J dilla and pete rock are my two favorite beat makers of all time. I love the jazzy/soulness that they bring to the table. Also their drums are just ILL. Q tips drums as well. I liek hwo dilla can flip an electronic sample, rock sample, whatever, and make it sound soulful.

aside from pete and dilla, im really a big fan of lord finesse. Hes just to sick with the beats and the rhymes.

theres really to many influences to name. I love soul music, dudes like stevie, sly stone, marvin, smokey, teddy, james brown, isaac hayes, otis, eddie floyd, are all great.