plaza, Child Actor has evolved into a name synonymous with cutting edge underground hip-hop production spearheaded by Heath. Initially, Child Actor was poised for pop stardom alongside acts like CHVRCHES and Grimes, riding the wave of maximalist dream-pop with tracks like “If You Loved Me” from their critically acclaimed debut Victory. But following a series of setbacks—bandmate changes, injuries, and a soul-draining stint in commercial work—Heath’s creative path took a new turn. The turning point came with Heath’s unlikely gambit—a chance encounter with rapper billy woods while on tour and a single, meticulously crafted beat that ultimately became “Shepard’s Tone” on woods’ 2019 album Terror Management. This collaboration opened the floodgates, embedding Child Actor’s signature off-kilter, richly textured style within the Backwoodz Studioz universe, securing credits on ELUCID’s I Told Bessie, Navy Blue’s Memoirs in Armour, and beyond. Now primarily recognized for Heath’s inventive, shape-shifting beats, Child Actor has become a crucial sonic architect for some of the genre’s most forward-thinking voices, including Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle, and Serengeti. Today, the moniker Child Actor remains a fluid, boundary-pushing project, reflecting Heath’s unique versatility as both a beatmaker and a creative polymath, one who thrives in blurring lines and confounding expectations.
Futurewave
Toronto-based Futurewave’s production is built on a fusion of jazz, soul and drum breaks. His beats create an intricate and often eerie soundscape for MCs to shine on, creative and prolific beats imbued with a little bit of weirdness that often goes unnoticed at first listen. When collaborating with other artists, he gives them the freedom to make themselves known by allowing their vocals to remain at the forefront. Case in point: Mr. Ten08, Futurewave’s collaboration with prolific Detroit emcee Boldy James, a straight-killer-no-filler affair that showcases Futurewaves knack for crafting retro-futurist masterpieces behind the boards.
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Big Ghost Ltd
Big Ghost Ltd. is a mysterious figure who first attracted a devoted fanbase through his hip-hop blog which featured a hilariously crass style of writing. The blog started as a spoof of Ghostface Killah and was later the target of legal action by the Wu and forced to cease operations. Since then, Big Ghost has started a second life as a rap producer, working with a veritable who’s who of up and coming rappers, including Jae Skeese, Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn, Vic Spencer, Mickey Diamond and Che Noir. As a producer, his style is hard hitting and bombastic, combining minimalistic percussion with tension-building bass and heavily distorted, ethereal samples.
THE MELLOS
From the moment you press play on THE MELLOS production, your mind will be taken to a world of its own. The Lynn, Massachusetts productions team’s sound is unsettling but enchanting at the same time. Their tracks conjure up dense, hallucinatory worlds that are impossible to resist, though not always easy to make sense of and their beats are meticulously arranged yet still leave plenty of room for mystery.
Televangel
Formerly one half of prolific production duo Blue Sky Black Death, Televangel is now a solo producer based in Portland, Oregon. As a beat maker, he makes room for both lush ambient soundscapes and intricate, deeply textured beats. His tracks are well-paced excursions which explore mood as much as they do structure. Televangel is uniquely gifted with a sense of sound that can be both hard and soft at the same time, full yet reserved, detailed and beautifully lush. With his 2022 album, Metatron’s Cube, Televangel linked with rising Seattle rapper AJ Suede to craft one of the best records of the year, an album of intricate lines, memorable stories and imagery all matched perfectly with hazy beats that weave head-bobbing drums with a touch of noir.
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Morriarchi
The UK’s got a few producers that have made waves in the mainstream by working with household names, but there are others who seemingly don’t care about the spotlight and get lost in their own world. One of those artists is Morriarchi. Instead of making mainstream sounds, Morriarchi appears to operate independently and has built up a fan base due to his experimental sound and collaborations with choice rappers like lojii and CLBRKS. His beats are smooth and chilled but also a bit off-kilter, featuring synths and piano chords that you’d expect on a classic jazz record from decades past, but still feel fresh due to his unique sound palette.
Swarvy
Swarvy is an LA-based producer, multi-instrumentalist and all-around beat wizard. He’s one of the best producers in underground hip-hop, but he’s so much more than that. He has a knack for creating experimental beats that are still grounded by jazz and soul, and always include mind-bending psychedelic flourishes. Melodic and experimental, his productions employ colorful sampled loops and layers upon layers of keys. His collaborations have included releases with Mndsgn, Busdriver, Quelle Chris, Makaya McCraven, Ras G and in addition to his solo discography he’s released albums with rappers and singers like Pink Siifu, Suzi Analogue and lojii.
