The 15 Best Hit-Boy Beats

Next Tuesday, Hit-Boy and his HS87 crew will release their All I've Ever Dreamed Of album, which you can stream now at the new MySpace. Much has been said about Hit-Boy's foray into rapping, and some remain convinced he would've been better off staying behind the boards. But hey, that's what they said to Kanye at first, too.

Either way, the jury is still out, and the collaborative HS87 album probably won't help us decide if we like Hit-Boy the Rapper more than we like Hit-Boy the Producer, but we figured now is a good time to take a look back at what Hit-Boy does best, and collected our favorite 15 Hit-Boy-produced tracks.

While most think Hit came out of nowhere when he produced Jay and Kanye's Watch the Throne super-smash "Ni**as in Paris," the young GOOD Music cohort has been around for years, initially forming the Surf Club with fellow producer Chase N. Cashe and working with r&b divas like Mary J. Blige, J. Lo, Brandy and Macy Gray before connecting with 'Ye.

Click through to familiarize yourself with Hit's best work to date.-Compiled by Sean Ryon and Dan Buyanovsky

Kendrick Lamar, "Backseat Freestyle"
Album: good kid, m.A.A.D city

This record is the most unexpected combination of abstract and aggressive. Even though Kendrick is typically a more introspective writer, this beat somehow suits him perfectly. By the time you're listening to the third verse, you can't help but feel like you can front-kick Mike Tyson in his prime.

Kanye West ft. Jay-Z and Big Sean, "Clique"
Album: Cruel Summer

The strength in Hit-Boy's production on "Clique" is that it seamlessly transitions between a subtly pulsating verse and operatic chorus. At the same time, however, he doesn't simply juxtapose the two sonically clashing portions of the song; rather, Hit opts to keep listeners engaged by building each layer of the beat as its own entity.

Kanye West & Jay-Z, "Ni**as in Paris"
Album: Watch the Throne

There's obviously been more than enough said about this record over the past eighteen months, but who can forget the first time they heard this beat? Those repetitive keyboard clinks, colossal drums, and Kanye's world-changing "that shit cray" ad-lib made this a record you'll hear for years to come, and always go ape-shit to.

A$AP Rocky, "Goldie"
Album: Long.Live.A$AP

After finding success with lean-laced cuts from the likes of Clams Casino and A$AP Ty Beats, Harlem's A$AP Rocky pulled a 180 on listeners with Hit's clattering uptempo jam "Goldie." Hit's beat perfectly merges Rocky's New York upbringing and Houston-inspired style, combining a hard-driving opening drum break with a floor-shaking bass line and infectious bell line in the hook.

Pusha T, "My God"
Album: Fear of God II

One of the sleeper anthems of 2011 that gave Pusha T his voice as a solo artist and made a brutal statement about what he intended to do with hew newfound freedom. Hit-Boy was perfecting the hugeness of his production with this record, keeping the sample super repetitive but never boring. My god.

Chase N. Cashe, "Can She Do It"
Album: Gumbeaux

Strip club anthems are a dime-a-dozen these days, but leave it to the Surf Club producer to craft one of the more memorable tracks devoted to the topic. With an oppressive horn track and hard-hitting 808s, it's a gleefully brash banger of a cut likely to blow out car speakers.

DJ Khaled ft. Kanye West, "Cold"
Album: Cruel Summer

Fresh off the success of "Ni**as in Paris," Hit-Boy kept the ratchet beats coming with Kanye's club-ready "Cold." While the production employs many of the same elements that made "Paris" so successful, it's Hit's booming omnipresent bass line that makes the song such a banger.

Dom Kennedy ft. Casey Veggies & cARTer "CDC"
Album: The Original Dom Kennedy

You can't not do the shoulder-rock to this song. It sounds like a precursor to "Paris" that Hit produced for Onyx in their heyday. Casey Veggies and Dom really do this beat justice with their on-point bar-for-bar chemistry.

Game, "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly"
Album: The R.E.D. Album

Hit-Boy shows a different, classical side to his craft with Game's "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly." The track updates the West coast standard set forth by Dr. Dre, fusing a drum break worthy of golden era New York emcees and an effectively subtle sample of Bo Hasson's classic "Waiting."

Lil Wayne ft. Eminem, "Drop the World"
Album: Rebirth

While still a pop record, technically, this is kind of a departure for Hit, where he seems to be exploring darker, more ominous territory. It fits its artists well, but Eminem both sings and double-times on this record, which us unlucky for Hit, whose production can't really handle what Em wants to do to it.

DJ Khaled ft. Rick Ross & Kanye West, "I Wish You Would"
Album: Kiss the Ring 

While Hit-Boy's hardly a stranger to making trap bangers - one of his first productions was for Gucci Mane in 2007, after all - he isn't typically associated with this production style. However, his production on Khaled's "I Wish You Would" elevated trap production beyond the usual staccato snares and hi-hats, creating a massive anthem befitting of Yeezy, Rozay and Khaled's multiple, grandiose personalities.

Hit-Boy ft. Kid Cudi, "Old School Caddy"
Album: Hit-Story

Despite cutting his teeth on club bangers, Hit-Boy's break-out solo single speaks more to his roots than his biggest hits would let on. With a straight-forward interpolation of the New Birth's "Keep On Doin' It" drum break and a reverb-heavy guitar riff, the tracks production is reminiscent the Dungeon Family's early production for legends like Goodie Mob and Outkast.

Nicki Minaj ft. Cam'ron & Rick Ross "I Am Your Leader"
Album: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Hit-Boy has a knack for sonically capturing an emcee's idiosyncrasies, and his work on Minaj's "I Am Your Leader" does that to the fullest. The verse's slinky lead riff and low-key drums clash with the chorus' blaring horns, aptly meshing with Nicki's bizarro-world rap antics without sacrificing any of the song's hit potential.

A$AP Rocky ft. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Big K.R.I.T., Action Bronson & Danny Brown, "1 Train"
Album: Long.Live.A$AP

Hit's second cut for A$AP's debut album is truly incredible. He's a 23-year-old kid from Northern California, but with this record he sounds like a New York vet, embracing the cypher style of mid-90s hip-hop and giving everyone from Action to Danny Brown room to breath and really just rap their asses off.

Casey Veggies, "I Be Over Shit"
Album: Sleeping in Class

The most impressive thing about Hit's production discography is his versatility. Listening through this many of his beats, it seems like he's a guy who's as comfortable partying for a week straight as he is a guy who can have a good time smoking and watching Wes Anderson movies. Maybe I'm getting a wrong read, but this beat is smooth, and sounds like something Jay Dee and whoever makes the beats for Tonya Morgan would've worked on together.