The 7 Best Murda Beatz Beats

A 22-year-old white dude who resembles Scooby Doo's BFF Shaggy, Murda Beatz has emerged as one of hip hop's most in-demand producers over the course of the last 12 months. Migos, Drake, PartyNextDoor, Jeremih and many more have called upon his ability to cater to the whims and preferred sonic environment of each artist.

From humble origins growing up in Fort Erie, Ontario, just across Niagara Falls from Buffalo and 90 minutes south of Toronto, Murda has successfully ingratiated himself among hip hop's elite and he's going nowhere anytime soon. Read HNHH's in-depth profile of young Murda and click through the gallery to listen to seven of his best beats.

"We had chemistry right off the bat. We'd go and bang out records -- 20 minutes, know what I mean," Murda told HNHH of his first collaborations with Migos. "It's the same thing now. We did 'Pipe It Up' [in] 20 minutes."

"Pipe It Up" subscribes to the "less is more" school of thought. As the song demonstrates, a repetitive, turnt-up hook overlaid on a simple melody can have pyrotechnic results. 

Murda has logged a ton of studio hours with PartyNextDoor in recent months, leading one to believe that his beats will be featured extensively on P3. "Like Dat," which presumably appear on PND's joint album with Jeremih, is evidence of Murda's versatility. Just as his ATL trap bangers resemble those of Zaytoven, here he is able to recreate the icy, atmospheric style native to OVO better than its originators.

More evidence of Murda's ability to adhere to regional trends: "Ahh Shit Gah Damn" contains all the hallmarks of a first-rate Bay blapper: an easy bounce, an eerie yet whimsical synth line, and the ability to rejuvenate fading clubgoers and possibly inspire an impromptu dance battle.

"No Shopping" is the type of beat Drake uses when he's ready to go full-blown SPITFIRE DRIZZY. Co-produced with Cubeatz, it's like mid-tempo rap funeral dirge, with a prominent, knocking kick drum and little sense of humor. Drake is here to (attempt to) bury Joe Budden, and Murda provides him with the perfect backdrop to do so.

In case you haven't noticed, Murda Beatz's best beats are all organized around an infectious melody. In the case of "Mexico," from Freddie Gibbs' Shadow of a Doubt, it's a square, dispassionate piano loop with subtle accents, all of which Gibbs picks up on.

The "I Did" melody is actually pretty similar to that of "Mexico" but customized the suit the pared-down aesthetic of Jeremih's Late Nights: The Album. The melody acts as a velvet backdrop and each percussive element -- snare, kick, hi-hat -- occupies a unique frequency, so that they punch the air like pistons firing, working in concert.

One of the more slept-on songs on Drake's Views, "With You" occupies a space that is simultaneously intimate and peaceful, numb, hazy. On the surface streams a liquid, lullaby-like synth vamp. Underneath lies the submerged backstory -- what happens when one "mixes vodka and emotions," as Drake is wont to do.