Crate Creator

5000

2009-10-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Crate Creator has had a long fruitful run and we covered a lot of information in the past 214 posts, but I feel it's time to take a break and re-tool the blog a little bit to make it more informative and more useful for crate diggers around the world. I will hopefully be returning in the near future with a new layout that will make finding those dusty breaks easier and I plan to de-emphasize the rappers who sampled recordings and try to focus more on the production aspect. Thank you to everyone who read and wrote me during this blog's first run. Big shout out to Dana Axelrod for the kind words at a time when I didn't know if I was going to push forward with writing post after post. I hope everything got sorted with that malicious story in the papers, man!

See you all soon,
Cosby.

Rewind: Massive Attack 'Protection'

2009-10-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Any band would be hard-pressed to follow up an acclaimed debut album, much less one that started a new genre in England, but Massive Attack did just that in style in 1994 when they released their sophomore album 'Protection'. This blog post will look at the sample sources of Massive Attack's second album.

The sped up guitar pangs that lead the album's single 'Protection' along are sampled from one of the coldest 7 minutes in funk history: James Brown's 'Payback' from his 1973 album of the same title. On 'Weather Storm', Massive Attack sample the jazz-fusion group Peices of a Dream's 'It's Time for Love' from their 1983 album 'Imagine This'. Horace Andy accompanies Massive Attack on 'Spying Glass' which utilizes a sample from Joe Gibbs and the Professional's famous dub cut 'Chapter 3'. JB gets sampled again on the album, this time Massive Attack use his 1972 cut 'Never Can Say Goodbye' from 'There It Is' on the track 'Better Things'. The title of the single 'Sly' alludes to its sample source: Sly Stone of course with 'Africa Talks to You (The Asphalt Jungle)' from Sly and the Family Stone's 1971 album 'There's a Riot Goin' On'. Finally, on the hidden live track 'Light My Fire', a cover of the Doors, Massive Attack sample another cover of the same song: Young-Holt Unlimited's cover of 'Light My Fire' from thier album 'Just a Melody'.

The Lowdown:
Massive Attack 'Protection', 'Weather Storm', 'Spying Glass', 'Better Things', 'Sly', and 'Light My Fire'
from 'Protection' (1994) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Payback'
from 'Payback' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Pieces of a Dream 'It's Time for Love'
from 'Imagine This' (1983) (MP3/CD)
Joe Gibbs and the Professionals 'Chapter 3'
from 'African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD)
James Brown 'Never Can Say Goodbye'
from 'There it Is' (1972) (MP3/CD not available)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Africa Talks to You (The Asphalt Jungle)'
from 'There's a Riot Goin' On' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Young-Holt Unlimited 'Light My Fire'
from 'Just a Melody' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

The Breaks: 'Get Out of My Life Woman' Covers (Part 2)

2009-10-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second look at covers of Allen Toussaint's 'Get Out of My Life Woman', popularized by Lee Dorsey, and the artists and producers who sampled the covers.

In addition to famously shouting out Lee Dorsey, the Beastie Boys sampled a cover of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' on their song 'The Move' from 1998's 'Hello Nasty'. The version they sampled is the 1968 rock version of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' from Iron Butterfly's album 'Heavy'. I don't know why more people haven't sampled this version! Tellingly from the album's title, 'The Grass is Greener', 'Get Out of My Life Woman' by Grasella Oliphant attracted the eye of Cypress Hill producer DJ Muggs who used the track on 'What Go Around Comes Around, Kid' from 1993's 'Black Sunday'.

One of the most sampled versions of this song, aside from the original, is also from 1968: Solomon Burke's version of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' from his album 'I Wish I Knew' has become a hip-hop sample building block. The track was sampled twice in 1992 by West Coast artists - one by Dr. Dre for the track 'The Chronic' from his album of the same name and once by DJ Muggs for Ice Cube's 'Now I Gotta Wet Cha' from 'The Predator'. In 1993, it was sourced by T-Ray for Funkdoobiest's 'I'm S---tin' on 'Em'. A year later, DJ Richie Rich would use the cut for 3rd Bass' deep album cut 'Daddy Rich in the Land of 1210' from the album 'Derelicts of Dialect'. The song was also sampled on the Wild Pitch staple 'Blue Cheese' by the UMC's - a favorite among breakers. In 2005, courtesy of production by John Legend and Kanye West, the song was again sampled by Keyshia Cole on the song 'I Changed My Mind' from 2005's 'The Way it Is'.

The Lowdown:
Iron Butterfly 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'Heavy' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Beastie Boys 'The Move'
from 'Hello Nasty' (1998) (MP3/CD)
Grasella Oliphant 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The Grass is Greener' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD)
Cypress Hill 'What Go Around Comes Around, Kid'
from 'Black Sunday' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'What Go Around Comes Around, Kid'
Solomon Burke 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'I Wish I Knew' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Dr. Dre 'The Chronic'
from 'The Chronic' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Ice Cube 'Now I Gotta Wet Cha'
from 'The Predator' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Now I Gotta Wet Cha'
Funkdoobiest 'I'm S---tin' on 'Em'
from 'Which Doobie U B?' (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
3rd Bass 'Daddy Rich in the Land of 1210'
from 'Derelicts of Dialect' (1994) (MP3/CD not available)
The UMC's 'Blue Cheese'
from 'Wild Pitch Classics' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Keyshia Cole 'I Changed My Mind'
from 'The Way it Is' (2005) (MP3/CD)

The Breaks: 'Get Out of My Life Woman' Covers (Part 1)

2009-10-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

Two months ago, we covered Lee Dorsey's break form his cover of Allen Toussaint's legendary 'Get Out My Life Woman' and the producers and artists who sampled it here and here. This month - a different take on the same song: we'll be looking at the producers and artists who sampled other covers of the song in a two part post arc.

Joe Williams has one of the earliest covers of the song with the slightly renamed 'Get Out of My Life' from his 1966 album 'Presenting Joe Williams with Thad Jones and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra'. This song was sampled by Haas G and RNS for an album cut in the UMC's Wild Pitch album 'Fruits of Nature' on a track called 'Woman Be Out'. A year later, the Trackmasters used the same break on the much more notable single 'Ill Street Blues' by Kool G Rap and DJ Polo. In 1993, T-Ray sampled the break for Funkdoobiest's song 'I'm S---ting on 'Em' on the album 'Which Doobie U B?'. Another year later, Large Professor used the cut for Main Source and Large Professor's track on the 'Wild Pitch Classics' compilation titled 'How My Man Went Down in the Game'. In 2000, Jill Scott used the song on her track 'Brotha' produced by Keith Pelzer.

In 1966, the Mad Lads delivered 'Get Out of My Life' on their 'In Action' album. Nearly 3 decades later in 1995, DJ Ralph M would sample the song for Funkdoobiest's 'Superhoes' on the album 'Brothas Doobie'. One of the odder versions of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' comes courtesy of Bill Cosby. On his 1968 album 'Hooray for the Salvation Army Band', Cosby covers 'Get Out of My Life Woman'. Of course this one was sampled too! Chubb Rock and Howie Tee used it in 1991 for the cut 'The Big Man' while in the same year, DJ Muggs used the sample for Cypress Hill's 'Stoned is the Way of the Walk' from their self-titled debut album. In 1992, DJ Premier sampled Cosby for Gang Starr's 'The Illest Brother' from their essential album 'Daily Operation'. Finally, in 1994, the Digable Planets sampled the song on 'Jettin'' from their second and final album 'Blowout Comb'.

Check back for more 'Get Out of My Life Woman' covers and more hip-hop cuts based on them.

The Lowdown:
Joe Williams 'Get Out of My Life'
from 'Presenting Joe Williams with Thad Jones and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra' (1966) (MP3/CD not available)
The UMC's 'Woman Be Out'
from 'Fruits of Nature' (1991) (MP3/CD not available)
Kool G Rap and DJ Polo 'Ill Street Blues'
from 'Live and Let Die' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Funkdoobiest 'I'm S---tin' On 'Em'
from 'Which Doobie U B?' (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
Main Source and Large Professor 'How My Man Went Down in the Game'
from 'Wild Pitch Classics' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Jill Scott 'Brotha'
from 'Who is Jill Scott?' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Mad Lads 'Get Out of My Life'
from 'In Action' (1966) (MP3/CD)
Funkdoobiest 'Superhoes'
from 'Brothas Doobie' (1995) (MP3/CD not available)
Bill Cosby 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'Hooray for the Salvation Army Band' (1968) (MP3/CD not available)
Chubb Rock 'The Big One'
from 'The One' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Cypress Hill 'Stoned is the Way of the Walk'
from 'Cypress Hill' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Gang Starr 'The Illest Brother'
from 'Daily Operation' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Digable Planets 'Jettin''
from 'Blowout Comb' (1994) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cut:
Kool G Rap and DJ Polo 'Ill Street Blues' (Acapella)

Producer Profile: The Dust Brothers (part 1, 1988)

2009-10-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

The content and choice of samples in the early work by the Dust Brothers may be questionable, but what cannot be argued was how far they were ahead of conventional sampling in the late 80s and how much effect their work would have on the future of hip-hop. Love them or hate them, they are an important link between then and now. This post will look at the early production credits of the Dust Brothers, including their first batch of pop hits.

The first hit produced by the Dust Brothers, Young MC's 1988 single 'Know How' contains some of hip-hop's most hallowed breaks: Isaac Hayes' 'Theme from Shaft' and the Incredible Bongo Band's 'Apache'. The song also samples the hit 'Skin Tight' by the Ohio Players from 1973's album of the same title. Their success with Young MC would be followed by two gigantic hits for Tone Loc from his 1988 album 'Loc-ed After Dark'. 'Funky Cold Medina' famously samples Free's MOR rock hit 'All Right Now' and Kiss's 'Christine Sixteen', but also samples Funkadelic's 1979 sample-classic 'Knot Just (Knee Deep)' from the album 'Uncle Jam Wants You'. When most people think of the Dust Brother's early brash style of sampling, they think of Tone Loc's other hit 'Wild Thing' which features rapid fire blips of Van Halen's hit 'Jamie's Cryin'' from their self titled 1978 album.

Check back for further looks into the crates of the Dust Brothers and other producers in the future of this blog.

