The Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt have praised DJ Premier, Madlib, Pete Rock and RZA as the greatest hip-hop producers of all time.

After it first arose in the early ’70s, hip-hop has now been around for about 50 years. The genre had a colossal impact on music production, eventually introducing sampling, beat matching, scratching and other techniques to the mainstream.

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In a new video from Complex, The Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt sit down for an episode of GOAT Talk to select their “greatest of all time” rap albums, ad-libs, and more.

When asked to select their choices for the greatest hip-hop producer of all time, The Alchemist doesn’t hesitate in choosing DJ Premier as his favourite: “DJ Premier, man. I wanted to say something wacky but it’s like let’s just stick to it, let’s… come on.”

He adds, “DJ Premier is the pinnacle – I had to figure out how to not make fake Premier beats as a kid, it was that much of an influence on me.”

Earl Sweatshirt also agrees, and adds a further two GOATed producers to the list: “I feel like the other two who float up if you bring up Premier’s name, or three I guess, is Madlib, Pete Rock and RZA,” he says.

“I feel like I hear their influence in your production sound,” The Alchemist adds.

Watch the full video below, and catch their discussion around producers at the eight-minute mark:

In honour of such a huge milestone for the hip-hop genre, figureheads from the music industry have been exploring its legacy. Will Smith launched his own podcast about it back in October. It features guests like Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rakim and Chuck D.

Also in honour of its anniversary, Grandmaster Flash hosted a masterclass and Q&A at this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event last month. As one of the most influential hip-hop artists, he became known for creating Quick Mix Theory and inventing the slip mat.

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