Kid Cudi – Solo Dolo (Executive Producer, Kanye West; Co-Executive Producer, Emile Haynie)

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Best does not always mean biggest, and this instrumental proves just that. Kanye and his co-producers helped make the movie/play concept of Man On The Moon: The End Of Day come to life by offering the perfect backdrops to Kid Cudi’s lyrics. The beat behind “Solo Dolo” captures the eerie loneliness in the words with its pizzicato minor triad looping through the verses leading into the full sound of the strings section in the chorus. Even the reverb is perfect, allowing notes to resonate through otherwise silent moments. Kanye and Emile prove that the producers should never steal the show but rather build the stage upon which the show is acted out.

Read and listen to the full list of honorable mentions for this category after the jump.

Honorable mentions:

Cudi Zone – Kid Cudi (Executive producer, Kanye West; co-executive producer, Emile Haynie)

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The big synths in the intro alone are enough to get you pumped. By the time the strings start playing in the hook, you can’t help but feel good when Cudi sings “I’m feelin’ alright.”

k-os – I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman feat. Saukrates & Nelly Furtado (prod. by Rich Kidd)

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I never thought I’d hear the theme song from “The O.C.” sampled in hip-hop, but there’s a first time for everything. The instrumental is nothing out-of-this-world, but if it was, it’d only be taking away from the feel-good beauty of the song.

Clipse – I’m Good feat. Pharrell (prod. by The Neptunes)

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This is another case of the beat providing the backdrop for the song. The sliding synth line would’ve been considered annoying on probably any other track, but in true Neptunes fashion, they make it not only work but become the focal point of the beat.

Trey Songz/Drake – Successful (prod. by 40)

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“I just wanna be, I just wanna be successful”…I have heard that line at least a hundred times now. This track has been on Toronto’s hip-hop morning show countdown for months upon months, and rightfully so. The atmospheric chords change with such subtlety that they set the perfect mood for this song.

Asher Roth – Lark On My Go-Kart (prod. by Oren Yoel & David Appleton)

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For those who say that there’s nothing left to rap about, they only have to look at this song in which Asher raps about (among other things)…his Mario Kart skills. The 8-bit sound of the beat helps us get into the old-school video gaming mood by presenting itself as the bastard child of hip-hop and N64 (one of the strangest couples ever imagined).

Jay-Z – Empire State Of Mind feat. Alicia Keys (prod. by Al Shux)

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This guitar and piano-heavy beat made even non-New Yorkers proud of The Big Apple. The real impact of the instrumental is felt when it’s heard performed live (perferably without it being stage-crashed).

Jay-Z – Thank You (prod. by Kanye West & No I.D.)

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Since the acceptance speech that was “Roc Boys” was apparently not enough, Jay decides to take another stab at this concept. The boisterous horns are what give this song the bravado it needs to sell the fact that Jay-Z is the man of the hour.

Jay-Z – Venus vs. Mars (prod. by Timbaland)

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As you can tell by now, Blueprint 3 had a bunch of great beats. From solely a production stand-point, it was the best major-release album of the year. Venus vs. Mars is Timbo’s retribution after the flops that were “Off That” and “Reminder”.

Dirty Money – Angels (prod. by Diddy)

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A sign of a good beat is when several major remixes and “freestyles” (quotation marks intended) spawn from it. The most memorable element of this beat are the synths that manage to produce a sound reminiscent of a creaky play-ground swing set (you know what I mean).

Blakroc – Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) feat. Mos Def & Jim Jones (prod. by Dame Dash and The Black Keys)

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The entire Blakroc album was a production masterpiece. The above mp3 does not do the song justice; you need to hear the final mix of this instrumental on the album (the pan on it is just so sexy). The blues vibe to it is the epitome of cool.

Keep following B&B, because next time, I’ll be looking at the best collaboration of the year!