The Lowdown:
Young MC 'Know How'
from 'Know How' 12" (1988) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Theme from Shaft'
from 'Shaft' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Incredible Bongo Band 'Apache'
from 'Bongo Rock' (1973) (MP3/Import CD)
The Ohio Players 'Skin Tight'
from 'Skin Tight' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Tone Loc 'Funky Cold Medina' and 'Wild Thing'
from 'Loc-ed After Dark' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Free 'All Right Now'
from 'Fire and Water' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Kiss 'Christine Sixteen'
from 'Love Gun' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic 'Knot Just (Knee Deep)'
from 'Uncle Jam Wants You' (1979) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Van Halen 'Jamie's Cryin''
from 'Van Halen' (1978) (MP3/CD)

Five On It: September 2009's Essentials

2009-09-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our September installment of Five On It, the most essential five breaks and sample sources of the past month compiled in one easy to access section.

This month began with a classic in our look at Organized Konfusion's self titled debut album, the breakdance anthem 'The Mexican' from Babe Ruth's first album 'First Base'. In our second look at 'Organized Konfusion', we mentioned the huge drum break at the start of Herbie Hancock's famous 'Chameleon' from 1973's 'Headhunters'. Check out the link to 'Chameleon' - I don't think you'll find a cheaper download for the full album length track anywhere else! The David Axelrod produced album 'Release of an Oath' by the Electric Prunes covered here has the other-worldly 'General Confessional', which made its rounds as a digger's dream find in the 90s. From their 1968 debut album, Kool and the Gang's 'Give It Up' has been used numerous times in hip-hop sampling, sampled by Dr. Dre among others. Finally, during our producer profile of Mark the 45 King, we mentioned his use of the cut 'Soul Power 74' by Maceo and the Macks - a stirring J.B. inspired cut with a notable heavy sax solo that has seen its fair share of sampling in the past.

The Lowdown:
Babe Ruth 'The Mexican'
from 'First Base' (1972) (MP3/Import CD)
Herbie Hancock 'Chameleon'
from 'Headhunters' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Electric Prunes 'General Confessional'
from 'Release of an Oath' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Give it Up'
from 'Kool and the Gang' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Maceo and the Macks 'Soul Power 74'
from 'Us!' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Babe Ruth's 'The Mexican' was a building block for b-boy sets in the early days of hip-hop, but it was also a building block for one of hip-hop's earliest crossover hits: 'Planet Rock' by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. Many people instantly think of Kraftwerk when 'Planet Rock' is mentioned, but a lengthy instrumental riff is lifted from 'The Mexican' as well. Another bonus download link: the 'Planet Rock' instrumental version!

Rewind: Jay-Z 'Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life'

2009-09-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Released on September 29th of 1998, Jay-Z's third full length, 'Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life' dropped following the breakout hit of its lead single. This post will look at the producers and the artists sampled for Jay-Z's hit album.

'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)' was the polarizing lead single from the album, featuring Mark the 45 King flipping the song 'It's a Hard Knock Life' from Peter Gennaro's 1977 version of the broadway musical 'Annie'. No one could have foreseen the impact of sampling such a strange song, or the terrible knockoffs it would produce (I'm looking at you 'Anything'). On the J-Runnah produced 'A Week Ago', Jigga and Too Short rhyme over the Isley Brothers deep album cut 'Ballad for the Fallen Soldier' from their own hit album 'Between the Sheets' from 1983. The Erick Sermon produced 'Reservoir Dogs' features Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and innexplicably the Lox on the rhythm of Isaac Hayes' 'Theme from Shaft'. The song also features a sample of '24 Carat Black (Theme)' from 24 Carat Black's lone Stax album 'Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth' from 1973, which has since been a highly coveted beat tool by producers. Jay-Z's 'It's Like That' finds Kid Capri sampling the rock song 'Beggar's Song' from Wet Willie's eponymous 1971 album. Finally, Jermaine Dupri and Jay-Z team up for the bonus track 'Money Ain't a Thing' which has Dupri sampling Steve Arrington's hit 'Weak at the Knees' and has the stuttered drum shuffle of Manu Dibango's African crossover hit 'Soul Makossa' from his 1972 album of the same title.

The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)', 'A Week Ago', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'It's Like That', and 'Money Ain't a Thing'
from 'Vol. 2' (1998) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)', 'A Week Ago', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'It's Like That', and 'Money Ain't a Thing'
Peter Gennaro 'It's a Hard Knock Life'
from 'Annie' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'Ballad for the Fallen Soldier'
from 'Between the Sheets' (1983) (MP3/CD)
Isaac Hayes 'Theme from Shaft'
from 'Shaft' (1971) (MP3/CD)
24 Carat Black '24 Carat Black (Theme)'
from 'Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Wet Willie 'Beggar's Song'
from 'Wet Willie' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Steve Arrington 'Weak at the Knees'
from 'Steve Arrington Hall of Fame I' (1983) (MP3/CD not available)
Manu Dibango 'Soul Makossa'
from 'Soul Makossa' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Rewind: Madlib 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2' (Part 3)

2009-09-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our third and final look at Madlib's 2006 album of movie soundtrack beat sketches titled 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2'.

For the track 'Understanding (Comprehension)', Madlib samples Black Ivory's 1972 cut 'You and I' from their album 'Don't Turn Around'. Madlib samples another soul joint on 'Snake Charmer (Heads Up)', which uses bits of the Stylistics' 'You're as Right as Rain' from their album 'Round 2'. On 'Old Age (Youngblood)', Madlib samples the similarly titled rock cut 'Old Age' from Rhinoceros' 1970 album 'Better Times are Coming'. Always messing with material considered unsampleable, Madlib again shines by using 'Hitler was a Vegetarian' by the Residents on his track 'Fukwitus (The Eights)'. Moving back to classic soul, 'Whutkanido (Can Do It)' samples the Sam Cooke single 'You Were Made for Me'. The Residents appear again with their track 'End of Home' from 1980's bugged out (and possibly sample-laden in the right hands) 'Commercial Album' which was used for 'The Forest (Greens)'. Finally, the track 'Outerlimit (Space Ho)' cuts up 'An Afterthought' from Black widow's eponymous 1970 album.

To date, Madlib has 6 installments in his Beat Konducta series with further installments in the works. Look for more information on Madlib's production work in upcoming posts on this blog.

The Lowdown:
Madlib 'Understanding (Comprehension)', 'Snake Charmer (Heads Up)', 'Old Age (Youngblood)', 'Fukwitus (The Eights)', 'Whutkanido (Can Do It)', 'The Forest (Greens)', and 'Outerlimit (Space Ho)'
from 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Black Ivory 'You and I'
'Don't Turn Around' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Stylistics 'You're as Right as Rain'
from 'Round 2' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Rhinoceros 'Old Age'
from 'Better Times are Coming' (1970) (MP3/CD)
The Residents 'Hitler was a Vegetarian'
from 'The Third Reich n' Roll' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Sam Cooke 'You Were Made for Me'
from 'You Were Made for Me' 7" (1958) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Residents 'End of Home'
from 'Commercial Album' (1980) (MP3/CD)
Black Widow 'An Afterthought'
from 'Black Widow' (1970) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Rewind: Madlib 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2' (Part 2)

2009-09-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second look at the sample sources of Madlib's expansive beat tape 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2'.

For the heavy diggers, Madlib doesn't disappoint by sampling Lotti Golden's 'Motor-Cycle Michael' on 'Gold Jungle (Tribe)'. By contrast, the source for 'Pyramids (Change)' is the hit single 'Risin' to the Top' from Keni Burke's post-Five Stairsteps 1982 album 'Changes'. Madlib samples Raymond Scott again, this time using the bizarre 'IBM MT/ST: The Paperwork Explosion' for 'West Coast (Coastin')'. For 'Box Top (Cardboard Dues)', Madlib samples 'Trapped' from Elmer Bernstein's soundtrack to the 1974 film 'Gold'. The early solo Diana Ross cut 'Keep an Eye' from her self titled album is the source for Madlib's 'Friends (Foes)'. 'Too Fat (Ghettozone)' uses a sample of Garland Green's 'I Can't Believe You Quit Me' from his 1969 album 'Jealous Kind of Fella'. Finally, the rock band Vanilla Fudge is sampled on 'Money Hugger (Gold Diggin')', which takes part of the 'Rock and Roll' album cut 'Street Walkin' Woman'.

Check back for our third and final look at Madlib's 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2'.

The Lowdown:
Madlib 'Gold Jungle (Tribe)', 'Pyramids (Change)', 'West Coast (Coastin')', 'Box Top (Cardboard Dues)', 'Friends (Foes)', 'Too Fat (Ghettozone)', and 'Money Hugger (Gold Diggin')'
from 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Lotti Golden 'Motor-Cycle Michael'
from 'Motor-Cycle' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Keni Burke 'Risin' to the Top'
from 'Changes' (1982) (MP3/Import CD)
Raymond Scott 'IBM MT/ST: The Paperwork Explosion'
from 'Manhattan Research Inc.' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Elmer Bernstein 'Trapped'
from 'Gold' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Diana Ross 'Keep an Eye'
from 'Diana Ross' (1970) (MP3/CD not available)
Garland Green 'I Can't Believe You Quit Me'
from 'Jealous Kind of Fella' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Vanilla Fudge 'Street Walkin' Woman'
from 'Rock and Roll' (1969) (MP3/CD)

Rewind: Madlib 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2' (Part 1)

2009-09-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2' released in 2006 is the first two releases in a series of beat tapes produced by Madlib, containing a series of short instrumentals. This installment of the series is based around 'movie themes' and features some excellent sampling. This blog's three part look at 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2' will decode Madlib's sample sources.

The album begins with Madlib's 'The Comeback (Madlib)' which features a sample of Dee Dee Sharp's 1965 single 'I Really Love You'. It's been sampled to death, but James Brown's 'The Payback' gets an inventive flip on Madlib's 'The Payback (Gotta)', turning the intro's background vocals into a soul banger. 'Face the Sun (Africa)' finds Madlib sampling 'Time to Face the Sun' from BLO's 1973 album 'Chapter One'. On 'Open (Space)', Madlib interpolates the melody to Kraftwerk's famous b-boy cut (by way of Afrika Bambaataa) 'Trans-Europe Express' from the 1977 album of the same name. As could be easily decoded from it's name, 'Stax (Strings)' has a sample of a Stax artist: Carla Thomas on her 'Memphis Queen' album track 'I've Fallen in Love with You'. A year after J Dilla sampled Raymond Scott on 'Donuts', Madlib also sampled Scott on 'Electric Company (Voltage-Watts)' by cutting up 'Wheels That Go' and 'Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.' (Take 1), both from Raymond Scott's fantastic retrospective 'Manhattan Research, Inc.'. Madlib digs deep for 'Left on Silverlake (Ride)''s sample source: 'The All Golden' from Van Dyke Parks' 1968 LP 'Song Cycle'.

