XXL Ranks Nas’ Best Go-To Producers

Since he burst onto the scene with his verse on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque" and then cemented himself as a force with his classic 1994 debut, Illmatic, Nas has grown to become revered as one of rap's greatest lyricists of all-time. Over the last two decades, his pen has almost always been sharp, from his vivid storytelling to the gems he's dropped—all fit into intricately pieced together verbal structures. The variable between when he's been good and great, often, has been his beat selection.

He's teamed up with some of hip-hop's best beatsmiths of all-time, like DJ Premier and No I.D., and has also crafted a signature sound with the likes of L.E.S. and Trackmasters, just to name a few. With fans still talking about Nas' latest work, Life Is Good, XXL looked back at Nas' solo catalog (including The Lost Tapes and his collab with Damian Marley, Distant Relatives) and dug up statistics on 10 of Esco’s producers of choice, to crown the Queens MC's Best Go-To Producers based on a point system that includes album appearances, official singles released, Grammy nominations, top 40 hits, and signature tracks. Who's best at helping God's Son reach musical heavens? —XXL Staff

TO SEE NAS' NO. 10 BEST GO-TO PRODUCER, GO TO THE NEXT PAGE

10. Dame Grease
The Dame Grease/Nas connection was short lived. After striking gold with "Ghetto Prisoners" on the 1999 I Am..., Nas brought Grease on to produce four tracks off his next album, Nastradamus, which arrived in December of the same year. The result: Nas' most regrettable album to date, rumored to have been made up of leftovers from the I Am... recording process. While none of the Grease-produced tracks were particularly foul, they failed to make any major impact. Nastradamus went on to be the last time Dame Grease would appear on a Nas album, though the Harlem producer continued working with Dame Grease and went on to find success working with the likes of Max B, and French Montana.

Released Tracks: 5
Album Appearances (1pt): 2 = 2 pts
Officially Released Singles (2pts): 0
Grammy Nominations (3pts): 0
Top 40 Singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (4pts): 0
Signature Track(s) (5pts): 0
Total: 2 points

Stay tuned as XXL reveals Nas' No. 9 Best Go-To Producer this afternoon.