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

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: Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics 'Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop' (Part 2)

Welcome to the second part of our 3 part look at Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics' 1992 album 'Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop'.

'I'm Outta Here', produced by Diamond D and Showbiz samples the funk rock album cut 'Gotta Get Away' by the Flaming Embers. On 'Red Light, Green Light', Diamond rhymes over Baby Huey's 1971 song 'Hard Times' famously produced and written by Curtis Mayfield and 'Down by the River' by Band of Gypsys drummer Buddy Miles from his 1972 album 'Them Changes'. Jazzy Jay joins Diamond D on the mix for 'I Went for Mine' by using a sample from S.S.O. Orchestra's 'Faded Lady'. Diamond brings out some classic breaks on 'What You Seek' by sampling Sly and the Family Stones' single 'You Can Make it if You Try' and Kool and the Gang's 'Who's Gonna Take the Weight?'. For 'Lunchroom Chatter', the Psychotic Neurotics rhyme over Mel Brown's 'Indian Giver' and Jeff Beck's drum laden 'Come Dancing' from his 1976 album 'Wired'.

Check back for our final look at Diamond D's Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop' original sample sources.

The Lowdown:
Diamond and the Pyschotic Neurotics 'I'm Outta Here', 'Red Light, Green Light', 'I Went for Mine', 'What You Seek', and 'Lunchroom Chatter'
from 'Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Flaming Embers 'Gotta Get Away'
from 'Sunshine' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Baby Huey 'Hard Times'
from 'The Baby Huey Story' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Buddy Miles 'Down by the River'
'Them Changes' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
S.S.O. Orchestra 'Faded Lady'
from 'Shine Your Light' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Sly and the Family Stone 'You Can Make it if You Try'
from 'Stand' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Who's Gonna Take the Weight?'
from 'Live at the Sex Machine' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)
Mel Brown 'Indian Giver'
from 'Blues for We' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Jeff Beck 'Come Dancing'
from 'Wired' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD)

Five On It: May 2009's Essentials

Here it is, this month's Five On It: the most necessary breaks of the past month distilled for maximum usability / listenability. This month had some burning hot cuts and also had some big tracks from our James Brown week. Check out what we've got for you.

UGK's 'Hard to Swallow' review was full of classic breaks, two of which we'll highlight this month. Bill Withers' 'Still Bill' is a classic album and no cut is more useful for slo-mo tracks than the hit 'Use Me'. Also, other 'Superfly album cuts have been previously featured as Five On It picks, but this month highlights the single 'Freddie's Dead' for its usefulness to producers. James Brown week featured a look at James Brown's 1974 album 'Hell' and featured the big cut 'My Thang', which may not be the first break one would pick from J.B.'s archive, but is a heavy one. Also featured during our look at James Brown was Myra Barnes' 'Message from the Soul Sisters' when we looked at the numerous songs that sampled that break. Finally, during our look at Ice Cube's 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted', we mentioned Funkadelic's heavy 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On' from the album of the same title. It's no secret that P-Funk samples make up a large part of West Coast hip-hop history, and this song is no exception.

The Lowdown:
Bill Withers 'Use Me'
from 'Still Bill' (1972)(MP3/Import CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Freddie's Dead'
from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'My Thang'
from 'Hell' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Myra Barnes 'Message from the Soul Sisters'
from 'Message from the Soul Sisters' 7" (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Funkadelic 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On'
from 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On' (1974) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Bill Withers' 'Use Me' intro drums have always been a popular sampling source, but that shouldn't take away from the impact of the song itself, which was covered many times by great artists. Esther Phillips delivered a version of 'Use Me' as did Isaac Hayes who played a live version of 'Use Me' at the Sahara Tahoe. In 1981, Grace Jones had a spooky version of 'Use Me' as only Grace Jones could. The original was recently sampled by Kanye West for Nas' track 'Still Dreaming'.

Rewind: UGK 'Too Hard to Swallow'

Underground Kingz formed in 1987, but would only self release a handful of EPs until their 1992 major label debut 'Too Hard to Swallow'. UGK's debut features a who's who of sampled artists, making it one of the early 90s best produced efforts.

The opening track 'Something Good' produced by Bernie Bismark and Shetoro Henderson samples Rufus and Chaka Khan's hit 'Tell Me Something Good' from Rufus' 1973 album 'Rags to Rufus'. Bill Withers' slow motion break on 'Use Me' is the perfect sample for Texas' slow motion raps on UGK's 'Use Me Up', produced by Pimp C. 'Cocaine in the Back of the Ride' does a great job of thematically sampling Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly soundtrack hit single 'Freddie's Dead'. UGK's 'Crampin' My Style' samples former Five On It winner 'Between the Sheets' from the Isley Brothers' 1982 album of the same name. Finally, the Isleys are sampled again on the Pimp C produced 'I'm So Bad' which samples 'I Turned You On' from the 1969 Isley Brothers album 'The Brothers: Isley'.