Check back for part 2 of our look at 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2'.

The Lowdown:
Madlib 'The Comeback (Madlib)', 'The Payback (Gotta)', 'Face the Sun (Africa)', 'Open (Space)', 'Stax (Strings)', 'Electric Company (Voltage-Watts)', and 'Left on Silverlake (Ride)'
from 'Beat Konducta Vol 1-2' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Dee Dee Sharp 'I Really Love You'
from 'I Really Love You' 7" (1965) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'The Payback'
from 'The Payback' (1973) (MP3/CD)
BLO 'Time to Face the Sun'
from 'Chapter One' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Kraftwerk 'Trans-Europe Express'
from 'Trans-Europe Express' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD)
Carla Thomas 'I've Fallen in Love with You'
from 'Memphis Queen' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Raymond Scott 'Wheels That Go' and 'Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.' (Take 1)
from 'Manhattan Research, Inc.' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Van Dyke Parks 'The All Golden'
from 'Song Cycle' (1968) (MP3/CD)

Producer Profile: Mark the 45 King (Part 2, 1990-1991)

2009-09-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

Mark the 45 King was riding high in the late 80s with production credits for Flavor Unit member Queen Latifah and Gang Starr and continued into the 90s with a series of high profile beats for hip-hop's most forward thinking labels at the time.

In 1990, Flavor Unit emcee Chill Rob G released his album 'Ride the Rhythm', produced almost entirely by the 45 King. On 'Court is Now in Session' samples the fantastic cut 'Soul Power 74' from Maceo and the Macks' 1974 album 'Us!' and the hit single 'The Jam' from Graham Central Station's 'Ain't No Doubt About It' from the same year. For the album's title track, the 45 King samples Baby Huey's 'Hard Times' from the famous posthumous Curtis Mayfield produced album 'The Baby Huey Story'. In the same year, the Flavor Unit released the album 'The 45 King Presents the Flavor Unit' which featured the song 'Flavor Unit Assassination Squad', which cut up James Brown's 'Let a Man Come In and Do The Popcorn' from James' 1970 album 'It's a New Day So Let a Man Come in and Do the Popcorn'.

In 1991, Mark the 45 King produced a number of tracks for Delicious Vinyl artist Def Jef's second album 'Soul Food'. On 'A Poet's Prelude', the 45 King deftly samples Sly and the Family Stone's 'Poet' while on 'Fa Sho Shot', the 45 King samples 'Everytime I Turn Around (Back in Love Again)' by L.T.D. - two sample sources that may as well be light years away.

Check back for more on Mark James, the 45 King.

The Lowdown:
Chill Rob G 'Court is Now in Session' and 'Ride the Rhythm'
from 'Ride the Rhythm' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Maceo and the Macks 'Soul Power 74'
from 'Us!' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Graham Central Station 'The Jam'
from 'Ain't No Doubt About It' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Baby Huey 'Hard Times'
from 'The Baby Huey Story' (1970) (MP3/CD)
The Flavor Unit 'Flavor Unit Assassination Squad'
from 'The 45 King Presents the Flavor Unit' (1990) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Let a Man Come In and Do The Popcorn'
from 'It's a New Day So Let a Man Come in and Do the Popcorn' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Def Jef 'A Poet's Prelude' and 'Fa Sho Shot'
from 'Soul Food' (1991) (MP3/Import CD)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Poet'
from 'There's a Riot Goin' On' (1971) (MP3/CD)
L.T.D. 'Everytime I Turn Around (Back in Love Again)'
from 'Something to Love' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD)

Related Posts:
Five On It: January 2009's Essentials (Baby Huey Appearance)
Producer Profile: Mark the 45 King (Part 1, 1988-1989)
Source Material: Sly and the Family Stone 'There's a Riot Goin' On'

Producer Profile: Dr. Dre (Part 2, 1990)

2009-09-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Following the breakthrough success of N.W.A.'s 'Straight Outta Compton' album and production work for Eazy-E and Michel'le, Dr. Dre was hot property in 1990. This post will look at Dr. Dre's production credits from 1990 and the songs he sampled for those works.

'Livin' Like Hustlers' by Above the Law was previously covered here and here, but it bears mentioning again due to the density of Dr. Dre's sample work of the period. On 'Murder Rap', Dre samples a number of notable breaks like Eddie Bo's fantastic NoLa single 'Hook and Sling', James Brown's 'Funky Drummer', the squonky 'Ironside' by Quincy Jones, and Stanley Turrentine's famous 'Sister Sanctified'.

Following N.W.A.'s bombastic debut, Dre produced the stop gap EP '100 Miles and Runnin'', which featured some of N.W.A.'s beat cuts. On '100 Miles and Runnin'', Dre samples Funkadelic's 'Get Off Your Ass and Jam', Herbie Hancock's 'Hang Up Your Hang Ups', and James Brown's 'Give it Up or Turnit Loose' in addition to choice samples from 'Nowhere to Run' by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, 'Run N-----' by the Last Poets, and Vincent Price's contribution to 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson. On the EP's cut 'Real N----z', Dre samples Kool and the Gang's 'Give it Up' and Cheryl Lynn's proto-disco smash single 'Got to Be Real'.

Check back for more information on Dr. Dre's career, which tends to appear on this blog regularly.

The Lowdown:
Above the Law 'Murder Rap'
from 'Livin' Like Hustlers' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Eddie Bo 'Hook and Sling'
from 'Hook and Sling' 7" (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky Drummer'
from 'Funky Drummer' 7" (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Quincy Jones 'Ironside'
from 'Smackwater Jack' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Stanley Turrentine 'Sister Sanctified'
from 'Cherry' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
N.W.A. '100 Miles and Runnin'' and 'Real N----z'
from '100 Miles and Runnin'' (1990) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Funkadelic 'Get Off Your Ass and Jam'
from 'Let's Take it to the Stage' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Herbie Hancock 'Hang Up Your Hang Ups'
from 'Man-Child' (1975) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Give it Up or Turnit Loose'
from 'In the Jungle Groove' (1986) (MP3/CD)
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas 'Nowhere to Run'
from 'Dance Party' (1965) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
The Last Poets 'Run, N-----'
from 'The Last Poets' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD)
Michael Jackson 'Thriller'
from 'Thriller' (1983) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Give it Up'
from 'Kool and the Gang' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Cheryl Lynn 'Got to Be Real'
from 'Cheryl Lynn' (1978) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: Dr. Dre (Part 1, 1988-1989)
Rewind: Above the Law 'Livin' Like Hustlers (Part 1)
Rewind: Above the Law 'Livin' Like Hustlers (Part 2)
Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton (Part 1)
Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton (Part 2)
Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton (Part 3)
Street Sounds: Dr. Dre

Rewind: Rick Ross 'Deeper Than Rap'

2009-09-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

In April 2009, Rick Ross released his Third album, 'Deeper Than Rap', which can also boast being his third straight #1 Billboard charting full length. This post will cover the sample sources of 'Deeper Than Rap''s singles and deep album cuts, produced by some of the hottest producers out at the moment.

The single 'Maybach Music 2' was produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and features the heavy hitter line up of T-Pain, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. sample Dexter Wansel's 1978 cut 'Time is the Teacher' from his album 'Voyager' for the cut. On the album's lead single 'Magnificent', a top 10 R&B and Rap charting hit, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League laces Ross and John Legend with a backing featuring samples from Angela Bofill's 80s song 'Gotta Make it Up to You' from her 'Teaser' LP. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. also provide the beat for 'Yacht Club', which utilize Johnny Pate's 'El Jardia' from the 1973 blaxploitation soundtrack 'Shaft in Africa'. Rick Ross rides a sample of Willie Hutch's 'Color Her Sunshine' on 'Rich Off Cocaine'. Finally on the album cut 'Valley of Death', DJ Toomp samples Barry White's 'I'm So Blue and You Are Too' from his album 'Let the Music Play' to great effect.

Ross is already scheduled to release a new album in 2010, tentatively titled 'Teflon Don'.

The Lowdown:
Rick Ross 'Maybach Music 2', 'Magnificent', 'Yacht Club', 'Rich Off Cocaine', and 'Valley of Death'
from 'Deeper Than Rap' (2009) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Maybach Music 2', 'Magnificent', 'Yacht Club', 'Rich Off Cocaine', and 'Valley of Death'
Dexter Wansel 'Time is the Teacher'
from 'Voyager' (1978) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Angela Bofill 'Gotta Make it Up to You'
from 'Teaser' (1983) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Johnny Pate 'El Jardia'
from 'Shaft in Africa' (1973) (MP3/CD not available)
Willie Hutch 'Color Her Sunshine'
from 'Color Her Sunshine' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Barry White 'I'm So Blue and You Are Too'
from 'Let the Music Play' (1975) (MP3/Import CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Jay-Z 'American Gangster' (Part 2) (DJ Toomp appearance)
Rewind: Kanye West 'Graduation' (Part 1) (DJ Toomp appearance)
Rewind: Kanye West 'Graduation' (Part 2) (DJ Toomp appearance)

Rewind: Jay-Z 'The Blueprint' (Part 2)

2009-09-11T02:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second look at Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint', released on this date in 2001.

One of my favorite samples used for 'The Blueprint' is David Ruffin's 'Common Man' sampled by Kanye West for the track 'Never Change'. The ex-Temps vocalist is amazing on this cut from his self titled 1973 album - this may not be a club banger or something anyone could ever sample again, but it is a hell of a tune. Bobby Glenn's 'Sounds Like a Love Song' is the source for the Just Blaze produced 'Song Cry', one of Jay-Z's most poignant tracks, though it failed to break either the pop or R&B top 40 upon its release as a single. On the Bink produced 'All I Need', Jay-Z rhymes over samples from Natalie Cole's 'Unpredictable' album cut 'I Can't Break Away (From You)'. Bink also produced the album's title track 'Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)', which cuts a sample from Al Green's 'Free at Last' from the beat digger favorite 'Livin' for You'. Just Blaze digs deep for 'Got to Find My Own Place' by Stanley Clarke for Jay-Z's bonus track 'Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)'. Finally, Jay-Z rides a sample of the Persuaders' 'Trying Girls Out' for his excellent bonus track 'Girls, Girls, Girls' (Remix) produced by Kanye West.

