Mike Dean

Mike Dean is one of the most crucial and prolific behind-the-scenes figures in hip-hop history. Almost strictly a collaborator and facilitator, he's neither a headliner nor a larger-than-life producer. An all-purpose engineer, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, the native Texan has been critical to the early development of rap music from his home state and the South at large, evidenced most visibly by his chart-topping '90s work with Scarface, as well as the rise and sustained prominence of postmillennial stars such as Kanye West and Travis Scott. Due to his work w...