Russ recently came through and showed some major love to two of his favorite producers of all time: Canadian producer Boi-1da and the piano slayer himself, Scott Storch. Hip-hop is a musical genre where ranking is no simple habit - it's a way of life. Lists ranging from top-50 to the highly personal and oft-discussed top 10 have become commonplace, with many using a specified window to express their appreciation of a particular rapper's craft. For Russ, who seems to be in the midst of a serious hot streak, it was high time to celebrate a few of hip-hop's unsung heroes.
"Boi1da is in my top 5 producers of all time I got two plaques with him," writes Russ, taking to Twitter to honor his collaborators. "Scott Storch same thing AND is the reason why I started making beats." For the record, Russ is referring to plaques earned for the Boi-1da produced "Best On Earth" and "Civil War," as well as the Scott Storch-laced "The Flute Song" and "Wife You Up."
While Russ' admiration for his collaborators is no secret, it's still cool to see him showing love to Boi-1da and Storch, two veteran hitmakers with no shortage of classic records in their repertoire. Talented though they may be, it's uncommon to see them placed so highly in a given Top 5 list -- perhaps it's time to start giving the storied beatmakers a more thorough examination. Where do they stand in your own ranking of great producers?