Greatest Beat Switches Change Up Hip Hop Song Cover
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The Best Beat Switches in a Hip Hop Song

A great beat switch in a rap song can be a magical thing. Think about the first time you listened to Jay-Z’s “A Million and One Questions” and Premo flipped the beat right on the line “Motherfuckers can’t rhyme no more.” That shit was god-level.

For this list, we’ve compiled together some of the best beat switches and changes up in a hip hop song. But before we get started, let’s clear up one thing – songs like Kendrick’s “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” and Schoolboy’s “Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane” aren’t beat switches, they’re literally two songs on one track.

So let’s get into it, here are 32 of the greatest beat switches in hip hop history.

Future ft. Drake – “Life Is Good”

Producer: D. Hill, OZ

Released: January 10, 2020

Album: High Off Life

The Alchemist ft. Danny Brown & Schoolboy Q – “Flight Confirmation”

Producer: The Alchemist

Released: July 17, 2012

Album: Russian Roulette

Eminem ft. Royce da 5’9″ – “Not Alike”

Producer: Eminem, Tay Keith, Ronny J

Released: August 31, 2018

Album: Kamikaze

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – “Real”

Producer: Madlib

Released: March 18, 2014

Album: Piñata

Cormega ft. AZ, Redman & Styles P – “MARS (Dream Team)”

Producer: Large Professor

Released: July 22, 2014

Album: Mega Philosophy

JID – “Never”

Producer: Christo, Childish Major

Released: March 10, 2017

Album: The Never Story

Eminem – “Bad Guy”

Producer: S1, M-Phazes, Streetrunner, Vincent Venditto

Released: November 5, 2013

Album: The Marshall Mathers LP 2

Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 4”

Producer: Syk Sense. Axlfolie, DJ Dahi, The Alchemist

Released: March 23, 2017

Album: N/A

Westside Gunn ft. Conway the Machine – “Undertaker vs. Goldberg”

Producer: DJ Green Lantern

Released: November 1, 2019

Album: Hitler Wears Hermes 7

Canibus – “Poet Laureate II”

Producer: Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind

Released: July 22, 2003

Album: Rip the Jacker

Travis Scott ft. Quavo – “Oh My Dis Side”

Producer: Rodeo

Released: September 4, 2015

Album: Allen Ritter, Travis Scott, Frank Dukes, Mike Dean

Pusha T – “Santeria”

Producer: Kanye West, Andrew Dawson, Pi’erre Bourne

Released: May 25, 2018

Album: DAYTONA

A$AP Rocky ft. Joe Fox & Kanye West – “Jukebox Joints”

Producer: Che Pope, Kanye West

Released: May 26, 2015

Album: At. Long. Last. ASAP

Mac Miller – “Self Care”

Producer: DJ Dahi, ID Labs, Nostxlgic, Nice Rec

Released: July 13, 2018

Album: Swimming

Nas – “The Don”

Producer: Heavy D, Salaam Remi, Da Internz

Released: April 3, 2012

Album: Life Is Good

GOOD Music – “Mercy”

Producer: Lifted, Mike Dean (add.), Mike Will Made It (add.), Kanye West (add.), Hudson Mohawke (add.)

Released: April 3, 2012

Album: Cruel Summer

Cyhi the Prynce ft. Pusha T – “No Dope on Sundays”

Producer: Mark Byrd, Lex Luger, Novel, Shawty Redd, HighDef, Razjah, Young Love

Released: November 17, 2017

Album: No Dope on Sundays

Travis Scott ft. Drake – “Sicko Mode”

Producer: Chahayed, Hit-Boy, OZ, Cubeatz, Tay Keith, Mike Dean

Released: August 3, 2018

Album: Astroworld

Kendrick Lamar – “DNA.”

Producer: Mike Will Made It

Released: April 14, 2017

Album: DAMN.

Kanye West – “Famous”

Producer: Kanye West, Havoc, Noah Goldstein, Charlie Heat, Andrew Dawson, Hudson Mohawke, Mike Dean, Plain Pat

Released: February 14, 2016

Album: The Life of Pablo

Killer Mike – “Don’t Die”

Producer: El-P

Released: May 15, 2012

Album: R.A.P. Music

Future – “Throw Away”

Producer: Nard & B

Released: October 28, 2014

Album: Monster

The Roots – “Take It There”

Producer: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (of The Roots), Adam Blackstone, Richard Nichols, Pedro Martinez, Kevin Hanson

Released: August 29, 2006

Album: Game Theory

Drake – “Tuscan Leather”

Producer: 40

Released: September 24, 2013

Album: Nothing Was the Same

Kanye West – “New Slaves”

Producer: Kanye West, Ben Bronfman, Mike Dean, Travis Scott, Noah Goldstein, Shama Joseph, Che Pope

Released: June 18, 2013

Album: Yeezus

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – “Fake Names”

Producer: Madlib

Released: June 28, 2019

Album: Bandana

Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Murder to Excellence”

Producer: Swizz Beatz, S1

Released: August 8, 2011

Album: Watch the Throne

Meek Mill – “Dreams and Nightmares”

Producer: The Beat Bully

Released: October 30, 2012

Album: Dreams and Nightmares

Drake – “Know Yourself”

Producer: Boi-1da, Vinylz, Syk Sense

Released: February 13, 2015

Album: If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

Kendrick Lamar ft. MC Eiht – “m.A.A.d city”

Producer: Sounwave, THC, Terrace Martin

Released: October 22, 2012

Album: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

Puff Daddy ft. Lil’ Kim, The LOX & The Notorious B.I.G. – “It’s All About the Benjamins”

Producer: Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie for The Hitmen

Released: December 7, 1996

Album: No Way Out

Jay-Z – “A Million And One Questions / Rhyme No More”

Producer: DJ Premier

Released: November 4, 1997

Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1

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