Producers are an integral part of music creation, but so few of these sonic gurus get the recognition they deserve. HEAT RISING looks at the best beats by an up-and-coming producer, and talks about where they’re from (ROOTS), what they’ve done (RESUME), and why they’re an exciting presence in music today (REASONS TO WATCH).

ROOTS: When the founding members of hip-hop production duo THC first tried to build their name in the Los Angeles rap community in late 2008, they used to rent an Escalade, and drive around to recording studios trying to sell aspiring rappers their beats. They would invite people into their rented ride, roll a blunt, and play tracks until someone offered to license the beat for fifty to a hundred dollars. It’s a primitive publishing strategy, and though THC admits that this technique never really got them any worthwhile placements, it demonstrates the supreme hustle and confidence that would carry these guys to the forefront of West Coast hip-hop production in just a few years.

Axl Folie and Rick Bricks met in Glendale, California in 2008, when Axl was working with a group called The Future 3. Rick caught wind of what the Future 3 were doing, and started sending them some of his beats. Axl liked what he heard, and the pair teamed up, splitting work between Axl’s Glendale studio, and Bricks’ spot in Koreatown. For the yet-to-be-named THC, joining forces to form a production seemed like a natural decision. Producing hip-hop beats is very much a “volume business,” especially when you’re just starting out. As a beatmaker, you can send a rapper dozens of tracks before they decide to use one, and even then, it might be months or years before it sees any kind of formal release. So for THC, joining forces meant twice as many beats, and a fresh perspective if either Bricks or Folie hit a wall with one of their productions.

When THC set up shop at Axl’s studio in Koreatown, the first project to take shape under their musical supervision was Live For, Die For by South Central-based rap crew Overdoz, which features THC production on ten out of sixteen tracks.

RESUME: THC worked with other rappers (Nipsey Hustle, Dom Kennedy) at their HQ in Koreatown, but things started to expand when they relocated to downtown Los Angeles and established Skybox Studios, a live-in creative space with a functional studio. Suddenly, they were one of the go-to production teams for a West Coast resurgence, working with rappers like Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, and Casey Veggies. THC placed three beats on Kendrick Lamar’s debut Section.80, and two on Schoolboy Q’s second independent album Habits & Contradictions, including the fan favourite “Oxy Music.”

REASONS TO WATCH: Last year, THC welcomed frequent collaborator and L.A. native Iman Omari into the THC fold, expanding the production crew’s musical versatility. As the group looks to produce for more R&B and pop artists, Omari’s off-beat pop sensibility and vocal ability will be a huge asset.

THC’s biggest placement to date is a co-production credit on Kendrick Lamar’s critically lauded good kid, M.A.A.D. City, but their finest work to date didn’t even make the album due to sample clearances. Lamar’s “Cartoon & Cereal” showcases the bombastic yet ethereal production style THC have made their name on.

Keep your eye out for an album of original music (not a beat tape) from THC soon, and don’t be surprised if they’re the musical minds behind this summer’s biggest West Coast hip-hop anthem.