'The Blueprint' was another career plateau for Jay-Z, though it was followed by the career nadir of 'The Blueprint²', an underwhelming double album featuring much of the same cast, with much less conviction and tons of gimmicky cameo appearances. 2009 is set to see the release of Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint 3' today, which will undoubtedly be featured in a future post on this blog.

The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Never Change', 'Song Cry', 'All I Need', 'Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)', 'Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)', and 'Girls, Girls, Girls' (Remix)
from 'The Blueprint' (2001) (MP3/CD)
David Ruffin 'Common Man'
from 'David Ruffin' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Bobby Glenn 'Sounds Like a Love Song'
from 'Shout it Out' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Natalie Cole 'I Can't Break Away (From You)'
from 'Unpredictable' (1977) (MP3/Import CD)
Al Green 'Free at Last'
from 'Livin' for You' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Stanley Clarke 'Got to Find My Own Place'
from 'Modern Man' (1978) (MP3/CD not available)
The Persuaders 'Trying Girls Out'
from 'The Persuaders' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Jay-Z 'Vol. 3'
Rewind: Jay-Z 'American Gangster' (Part 1)
Rewind: Jay-Z 'American Gangster' (Part 2)

Rewind: Jay-Z 'The Blueprint' (Part 1)

2009-09-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Despite it's unfortunate release date on September 11th, 2001 - Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint' managed outstanding first week sales and has become one of the 00s most lauded hip-hop albums. Utilizing much of the same production crew as 2000's 'The Dynasty', Jay rhymes over classics from future super producers Kanye West and Just Blaze. The album yielded four single, including one top 10 smash, and a not so great sequel. Hopefully 'Blueprint 3' will be a step up. This two part post will cover the sample sources of Jay-Z's modern day classic 'The Blueprint'.

Jay-Z co-opts Slick Rick's title on the album's opening track 'The Ruler's Back', produced by Bink and featuring a sample of Jackie Moore's 'If' from her 1973 album 'Sweet Charlie Babe'. One of Kanye West's early standout beats is his production for Jay's 'Takeover'. The song famously samples the Door's bass heavy rocker 'Five to One' from 1968's 'Waiting for the Sun' and interpolates David Bowie and John Lennon's hit record 'Fame' from 1975's 'Young Americans'. The album's biggest hit is the Kanye produced 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)' which slips a sly sample of the Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back' into the mainstream without much fanfare. Maybe it is subliminal! On 'Girls, Girls, Girls', my personal favorite beat on the album, Just Blaze deftly samples Tom Brock's 'There's Nothing in this World that Can Stop Me from Loving You' from his 1974 album 'I Love you More and More'. On the pounding 'U Don't Know', Just Blaze samples Bobby Byrd's 'I'm Not to Blame' from his 1970 live album 'I Need Help'. The Kanye West produced ''Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)' samples Bobby 'Blue' Bland's late career hit 'Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City' from his 1974 album 'Dreamer'.

Check back for our second look at Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint'.

The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'The Ruler's Back', 'Takeover', 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)', 'Girls, Girls, Girls', 'U Don't Know', and 'Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)'
from 'The Blueprint' (2001) (MP3/CD)
Jackie Moore 'If'
from 'Sweet Charlie Babe' (1973) (MP3/CD)
The Doors 'Five to One'
from 'Waiting for the Sun' (1968) (MP3/CD)
David Bowie 'Fame'
from 'Young Americans' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Jackson 5 'I Want You Back'
from 'Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Tom Brock 'There's Nothing in this World that Can Stop Me from Loving You'
from 'I Love you More and More' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Bobby Byrd 'I'm Not to Blame'
from 'I Need Help' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Bobby Bland 'Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City'
from 'Dreamer' (1974) (MP3/Import CD)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: Just Blaze (Part 1, 2000-2001)
Producer Profile: Kanye west (Part 2, 2001-2002)

Source Material: The Electric Prunes 'Release of an Oath'

2009-09-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Following the Electric Prunes' third album, 'Mass in F Minor', which featured mostly studio musicians filling in for the band members, the band released 'Release of an Oath' in 1968, again recorded by studio musicians with the Prunes only submitting vocals. This album may only have been a footnote in history, a cash-in recording for a band that had all but broken up, if it weren't for the songwriting and production prowess of one David Axelrod. 'Release of an Oath' is less of an Electric Prunes album than it is a David Axelrod album. With it's open drums, jazz influence, and funky basslines; the album became a sought after treasure for beat diggers the world over. Thankfully, within the last decade, the album has been easier to find due to re-releases (and now, MP3s). This post will cover the producers and artists who have sampled the Axelrod produced fourth album by the Electric Prunes.

One of the album's stand out tracks is 'Holy are You', which is a favorite of beat heads and psych rock listeners alike. The track was sampled by Joe Fatal for Fat Joe and Raekwon's team up 'Respect Mine' on his 1995 album 'Jealous One's Envy'. Five years later, the same track was sampled by Madlib on his Quasimoto album 'The Unseen' for the cut 'Return of the Loop Digga'. The album's funkiest cut is the bouncy bass-heavy 'General Confessional', which has become the most sampled cut on this release. In 1997, the Beatnuts sampled 'General Confessional' for 'N----z Know' on 'Stone Crazy' while DJ Scratch sampled the cut for Rampage and Busta Rhymes' single 'Flipmode iz da Squad'. In 2000, Madlib sampled this track as well for his song 'B.S.' from the Quasimoto single 'Basic Instinct' while the RZA sampled the song for 'The Monument' which finds Busta Rhymes cameoing again on the beat alongside the Wu-Tang Clan. 'The Adoration' from 'Release of an Oath' was also plundered by the Beatnuts for the song 'World's Famous' from their 1993 release 'The Intoxicated Demons'.

At the end of 'Release of an Oath', the Electric Prunes were almost done. The band, by name only and featuring none of the original members, released a fifth album that made no waves. Axelrod, however, was just at the beginning of his solo career. 1968 saw the release of his debut solo album, 'Song of Innocence', which led to a decade of beat digger coveted albums.

The Lowdown:
The Electric Prunes 'Holy Are You', 'General Confessional', and 'The Adoration'
from 'Release of an Oath' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Fat Joe 'Respect Mine'
from 'Jealous One's Envy' (1995) (MP3 not available/CD)
Quasimoto 'Return of the Loop Digga'
from 'The Unseen' (2000) (MP3/CD)
The Beatnuts 'N----z Know'
from 'Stone Crazy' (1997) (MP3 not available/CD)
Rampage 'Flipmode iz da Squad'
from 'Scouts Honor By Way of Blood' (1997) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Quasimoto 'B.S.'
from 'Basic Instinct' (2000) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Wu-Tang Clan 'The Monument'
from 'The W' (2000) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Beatnuts 'World's Famous'
from 'The Intoxicated Demons' (1993) (MP3 not available/CD)

Bonus Cut:
The Verve's Richard Ashcroft, a fan of Axelrod's work with the Electric Prunes, recorded an excellent live version of 'Holy Are You' with Axelrod conducting a symphony.

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 2, 1968-1969)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 1)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 2)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 3)

Rewind: Organized Konfusion 'Organized Konfusion' (Part 2)

2009-09-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second look at Organized Konfusion's 1991 debut album titled 'Organized Konfusion' produced and emceed by Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch.

The album's title track 'Organized Konfusion' by Organized Konfusion features a sample from the James Brown hit single 'Think (About It)' by Lyn Collins, which has been notably sampled frequently throughout hip-hop's history. The track 'Open Your Eyes' samples a pair of tracks from Herbie Hancock's foundational album 'Headhunters': the huge breakbeat cut 'Chameleon' and 'Watermelon Man'. On 'Roosevelt Franklin', Organized Konfusion flow over another sample from Weather Report's 1973 album 'Sweetnighter', this time it's the cut '125th Street Congress'. 'Intro' samples the early Kool and the Gang burner 'Give it Up' as well as George Benson's 'California Dreamin' from his 1971 album 'White Rabbit'. Finally, on 'Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?', the duo use a melange of samples including the Ohio Players' 'Pain', Skull Snaps' classic 'It's a New Day', and the J.B.'s 'Rice N Ribs'.

Following the end of Organized Konfusion in 1997 after only three albums, Pharoahe Monch went on to score a hit on Rawkus Records while Prince Po released solo material on Lex. In the 2000's, the group has briefly reunited at times, though not for long.

The Lowdown:
Organized Konufsion 'Organized Konufsion', 'Open Your Eyes', 'Roosevelt Franklin', 'Intro', and 'Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?'
from 'Organized Konufsion' (1991) (MP3 not available/CD)
Lyn Collins 'Think (About It)'
from 'Think (About It)' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Herbie Hancock 'Chameleon' and 'Watermelon Man'
from 'Headhunters' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Weather Report '125th Street Congress'
from 'Sweetnighter' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Give it Up'
from 'Kool and the Gang' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
George Benson 'California Dreamin''
from 'White Rabbit' (1971) (MP3/CD)
The Ohio Players 'Pain'
from 'Pain' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Skull Snaps 'It's a New Day'
from 'Skull Snaps' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The J.B.'s 'Rice N Ribs'
from 'Breakin' Bread' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Related Posts:
Five On It: July 2008's Essentials (Lyn Collins appearance)
Five On It: November 2008's Essentials (Skull Snaps Appearance)

Rewind: Organized Konfusion 'Organized Konfusion' (Part 1)

2009-09-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

After a false start as Simply II Positive MCs and a early tracks produced by Paul C, Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch was signed and released their self titled debut album 'Organized Konfusion' in 1991. This two part post will investigate the sample sources of Organized Konfusion's first album.

Organized Konfusion appear alongside O.C. on an early performance on the future classic track 'Fudge Pudge', which samples the James Brown produced 'More Peas' by the J.B.'s and the Skull Snaps deep album cut 'Tresspassin'' from their lone album 'Skull Snaps'. The single 'Walk Into the Sun' features samples from Steely Dan's 'Royal Scam'-era track 'Green Earring', Earth, Wind and Fire's single 'Runnin' from their hit album 'All N All', and the 1978 Crusaders cut 'Merry-Go-Round'. 'Releasing Hypnotical Gases' samples a pair of tracks from S.O.U.L.'s classic album 'What It Is' from 1971: 'Burning Spear' and 'Soul'. The track also samples Weather Report's 'Non-Stop Home' from 'Sweetnighter'. Organized Konfusion's 'Audience Pleasers' samples the live cut 'Lowdown Popcorn' from James Brown's essential 'Sex Machine' album. Finally, the track 'Prisoner of War' features two high-octane samples: Earth, Wind and Fire's 'Power' from their third LP 'Last Days and Time' and Babe Ruth's absolutely essential b-boy break 'The Mexican' from their 1972 album 'First Base'.

