Hip-hop manages to reinvent itself for every new generation yet, strangely enough, one of its most enduring traits is the producer tag. Even as a swarm of 18-year-olds moshed to masked scouse rapper EsDeeKid in London last week – an artist whose Liverpudlian-rage-rap fricatives would likely have hip-hop’s Bronx forefathers scratching their heads – producer Wraith 9’s signature “OK!” beat tag played on just about every song in the set, symbolically continuing over 40 years of history within the genre.

Perhaps harking back to hip-hop’s distant roots in Jamaican sound systems, where DJs would cut one-off ‘dubplates’ with vocalists to give them the edge during soundclashes, some of the first examples of producer tags arrived in the 1980s. Here, producers like Kool DJ Red Alert and DJ Kid Capri would introduce themselves on their records, providing some much-needed exposure to match the MCs who would frequently drop their own names during their verses.

However, the trend truly became ubiquitous in the late 2000s, partly because the digital era of music and online file sharing created a renewed need for producers to watermark their instrumentals as a safeguard against artists using them without credit. Often found in the crest of the beat drop or the apex of the chorus, producer tags soon took all manner of forms – a baby’s voice, a rapper’s co-sign, Tony Selzer’s father; each adding branding and identity to a producer’s career. Perhaps the best example of this is when Ye (FKA Kanye West) specifically requested Metro Boomin’s beat tag on “Father Stretch My Heads Pt. 1”, defining a crucial turning point in the Atlanta producer’s career.

Today, producer tags are almost like hip-hop’s Easter Eggs, hidden in plain sight in some of the 21st century’s biggest hits. Just listen to the likes of Destiny Child’s “Say My Name” or Bobby Shmurda’s “Hot N***a” – you might not remember it, but both of these feature a producer shout-out before even the vocals themselves come in. Elsewhere, accompanying the diffusion of hip-hop production techniques throughout mainstream music as a whole, producer tags have also cropped up in pop hits like Lady Gaga “Just Dance”, Pitbull’s “Rain Over Me“ and even K-pop nine-piece TWICE’s “I Can’t Stop Me”.

Below, in honour of the trends’ rich history and in particular order, we break down 15 of the most iconic producer tags of all time.

WRAITH 9

Tag: 🆗

An instrumental producer in EsDeeKid’s recent meteoric rise, Wraith 9’s signature “OK” and gasp beat tags have opened 2025 bangers such as “LV Sandals” and “Phantom”. Drenched in murky reverb, these tags are also representative of Wraith 9’s era-defining production as a whole, which sits somewhere between Conglomerate-esque rage rap distortion and the fragile melodies of Drain Gang producer Whitearmour.

PHARRELL

Tag: The four-count drop

While not a producer tag in the traditional sense, the four-count beat drop is widely recognised as a Pharrell trademark, opening pretty much every one of his songs – including “Happy”, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, Britney Spears’ “Boys”, “Tokyo Drift” and stretching all the way back to his earlier productions as part of hip-hop duo Neptunes. In a previous interview, Pharrell has explained that the signature was initially unintentional, and that he only started to embrace the four-count beat drop as his own producer tag after a friend pointed it out to him.

DJ SMOKEY

Tag: A general obsession with nukes

In the hands of producer wunderkind and meme connoisseur DJ Smokey, the producer tag is not just a means of gaining exposure, but an artistic tool in its own right. Having played an often-overlooked role in the early careers of Yung Lean and Lil Peep, there’s a cartoonish humour that pervades all of the Ontario-born and Memphis-inspired beatmaker’s creations. 2016 mixtape Evil Wayz features multiple N64 video game soundbytes and Smokey announcing that he will “break your neck if you disrespect women”, while his later releases feature an absurd fascination with nuclear weapons, frequently describing his music as “Nuke radio” and warning listeners of the effects of nuclear fallout.

Further cementing DJ Smokey’s status as producer tag goat is his recent appearance on Srillex’s Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3, narrating key moments on the project with lines like “this drop is fucked beyond repair”, and frequent collaborations with fellow meme-obsessed Canadian collective Shadow Wizard Money Gang. We’ll let you go down that rabbit hole in your own time.

MUSTARD

Tag: “Mustard on the beat, ho!”

Perhaps the most recognisable producer tag of all, LA hitmaker Mustard’s signature “Mustard on the beat, ho!” soundbyte most notably appeared on Kendrick Lamar’s record-shattering “Not Like Us” diss track last year, but actually first appeared on Y.G.’s West Coast classic “I’m Good” back in 2011. Other Mustard trademarks include the bouncy “Hey!” adlib, and…. “MUSSTAAAAARD!” on GNX’s “TV Off”.

M1ONTHEBEAT

Tag: “M1 on the beat”

London-based producer M1ontheBeat has been responsible for some of drill music’s most important records, from Headie One’s “Golden Boot” to the Drake-featuring “Only You” to Digga D’s “Woi”, and his “M1 on the beat” producer tag has been there through it all. So much so that it’s not a stretch to say that this tag is itself an indispensable part of drill history.

STEEL BANGLEZ

Tag: “Steel. Bangles.”

If you heard this tag in the mid 2010s, you knew it was going to be a UK rap classic. A frequent collaborator of Mist, MoStack and late Punjabi rap legend Sidhu Moose Wala, east London producer Steel Banglez’ signature beat tag has appeared on beats spanning UK rap, drill and, most recently, a collaboration with none other than Nas.

