Taking Sides: DJ Premier vs. Trackmasters

new answers.

I'm more into what the Trackmasters did to Fiesta - guitars, carefully layered original sounds, instead of "just" beatdigging like Primo does. The Azza remix of "Jumpin Jumpin" is a great example of what you're talking about. And the new(ish) Jimmy Cozier song.

I like Primo a lot, but beyond being able to craft a great groove now and then (eg. Royce's "Boom", the stuff he's done for MOP) he hasn't really done anything really exciting lately. Trackmasters on the other hand were probably my favourite producers this year, mainly for the sheer awesomeness of their remixes - belatedly discovering "Bills Bills Bills (Part 2)" specifically, but also Mya's "Best Of Me (Part 2)", Blu Cantrell's "Hit 'Em Up Style (Remix)", Usher's "U Remind Me (Remix)", Blaque's "Bring It All (Remix)", 3WL's "No More (Remix)"...

What are all their good non-remix productions of recent times though? Royce's "You Can't Touch Me" and Jay-Z's "Jigga That Nigga", "Independent Women"... what else?

What I find interesting about the Trackmasters has been their ability to reinvent themselves so thoroughly in the past two years. They were always solid, but on their earlier work for Nas, Jay-Z etc. they struck me as fun but not so distinguished. And then with the "Bills Bills Bills" remix they suddenly unveiled this new sound - delicate, fragile, almost sad. The "Best Of Me" remix in particular is so lachrymose-but-sexy. Luv it.

I should note before someone steals the idea from me that my thoughts above are drawn directly from my preparatory thoughts for an article: "Trackmasters and the Art of the R&B Remix".

DJ PREMIER blows Trackmaster away.. Even the worst PREMO beat slams while the best Trackmasters beat still has that "glossy" feel to it that just reaks of commercial appeal.

For Hardcore Hip-Hop Record Reviews goto, http://hardcorehiphop.cjb.net

i gotta defer to Todd's kneejerk here. Preem may work from a formula, but it's a damn good formula and it's unfair to pit modern hitmakers against him, apples and oranges. and while I may not have to wonder who did it when I hear a Premier joint, I've never been impressed enough with a Trackmasters track to bother to look to see who did it. "Fatty Girl"'s catchy, th

But The Trackmasters have been around for a good seven years now. Primo hasn't been around for *that* much longer.

Primo isn't about being 'imaginative' in the Timba (etc.) sense. He uses more or less the same formula he's always used, a riff/melody over a 4/4 beat. But there's often a real sadness that enters into his productions (e.g. Lox "Recognize", CNN "Invincible", Nas "Nas is Like"). Like the RZA, Primo knows how to squeeze feeling out of a voice or melody. I understand that he spends most of his time inside D & D studios, and I kinda like the idea that he puts his life into this thing.

How anyone can say Primo is not one of the best producers ever is ridiculous. Gangstarr has so much street cred they don't even no what to do with it. Primo has laced ever young rapper coming out of New York since 90 and he keeps it real. Jay Z, Nas, Big Pun, MOP all begged to be laced by Primo. Dont get me wrong I like the Trackmasters sound. They Best of Both Worlds album which is almost all produced by the Trackmasters is excellent. There beats and there use of quitar and other smooth melodies give them a nice sound. But Primo rocks it hard.

You have got to be kidding me??!!! Trackmasters tighter than Primo. Yeah right! The trackmasters couldn't carry Primo's jockstrap. Primo has done more for hip hop than argueably any other producer in the game. His sample technique has been jacked more than an old James Brown record. He has been influential in crafting gems for the illest lyricists in the world. You wanna talk simple, recycled B.S., talk the trackmasters guitar loops and hand claps. The trackmasters could never do what PRIMO does, but anyone with enough money to buy a TRINITY and a novice guitar education could compete with Trackmasters!