Check back for our second look at the sample sources of Organized Konfusion's self titled debut album.

The Lowdown:
Organized Konufsion 'Fudge Pudge', 'Walk Into the Sun', 'Releasing Hypnotical Gases', 'Audience Pleasers', and 'Prisoner of War'
from 'Organized Konufsion' (1991) (MP3 not available/CD)
The J.B.'s 'More Peas'
from 'Doing it to Death' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Skull Snaps 'Tresspassin''
from 'Skull Snaps' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Steely Dan 'Green Earring'
from 'Royal Scam' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Earth, Wind and Fire 'Runnin''
from 'All N All' (1977) (MP3/CD)
The Crusaders 'Merry-Go-Round'
from 'Images' (1978) (MP3/CD)
S.O.U.L. 'Burning Spear' and 'Soul'
from 'What Is It' (1971) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Weather Report 'Non-Stop Home'
from 'Sweetnighter' (1973) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Lowdown Popcorn'
from 'Sex Machine' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Earth, Wind and Fire 'Power'
from 'Last Days and Time' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Babe Ruth 'The Mexican'
from 'First Base' (1972) (MP3/Import CD)

Related Post:
Five On It: November 2008's Essentials (Skull Snaps appearance)
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 5, 1997) (O.C. appearance)
Rewind: Kanye West 'Graduation' (Part 1) (Steely Dan appearance)

Five On It: August 2009's Essentials

2009-08-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

This month was brimming with excellent breaks, so it was difficult to pick just five for this month's edition of Five On It, but we have five sureshot house burners for your listening pleasure.

On the first part of our look at N.W.A.'s 'Straight Outta Compton', we mentioned the Ohio Players' essential 'Funky Worm' from their 1972 album 'Pleasure'. Early Ohio Players material has been rather hard to come by in the past few years, so it's great to see their early work, like this track, is now readily available. The 'Funky Worm' synthesizer sound, along with Parliament, is the foundation of G-Funk; don't miss out. In our second look at 'Straight Outta Compton', we covered Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's 'Express Yourself' from their 1969 album 'Express Yourself'. On our final look at 'Compton', Dre and Yella sampled Herman Kelly and Life's foundational b-boy break 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat', which still lights b-boy competition dancefloors on fire today. On our second look at Cypress Hill's debut album from this past month, we covered two huge beats: All the People's 'Cramp Your Style' (more info about this one below) and Rufus Thomas' 'The Breakdown', another essential Stax open break from Thomas that needs to be in every producer's sample bank.

The Lowdown:
The Ohio Players 'Funky Worm'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band 'Express Yourself'
from 'Express Yourself' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Herman Kelly and Life 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat'
from 'Percussion Explosion' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
All the People 'Cramp Your Style'
from 'Cramp Your Style' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Rufus Thomas 'The Breakdown'
from 'Did You Heard Me?' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Bonus Cuts:
'Cramp Your Style' by All the People is a huge b-boy break, but it's also a popular sample for early hip-hop producers and beyond. One of the first notable uses of 'Cramp Your Style' is by KRS-One on Boogie Down Production's single 'Still #1'. Two years later, Marley Marl used the sample on LL Cool J's 'Mr. Good Bar' while Teddy Riley sampled it for Guy's sophomore album R&B track 'D-O-G Me Out'. In 1991, DJ Slip and the Unknown DJ sampled 'Cramp Your Style' on Compton Most Wanted's 'Growin' up in the Hood' while Howie Tee used the sample for Chubb Rock's 'Keep it Street'.

Related Posts:
Five On It: January 2009's Essentials (Rufus Thomas appearance)

Rewind: The Roots 'Game Theory'

2009-08-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Roots' seventh studio album, 'Game Theory', was released on August 29th three years ago. This post will look at the sample sources used by the Roots for this album.

On the album's intro track, 'Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)', the Roots pay tribute to J Dilla by sampling his production for Slum Village's 'Fantastic', which itself samples Herbie Hancock's 'You'll Know When You Get There' from his 1977 album 'V.S.O.P.'. The album's lead single, 'Don't Feel Right', has the Roots sampling Kool and the Gang's 'Jungle Boogie' and the Ohio Players' 'Ecstasy'. 'Atonement' has the Roots sampling alt rock band Radiohead's 'You and Whose Army?' from 2001's 'Amnesiac'. As a bookend to 'Game Theory', the Roots end the album with another tribute to J Dilla with 'Can't Stop This'. On 'Can't Stop This', the Roots sample Dilla's 'Time: The Donut of the Heart' from his 'Donuts' album which samples 'All I Do is Think of You' from the 1975 Jackson 5 album 'Moving Violation'.

'Game Theory' peaked in the Billboard top 10, but was not a high selling album. The album has been followed by 'Rising Down' in 2008 and 2009's soon to be released album 'How I Got Over'.

The Lowdown:
The Roots 'Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)', 'Don't Feel Right', 'Atonement', and 'Can't Stop This'
from 'Game Theory' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)', 'Don't Feel Right', 'Atonement', and 'Can't Stop This'
Slum Village 'Fantastic'
from 'Fan-tas-tic Vol. 1' (1997) (MP3/CD not available)
Herbie Hancock 'You'll Know When You Get There'
from 'V.S.O.P.' (1977) (MP3/Import CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Jungle Boogie'
from 'Wild and Peaceful' (1973) (MP3/CD)
The Ohio Players 'Ecstasy'
from 'Ecstasy' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Radiohead 'You and Whose Army?'
from 'Amnesiac' (2001) (MP3/CD)
J Dilla 'Time: The Donut of the Heart'
from 'Donuts' (2006) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Jackson 5 'All I Do is Think of You'
from 'Moving Violation' (1975) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 7, 2006)

Rewind: Reflection Eternal 'Train of Thought' (Part 2)

2009-08-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second look at Reflection Eternal's 2000 album 'Train of Thought'.

Talib Kweli rides solo on Hi-Tek's beat for 'Memories Live', which features a sample of Ann Peeble's minimalistic hit single 'I Can't Stand the Rain' from her 1974 album of the same title as well as a sample from Soft Machine's 1974 album cut 'Carol Ann'. Les Nubians and Talib Kweli team up on 'Love Language', which samples Norman Connors' 'Welcome'. De La Soul assists Kweli and Hi-Tek on 'Soul Rebels' which has the four emcees rhyming over the Commodores' 'Patch it Up' from the 1977 album 'Commodores'. Finally, the B-Side track 'Good Mourning' samples Hugo Montenegro's unstoppably funky track 'Dizzy' from his synth filled 1969 album 'Moog Power'.

Both Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek managed to build on the success of 'Train of Thought': Kweli has made a series of solo albums and Hi-Tek has produced albums on his own as well as produced tracks for 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and G-Unit among others. Later this year, the duo's second album 'Revolutions Per Minute' is set to be released.

The Lowdown:
Reflection Eternal 'Memories Live', 'Love Language', 'Soul Rebels', and 'Good Mourning'
from 'Train of Thought' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Ann Peebles 'I Can't Stand the Rain'
from 'I Can't Stand the Rain' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD)
Soft Machine 'Carol Ann'
from 'Seven' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Norman Connors 'Welcome'
from 'Slewfoot' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Commodores 'Patch it Up'
from 'Commodores' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Hugo Montenegro 'Dizzy'
from 'Moog Power' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD)

Related Posts:
Prodcuer Profile: Kanye West (Part 2, 2001-2002) (Talib Kweli appearance)

Rewind: Reflection Eternal 'Train of Thought' (Part 1)

2009-08-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

Until this year, 'Train of Thought' was the lone album by Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek's Reflection Eternal project. Over the next two posts, we'll investigate the sample sources used by DJ Hi-Tek for the beats on this album.

The album's lead single, 'Move Somethin'', Kweli rhymes over Charlie Whitehead's 'Shaft's Mama' from his 1973 album 'Charlie Whitehead and the Swamp Dogg Band'. Black Star is reunited on the cut 'This Means You' where Mos Def and Talib Kweli trade quips over 'Cloud in My Sunshine' from Redbone's 1973 rock album 'Wavoka'. For 'Too Late', which features Res along side Talib Kweli, finds Hi-Tek sampling two cuts from Tomita's 'Snowflakes are Dancing' album: 'Reverie' and 'Passepied'.

Check back for part two of our two part look at 'Train of Thought'.

The Lowdown:
Reflection Eternal 'Move Somethin'', 'This Means You', and 'Too Late'
from 'Train of Thought' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Charlie Whitehead 'Shaft's Mama'
from 'Charlie Whitehead and the Swamp Dogg Band' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Redbone 'Cloud in My Sunshine'
from 'Wavoka' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isao Tomita 'Reverie' and 'Passepied'
from 'Snowflakes are Dancing' (1973) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both Sides' (Part 1)
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both Sides' (Part 2)
Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 1)
Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 2)

Producer Profile: RZA (Part 1, 1993-1994)

2009-08-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

After early work with the group All in Together Now Crew (with the GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard) and one single with Tommy Boy under the alias Prince Rakeem, Robert Diggs (aka the RZA) formed the Wu-Tang Clan with 8 other members in 1992. The most noteworthy single from their debut 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' is the classic cut 'C.R.E.A.M.' which this year was finally certified as a gold single having sold 500,000 copies on its own. The song samples 'As Long As I've Got You', a Stax single from the Charmels.

To cash in on the success of the Wu-Tang Clan, Cold Chillin' re-released the debut GZA album under the alias the Genius as well as released the RZA produced track 'Pass the Bone' as a single (RZA production is credited as Prince Rakeem). 'Pass the Bone' samples the heavily used Wu breakbeat 'Impeach the President' by the Honey Drippers and 'Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba' by the Harlem Underground Band produced by Paul Winley and famously featuring George Benson. The year also saw the release of Method Man's debut album 'Tical' which featured the single 'Release Yo' Delf' that interpolates the hook from Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' as well as samples Herb Alpert's 'Treasure of San Miguel' and Graham Central Station's 'The Jam'.

