Urban Music Top Producers Breaking the Scene
We delve into the main players behind the biggest hits in the genre
From the rise of Bizarrap as one of the most popular hitmakers in the industry, to the hard-hitting rhythms of Ovy on the Drums in collabs like the Shakira ft. Karol G ‘TQG’, producers have clearly become one of the key figures in the spotlight.
Although their importance has been more and more evident since the beginning of the 00s, the incredible success of urban music has consolidated a range of household names responsible for some of the most popular hits of the 21st century. Their work in the industry will continue to endure, paving the way for other new producers.
Bizarrap
Born Gonzalo Julián Conde, Bizarrap has marked a before and after in the way the figure of the producer is thought of in the industry, acquiring a central relevance in his music videos. The Argentinian artist has reached stardom with his BZRP Sessions, where he has brought great featurings to the game offering his beats to the most popular urban stars like Nathy Peluso, Duki, Arcángel, René, Nicky Jam or Nicki Nicole.
«Their work in the industry will continue to endure, paving the way for other new producers»
However his leadership in international charts has consolidated after breaking the Internet thanks to his collabs with Spaniard Quevedo -that got to the public with the «Quéeeedate» chorus that crowned the Billboard Global 200-, and his great hit featuring Shakira, which is probably one of the biggest breakup diss songs of all time. The #53 session with the Colombian star reached 4 Guinness World Records and remains the most streamed Latin song on YouTube (63 million) and Spotify (14,3 million).
But all of this wasn’t even planned, as Biza stated in a Billboard interview regarding his first ‘session’: “All I wanted to do was record a local rapper who goes by Kodigo and upload that to YouTube because I was a big fan of his and I wanted others to listen to him too. My plan was to record with my phone, but for some reason it didn’t work. So we scheduled the session for the following day and I thought, ‘Why not give these freestylers the production they deserve with microphones and everything?’ So that’s what I did”, he added.
His beginnings around the freestyle scene, where he met other emerging artists like Acru, G Sony or Trueno, have clearly determined his path to success. Bizarrap maintains a unique essence experimenting through a combination of trap, reggueton, EDM and electro pop styles.
Ovy on the drums
Daniel Oviedo, a.k.a Ovy on the Drums is one of the biggest names in the urban genre worldwide. He has worked with a long list of artists that include Ozuna, Paulo Londra, Danny Ocean, Micro TDH, Piso 21 or Ed Sheeran, among others.
His beats have also been quite influential in Karol G’s artistic evolution. He firstly became his DJ in live shows and later started producing some of the Colombian artist’s biggest hits, including ‘Tusa’, ‘Bichota’, ‘Cairo’ or her latest big release ‘TQG’, featuring Shakira, which still crowns Spotify Global Top 50 and has become very special for him. “It was a beautiful team and a song that surprised me. I even got a tattoo of ‘TQG‘ because it’s my first No. 1 hit as a producer”, he affirmed in a Billboard interview.
Born in Medellín, his name started to become popularafter collaborating with artists like Tinto, Andy Rivera y Gaviria in the Colombian scene. In 2017, he produced ‘Ahora Me llama‘ from Bad Bunny ft. Karol G, and also her entire ‘Unstoppable’ album. His style and versatility has enabled him to become a reference in the scene. Ovy is currently in Europe working on his first solo LP.
Tainy
The Grammy and BMI Award winner Tainy (real name: Marcos Efraín Masís Fernández) has been the producer of some of the biggest hits of contemporary Latin music. The Puerto Rican has worked with the main reggaeton pioneers such as Daddy Yankee, Don Omar or Wisin and Yandel, among others.
In the last years the hitmaker has also led the new wave of urban music; ‘I like It’, ‘Callaíta’ or ‘China’ are some of the reggaeton anthems he contributed to create. Tainy also produced ‘Oasis’, Bad Bunny and J Balvin’s iconic album.
Tainy has also been awarded the Latin Grammy Award for Best Producer of the Year thanks to ‘Lo siento BB:/’ in collaboration with Bad Bunny and Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas. Now he is preparing to release his solo debut ‘DATA’ this 2023.
Manuel Lara
Rauw Alejandro, Bad Bunny, Sebastián Yatra, Alex Ubago or Kali Uchis are some of the artists that dropped great hits produced by the Venezuelan Manuel Lara. His essence is constructed around a “rebellious innovation”, as he stated in a CNN interview. “Rebellious in the sense of not following standards. I go against a lot of things and a lot of the rules and formulas of mainstream music”.