Boathouse
The brain behind the beats for some of the best rap artists around, Boathouse’s production credits include a who’s who of underground rap royalty. Open Mike Eagle, Stalley, Kweku Collins, Mother Nature, Defcee and more have all seen the fruits of their musical labor with this beat maker. His approach to beat making thus far has been to dissect and reexamine music’s roots, drawing on sounds from all over the world. He combines his disparate sonic influences with a reverence of hip-hop’s history to create an entirely new experience. His technical production mastery is matched only by his ability to craft something that not only sends you back in time but forward into the future.
Mon$rock
Sitting in the shadow of California’s hip-hop hotbeds like Los Angeles and Oakland, Sacramento isn’t an area known for its beats scene. But that’s slowly changing thanks in part to local mainstay Mon$rock. He not only co-manages the beat-centric label Coldtwelvers, but also co-hosts Flip A Beat Club (with Dibia$e), a monthly open session where beat makers can create, network and share their music with each other. FABC has helped lay the foundation for what’s becoming a flourishing local production scene in the Sacramento area. “We’re organizing the efforts of beat makers in the community and it’s really becoming something special,” Mon$rock says. In addition to being a pivotal linchpin in the local scene, Mon$rock is also a prolific producer in his own right who specializes in mixing hard-hitting drums with nostalgic boom-bap flair, using samples from old records that your mom probably partied to. Case in point: Nomad, Mon$rock’s collaboration with Sacramento rapper Paini, and Versions, a three part beat tape featuring production from Mon$rock, Bap Notes and Dirty Mumbles.
maticulous
Since releasing his first solo production project in 2011, Brooklyn-based producer maticulous has made beats for underground legends like MF Doom, R.A. The Rugged Man, and Your Old Droog, to name a few. Along the way, he’s garnered a loyal following from hip-hop heads in the know (DJ Premier counts himself as a fan) and slowly become one of the best rap producers in the game. He creates beats that are reminiscent of rap’s golden era, combining east coast boom bap elements with soul-inflected and emotive textures to create some of the lushest beats around. After producing for others over the past several years, maticulous put the spotlight on his gifts as a producer with his 2021 compilation no caps. Showcasing his signature sound, no caps is a cohesive listen that features guest spots from some of the best east coast (J-Scienide, Kev Brown, Skyzoo, Ill Conscious) and midwest (Guilty Simpson) rappers around. And in 2024, he dropped compilation, The Expanse, featuring another stellar hand-picked roster of some of today’s best rappers like AJ Suede, Eddie Kaine and The Audible Doctor.
L’Orange
North Carolina-based producer L’Orange has been around for more than a decade creating a truly unique sound and becoming one of the best rap producers out. While he initially gained recognition as part of the “beat scene,” he quickly moved beyond the strict definition of the moniker. He represents a new generation of producers who don’t see genre constraints or concrete definitions, but instead see themselves as artists in a broad sense. They don’t look at the music industry with a view to simply service hungry ears, but instead invite you to join them in experiencing new sounds and embarking on a sonic journey. As a producer, L’Orange’s sound blurs the lines between organic and electronic, psychedelia and hip-hop, conscious and abstract. The concept of “found sounds”—static-laden loops and abstract samples—is very much at play in his music. In between his brilliant instrumental projects (see last year’s The World Is Still Chaos, But I Feel Better), L’Orange has worked alongside forward-thinking rappers like Nashville’s Namir Blade and fellow NC native Solemn Brigham, who together form the duo Marlow.
Ol’ Burger Beats
Norwegian beat-maker Ol’ Burger Beats is a fervent crate digger with an ear for dusty jazz grooves that form the backbone of a distinctive sound that’s all his own. With extensive use of loops from old jazz and soul records heard throughout his tracks, Ol’ Burger Beats has caught the attention of listeners around the world with a unique sound and genuine feel for sample-heavy hip-hop production. His love for the soulful sounds of the past extends beyond just records, however, as evidenced by his occasional explorations into the world of jazz instrumentation and production. His 2022 release, Loft, is a beat-driven instrumental album inspired by the free and spiritual jazz played by artists of the New York loft movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Jazz leanings aside, Ol’ Burger Beats also works with rappers, including fellow Norwegian Vuyo, who teamed up for the blissful 2021 conversation starter titled Dialogue.