Finally, in 1994, RZA contributed production work and rhymes to the horrorcore all-star outfit the Gravediggaz's debut album '6 Feet Deep'. Their first single, 'Diary of a Madman', produced by the RZA, RNS and Prince Paul and featuring a guest verse from the Wu's Killah Priest, samples two cuts from crooner Johnny Mathis to extremely creepy results: 'No Love (But Your Love)' and 'Warm and Tender'.

Check back for our next look at the RZA's production discography.

The Lowdown:
Wu-Tang Clan 'C.R.E.A.M.'
from 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (1993) (MP3/CD)
The Charmels 'As Long As I've Got You'
from 'As Long As I've Got You' 7" (1967) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Genius 'Pass the Bone'
from 'Pass the Bone' 12" (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Honey Drippers 'Impeach the President'
from 'Impeach the President' 7" (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Harlem Underground Band 'Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba'
from 'Harlem Underground' (1976) (MP3/CD not available)
Method Man 'Release Yo' Delf'
from 'Tical' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Gloria Gaynor 'I Will Survive'
from 'Love Tracks' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass 'Treasure of San Miguel'
from 'Sounds Like' (1967) (MP3/CD)
Graham Central Station 'The Jam'
from 'Ain't No Bout-a-Doubt It' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Gravediggaz 'Diary of a Madman'
from '6 Feet Deep' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Johnny Mathis 'No Love (But Your Love)'
from 'No Love (But Your Love)' 7" (1957) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Johnny Mathis 'Warm and Tender'
from 'Warm and Tender' 7" (1957) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (Part 1)
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (Part 2)

Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Cypress Hill' (Part 3)

2009-08-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our last look at Cypress Hill's 1991 debut album 'Cypress Hill' produced by DJ Muggs.

'Psycobetabuckdown' is a mouthful of a title, but it samples a track that has an even longer title: Parliament's 'Aquaboogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)' from 1977's 'Motor-Booty Affair'. The track also samples 'Foxy Lady' from Willie Hutch's excellent blaxploitation soundtrack to 'Foxy Brown'. 'Something for the Blunted' finds Cypress on samples of Curtis Mayfield's 'Future Shock' and the essential b-boy cut 'Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba' from the Harlem Underground Band's lone 1976 album 'Harlem Underground'. The single 'Latin Lingo' finds Muggs using another Sly and the Family Stone sample, 'Sing a Simple Song' from 'Stand!', in addition to samples from 'Mongoose' from the rock band Elephant's Memory, 'Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On' from Motown artist Edwin Starr, and 'A Gritty Nitty' by Pazant Brothers and the Beaufort Express. For 'The Funky Cypress Hill Shit', Muggs samples the Village Callers' 'Hector' from their 1968 'Live' album, the post-Curtis Mayfield Five Stairsteps track 'The New Dance Craze', and Mandrill's excellent 'Fencewalk'. Finally, 'Born to Get Busy' finds the crew rhyming on Booker T. and the M.G.'s early Stax single 'Bootleg' from their 1966 album 'And Now!'.

Although not big upon its release, Cypress Hill's debut album gained sales momentum as their following albums, 'Black Sunday' and 'Temples of Boom' became hits. To date, 'Cypress Hill' has sold 2 million copies in America and is seen as one of the most essential hip-hop albums of 90s.

The Lowdown:
Cypress Hill 'Psycobetabuckdown', 'Something for the Blunted', 'Latin Lingo', 'The Funky Cypress Hill Shit', and 'Born to Get Busy'
from 'Cypress Hill' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Parliament 'Aquaboogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)'
from 'Motor-Booty Affair' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Willie Hutch 'Foxy Lady'
from 'Foxy Brown' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)
Curtis Mayfield 'Future Shock'
from 'Back to the World' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Harlem Underground Band 'Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba'
from 'Harlem Underground' (1976) (MP3/CD not available)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Sing a Simple Song'
from 'Stand!' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Elephant's Memory 'Mongoose'
from 'Take it to the Streets' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Edwin Starr 'Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On'
from 'Involved' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD)
Pazant Brothers and the Beaufort Express 'A Gritty Nitty'
from 'Loose and Juicy' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Village Callers 'Hector'
from 'Live' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Five Stairsteps 'The New Dance Craze'
from 'Our Family Portrait' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Mandrill 'Fencewalk'
from 'Composite Truth' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Booker T. and the M.G.'s 'Bootleg'
from 'And Now!' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD)

Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Cypress Hill' (Part 2)

2009-08-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second of three looks at Cypress Hill's debut album 'Cypress Hill'.

One of the album's biggest singles is 'The Phuncky Feel One', which features samples of Kool and the Gang's 'Give it Up' and 'Life is What You Make It', The Meters' classic 'Look Ka Py Py', James Brown's 'Blues and Pants', Rufus Thomas' essential heavy drums on 'The Breakdown', The J.B.'s 'More Peas' and 'La Di Da Di Day' (both from their unfortunately rare album 'Doing it to Death'), and 'Fight the Power' by the Isley Brothers. A sample clearance nightmare to say the least, but chock full of excellent source material. On Cypress Hill's 'Break it Up', DJ Muggs samples Les McCann and Eddie Harris' 'Compared to What' from their 1968 album 'Swiss Movement'. For 'Real Estate', the crew rhymes over Sly and the Family Stone's 'Underdog', the Bar-Kays' 'Humpin'', Tony Alvon and the Belairs' 'Sexy Coffee Pot', and All the People's excellent 'Cramp Your Style'. On 'Stoned is the Way of the Walk', Cypress Hill rides a sample of Grant Green's 'Down Here on the Ground' from his 1970 album 'Alive!'.

Check back for our final look at 'Cypress Hill'.

The Lowdown:
Cypress Hill 'The Phuncky Feel One', 'Break it Up', 'Real Estate', and 'Stoned is the Way of the Walk'
from 'Cypress Hill' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Give it Up'
from 'Kool and the Gang' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Kool and the Gang 'Life is What You Make It'
from 'Wild and Peaceful' (1973) (MP3/CD)
The Meters 'Look Ka Py Py'
from 'Look-Ka Py Py' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD)
James Brown 'Blues and Pants'
from 'Hot Pants' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)
Rufus Thomas 'The Breakdown'
from 'Did You Heard Me?' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The J.B.'s 'More Peas' and 'La Di Da Di Day'
from 'Doing it to Death' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Isley Brothers 'Fight the Power'
from 'The Heat is On' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Les McCann and Eddie Harris 'Compared to What'
from 'Swiss Movement' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Underdog'
from 'A Whole New Thing' (1967) (MP3/CD)
Bar-Kays 'Humpin''
from 'Gotta Groove' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Tony Alvon and the Belairs 'Sexy Coffee Pot'
'Sexy Coffee Pot' 7" (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
All the People 'Cramp Your Style'
from 'Cramp Your Style' 7" (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Grant Green 'Down Here on the Ground'
from 'Alive!' (1970) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Five On It: March 2009's Essentials ('Sexy Coffee Pot' Appearance)

Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Cypress Hill' (Part 1)

2009-08-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Last month we looked at Cypress Hill's second album, 'Black Sunday', their commercial breakthrough produced mostly by DJ Muggs. Over the next three posts, we'll look at Cypress Hill's debut album from 1991 titled 'Cypress Hill' produced entirely by DJ Muggs.

'How I Could Just Kill a Man' was originally a B-side, but has become one of Cypress Hill's most notable cuts. The song includes samples from several different genres smelted in the Cypress Hill cauldron. Among them is Jimi Hendrix's 'Are You Experienced' from his 1967 album of the same title, Lowell Fulsom's tremendous breakbeat track 'Tramp', James Brown's 'Escape-ism' from 1972 and J.B.'s 'I Got Ants in My Pants (and I Want to Dance)', as well as Manzel's popular break 'Midnight Theme'. Cypress Hill's single 'Hand on the Pump' famously samples Gene Chandler's doo-wop hit 'Duke of Earl' from his 1962 album of the same title and Junior Walker and the All Stars' Motown hit 'Shotgun'. 'Hole in the Head' finds Cypress Hill rhyming over Jimmy McGriff's 'The Bird' from his highly sought after 1971 album 'Groove Grease'. On 'Ultraviolet Dreams', DJ Muggs samples Muddy Waters' electrified blues cut 'Tom Cat' from his album 'Electric Mud'. On 'Light Another', the crew samples an early Kool and the Gang cut, 'Good Times', from their 1972 album 'Good Times'.

Check back for part two of our look at Cypress Hill's debut album 'Cypress Hill'.

The Lowdown:
Cypress Hill 'How I Could Just Kill a Man', 'Hand on the Pump', 'Hole in the Head', 'Ultraviolet Dreams', and 'Light Another'
from 'Cypress Hill' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Jimi Hendrix 'Are You Experienced'
from 'Are You Experienced' (1967) (MP3/CD)
Lowell Fulsom 'Tramp'
from 'Tramp' (1967) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
James Brown 'Escape-ism'
from 'Hot Pants' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)
James Brown 'I Got Ants in My Pants (and I Want to Dance)'
from 'Get on the Good Foot' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Manzel 'Midnight Theme'
from 'Midnight Theme' 7" (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Gene Chandler 'Duke of Earl'
from 'Duke of Earl' (1962) (MP3/CD not available)
Junior Walker and the All Stars 'Shotgun'
from 'Shotgun' 7" (1965) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Jimmy McGriff 'The Bird'
from 'Groove Grease' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Muddy Waters 'Tom Cat'
from 'Electric Mud' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Good Times'
from 'Good Times' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 1)
Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 2)
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang' (Part 2) (Lowell Fulsom appearance)

The Breaks: Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman' (Part 2)

2009-08-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second look at the songs that sampled Lee Dorsey's 60s hit single 'Get Out of My Life Woman'.

In 1994, two of the year's biggest releases sampled Dorsey's classic break: DJ Premier laced Nas with the beat for 'Memory Lane (Sittin' in the Park)' from his debut album 'Illmatic' and Run DMC's Jam Master Jay and Jeff Harris produced the beat for Onyx's album cut 'Stik'n'Muve' from 'Bacdafucup'. On Grand Puba's sophomore solo album '2000' (confusingly released in 1995), the ex-Brand Nubian emcee rapped over Dorsey on 'Playin' the Game' produced by Alamo. One of the many songs sampled by Beck and the Dust Brothers for his album 'Odelay' is 'Get Out of My Life Woman' on the hit single 'Where It's At'. A year later, the RZA used the break on the Wu-Tang Clan's double disc album 'Wu-Tang Forever's deep album cut 'Maria'. In 1999, Q-Unique sampled Dorsey on the Arsonists' 'Pyromaniax' and in 2000, Chief Xcel sampled Dorsey on the Blackalicious track 'Lyric Fathom' from the compilation 'Solesides Greatest Bumps' (quite hard to find in the past few years, but available again on MP3 now!).