TONY SELTZER

Tag: “Ey Tony!”

An honorary member of New York’s 10k Global record label, Tony Seltzer’s erudite sampling formed a big part of MIKE’s Pinball album series’ cult appeal. Delivered with a thick Italian-American accent, his signature “Ey Tony!” beat tag was a staple of these releases and, in this 2024 podcast interview, Seltzer explained that the soundbyte was actually recorded by his own father. “I was looking through Sopranos episodes for a ‘Hey Tony!’ and I couldn’t find the right thing,” he recalls. “Eventually I gave up and told my dad, ‘Can you just scream hey Tony?’ He did it first take.”

METRO BOOMIN’ 

Tag: “If young Metro don’t trust you I’m gon’ shoot you”

St. Louis’ Metro Boomin’ is one of the most important producers of our time. His early collaborations with Future, Young Thug and Migos played a pivotal role in Atlanta trap music’s entry into the mainstream and, last year, he was instrumental in the Kendrick-Drake beef – producing Kendrick and Future-featuring track “Not Like Us”, which was essentially the rap beef equivalent of the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Through all of this, Boomin’ has sported various producer tags, but one rises above the rest: Future’s deadpan delivery of the line, “If young Metro don’t trust you I’m gon’ shoot you”, which first appeared Uncle Murda and Future’s 2015 single “Right Now”.

THE ALCHEMIST

Tag:  “A-a-a-a-alchemist”

This one’s evolved over time. True to his distinctly human approach to beatmaking, legendary hip-hop producer the Alchemist’s initial beat tag involved the stuttered drop of a rapper saying his name (see “Hold You Down” above), but, over time, it evolved into something more subtle. In later hits like “89 Earthquake” with Larry June or “All Alone” with Domo Genesis, Alchemist incorporates a stuttered drop of the track itself, a small nod to raw and beautifully imperfect approach to production.

KENNY BEATS

Tag: “Woah Kenny!”

While a distinguished producer in his own right, it was Kenny Beats’ “The Cave” YouTube series that propelled his “Woah Kenny!” producer tag to new heights. Appearing often unannounced before his bombastic 808-laden drops in sessions featuring Key!, Zack Fox, Vince Staples and dozens more, the soundbyte was responsible for many lovable moments in the series. Case in point: Vince Staples pressing Kenny for including the tag during this classic episode from 2019. “If that’s how you feel that’s craaazy,” Staples sighs before proceeding to call Kenny the police for three minutes straight.

RED ONE

Tag: “Red One!”

Can you believe Lady Gaga wasn’t saying “Red wine!”?! Childhood ruined. Instead, this tag belongs to three-time Grammy award-winning Swedish-Moroccan hitmaker Red One, who, instead of using a pre-recorded soundbyte, has his star-studded shout him out themselves – including on Nicki Minaj’s “Starships”, Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance”, Pitbull’s “Rain Over Me” and countless others.

LINDGREN

Tag: “Li-li-lindgren”

While perhaps less immediately recognisable than the other tags on this list, Grammy-award winning LA producer Lindgren’s tag has likely reached more ears than any other. This is because Lindgren has worked with the likes of Dua Lipa, Twice, Huntr/x and BTS – some of the biggest artists of the 21st century. Most notably, the tag appears at the start of Twice’s 2020 hit “I Can’t Stop Me”, illustrating just how far beat tags have travelled since their humble hip-hop roots.

JULS

Tag: “Juls, baby”

Speaking of the global proliferation of producer tags, Grammy-nominated Ghanaian-British producer’s silky-smooth “Julz, baby” soundbyte can be heard in afrobeat classics like Mr Eazy’s “Bankulize”, Burna Boy’s “Gwarn” and afrobashment crossover track “Like Tu Danz feat. Pa Salieu, Ms. Banks and Kida Kudz”.

SIR SPYRO

Tag: “Sounds of the sir!”

Grime’s producer tags are worthy of a list in their own right – from Birmingham’s accent-heavy “Preditah!” to K1’s relatable “Yo, K1, I beg you send me this beat” – but, in terms of pure quotability, we’ve gone with East London producer and radio host Sir Spyro’s self-recorded “Sounds of the sir!”. Appearing on classics like “Topper Top” and the “Side By Side” instrumental, this tag has also taken on a life in its own right, being referenced in P Money’s 2015 single “Sounds of the Sir” and Stormzy’s “Sounds of the Skeng”.

GIRIBOY

Tag: “G-R-Boy”

The lore of K-hip-hop beat tags runs deep. There’s GRAY’s predictable “Gray!”, Boycold’s “Boy, it’s cold”, Groovyroom’s “Groovy everywhere”; the list goes on. But, despite likely being unfamiliar to most western readers, South Korean rapper-producer Giriboy’s producer tag takes cake simply for spanning multiple evolutions in the K-hip-hop scene. The Seoul artist’s melancholic pop-rap production was a driving force behind K-hip-hop’s ascendance into the Korean mainstream in the mid-2010s, and he has remained relevant since, both as a producer in multiple seasons of South Korea’s massively succesful Show Me the Money TV series (essentially Korean rap’s X Factor, but slightly more cool), and as CEO of WEDAPLUGG records.