I was deep in a rabbit hole last week and came across a Fresh Air interview that Wu-Tang mastermind RZA gave back in 2005.^[1] Buried in his answer to Terry Gross’s first question was a deceptively humble soundbite:

”… Around 1996, I decided to start studying the theory and being able to make my own progressions and make my own phrases of music.”

What’s insane about that sentence is the timeline — when he uttered those words he had already produced five platinum hip hop albums (in a three-year period, no less).^[2] Imagine creating multiple world-class, critically acclaimed pieces of music, and then deciding to start learning the basics.

Beyond RZA’s deft ability to hear and shape sound, the key that unlocked this reality was the sampler. At its core it’s a simple tool: you record a sound and play it back. But over the course of the 80s samplers evolved to let you record multiple sounds and play them back in sequence. All of a sudden, you didn’t need to master an instrument — you could create whole new pieces of music with just a sampler, some records, and taste. It was sonic collage, and it birthed hip hop.

Lately, I can’t shake the feeling that software products are about to have a hip hop moment. Just as samplers enabled a different kind of artist — ones who could hear connections between sounds rather than master scales — AI development tools are uncoupling software vision from technical knowledge, prioritizing digital craftspeople over code masters. Virtually anyone can build a sophisticated product with a $20 Cursor subscription^[3] and a library of APIs. You still need to understand how software works conceptually, but there’s a reason most hip hop producers started as music lovers and DJs first.

In tech circles, there’s been a ton of hand-wringing about what this means for the traditional software roles. Engineers think it will obviate PMs, and (surprise surprise) PMs think it will eliminate engineers. But this debate misses the larger transformation happening. Samplers didn't just make music production easier - they collapsed multiple roles into one and rewrote the creative process. Suddenly a single person could be composer, producer, and performer simultaneously. The same thing is happening with AI development tools - they're enabling individuals to seamlessly move between vision, design, and development of software.

I've started thinking of these builders as "Product Producers" — a term that nods to the fundamentally different methods of hip hop. Look at RZA's evolution: he began as a DJ understanding what moved crowds, became a producer crafting beats from samples, and eventually studied music theory to expand his creative palette. Product Producers might follow a similar path - starting with strong product instincts, using AI tools to bring their ideas to life, and growing into more sophisticated builders over time.

Just as those producers redefined what it meant to make music, Product Producers will reshape how we think about building software. I think we’ll see more playfulness, a deeper connection to the user, and a vibe-forward approach^[4] to creation. Regardless of what we call these new builders, it doesn’t change the fundamental description — a person who can create world-class products with just Cursor, some APIs, and taste.