The son of an opera singer and a clarinetist who was the first black man to hold first chair in the National Symphony Orchestra, Gholson had the support of his mother when he began making rap beats as a teenager growing up in Memphis, but not of his father. 'Sometimes I'll have played with someone for a year or two before they're like, 'Wait, you're Drumma Boy?'

In fact, when he introduces himself to fellow basketball players at the park as 'Drumma,' it still takes them awhile to put it all together. 'My name is way bigger than my face right now,' he says. He's got hits like Jeezy and Kanye's 'Put On' and Birdman and Drake's 'Money to Blow' under his belt, but Christopher Gholson rarely gets recognized when he's out and about. And in most cases, they prefer it that way. Unlike the artists they make music for – including Kanye West, Jamie Foxx and Gucci Mane – they can go to the grocery store without being mobbed. They're the toast of their industry, but you probably wouldn't recognize folks such as Drumma Boy, Christopher Henderson and Zaytoven on the street. More successful than some of the South's favorite rappers, they have become rich off of their work and have the deluxe cribs, whips and other luxury toys to show for it. The city is crawling with the technicians responsible for some of the most popular songs on the radio. And many Atlantans are great examples of these oxymoronic, unknown celebrities. Though Pharrell and Timbaland seemed to usher in an era of celebrity beat-makers in the early part of the decade, most prolific producers remain largely anonymous. With beat-making techniques more accessible and innovative than ever, the past decade has often been trumpeted as the golden age of the producer. It rarely matters which rapper or R&B star is on the track – as long as it bangs, casual fans could care less whose auto-tuned voice is featured. Nine times out of 10, a hot beat sells a song.

Zaytoven beat store