Who You Wit: Trackmasters Rank No.9 As Jay-Z’s Go-To Producers

Click here to see Jay-Z's No.10 go-to producer.

9. Trackmasters
Spread love, it’s the Brooklyn way. Looking back at Jay-Z's discography, the God MC definitely shared an affinity with Brooklyn-raised production duo, Trackmasters. Tone and Poke's penchant for meshing ’80s R&B and pop hits with boom bap drum sounds complemented Jay well. Shifting away from Reasonable Doubt's Blaxploitation-esque feel, Jay began working with a host of radio-friendly sound men on his sophomore set, In My Lifetime, Vol.1—including Trackmasters—which coincided with his emergence as a commercially viable artist. Following two contributions to Vol.1 ("Face Off," "Wishing On a Star"), Trackmasters produced the bulk of Jay's two joint albums (Best of Both Worlds, Unfinished Business) with R. Kelly and The Blueprint ("Jigga That Nigga"). Let's not forget Jay's memorable guest verses on Kellz's "Fiesta (Remix)" and "Best of Me, Pt. 2" featuring Mya— arguably Hovi's best work with Tone and Poke. With 20-plus tracks released with Hov, Trackmasters cement their place in a league of their own.

Released Tracks: 20
Album Appearances (1pt): 4 = 4pts
Officially Released Singles (2pts): 4 = 8pts
Grammy Nods (3pts): 0
Top 40 Singles on Billboard Hot 100 (4pts): 1 = 4pts
Signature Track (s) (5pts): “Take You Home With Me/Body,” “Big Chips” = 10pts
Total: 26pts

Stay tuned as XXL continues to count down Jay-Z's best go-to producers throughout the week.