Why are there so many damn producers on songs nowadays?

[Metal Face]

Look at the last couple of big rap releases
there's multiple producers littered across almost every song on these albums

Kendrick Lamar – wacced out murals

[Intro: Deyra Barrera] / Siento aquí tu presencia / La noche de anoche / Y nos ponemos a llorar / [Verse 1] / Yesterday somebody whacked out my mural / That energy'll make you

genius.com

Wacced Out Murals : 7 Producers

Drake – SMALL TOWN FAME

[Verse 1] / Yeah / Leavin' out the club with no hoes, it's a dub / You somewhere on house arrest pretending you in love / Exfoliate that nikka that you with, he a scrub / Like I

genius.com

Small Town Fame: 5 Producers

Playboi Carti, Future & Travis Scott – CHARGE DEM HOES A FEE

“CHARGE DEM HOES A FEE” sees two Atlanta heavyweights Future and Playboi Carti call up Houston star Travis Scott for another collab after the trio’s mega-hit, “Type shyt,” which

genius.com

Charge Dem Foes A Fee: 6 Producers

Cardi B (Ft. Summer Walker) – Dead

[Intro: Summer Walker] / Grammy-Award-winning recording artist Cardi B, known for her chart-topping hits / Now stands accused of a crime spree that has left a trail of devastation

genius.com

Dead: 8 Producers


And A LOT of these beats end up not being great
Why is that?

 

[laflame]

The way songs are put together has changed drastically and specifically production has definitely advanced from a sound selection and arrangement view.

Now the melody might be created by 2 dudes in Switzerland,
they send it off to a bigger producer like a Southside who will add his drums,
then Southside might send it to Travis Scott who has his own 2-3 producers that he’s working with to add shyt too. Then by the time the song comes out it has a new breakdown, a diff drum section etc.
Nikkas will get credited to adding a hi hat and background percussion.

 

[laflame]

If you check post 2011 Kanye production credits he has like 5 producers minimum cause these songs are going through years of work.
Just for him to come in at the end, delete most of em and settle on a sample he found, drums from No ID & vocal chop from like 4 years ago

but it’s good cause more people get paid. Most of these nikkas woulda been ghost producers like Ye was for D-dot

 

[Chip Skylark]

The way songs are put together has changed drastically and specifically production has definitely advanced from a sound selection and arrangement view.

Now the melody might be created by 2 dudes in Switzerland,
they send it off to a bigger producer like a Southside who will add his drums,
then Southside might send it to Travis Scott who has his own 2-3 producers that he’s working with to add shyt too. Then by the time the song comes out it has a new breakdown, a diff drum section etc.
Nikkas will get credited to adding a hi hat and background percussion.

This! Don’t forget if you sample a song you also have to list those producers as well.

 

[tremonthustler1]

This! Don’t forget if you sample a song you also have to list those producers as well.

not necessarily for production credits, but the producers get writing credits.

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

Sometimes it's a sample thing where the original
Producers are included and the new producers

 

[Awesome Wells]

Usually due to samples.

There are dudes who make sample packs, who require that producers list them as "co-producers" in the credits if they use their samples for a song. I think that's mad corny, but that's just a part of the game now.

 

[Buckeye Fever]

Truth.

I be like "y'all needed 6 ppl to produce THAT????"

 

[Buckeye Fever]

Off topic, but for writing credit, I bet Snoop's outro at the end of Still Dre was for him to get some writing credit on the song because I believe Jay wrote the hook Snoop rapped, as well as Dre's verses.

Smart on Snoop's part to come up with that shít at the end, knowing that was gonna be a huge song

 

[Harry B]

Besides what people said; proper credits, people are about their business

 

[Iverson_64]

To avoid lawsuits.

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

Off topic, but for writing credit, I bet Snoop's outro at the end of Still Dre was for him to get some writing credit on the song because I believe Jay wrote the hook Snoop rapped, as well as Dre's verses.

Smart on Snoop's part to come up with that shít at the end, knowing that was gonna be a huge song

I always thought hov wrote that part too

95 plus 4 pennies add that shyt up

 

[Buckeye Fever]

I always thought hov wrote that part too

95 plus 4 pennies add that shyt up

 

[JustCKing]

Its not just rap. I rememember back when Beyonce's Renaissance came out and people were mad at Diane Warren for asking "it took 11 people to produce 1 song".

Really, it is how music is made now. It has nothing to do with "ghost production" or even a co-producer. Posters here have already broken down how these songs have gone through multiple producers before we hear the final product.

A lot of this has to do with sound designers. They create entire tracks. Producers will chop it and sample it how they please. The sound designer gets credited as a producer.

 

[tDames]

Always has been like that but back then the big producers would be highlighted. If you checked the credits on the booklets they showed everyone that works on it. They just now getting recognition