Producers Guild is a series celebrating the creators behind the boards of your favorite songs. Listen to today's episode and leave your comments, suggestions, questions, criticisms, and/or whatever you have for me below so we can continue the conversation.
I know that many of you two were hoping that the next entry in the Producers Guild saga would be an artist such as The Alchemist or The RZA or someone of that ilk. Obviously those episodes are coming: anyone who has read either of my blogs for more than a day will realize that I have many opinions about those two. But there's no real challenge for a Wu stan such as myself in choosing a bunch of RZA-produced tracks (I expect those chapters to run long anyway). There is, however, a higher level of difficulty in running through the discography of a producer that most of you two wouldn't have thought to look to, which is where the fun is.
To wit, today's episode focuses on the work of Nashiem Myrick, in case you two hadn't been spoiled by the very title of the post.
Nashiem Myrick was one of many members of Puff Daddy's Hitmen production crew, which automatically means a lot of Bad Boy Records participation within today's mix. However, the vast majority of his (rather diminutive, at least compared to the other artists spotlighted in this series thus far) production credits skew pretty far away from radio-friendliness: his default is to set up an overly dramatic, darker, somber (but not melancholy) mood, which most of his co-conspirators use as an opportunity to exorcise their crime-rap demons, usually responding more violently than on the typical street shit they present to the world. Apparently Myrick just brings out the devil in some people.
This episode presents a mix of Myrick's productions (and co-productions, all of which transpire alongside other Hitmen) that showcase his style, if not his signature sound, as he's a bit too versatile to have one officially. Even with some of the participants opting to rap about slightly less dark subject matter, this episode ended up being rather consistent, even if the artists mostly hail from New York City. (Which makes sense, since Bad Boy Records was based there - Myrick likely wouldn't have been moving around a lot back then, as he never became a household name.)
Today's episode will likely be the only one focusing on Nashiem Myrick, not because the man has stopped working (far from it - he appears to have a Soundcloud page where he uploads newer creations), but simply due to the fact that, as alluded to above, he doesn't have a ton of production credits out there, and the songs chosen for these episodes have to be those that I actually like. (It's the main criteria here.) However, even without the volume some of his fellow Hitmen (or even Puffy) have managed, he's made several of those credits count. Here's the tracklisting, so that you can get acclimated to the Bad Boy Records of it all prior to pressing 'play'.
PRODUCERS GUILD EPISODE #3: NASHIEM MYRICK
1. Craig Mack - "Flava In Ya Ear (Nashmack Club Mix)
2. Cormega - "Montana Diary"
3. The Notorious B.I.G. - "N----s Bleed"
4. Ma$e - "Take What's Yours" (featuring DMX)
5. The Lox - "Goin' Be Some Shit"
6. Puff Daddy - "Journey Through The Life" (featuring Beanie Sigel, Joe Hooker, Lil Kim, & Nas)
7. Lil Kim - "Queen Bitch"
8. Capone-N-Noreaga - "T.O.N.Y. (Top Of New York)" (featuring Tragedy Khadafi)
9. Nas - "Small World"
10. Pusha T - "Keep Dealing" (featuring Beanie Sigel)
11. Puff Daddy - "Reverse" (featuring Shyne, Sauce Money, G-Dep, Redman, & Busta Rhymes)
12. Black Rob - "Life Story" (featuring Cheryl "Pepsi" Riley & Racquel)
13. Tragedy Khadafi - "T.M. (Message to Killa Black)"
14. The Notorious B.I.G. - "Who Shot Ya?"
15. Bounty Killer - "Deadly Zone" (featuring Mobb Deep & Big Noyd)
16. Mic Geronimo - "Masta I.C. (Remix)" (featuring Lost Boyz & Royal Flush)
17. Shyne - "Commission"
... and there also may or may not be a hidden bonus track, I don't know...
Episode 3 is more straightforward hip hop: Myrick has some R&B songs under his belt, but I didn't find any that I liked enough to warrant placement on the mix, to be honest. Again, we're mainly dealing with New York crime rap here, although a handful of artists represent different parts of the country (New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, just to name a few). Those of you who only read this far to confirm that Biggie's "Who Shot Ya?", his possible claim to "fame", is on here will rest easy, but you should still listen anyway, as you may find something new to obsess over.
Hopefully you enjoy today's episode. Let me know in the comments what you think, what songs I missed, and leave me some ideas for producers to look into for future episodes. And be sure to subscribe to RandoMax Radio for more of these mixes, and just know, I take requests. Don't be shy.
-Max
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