DJ Premier is one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time - in some polls, the greatest. The real heads know his beats after only a couple bars. So when he answers a question about some of his favourite collaborations, it’s a chance to listen to a first-hand account of the history of the genre.

More recently, he’s had a more successful working relationship with Christina Aguilera, whom he teamed up with on her Grammy-winning album Back to Basics. According to Premier, there’s more coming.

“She just called me last Sunday because Aretha Franklin is doing a duets album and she’s doing one of the cuts and she asked me to produce it. I said, ‘Hell yes!’ because I’m big Aretha fan. Christina wants to keep it fun, sort of like when we did Ain’t No Other Man, without copying it. Actually we both wish it was that record because Aretha would have torn that to pieces, but we’ll do something brand new.” More than simply a huge name to stand behind, he says Xtina has become “like a baby sister” to him.

“She’s about music. She pays respect. She’s just cool too - Flavor Flav and I were over at her house playing Mario Kart drinking Blue Label scotch, playing on the turntables with her husband - he’s nice on the turntables too. She’s down to earth. I’m very protective of her now. Anyone violates her, I’ll knock the shit out of them.”