With the lyrical duo of Strange Music having just released their debut EP 13, we’ve been given a taste of what’s to come now that the Cru is with the Snake & Bat. Recently Ubiquitous & Godemis unveiled plans for a full length album, and that got us thinking: Who would we like to see producing for CES CRU?

Check out the top 10 producers we’d like to see Ces work with below.

NOTE: For the sake of even being able to narrow it down to 10, this list is comprised only of living producers (otherwise it’d just be J Dilla 10 times). Also, the list is in no particular order as far as ranking goes, we’d love to see all these guys for different reasons.

Needless to say, this quickly turned into a Hip Hop head’s fevered dream of wishful thinking, but it’s still dope to think about, and we already know anything is possible in Strangeland!

10. Exile

Although probably best known for his work with underground emcee Blu, Exile has produced dope tracks for the likes of Mobb Deep, Ghostface Killah, and Jurassic 5, so it’s obvious the dude is doing some great work. Exile’s soulful style & coarsely chopped beats have garnered comparisons to the late great J Dilla, and we think that would sound pretty dope with some Godemis & Ubiquitous vocals over the top.

Check out this video of Exile making a beat on the spot just by sampling from internet radio:

9. Harry Fraud

If you listen to as much Hip Hop as we do, you’ve not doubt heard the trademark “La musica de Harry Fraud” sample before a dope ass beat starts. That means it’s the work of the dude up there ^, and that dude is on FIRE lately. Producing for everyone from Rick Ross & Prodigy to Curren$y & Action Bronson, Harry Fraud has both the mainstream & the underground buzzing with his synth-centric and often wierd-as-shit beats.

Again, we think the Fraudster could whip up something mighty Strange for the CES if they ever met up.

Check this one he did for Meyhem Lauren ft. AG Da Coroner, Heems, & Riff Raff:

8. El-P

El-P is another dude that’s just everywhere right now. Just this year he’s released a solo album which he produced the majority of, as well as a collab album with Killer Mike which many consider one of the dopest albums of the year. His sound is expansive and eclectic, a perfect match for the varied styles & sounds CES CRU has been known for in the past.

Here’s a track off El-P & Killer Mike’s album R.A.P. Music , “Reagan”:

7. Madlib

Madlib is one of the most acclaimed producers in recent times, and has worked with some of the best. He’s known for his funky samples, varied styles, and a Wikipedia page with an amount of aliases that would make Ol Dirty Bastard blush.

We could definitely see the guys from CES CRU kicking some dope shit over a beat like this one from Quasimoto (Madlib’s most popular alias):

6. Digi Phonics (Tae Beast, Sounwave, Willie B, Dave Free)

Those two dudes right there have been responsible for some of the songs that have made the TDE camp one of the hottest things in Hip Hop right now. If you haven’t heard of Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, or ScHoolboy Q before, then you just haven’t been listening to Hip Hop lately, period.

These dudes are everywhere, and their in-house production collective Digi Phonics (Tae Beast, Sounwave, Willie B, Dave Free) have been responsible for damn near all of their most bangin’ tracks.

Check this track from Tae Beast to get just a tiny taste of what these dudes are capable of, just imagine it’s Godi & Ubi instead of Ab, Schoolboy, & Kendrick:

5. Alchemist

Alright, if you don’t know much about Alchemist, this is what you need to know: He’s produced at least one track, if not a whole album, for most of your favorite Hip Hop artists. Eminem, Ghostface Killah, Pharoahe Monch, Nas…the list is damn near endless. He’s got some of the most eclectic and respected beat-making abilities in Hip Hop history, and he makes BANGERS.

We know he could come up with something dope for CES CRU, and his track record makes us believe it would be probably the dopest track ever.

Here’s one of our favorites:

4. Plex Luthor & Gianni Cash

We can’t forget about these two! We’re pretty sure this collab will happen some day, and that only made us want it more. Plex & Gianni are the evil geniuses behind most of ¡MAYDAY!’s bangin tracks. These guys are known for working well with live instrumentation, and we’re pretty sure CES CRU would sound dope as hell over some live instruments as well. Throw in the fact that they’re both under the Snake & Bat and you’ve got a dream collab that just might come true!

I mean just look at this shit:

3. The Neptunes

The Neptunes have proven themselves as one of the most influential production entities of our era time and time again. Pharrell & Chad make some funky ass beats, and are also known for pushing boundaries musically for a bunch of different artists, most recently including Curren$y, Rick Ross, and Frank Ocean. We feel like CES CRU is experimental enough to make full use of Chad & Pharrell’s potential, and the resulting tracks would be both banging and musically controversial.

What more could you want? Just picture CES over this shit right here.

It’s an exploratory take on modern trends, and it turns out musically awesome:

2. RZA

I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that you aren’t allowed to make a list of Hip Hop producers without mentioning RZA…and even if I didn’t read that, he’s one of the greatest of all time so of course he’s on this list! I don’t think we’re the only ones that think CES CRU would sound amazing over some Bobby Digital-style goodness. RZA has been crafting legendary beats for the Wu Tang Clan and others for years now and yet he still seems to be at his peak.

Besides, how dope would a “CRU-Tang Clan” album be???? An interesting use of RZA’s versatility to whet your imagination:

1. DJ Premier

Premier beats have long since provided the background for lyric-heavy East Coast Hip Hop, an influence we find to be pretty prevalent in CES CRU’s style. These guys are lyricists through and through, and their style is often described as a modern take on classic boom-bap Hip Hop. Enter DJ Premier, the king of classic beats.

Who wouldn’t love Ubiquitous and Godemis over something like this:

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• What did you think of our list?

• Who did we miss?

Let us know in the comments section below!