Who You Wit: Timbaland Ranks No.3 As Jay-Z’s Best Go-To Producer

Dr. Dre Ranks No.10 As Jay-Z's Best Go-To Producer.
Trackmasters Rank No.9 As Jay-Z’s Go-To Producers.
DJ Premier Ranks No.8 As Jay-Z's Best Go-To Producer.
Swizz Beatz Ranks No.7 As Jay-Z’s Go-To Producer.
Diddy and The Hitmen Rank No.6 As Jay-Z's Best Go-To Producers.
Ski Beatz Ranks No.5 As Jay-Z's Best Go-To Producer.
The Neptunes Rank No.4 As Jay-Z’s Best Go-To Producers.

3. Timbaland
The history of Hov and Timbo dates back to their smash “Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)” off Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life. Since then the two have carved as many hits as MLB star, Juan Pierre on the field. Known for his often-eccentric unexpected niche-genre sounds that most producers would dare to mesh—jungle, trance, techno and more— Timbaland remains consistent in delivering smash records that’s guaranteed to make its way into the party scene. From “Big Pimpin” to “Is That Yo Bitch,” and the heavy-hitter “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” the list of universal party records between Tim and Hov are somewhat endless. Looking at album cuts like “The Bounce” or the tantalizing “What They Gonna Do” say what you want about the VA native, but he surely knows how to transcend barriers between hip-hop and pop. A record like “Venus vs. Mars” or “Hola Hovito” are far from pop but, are more likely to receive radio play than any other quintessential “hip-hop” record. Making his way onto an outstanding seven Jay projects to date, as well as cracking the Top 40 here and there, Timbo the King reigns supreme.

Released Tracks: 15
Album Appearances (1pt): 7 = 7pts
Officially Released Singles (2pts): 4 = 8pts
Grammy Nominations (3pts): 1 = 3pts
Top 40 Singles on Billboard Hot 100 (4pts): 2 = 8pts
Signature Track (s) (5pts): “Nigga What, Nigga Who,” “Is That Yo Bitch,”  “Big Pimpin,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” = 20pts
Total: 46pts

Tune in tomorrow as XXL reveals Jay-Z's Top 2 go-to producers...