Next month we'll be revisiting 'Get Out of My Life Woman' by checking out the many covers of Dorsey's song and the songs that have sampled them.

The Lowdown:
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of MY Life Woman'
from 'The New Lee Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Nas 'Memory Lane (Sittin' in the Park)'
from 'Illmatic' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Onyx 'Stik'n'Muve'
from 'Bacdafucup' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Grand Puba 'Playin' the Game'
from '2000' (1995) (MP3/CD)
Beck 'Where It's At'
from 'Odelay' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Wu-Tang Clan 'Maria'
from 'Wu-Tang Forever' (1997) (MP3/CD)
The Arsonists 'Pyromaniax'
from 'As the World Burns' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Blackalicious 'Lyric Fathom'
from 'Solesides Greatest Bumps' (2000) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 3, 1994)
Rewind: Beck 'Odelay'
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang' (Part 1)
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang' (Part 2)

The Breaks: Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman' (Part 1)

2009-08-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last month, Lee Dorsey's essential open drum intro for 'Get Out of My Life Woman' was inducted to our Five On It collection of necessary breaks for hip-hop producers and DJs. I would've liked to expand on why this drum break is so necessary, but it could not have been done in just one part of one post. In total, I have four posts slated to explain 'Get Out of My Life Woman' - the first two dropping this month will look at songs who sampled the Lee Dorsey version and two posts next month will explore the songs that sampled covers of Lee Dorsey's original. Beat scientists will know there are a lot of excellent covers to talk about. Let's get into it!

'Get Out of My Life Woman' may be most famously sampled in 1989 by Biz Markie for his gigantic crossover hit and enduring single 'Just a Friend' from his album 'The Biz Never Sleeps'. Produced by the Biz and Cool V, 'Just a Friend' is a multi-generational party standard. A year later, DJ Slip and the Unknown DJ sampled the 'Get Out of My Life Woman' break for Compton's Most Wanted's 'This is Compton' from 'It's a Compton Thang!' which predates Dr. Dre's Compton-centric 'The Chronic' by one year. In 1991, Prince Paul and De La Soul sampled the drums on 'Fanatic of the B Word' from their sophomore album 'De La Soul is Dead'. In 1992, Common's debut album 'Can I Borrow a Dollar?' contained the Immenslope produced single 'Breaker 1/9' while the title track to Lord Finesse's 'Return of the Funky Man' had Showbiz (of Show and AG fame), both sampling Lee Dorsey. In 1993, both 'Hits from the Bong' by Cypress Hill, produced by DJ Muggs, and the short interlude 'Zearocks' from the Leaders of the New School's 'T.I.M.E.' album also used samples of 'Get Out of My Life Woman'.

Check back for the second part of our look at songs sampling one of Lee Dorsey's finest moments.

The Lowdown:
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The New Lee Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Biz Markie 'Just a Friend'
from 'The Biz Never Sleeps' (1989) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Compton's Most Wanted 'This is Compton'
from 'It's a Compton Thang!' (1990) (MP3/CD not available)
De La Soul 'Fanatic of the B Word'
from 'De La Soul is Dead' (1991) (MP3 not available/CD)
Common 'Breaker 1/9'
from 'Can I Borrow a Dollar?' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Lord Finesse 'Return of the Funky Man'
from 'Return of the Funky Man' (1992) (MP3/CD not available)
Cypress Hill 'Hits from the Bong'
from 'Black Sunday' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Hits from the Bong'
Leaders of the New School 'Zearocks'
from 'T.I.M.E.' (1993) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Five On It: July 2009's Essentials ('Get Out My Life Woman' on Five On It)
Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 1)
Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 2)

Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton' (Part 3)

2009-08-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

It's fitting that our final look at N.W.A.'s debut album 'Straight Outta Compton' is post #187. Not only did the album murder the competition in 1988 (released on August 8th, 21 years ago tomorrow), it murdered Los Angeles' electro leanings and ushered in the age of G-Funk.

Ice Cube flies solo on N.W.A.'s track 'I Ain't the 1', produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella. The quirky song samples Brass Construction's 'The Message (Inspiration)' from their 1976 album 'Brass Construction II'. On the 'Dopeman' (Remix), N.W.A. rhyme over Herman Kelly and Life's essential B-boy cut 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat' from the 1978 album 'Percussion Explosion', but heavily re-released on the grey market later through the Ultimate Breakbeats series. N.W.A.'s b-side cut 'Quiet on tha Set' samples George McCrae's 'I Get Lifted' and former Five on It breakbeat of the month 'Rock Creek Park' by the Blackbyrds, produced by the inimitable Donald Byrd. On the album's final track, 'Something 2 Dance 2', N.W.A. join with L.A. legend Arabian Prince for a throwback electro dance number that samples the beat from Sly and the Family Stone's 'Dance to the Music' as well as 'You're the One for Me' by D-Train.

Following 'Straight Outta Compton', Ice Cube left the group over money disputes. In 1990, Ice Cube released his solo debut album 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' while N.W.A. followed with the '100 Miles and Runnin'' EP and 1991's 'Efil4zaggin' before dissolving entirely. In 1992, Dr. Dre found success on his own with his breakthrough debut album 'The Chronic'. Eazy-E would only release 2 EPs before his untimely death in 1995.

The Lowdown:
N.W.A. 'I Ain't the 1', 'Dopeman' (Remix), 'Quiet on tha Set', and 'Something 2 Dance 2'
from 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Brass Construction 'The Message (Inspiration)'
from 'Brass Construction II' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Herman Kelly and Life 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat'
from 'Percussion Explosion' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
George McCrae 'I Get Lifted'
from 'Rock Your Baby' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Blackbyrds 'Rock Creek Park'
from 'City Life' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Dance to the Music'
from 'Dance to the Music' (1968) (MP3/CD)
D-Train 'You're the One for Me'
from 'You're the One for Me' (1982) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 1)
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 2)
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 3)
Rewind: Dr. Dre 'The Chronic' (Part 1)
Rewind: Dr. Dre 'The Chronic' (Part 2)
The Breaks: Sly and the Family Stone 'Dance to the Music'
Five On It: April 2009's Essentials (Blackbyrds appearance)

Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton' (Part 2)

2009-08-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second look at N.W.A.'s monumental 1988 debut album 'Straight Outta Compton'.

On 'Parental Discretion iz Advised', the D.O.C. share vocal duties with N.W.A. on the mic making for an outstanding early Westside posse cut. The song, produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, samples 'I Turned You On' from the 1969 Isley Brothers album 'The Brothers: Isley'. On the N.W.A. remix of Eazy-E's solo cut '8 Ball', Eazy raps over the Pointer Sister's 'Yes We Can Can' (an Allen Toussaint cover), Kool and the Gang's hit 'Hollywood Swinging', and Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' (the last by way of Eazy-E's car radio). On 'Something Like That', Dre and MC Ren trade verses over Fat Larry's Band's 'Down on the Avenue' with additional samples of 'Take the Money and Run' by the Steve Miller Band. One of the album's biggest hits is the single 'Express Yourself' where Ice Cube rhymes about the downside of selling out and Dr. Dre rhymes about the downside of marijuana. Things changed. The basis for the song is Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's classic single 'Express Yourself' from their 1969 album also titled 'Express Yourself'.

Check back at our third and final look at N.W.A.'s album 'Straight Outta Compton'.

The Lowdown:
N.W.A. 'Parental Discretion iz Advised', '8 Ball' (Remix), 'Something Like That', and 'Express Yourself'
from 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988) (MP3/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'I Turned You On'
from 'The Brothers: Isley' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Pointer Sisters 'Yes We Can Can'
from 'The Pointer Sisters' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Hollywood Swinging'
from 'Wild and Peaceful' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Marvin Gaye 'Let's Get It On'
from 'Let's Get It On' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Fat Larry's Band 'Down on the Avenue'
from 'Feel It' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD)
Steve Miller Band 'Take the Money and Run'
from 'Fly Like an Eagle' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band 'Express Yourself'
from 'Express Yourself' (1969) (MP3/CD)

Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton' (Part 1)

2009-08-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

There are few albums that are both timeless and forever change the trajectory of the music following it; both of these things can be said of the 1988 debut LP from N.W.A.: 'Straight Outta Compton'. This three part post arc will take a look at the sample basis for the songs making up this controversial and legendary album that launched the careers of Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre.

Most of America was introduced to the bombast of gangsta rap by way of the album's polarizing open track and single 'Straight Outta Compton'. For the song, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella sampled most notably the break from the Winstons' 'Amen Brother'. Additionally, the song contains samples of 'Get Me Back on Time, Engine No. 9' by Wilson Pickett, Funkadelic's sampler's delight 'You'll Like it Too' from 1981, Ronnie Hudson and the Street People's 'West Coast Poplock', and Davy DMX's electro pulse 'One for the Treble'. The controversial 'F--- tha Police' contains samples of Marva Whitney's 'It's My Thing' produced by James Brown as well as two more James cuts: 'Funky Drummer' and 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'. Additionally, it samples to slices of funk from 1974: Roy Ayers Ubiquity's 'The Boogie Back' and Fancy's 'Feel Good' from the album 'Wild Thing'. The single 'Gangsta Gangsta' finds Ice Cube and Eazy-E rapping over a combination of the Ohio Players' 'Funky Worm', Kool and the Gang's 'N.T.', The Honey Drippers' 'Impeach the President', William Devaughn's classic 'Be Thankful for What You Got', and Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame's 'Weak at the Knees' from the 1983 album 'Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame Vol. 1'. MC Ren takes a solo shot on the cut 'It Ain't Ruff' which samples the Average White Band's 'A Star in the Ghetto' from their 1977 album 'Benny and Us'.

Check back for two more looks at N.W.A.'s 'Straight Outta Compton'.

