WHEN THE BEAT STRIKES A BLOW

For producers who work on dis tracks — sometimes unknowingly — the results can be unpredictable

BY CARL LAMARRE

WHEN RAP PRODUCER Ron Browz crafted the ominous beat that would ultimately become Nas’ legendary 2001 dis track, “Ether,” he initially had a much different MC in mind: Nas’ rival, Jay-Z, who was offered the instrumental first. But Jay’s then-A&R executive, Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua, passed on the track, with no idea that it would later become the backdrop to one of rap’s most iconic dis records. “I get a phone call: ‘Nas wants you to come to hear what he did to the beat,’ ” recalls Browz, who had handed his CD to Nas’ travel agent months prior. “I go to the studio. Nas is in there eating fruit. Calm and no entourage. Just him and the engineer, and he’s like, ‘Yo. Play it for Ron.’ Then I hear the intro:…

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Billboard (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 5, 2024

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