BeatTips Top 30 Beatmakers of All Time: Kanye West

By Amir Said On Sep 21, 2014

#7 – Kanye West

Kanye West. A sample-based vanguard in the eye of the sample-free storm.

When examining Kanye West’s beats, the reflex is to start with the Jay-Z/Dynasty years, ca. 2000, or to focus on the sped-up sample style and sound. But beginning your exploration of Kanye West’s beat at either of these two points is an incomplete examination. As early as 1996, Kanye West already had a number of professional production credits to his name. And he was more than just decent. Proficient in the styles and sounds of that era, Kanye was already demonstrating some of the characteristics that would come to define his own style and sound more than a decade later.

Right from his professional debut in 1996, Kanye West was steadfastly a sample-based beatmaker. While I do not know for certain how long he was making beats prior to 1996, what is clear is that his level of beatmaking at the time of his professional debut exceeds that of many of his peers. Present in 1996 Kanye beats was a firm command of bass filtering, hi-hat shuffling, and frequency balancing (mid-frequencies matched well with lower tones and bass filters).

By 1999, Kanye West moved into the slick, mostly sample-free, club style and sound that was being picked up by a lot of beatmakers of the time. (Incidentally, it’s my contention that Dame Grease fathered this late 1990s style and sound. However, Grease’s beats stood out from the pack at this time.) But after this brief period, he returned to his sampling roots and carved out a much more bigger sample-based sound that often highlighted stuttering bongo fills and more simplified drum frameworks.

Along with Just Blaze, Kanye West played a pivotal role in helping Jay-Z establish has own style and sound. In fact, the Dynasty and Blueprint albums served as a breeding ground for Kanye West to build his production style and sound while quietly honing his own rap style. Thus, just as with Ju Ju and Psycho Les of The Beatnuts, Havoc of Mobb Deep, Madlib, and Showbiz of Showbiz and A.G., Kanye West didn’t just rhyme as a side-job, it was a full-time gig. In fact, Kanye West now stands as one of the most iconic rappers of all time. For this, Kanye West also holds the prestigious distinction of being in the canon of hip hop/rap as both beatmaker and rhymer.

The music and videos below are presented here for the purpose of scholarship.

Kanye West Beats (Songs) Recommended for Study:

“Encore” – Jay-Z beat by Kanye West