Four Of Billboard’s Top 25 R&B/Hip-Hop Producers of the 21st Century Are From Toronto

Producers, as much as artists and songwriters, played a prominent role in the expansion, crafting innovative compositions that added new depth and dimension. R&B spun off new sub-genres to its mix, with electro-R&B, trap soul and alt-R&B among the freshest sounds, while hip-hop flourished on several fronts. Pockets of crunk, trap, rage and drill, to name a few, represented new branches of the genre’s sounds, while fusions with country, rock, Latin and other historically separate genres widened its impact and appeal.

For the past century Toronto has made it’s make on popular music!!

The Weeknd at #20

In his rise from king of the underground alt-R&B playground to stadium headliner, The Weeknd has remained an active creator in every step of his evolution. After his earliest chart appearances — some with fellow Torontonian Drake as they collaborated on the latter’s LP Take Care — centered on moody, melancholy musings, the range expanded to post-disco, dance and 1980s influences on his albums Starboy and After Hours, beginning in the mid-2010s. Of his nine No. 1s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs as a performer, The Weeknd shares production credit on four: “Starboy,” featuring Daft Punk (2016-17); “Heartless” (2019); “Blinding Lights” (2020); and “Die for You,” with Ariana Grande (2023). Beyond his production success, the superstar features prominently on the R&B/hip-hop quarter-century recaps — he’s the No. 3 artist, while “Blinding Lights” is the top song.

T-Minus at #13

T-Minus is one of the only producers to be behind catalog-defining hits for the big three of rap in the 2010s — Kendrick Lamar (“Swimming Pools [Drank]”), Drake (“HYFR,” “The Motto”) and J. Cole (“Middle Child”) — while bringing something different to the table to elevate each artist. In all, the OVO Sound producer notched five Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart-toppers, including Nicki Minaj’s “Moment for Life” and Lil Wayne’s “She Will,” both of which feature Drake and highlight T-Minus’ punchy drums and minimalist style that made him one of rap’s sonic builders the 2010s.

Boi1da at #9

Though 40 will forever be Drake’s right-hand man, Boi-1da isn’t far behind. Their Canadian brotherhood kicked off with “Best I Ever Had,” the record that launched Drake into superstardom and introduced Boi-1da’s hard-hitting bounce as the first of his five Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1s as a producer. The duo never lost stride, later connecting on fellow chart-toppers “God’s Plan” and “First Person Shooter,” the latter featuring J. Cole. But Boi-1da’s reach extends well beyond core rap records. Take his biggest cultural flex, when he supplied Rihanna and Drake with the No. 1 hit “Work” in 2016, a dancehall-fueled heater that scorched clubs and airwaves worldwide.

Noah “40” Shebib at #6

For more than 15 years, 40 has been Drake’s indispensable co-pilot, helping craft era-defining albums such as Take Care and Nothing Was the Same. His signature “underwater” sound — lush textures, moody filters, fluid beat switches — gave Drake’s music its atmospheric edge. From the aggression of “Summer Sixteen” to the globally appealing “One Dance,” with Wizid and Kyla, 40’s cinematic production has been the hidden force behind Drake’s dominance, resulting in 40’s seven No. 1s as a producer on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

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