Pen Game So Fresh: The Top 10 Songwriters & Producers, Ever

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, the music game goes only as far as the artists involved take it. It evolves accordingly, not because corporations and labels dictate where it should go, but because generational voices drive it where it needs to be.

Over the decades, we’ve witnessed some of the most groundbreaking and soul shaking sounds, rhythms, and words produced by talent who have defined genres either with the stroke of their pen or the mastery of their instrument. In some rare cases using both.

The creative minds that have pushed music to new and stimulating heights have inspired many listeners and fans to not simply support their creation, but find their own voices and add to a culture that continues to grow and change with the times.

More often than not we forget that these artists aren’t just great at what they do, but are geniuses whose gifts have the ability to touch lives with the universal language known as music.

With that in mind, HipHopWired and Metro PCS offer a list of the Top 10 songwriters and producers that the music game has seen.

Credit: WENN.com

Prince
The man who made purple the color of royalty wasn’t just a gifted producer but also a crafty songwriter. As if his own songs like “Purple Rain” and “Doves Cry” aren’t evidence enough of his talent, don’t dismiss the hits he wrote for other artists like Sinead O’Connor (“Nothing Compares 2 u”), and Chaka Khan (“I Feel For You”). Yes, Prince was indeed music royalty. R.I.P.

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Quincy Jones
The man only produced two of the most timeless albums of all-time in Off The Wall and Thriller and helped turn some kid named Michael Jackson into a household name. He was behind most of Michael’s biggest hits and never once did he complain about not getting enough credit for his work. We know though.

George Clinton
Yes, we know, another “old head” but we ain’t fakin’ the funk when we speak of this man. Parliament and Funkadelic’s P-Funk helped set the stage for arguably the greatest Hip-Hop producer of all-time to change the rap game forever. And that man is…

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Dr. Dre
When Dr. Dre burst onto the scene with his hard drums and street sounds in rap, it was a wrap. But once he used George Clinton’s genius to help produce the G-Funk sound and usher in a new era of gangster rap, it was officially over and every other music genre was put on notice. Either respect the jux or run and hide.

DJ Premier
In the mid to late 90’s many Hip-Hop purists felt that if you didn’t have a DJ Premier produced cut on your album, you didn’t have an album. The man who epitomizes the Beast Coast sound had his prints all over 90’s classics such as Biggie’s Ready To Die, Nas’ Illmatic, and Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt.

Rick Rubin
Double R was there to help birth the Hip-Hop label Def Jam and added his two cents to the sounds it churned out. While many feel he looks like a Hip-Hop hippie, don’t forget he produced classic cuts for Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, and the Beastie Boys and that was just his 80’s Hip-Hop run.

Photo: WENN

Bob Marley
Tuff Gong went from being a palm reader to a music prophet. His records weren’t just sonically excellent, they were also thought-provoking social-political statements that you could sing along to.

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Timbaland
Before The Neptunes became the go-to guys for a club record on a rap album, Timbaland created the sounds that would blow speakers and crowd dance floors. He helped Missy dominate the late 90’s to mid 00’s and put Virginia on the music map in a big way.

photo: WENN

Babyface
Another contributor to the golden era known as the 90’s. Babyface was the mind behind some of the biggest R&B hits from Whitney Houston, Usher, and TLC. To this day artists reach out to him whenever they need help with a hit.

R. Kelly
Yes, this is a controversial pick for obvious reasons, but R. Kelly was a force during the golden era as well. Kelly didn’t just make baby-making music for himself and other artists but was one of the few singers who could straddle the fence between R&B and Hip-Hop music with his production and pen.