6 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American rapper, producer, and fashion designer whose 2000s hip-hop work — particularly 808s & Heartbreak and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy — fundamentally altered the sound and emotional register of popular music.
Kanye West's 2010 fifth studio album, universally praised as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made — a maximalist, self-referential meditation on fame, power, sexuality, and mortality.
American music producer, composer, and YouTube educator whose channel What Makes This Song Great and music theory content has built a massive following among musicians and music fans — bridging professional music production with accessible music theory education.
American music producer — co-founder of Def Jam Records — who has produced albums for Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Jay-Z, and Kendrick Lamar — the most commercially successful and artistically diverse record producer in history — author of The Creative Act.
Jake Brown's 2009 account of Rick Rubin's production career — tracing his work from Def Jam through American Recordings — as an overview of his production techniques and philosophy.
American musician and producer who created Nine Inch Nails — the industrial rock project that produced The Downward Spiral and The Fragile — and who co-composed film scores for The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Soul, winning Academy Awards.