Spectacular Diagnostics
When Spectacular Diagnostics’ beats hit just right, they’re like hearing a new spectrum of sound. The Chicago-based producer has carved out a unique niche that fuses vintage vibes with modern sensibilities, creating one-of-a-kind beats that are as satisfyingly soulful as they are futuristic. His signature “moon bap” sound is a joyously fractured, brilliantly mixed constellation of sounds and samples — psych-fusion, sci-fi movie dialogue, cut-up jazz keys, bits of Bollywood soundtracks, and a whole lot more. His albums Ancient Methods and Natural Mechanics, both released in 2021, received widespread praise for their creative production and brilliant guest features from some of underground rap’s finest emcees, including billy woods, lojii, Elucid, and Jeremiah Jae. 2022 also saw the release of Spectacular Diagnostics’ brilliant collaborative beat tape The Conqueror / Pelēks (with Galaktic Rogue) and he has also been trickling out a slew of laid-back, lo-fi-oriented beats under his toast.hawaii alias.
Preservation
Preservation has been crafting an arsenal of classic hip-hop for well over 20 years. As tour DJ for Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def), he’s seen the world from stages in front of thousands of fans, while his production work includes music with Ka, Mach-Hommy, GZA, Raekwon, Quelle Chris, Navy Blue, Nickelus F, MF Doom, Sean Price, Roc Marciano and many more. As a producer, Preservation relies on the power of patience and restraint in his instrumentals, employing idiosyncratic, non-linear arrangements. Sidestepping hip-hop convention, Preservation’s instrumentals skid between genres and time periods to create a style that draws from a variety of cultures. Prime example: his 2020 compilation Eastern Medicine, Western Illness was built entirely from samples from music he found in Hong Kong record stores. And Preservation’s 2022 album with fellow iconoclast billy woods, titled Aethiopes, was one of the best of the year—a genre-bending collaboration that pushed both artists’ work into uncharted territory while further solidifying Preservation as one of the top rap producers around.
Nicholas Craven
There are few rap producers that operate with as much smoothness as Nicholas Craven, a beat maker who’s been on a rapid rise over the last few years while steadily amassing a moving body of work. His sound is a fresh take on the lo-fi, sample-heavy sound pioneered by Roc Marciano and currently favored by the east coast underground, but with his own cinematic twist. Resembling an homage to the crime films of the 1970s, Craven crafts epic, sprawling beats without sacrificing any of the gritty detail or feel we’ve come to expect from modern-day street rap. Like The Alchemist, Craven’s output is staggering: in the past few years alone, he’s released two albums with rising Detroit rapper Boldy James and a compilation of his own beats, Craven N3, which features a who’s who of underground rap’s finest emcees, including Navy Blue, Boldy James, Stove God Cooks, and Elucid, among others.
Small Professor
Philly producer Small Professor made his name in tribute to the great Large Professor (of Main Source fame), and has lived up to the ambitious title with raw talent and smooth, rugged beats. His drums are hard-hitting and imaginative, often using piano or strings as a foundation for his work. As he built his reputation, Small Pro began working with some of the most respected names in rap like Sean Price, Armand Hammer and Guilty Simpson. His songs pulsate with a menacing and grandiose bounce, underpinned by hard drums, brooding, emotive melodies and plaintive synths. Small Pro’s 2022 album found him teaming up with the great AJ Suede to craft one of the best rap releases of the year in Hundred Year Darkness. Hiding away from the sun in a dystopian world, the album is a striking and memorable body of work that is eerie, captivating, and slightly off-kilter, produced entirely by Small Pro and featuring the vivid imagery we’ve come to expect from AJ Suede.
The Expert
“Eclectic” is the first word that comes to mind when listening to Irish producer The Expert. Crafting interstellar experiments, The Expert’s production style melds 90s boom bap and 60s psychedelia. His beats hit as hard as anything in modern day hip-hop, but have more of an acid rock vibe. With his 2022 collaborative album with rapper Jermiside titled The Overview Effect, he delivered a sci-fi journey through space, with beat styles ranging from psych-folk and space rock to classic punk—thick drum loops ricochet off your neck like a satellite left in space to float freely, accompanied by thick guitar tones, ethereal sitars and trippy synths. If you haven’t heard The Expert yet, The Overview Effect is an excellent introduction to one of the most unique rap producers around.
