This is a fun post for me! One thing people discover when getting to know me is that I really love listening to instrumentals. An instrumental is music without words, and in Hip Hop specifically, instrumentals are called beats.

Individuals who are skilled in producing Hip Hop instrumentals are called producers. Some people call them beat-makers, but a skilled producer is quick to let you know there’s a difference! Legendary producers include 9th Wonder, Timbaland, Just Blaze, and the late great J Dilla. There are even groups of producers that consistently produce great instrumentals. Some of the legendary producers are also part of them; groups like The Hitmakers, Justice League, The Ummah, and more.

Knowing how much instrumentals mean to Hip Hop, much credit is given to producers in this genre. I wanted to highlight just five of my favorite Christian producers that give me the privilege of enjoying music!

Tone Jonez 

Tone Jonez is an incredible producer that possesses decades of experience in music, which plays a heavy part in the way he produces instrumentals. Having the knowledge of music theory enables him to program the many instruments through his Maschine tool. The chord progression, musical arrangements, and his solid drums give such an incredible experience through instrumentals that is very rare! They’re so intricate and complex that they can be enjoyed entirely on their own. He has produced for D-Maub, Ambassador, C.H.R.I.S., Lecrae, Stephen the Levite, and more.

He also has amazing kits available for any producer to purchase, as well as beats on ToneJonez.com. Here some beats from his Soundcloud below.

DJX-Ray 

DJ X-Ray is a DJ (obviously) from NY who’s known a lot more for his production skill, and has produced a number of great Christian Hip Hop hits. He is also one of the individuals who’s a part of a production team called JahRock’n, a well-known NY hub for music production, engineering, and more. I love the way he produces, because he comes up with insane melodies and chord progressions! He is such a unique producer, and the beats he produces are so smooth, yet hard hitting. I’m always ready for an experience when listening to him. Purchase an instrumental EP he released in May: https://djx-ray.bandcamp.com/releases

Daniel Steele

Daniel Steele is the in-house producer of the Oregon-based record label Humble Beast. A gifted producer who laces his production with awesome drums! I believe his ability to play actual drums plays a huge influence on his kind of production because of the pocket he keeps, and the groove he creates, with his sampling hits you in your soul. One of my favorite groups of tracks he produced is on SoundCloud titled “Yancey Chronicles” in honor of J Dilla. You can find that and more by listening and clicking his SoundCloud below

Brvndon P

Brvndon P fka Black Knight, is a producer of some of the biggest CHH tracks of the genre! Whenever you hear his tag line, “It’s (x3) the Black Knight!”, you’re automatically ready for the turn-up! As a Bay area native, he bleeds that Cali swag in his production. He is very versatile in his production however. The power and party tempo of his drums is in your face, along with that bass! He is one of the rare few that can produce the current trap sound that is natural and not forced. This year he released his second album, and his new name is the title. This was his most transparent project he’s ever put out, and he continued to show that he isn’t a one dimensional producer and artist. It’s available on all digital outlets.

Double A Hit Music

Last, but certainly not least, my twin brother Double A Hit Music! He is legit one of my favorite producers, and it’s not because he’s my brother. I’m the kind of person that’ll let you know if I’m not feeling your music, and I don’t have that problem with him. What I love about his production is his ability to bring together the background sounds that add to the main focus of the beat. For example, the bass notes enhance the sample or melody he uses. He’s also an excellent engineer, therefore his mixes are high quality. Not to mention, he’s also a drummer, and that adds to his production as well, because he knows how to use good drums.

In 2012, he released a full-length instrumental project titled Future Classics Vol 1., which is available on iTunes as well as Bandcamp. His most recent work is featured on the entire album of artist Paul Gee, titled GameFace! An incredible amount of growth and versatility in his production was displayed on this project. Available on iTunes, Google Music, Amazon, and Spotify!

To find out more about him, check out DoubleAHitMusic.com. I hope you all enjoy their music as much as I do!

Honorable Mention: DJ OfficialDJ Official deserved this mention! Tragically, he lost his life after slipping into a coma as a result of his double lung transplant. Official was the DJ of both Cross Movement and Reach Records. His influence cannot be overstated on the genre of CHH. But more than that, he was a disciple of Christ, and influenced many for the Gospel. Losing him this year was such a heartbreak for many, for me as a fan, and for artists who were mentored by him. Lecrae is currently on tour and he talks about him at every tour stop. Here’s some of his production below as we remember.