RT: The Perfect Producer Pairings for Teller Bank$
The ‘Random Thoughts’ series aims to deliver random thoughts. This is honestly just a catch-all category of posts to make the filtering system on the ‘Blog’ page consistent!
Teller Bank$ is one of the most versatile rappers in the underground right now. His style ranges from cold and sinister on albums like The Pen for Whom the Sword Moves, to soulful and reflective on his albums with Ed Glorious.
Speaking of Ed Glorious, the Indiana producer’s brand of soul-drenched boom bap is a great fit for Teller’s style. On their dope new album, The Part & Parcel, Ed’s instrumentals cultivate a soundscape that is the smoothest and most clear I have heard Teller rap over to-date. Similarly, Teller’s rhymes are just as clear-headed, seeing Teller provide us with a full panoramic view of the place he is now in life, where he has more control over the environments he finds himself in.
The level in which Bank$ and Glorious are in sync, is not an easy bar to attain for just any rapper-producer combination. Their chemistry led to strong results on both of their collaborative albums, and it also sparked a different conversation between myself and Dan-O from Freemusicempire. Given Teller’s exceptional versatility, we thought it would be interesting to brainstorm who would be other great producer fits for Teller. Dan-O went first with his article on Freemusicempire (found here), so I will be taking a stab at this topic myself, without including the dope producers Dan-O already mentioned.
So here are 5 producers that I think could whip up some magic with Teller Bank$…
#1. Walz
As seen on his excellently dark and dramatic The Pen for Whom the Sword Moves, Teller can really thrive on dark and moody production. My very first thought of a producer that could create a similar vibe was Walz, who’s production on Lukah’s amazing recent LP, Why Look Up, God’s in the Mirror, was cold and mechanical as you could ever imagine.
Walz’s beats would set the tone for another dark album from Teller. I could see Teller dropping a haunting and sinister performance that dives into his spiritual side to the most significant degree he has to-date. The intricate and sometimes off-kilter drums from Walz could also give Teller some opportunities to really flex his shape-shifter of a flow to great results.
#2. NCL-TM
NCL-TM’s style is something I grow more and more fond of by the beat. He first came on to my radar with his fantastic collaborative album with DøøF, HOODRAT NOIR, which immediately jumped out to me due to its unique blend of energy and smoothness that I think could fit nicely with Teller Bank$.
NCL’s recent instrumental album, PUSSY VELOUR, is exceptional, and showcases just how warm and luxurious his sound can really be. This isn’t a sound I have seen Teller utilize for a full project, so I would be interested to see where he could take it.
#3. Brainorchestra.
Similar to NCL in the sense that his beats can feel very warm and rich, Brainorchestra is a producer that I think would give Teller a particularly laid-back and, at times, smoked-out vibe. Additionally, I find Brainorchestra’s beats to be particularly spacey at times too, which would allow Teller’s dynamic flow to really put the listener in a trance-like state, or would give him an open lane to rapid-fire flow within.
“Reductive” off of PremRock’s recent LP, Load Bearing Crow’s Feet, is a great illustration of the hypnotic and enveloping production that Brainorchestra brings to the table, which I absolutely think Teller would thrive under.
#4. Spanish Ran
Spanish Ran has a terrific ability to chop the most soulful samples, while still making his beats feel gritty and raw at the same time. His chops are always clean, and give the rapper a nice pocket to find their footing. Most of the beats I have heard Teller rap over have not been nearly as soul-sampling dependent, and skeletal like Ran’s beats typically are. Therefore, I think this could potentially push Teller to new heights, giving him a sound he is less familiar with.
His recent collaborative album with M.A.V., Breakfast at Sues, showcases how he can not only make individual beats that standout, but can weave together full storylines over the course of an album. Teller’s albums have always placed high value on cohesion and consistency, so I think these two could paint a really strong picture over the course of an album together.
#5. Camoflauge Monk
Finally, Camoflauge Monk is a prolific producer that I think would do wonders with an artist like Teller Bank$. Out of all of the other beatsmiths mentioned, Monk would give Teller the grimiest and dustiest sound of the lot. This would certainly bring a new energy to Teller’s music that would be very intriguing.
Additionally, Monk always brings beefy drums and colourful samples that make his beat special, which would give Bank$ a nice foundation to either kick a fast and lively flow, or do something more mellow and low-key. The versatility and character in Monk’s beats would definitely be a great pairing for Teller.
Listen/watch my interview with Teller Bank$ here.
Buy Teller’s latest album, The Part & Parcel, here and stream below.
For more quality hip-hop content, listen to/watch The Rap Music Plug Podcast wherever you’d like: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / YouTube.