The Lowdown:
N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton', 'F--- tha Police', 'Gangsta Gangsta', and 'It Ain't Ruff'
from 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988) (MP3/CD)
The Winstons 'Amen Brother'
from 'Color Him Father' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Wilson Pickett 'Get Me Back on Time, Engine No. 9'
from 'Wilson Pickett in Philadelphia' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic 'You'll Like it Too'
'Connections and Disconnections' (1981) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Ronnie Hudson and the Street People 'West Coast Poplock'
from 'West Coast Poplock' 12" (1982) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Davy DMX 'One for the Treble'
from 'One for the Treble' 12" (1984) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Marva Whitney 'It's My Thing'
from 'It's My Thing' (1969) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
James Brown 'Funky Drummer'
from 'Funky Drummer' 7" (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Roy Ayers Ubiquity 'The Boogie Back'
from 'Change Up the Groove' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Fancy 'Feel Good'
from 'Wild Thing' (1974) (MP3/Import CD)
Ohio Players 'Funky Worm'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'N.T.'
from 'Live at PJ's' (1972) (MP3/CD)
The Honey Drippers 'Impeach the President'
from 'Impeach the President' 7" (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
William DeVaughn 'Be Thankful for What You Got'
from 'Be Thankful for What You Got' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD)
Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame 'Weak at the Knees'
from 'Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame Vol. 1' (1983) (MP3/CD not available)
Average White Band 'A Star in the Ghetto'
from 'Benny and Us' (1977) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cut:
'West Coast Poplock' was sampled for a cut by N.W.A. for 'Straight Outta Compton', but Dr. Dre would later sample the same song for his gigantic hit single 'California Love' with 2Pac and Roger Troutman of Zapp.

Five On It: July 2009's Essentials

2009-07-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another installment of Five on It, the essential cuts covered in the last month. This month was brimming with excellent breaks, so it was hard to narrow it down to only five cuts; but all five of these tracks are sureshots that need to be in the arsenal of any good producer or DJ.

On our look at Nightmares on Wax's 'A Word of Science', we mentioned two classic breakbeats: Bob James' classic 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras' and Quincy Jones' 'Summer in the City'. Take a look at the original post for more info on Quincy Jones' song and the people who've sampled it throughout history. On the first part of our post about Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's 'Main Ingredient', they used the breakbeat from Deodato's 'September 13' as a sample. Look below for more on samples from Deodatos' 1972 album 'Prelude'. On our first look at 'Black Sunday' by Cypress Hill, we mentioned Lee Dorsey's monumental open break intro to 'Get Out of My Life Woman'. Look for a two-part post next month on the people who've sampled this track - there were too many for only one post. Finally, in the same post, Billy Cobham's jazz-funk drum blast 'Stratus' was mentioned - check out the several minute intro of open drum sounds before the track falls into a bass and drum groove sampled by Massive Attack among others.

The Lowdown:
Bob James 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras'
from 'Two' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Quincy Jones 'Summer in the City'
from 'You Got it Bad Girl' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Deodato 'September 13'
from 'Prelude' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The New Lee Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Billy Cobham 'Stratus'
from 'Spectrum' (1973) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Dedoato's 'Prelude' album contains the break 'September 13', but this isn't the only song sampled from this album. Check out the cut 'Spirit of Summer' sampled by the Dilated Peoples for their early non-album track 'The Ruggedness' in 1997 and sampled again three years later by fellow West Coast rapper Nobody on 'For Those Who Never Dream'.

Related Posts:
Rewind: Massive Attack 'Blue Lines' (Part 1) (Billy Cobham appearance)

Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 2)

2009-07-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second and final look at the sample source material of Mos Def's fourth solo album, 2009's 'The Ecstatic'.

Madlib's brother and label mate Oh No racks up another production credit on the album with his production on 'Pistola'. The track samples a song earlier re-released by the Stones Throw label: 'In the Rain' by the Wooden Glass from the compilation 'Funky 16 Corners'. Mr. Flash provides another production credit as well for Mos Def's 'Workers Comp' which samples 'If this World Were Mine' from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel's first duet album 'United'. A posthumous J Dilla beat appears on 'History', which finds Mos Def and Talib Kweli on another Motown based beat, this time sampling Mary Wells' single 'Two Lovers' History'. Finally, Mos Def and Andre Lyon share production duties on the closing track 'Casa Bey' which samples 'Casa Forte' by legendary Brazilian funk act Banda Black Rio's debut album 'Maria Fumaça'.

'The Ecstatic' has been the first Mos Def album to be both critically lauded and commercially accepted since his 1999 debut. The album, debuting on June 9th, 2009, placed in the top 10 on the Billboard album charts in its first week of release.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Pistola', 'Workers Comp', 'History', and 'Casa Bey'
from 'The Ecstatic' (2009) (MP3/CD)
The Wooden Glass 'In the Rain'
from 'Funky 16 Corners' (2001) (MP3/CD)
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel 'If this World Were Mine'
from 'United' (1967) (MP3 not available/CD)
Mary Wells 'Two Lovers' History'
from 'Servin' Up Some Soul' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Banda Black Rio 'Casa Forte'
from 'Maria Fumaça' (1977) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Related Posts:
The Breaks: Marlena Shaw 'California Soul' (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel appearance)
Producer Profile: Kanye West (Part 2, 2001-2002) (Talib Kweli appearance)

Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 1)

2009-07-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Following two disappointing LPs for Geffen, Mos Def rocketed himself back into underground hip-hop's radar with 2009's 'The Ecstatic'. With this album, he returned to form backed with some of hip-hop's best beatmakers. This two part post will demystify 'The Ecstatic''s sample sources.

'The Ecstatic''s opening track and first video single is the Oh No produced 'Supermagic'. Mos Def rhymes over a beat formerly used by Oh No on his own track 'Heavy' from 2007's 'Dr. No's Oxperiment'. The beat samples obscure Turkish singer Selda Bagcan (or just Selda)'s song 'Ince Ince' from her 1976 album 'Selda'. One of the album's standout tracks is 'Auditorium' where Mos trades verses with the ruler Slick Rick. The two ride Madlib's previously released instrumental 'Movie Finale' from his India themed album 'Beat Konducta 3 and 4: In India' from 2007. Madlib also provides the beat for Mos Def's 'Wahid' by sampling Bobby Hebb's 1970 track 'Flower'. Mos Def selected a beat from French producer Mr. Flash for 'Life in Marvelous Times'. The same backing track was previously used on Mr. Flash's own single 'Champions' which included a vocal cut with French rapper TTC and an instrumental version.

Check back for our second look at Mos Def's 'The Ecstatic'.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Supermagic', 'Auditorium', 'Wahid', and 'Life in Marvelous Times'
from 'The Ecstatic' (2009) (MP3/CD)
Oh No 'Heavy'
from 'Dr. No's Oxperiment' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Selda 'Ince Ince'
from 'Selda' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Madlib 'Movie Finale'
from 'Beat Konducta 3 and 4: In India' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Bobby Hebb 'Flower'
from 'Love Games' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Mr. Flash 'Champions' and 'Champions' (Instrumental)
from 'Champions' (2006) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both sides' (Part 1)
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both sides' (Part 2)

Pull Up: Fever Pitch Riddim

2009-07-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a sure shot riddim for the summer: Fever Pitch, one that is sure to make sweaty clubs go nuts. On this post, we'll explore some of the top cuts on the Fever Pitch Riddims for your summertime riddim running fun.

One of the first cuts on Fever Pitch is Bunny General's 'Full Up a Class' first appearing on 12" in 1992. This pivotal cut is overshadowed by a huge hit on the Fever Pitch in 1993: 'Limb by Limb' by Cutty Ranks, one of the biggest dancehall cuts from the 90s altogether. On his album 'Wickedness Increase', General Levy also rode the riddim in 1993 on his track 'Champagne Body' (a hit on its own). In 1994, the Fever Pitch was heavily adopted for "girl tracks". Among them is Janet Lee Davis' 'I Will Always Love You', Sweet Tea's 'Breathe Again', and Louchie Lou and Michie One's gigantic hit single 'If I was a Rich Girl'. 'If I was a Rich Girl' was loosely based on the 'Fiddler on the Roof' showtune 'If I Were a Rich Man' and was resurrected by Dr. Dre in 2004 for Gwen Stefani and Eve's single 'Rich Girl.

The Lowdown:
Bunny General 'Full Up a Class'
from 'Full Up a Class' 12" (1992) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Cutty Ranks 'Limb By Limb'
from 'Limb By Limb' (1993) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
General Levy 'Champagne Body'
from 'Wickedness Increase' (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
Janet Lee Davis 'I Will Always Love You'
from 'V/A - Fever Pitch' (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Sweet Tea 'Breathe Again'
from 'Breathe Again' 12" (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Louchie Lou and Michie One 'If I was a Rich Girl'
from 'II Be Free' (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Topol 'If I Was a Rich Man'
from 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1962) (MP3/CD)
Gwen Stefani and Eve 'Rich Girl'
from 'Love Angel Music Baby' (2004) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Pull Up: Stalag Riddim
Pull Up: Two Sevens Clash Riddim
Pull Up: Darker Shade of Black Riddm
Pull Up: Sleng Teng Riddim
Pull Up: I'm Still in Love with You Riddim
Pull Up: Drum Song Riddim

The Future: Benga

2009-07-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

I thought when I wrote a post last month about Skream, I figured I would have to write one too for Croydon's other dubstep phenomenon: Benga.

Benga, along with Skream, is one of the genre's originators beginning with 'Skank / Dose' for Big Apple in 2002, followed by singles for his own Benga Beats starting in 2004. In 2007, Benga appeared on the Planet µ compilation '200' with the track 'Broken Dubstep'. During the same year, he released what has become one of dubstep's most enduring singles: 'Night' with Coki. In 2008, he released his debut full length album 'Diary of an Afro Warrior', which includes heavy cuts like 'Crunked Up' and the single 'Pleasure'. Most recently, Benga has released his 'Buzzin' / One Million' single with the chunky A-side track 'Buzzin'' and the Fatboy Slim sampling cut 'One Million' that nabs some of the vocals from 'Star 69'.

For Seattleites: Benga will be appearing at this year's Decibel Festival, be sure to check him out.

The Lowdown:
Benga 'Skank'
from 'Skank / Dose' (2002) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Benga 'Broken Dubstep'
from '200' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Benga and Coki 'Night'
from 'Night' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Benga 'Crunked Up' and 'Pleasure'
from 'Diary of an Afro Warrior' (2008) (MP3/Import CD)
Benga 'Buzzin'' and 'One Million'
from 'Buzzin' / One Million' (2009) (MP3/CD not available)
Fatboy Slim 'Star 69'
from 'Halfway Between the Gutter and the Star' (2000) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
The Future: Flying Lotus
The Future: Skream