You know a Mike WiLL Made-It beat when you hear it.
His dark, moody, often psychedelic take on Atlanta trap dominated the 2010s. It all started in Patchwrk Studio, when Gucci Mane connected with a young Mike WiLL—still a teenager—and began churning out mixtape cuts like "East Atlanta 6" and "If Ya Girl Choose."
He soon started supplying other Atlanta rappers, including 2 Chainz (then still going by Tity Boi), Shawty Lo, and OJ Da Juiceman.
In the following years, Atlanta hip-hop exploded nationally, and Mike WiLL was at the center of it. The trap music Gucci was making in the 2000s had a whimsical, lighthearted feel, while slower, more dramatic sounds from artists like Jeezy were also making waves. Mike WiLL managed to merge these styles while incorporating EDM-style buildups and demonstrating a keen sense for hit-making.
"Mercy" with Kanye West marked his first No. 40 hit, and he hasn’t stopped since—expanding his sound from Atlanta trap to collaborations with some of pop music’s biggest names, including Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, and Kendrick Lamar.
On Friday, January 30th, Mike WiLL will face off against Hit-Boy in the latest VERZUZ. This matchup marks the second VERZUZ since Complex partnered with Swizz Beatz and Timbaland's baby—and it introduces a new wrinkle.
Fans can now predict what they think the matchup will look like by creating their own setlist. On the night of the event, we’ll calculate your score to see just how accurate (or far off) your predictions were.
"Mike WiLL Made-It vs. Hit-Boy": Build Your Own VERZUZ setlist here.
And if you need some inspiration on what songs to pick, scroll down for the 20 best Mike WiLL Made-It songs of all time.
20.Future, "Sh!t" (2013)
Album: Honest
Fans often remember Future’s Honest era as a disappointment—a moment when he seemed to be chasing charts with softer, inauthentic music.
But how do you explain a song like “Shit”? Built on a hard-as-hell Mike WiLL Made-It beat—spare but punishing, with snapping snares—the track is propelled by Future’s unorthodox stop-and-go flow and a coarse, barked delivery.
19.Miley Cyrus, “We Can't Stop” (2013)
Album: Bangerz
The Miley Cyrus, Mike WiLL Made-It era was controversial from the jump.
But Bangerz had its share of bangers—none better than the album’s first single, “We Can’t Stop.” On the surface, it’s a party anthem; but really, it’s about the exhaustion of nonstop partying, carried by the melancholy undercurrent that comes from Mike WiLL Made-It’s keys, making it one of the more nuanced pop songs of the early 2010s.
18.Ciara, "Body Party" (2013)
Album: Ciara
The R&B cuts often get overlooked when discussing Mike WiLL Made-It’s career, but he knows how to craft an ear worm.
In 2013, he delivered a warm R&B track for Ciara that, in many ways, feels like a continuation of her earlier hit “Promise.” Like the 2006 track, “Body Party”—which cleverly interprets Ghostown DJs’ “My Boo”—is an ode to Janet Jackson, blending old-school synths with subtle hints of Mike’s futuristic, atmospheric production.
17.Meek Mill feat. Rick Ross, "Tupac Back" (2011)
Album: Self Made Vol. 1.
Meek Mill and Rick Ross’ “Tupac Back” was Mike’s national breakout—a song crafted outside the scope of Gucci Mane’s Brick Squad world.
The song is early Mike so it doesn’t have the polish he would later develop; it’s grittier, with a hook full of Inception-sounding horns and dramatic strings.
But there are early signs of the flourishes Mike WiLL Made-It would become known for, including the R2-D2-style beeping that pops up throughout the track.
16.Rae Sremmurd, "No Type" (2014)
Album: SremmLife
When it was time for Mike WiLL Made-It to build his own label, he didn’t look at Atlanta.
Instead, he went to Tupelo, Mississippi, and signed brothers Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee. “No Flex Zone” was their first hit, a lighthearted, stunting anthem.
But “No Type” showed that Rae Sremmurd had real depth; they made an infectious hit out of a beat that feels slight—spare, slow, and dark—and hard-hitting at the same time.
15.Rihanna, "Pour It Up" (2012)
Album: Unapologetic
“BMF” and “MC Hammer” ran so “Pour It Up” and “Bandz Make Her Dance” could soar.
Yes, the beat behind Rihanna’s anthem is basically a reworking of Juicy J’s strip club classic with a few subtle tweaks. But if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. And really, how could you hate on a Rihanna performance this electrifying.
14.2 Chainz Feat. Drake, "No Lie" (2012)
Album: Based on a T.R.U. Story
In a lot of ways, “No Lie” became the blueprint for the Mike WiLL Made-It Made-It sound: a beat that pulsates—rising and falling, speeding up and slowing down—layered with eerie synths and sci-fi noises. While Tauheed and Aubrey follow the production’s lead, shaping their vocal performances to mirror the movement.
13.Ace Hood Feat. Future & Rick Ross, "Bugatti" (2013)
Album: Trials & Tribulations
In 2013, Mike WiLL Made-It and Future had so much momentum that they were able to give late-career Ace Hood the biggest hit of his career.
“Bugatti” showcases Mike Will’s mastery of the psychedelic build-up, while Future delivers one of the most memorable hooks of the era—channeling a chorus that’s angry yet catchy.
12.Future, "Turn on the Lights" (2012)
Album: Pluto
Before “Turn On the Lights,” Future was mostly known for his—at the time—polarizing single “Tony Montana.” “Turn On the Lights” was the first widespread sign of Ballad Future—a rapper who could slow things down and show romance or vulnerability. A good amount of the credit needs to go to Mike WiLL, who provides a lush array of otherworldly sounds and instruments that are true to the sonic landscape of Pluto.
