It’s tough to judge this guy because he’s actually my friend but thankfully the hip-hop nation agrees—Justin Smith is one bad muthafucka behind the boards. And the man who helped build the soundtrack to the Rocafella dynasty proved that he’s still destined for more greatness in 2011. The hardest moment on Drake’s Take Care comes courtesy of him as he turns an obscure gospel sample (sung over by a live choir) into a musical masterpiece. MCs would kill to spit over such audio crack and have done so without an official instrumental release. Make no mistake, Just Blaze is still dope. And he’ll remain that forever.