He comes from jazz, but he has succeeded in the urban and pop scenes, winning three Grammys for his work. “I thought I was going to be a jazz drummer, but I changed my mind very quickly. I got to know new cultures and meet new people. After college, I went with my brother to live in Puerto Rico and there we met Alvaro Diaz. He was the first artist I did a song for outside of my Lara Project. That’s when it all started. People started to hear the name of my brother [Felix Lara] and mine to produce”, he affirms in a Los40 Spain interview.
Rosalía
Although she’s better known as a singer and performer, Rosalía has been already awarded for being one of the best women producers in the industry. The multifaceted artist marked a new era in the pop urban industry with her innovatory, dynamic style. She has become one of the most versatile artists worldwide, owning production credits on some of her biggest hits, like ‘SAOKO’ or ‘Despech’á.
But this is not an easy feat, as Rosalía expressed after winning the Billboard Producer of the Year Award. “A producer’s job is a job in the shadow, just producers know how other producers have fun. And it’s not very fun. It’s like 15 hours a day non-stop, maybe, working on a sound… It comes from love, it comes from obsession and that’s why you stay in that small-ass room, no windows, while everyone around you is at home, chilling, eating something nice, laughing, having sex and living life while we are in the studio”.
@billboard PRODUCER OF THE YEAR presented by @bose went to @rosalia at #BBWomenInMusic 2023. 🎧 #ad Watch Rosalía accept the new award presented by record producer #WondaGurl. #SoundIsPower ♬ original sound – billboard
According to the Catalan star, her main influences in her music creation process are Spanish flamenco legend Camarón de la Isla, British singer-songwriter James Blake and other iconic women producers such as Björk and Missy Elliot.
She achieved her stardom after dropping ‘El Mal Querer’, which was actually her final bachelor’s degree project, graduating from flamenco studies. She co-produced it together with El Guincho, showing a great brilliance in the process and laying the foundations of new flamenco and experimental pop trends.
Pablo Rouss
Pablo Rousselon dropped out of college when he was studying graphic design in Pamplona (Spain) and started dreaming about becoming a producer. He began his music career in the metal scene in Madrid with his mentor Alex Cappa. But after three years he decided to explore the pop scene.
The turning point of his career was when he released ‘La tirita’ with Lola Índigo and Belén Aguilera. Now Rousselon (a.k.a Pablo Rouss) has dropped more than 100 songs that amass more than 700 million streams in Spotify thanks to its influence in the new wave boom of urban pop genre. His talent has led him to receive two Grammys awards for his work as a producer.
He has also collaborated with artists such as David Bisbal, Álvaro Soler, Funzo & Baby Loud or Lola Índigo, among others. He is one of the main promises of the Spanish pop urban genre that has already transcended to the international scene with ‘Tacones Rojos’ or ‘Dharma’.
@pablorouss CÓMO SE HIZO #5 (parte 2)@belenaguilera.mp3 @el_wallsi – Fuck off#pop #música #producción #beatmaker #Producer #music #vocalprod #musicprod ♬ sonido original – ROUSS
Alizzz
Alizzz, born Cristian Quirante Catalán, has become one of the main characters in the Spanish urban scene. Formerly a telecommunications engineer, Alizz has previously assured that he does not really know very much about music. “We say a lot of times: If people find out that we have no f*cking idea about what we are doing….’”, stated the artist in an interview regarding a common joke he has with Spanish singer C. Tangana.
But in fact, he has shown the world what he’s able to do: become one of the most innovative and groundbreaking producers in the genre. One of his first popular productions was ‘Antes de Morirme’, which marked the beginning of Rosalia’s stardom featuring C. Tangana in 2016. He continued working with C. Tangana producing his debut album ‘Ídolo’ and his latest release ‘El Madrileño’, which scored first Billboard top 10 album.
The Catalan artist has been awarded a total of 3 Grammy awards for this album, but also 2 diamond, 35 platinum, and 6 gold certified recognitions for recordings produced in Spain and Internationally for his production work. He also dropped his debut album ‘Tiene que haber algo más’ (2021) on his own label. His great trajectory has led him to collaborate with some of the big names in the industry such as Feid, Becky G or Lola Índigo.