11.Gucci Mane, "1st Day Out tha Feds" (2016)
Album: Everybody Looking
Gucci and Mike WiLL Made-It have created over a dozen mixtape classics over the years.
So it wasn’t surprising that when Gucci returned home in 2016, he reconnected with his old friend, who not only gave him a collection of beats to work with but also provided the official beat for his comeback single, “1st Day Out Tha Feds.” Unlike the original “First Day Out,” which was energetic and fist-pumping, “1st Day Out Tha Feds” features a slower, slightly more menacing beat, giving the track a darker energy.
10.Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake, “King's Dead” (2018)
Album: Black Panther: The Album
Mike WiLL Made-It would become an important production ally for TDE, locking in at various points with the leaders of the collective.
Outside of the Kendrick Lamar DAMN. cuts, Jay Rock’s Black Panther track “King’s Dead” is the best out of the collabs; everyone talks about the vocal performances on this song (including an incredible appearance by Future), but the secret sauce is Mike WiLL's beat, which is tribal and pulsative.
9.French Montana Feat. Swae Lee, “Unforgettable” (2017)
Album: Jungle Rules
While promoting “Unforgettable,” French went on The Breakfast Club and forgot who produced the biggest hit of his career.
It was an unfortunate brainfart, because Mike WiLL Made-It and co-producers Jaean, 1Mind, and C.P. Dubb all put their foot into this track, which has an overpowering Afrobeats-inspired rhythm carrying most of the energy.
8.Rae Sremmurd, "No Flex Zone!" (2014)
Album: SremmLife
“We couldn’t make a bad song if we wanted to,” Rae Sremmurd once said when talking about working with Mike WiLL Made-It Made-It—and you know what, that tracks.
We saw their chemistry almost immediately with the release of the duo’s breakout “No Flex Zone.” The song saw Mike stretch his production chops, abandoning some of his heavier, moody production tendencies for something brighter and more energetic.
7.Kendrick Lamar, "DNA."
Album: DAMN.
After making the jazzy, dense, and insular To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick needed something different for the follow-up.
Mike WiLL Made-It would become an important architect of DAMN. Kendrick wanted an album with the same urgency, but one built around arena-shaking anthems.
On “DNA.”, which features one of the great beat switches of the decade, Kendrick rapped over Mike’s initial beat before continuing acappella. According to Mike WiLL, Kendrick wanted him to build a beat around the vocals. The end result is a collage of clashing sounds, chest-clearing bass, and thumping 808s that sounds like the world is ending.
6.Juicy J Feat. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz, "Bandz a Make Her Dance" (2012)
Album: Stay Trippy
“Bandz a Make Her Dance” became the Mike WiLL Made-It blueprint: the producer’s grittier take on trap, built around handclaps, twisted keys, and swirling synths that constantly restart.
Those elements—especially the way they build up and release—are ideas Mike WiLL Made-It would return to in various forms throughout his career. It was also immediately impactful, such a defining moment that Rihanna would essentially remake it just a couple of months later.
5.Beyoncé, "Formation" (2016)
Album: Lemonade
When presenting her sixth studio album, Beyoncé knew exactly where she wanted to go.
Listen closely, and you can hear the signature Mike WiLL Made-It sound, especially in the way it builds up. But there's also New Orleans bounce and twang that felt novel compared to the rest of his catalogue.
The song also demonstrated, once again, that Mike WiLL’s R&B productions were just as potent as his rap cuts.
4.Lil Wayne feat. Future and Drake, "Love Me" (2013)
Album: I Am Not a Human Being II
There’s a reason why a majority of the songs on this list are from that 2012 to 2014 sweetspot.
You could argue Mike was the best producer in the world at the time, putting out a new hit almost every month.
Maybe none bigger than the diamond-selling “Love Me,” which was Mike WiLL's first top 10 hit and the last time Lil Wayne had a truly transcendent pop star moment.
The real magic of the song comes from the subtle power struggle between Future and Drake, each vying to prove who has the best vocal performance on the hook.
3.Kanye West, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, and Big Sean, "Mercy" (2012)
Album: Cruel Summer
“Mercy” features a number of producers, including Lifted, Mike Dean, and Ye himself, so Mike WiLL Made-It can’t take all the credit. Still, you can hear his influence all over “Mercy”—especially in the way the beat gets chaotic, and breaks down, functioning as a bridge for the scene stealing 2 Chainz verse.
2.Rae Sremmurd Feat. Gucci Mane, "Black Beatles" (2016)
Album: SremmLife 2
There is no song on this list that hit the pop culture zeitgeist like this heater.
And it makes sense—let’s start with the beat, which has that typical spacey Mike WiLL Made-It Made-It sound, but with two contrasting synth lines that seem to be battling each other.
The result is a dramatic, sexy rock-star energy that pulsates through the track. And of course, we can’t mention the song without talking about the Mannequin Challenge, which pushed it to No. 1 on the Hot 100.
1.Kendrick Lamar, "HUMBLE." (2017)
Mike WiLL Made-It originally made the beat for “HUMBLE.” for Gucci Mane.
Fortunately for us, Kendrick heard it first—and the rest is history. The song is a masterpiece, and arguably Kendrick’s most notable mainstream hit outside of “Not Like Us.”
Part of what makes the song so effective is its throwback feel. Instead of giving Kendrick something futuristic, Mike WiLL built the beat around a Dr. Dre–esque piano line. Kendrick’s performance is, of course, on point: a chorus that immediately sticks in your head, paired with endlessly quotable lines (“I'm so fuckin' sick and tired of the Photoshop / Show me somethin' natural like afro on Richard Pryor”).
The song went No. 1 and proved that, more than a decade into his career, Mike WiLL Made-It could still deliver a hard-hitting record that dominates the charts.