The Word Is Bond continues it’s annual mentions to the most noteworthy talents in hip-hop from 2011. Producers; whether forging the foundations for MC’s to jump on, or crafting instrumentals to be enjoyed in their own form…
5. Exile
Exile is undeniable. He could have maintained a strong reputation purely by continuing as one half of Emanon, but his presence behind the boards with some of hip-hop’s game changing MC’s in recent years has introduced his talents to a whole new audience. It’s been a strong year of guest productions and solo projects, and with words of a new Emanon album in the new year… don’t be surprised if you see Exile’s name on next years list.
[wpaudio url=”http://wordisbond.data.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/8_320k.mp3″ text=”MED ft. Blu – Your Life (prod. Exile)” dl=”0″]
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Continue reading after the jump…
4. Oddisee
Oddisee is another well established name at this point. 2011 was a strong year for the DMV area producer, again with a string of solid guest productions and the solo project Rock Creek Park, which became the heart of a lot of peoples summer soundtrack with it’s sweeping and soulful instrumentation.
[wpaudio url=”http://wordisbond.data.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Mello-Music-Group-The-Carter-Barron.mp3″ text=”Oddisee – The Carter Barron” dl=”0″]
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3. Hexsagon
Phoenix producer Hexsagon has been one of the most prolific names over the last 12 months, going hand in hand with quality… it was inevitable that he’d make the list. Fresh remixes, production spots and the ongoing “Beat Flip Tuesday” series have kept our ears happy and our heads nodding.
[wpaudio url=”http://wordisbond.data.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Hexsagon-Beat-Flip-Tuesdays-Volume-1-09-Its-Possible-Again.mp3″ text=”Hexsagon – It’s Possible Again” dl=”0″]
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2. K-DEF
The New Jersey based producer/DJ has a nearly 20 year strong legacy that shows no signs of slowing down. This year brought K-DEF back into the forefront of peoples minds when it comes to classic production. Showcasing his impeccable production on a number of releases throughout the year, K-DEF is set to end it with a bang this month with the highly anticipated Night Shift.
[wpaudio url=”http://wordisbond.data.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/K-DEF_TIMES-CHANGE.mp3″ text=”K-DEF – Times Change” dl=”0″]
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1. Dela
Paris/Montreal based producer Dela left a very strong impression on us this year. His sophomore album in the early months of the year was astounding, and he continued to drop gems here and there in the following months. The dude’s got a special way of bringing music vividly to life with pure soul and emotion to the point where you can confidently say he’ll go on to become one of the greatest.
[wpaudio url=”http://wordisbond.data.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/03-Dela-Mars-Pt.-III.mp3″ text=”Dela – Mars Pt. III” dl=”0″]
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There it is. Shout out’s also go to Cloud., Mecca:83, Sizemen, Brenk Sinatra and Shade Cobain who also blessed us with a lot of dope music to be thankful for. Continue on the lookout – more categories to come!
•The Word Is Bond Team•
The Author