UGK followed 'Too Hard to Swallow' with five albums leading to 2007's #1 album 'Underground Kingz', formerly reviewed in this blog. UGK recently released their final album 'UGK 4 Life', completing the work Pimp C and Bun B started before Pimp C untimely death.

The Lowdown:
UGK 'Something Good', 'Use Me Up', 'Cocaine in the Back of the Ride', 'Crampin' My Style', and 'I'm So Bad'
from 'Too Hard to Swallow' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Rufus and Chaka Khan 'Tell Me Something Good'
from 'Rags to Rufus' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Bill Withers 'Use Me'
from 'Still Bill' (1972) (MP3/Import CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Freddie's Dead'
from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'Between the Sheets'
from 'Between the Sheets' (1982) (MP3/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'I Turned You On'
from 'The Brothers: Isley' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Related Posts:
UGK 'Underground Kingz' (Part 1)
UGK 'Underground Kingz' (Part 2)

Rewind: Kanye West 'Late Registration' (Part 1)

In 2005, following the success of his debut album 'The College Dropout', Kanye West dropped his follow up album 'Late Registration'. This two part post will cover the sample sources from Kanye's sophomore effort.

The single 'Heard 'Em Say' (with a hook by Maroon 5's Adam Levine for whatever reason - they're famous?) produced by West and Jon Brion contains a sample of Natalie Cole's 'Someone That I Used to Love'. Just Blaze produced the much higher charting single 'Touch the Sky' with Lupe Fiasco, which utilizes as excellent (and very much slowed down) sample of Curtis Mayfield's 'Move On Up' from his essential 1970 album 'Curtis'. The album's biggest hit and an inescapable single for 2005 and 2006 is Kanye's 'Gold Digger' with Jamie Foxx. The song famously samples Ray Charles' 50s hit 'I Got a Woman' from his 'Rock and Roll Forever' LP. The slow motion track 'Drive Slow' with Paul Wall and GLC finds Kanye West using the track 'Wildflower' from Hank Crawford's album of the same title.

Check back for the second part of our look at 'Late Registration'.

The Lowdown:
Kanye West 'Heard 'Em Say', 'Touch the Sky', 'Gold Digger', and 'Drive Slow'
from 'Late Registration' (2005) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Heard 'Em Say', 'Touch the Sky', 'Gold Digger', and 'Drive Slow'
Natalie Cole 'Someone that I Used to Love'
from 'I've Got Love on My Mind' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Move on Up'
from 'Curtis' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Ray Charles and His Band 'I Got a Woman'
from 'Rock and Roll Forever' (1956) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Hank Crawford 'Wildflower'
from 'Wildflower' (1973) (MP3/Import CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Kanye West 'College Dropout' (Part 1)
Rewind: Kanye West 'College Dropout' (Part 2)

Rewind: Mary J. Blige 'My Life' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our two part look at Mary J. Blige's Puffy and the Hitmen produced album 'My Life' from 1994.

The album's biggest hit was its fourth single, 'I'm Goin' Down'. The track is a cover of Rose Royce's single 'I'm Going Down' from the soundtrack to the movie 'Car Wash' (better known for its title track). 'I Love You', a top 40 R&B single, samples Isaac Hayes' 'The Look of Love' and 'Ike's Mood I', both from Hayes' essential 1971 album '...To Be Continued'. Finally, the album's first single 'Be Happy' features a sample of Curtis Mayfield's 'You're So Good to Me' from his later career album 'Heartbeat' and also uses Jimmy Spicer's early 80s single 'Money (Dollar Bill Ya'll)'.

'My Life' was another bona fide success for Mary J. Blige and Puff Daddy's camp, producing a handful of singles and staying on top of the Billboard R&B album charts for eight consecutive weeks. However, with Uptown records falling apart, this would be her final album produced with such large input from the Hitmen production team.

The Lowdown:
Mary J. Blige 'I'm Goin' Down', 'I Love You', and 'Be Happy'
from 'My Life' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Rose Royce 'I'm Going Down'
from 'Car Wash' (1976) (MP3/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'The Look of Love' (Radio Edit) and 'Ike's Mood I' (Radio Edit)
from '...To Be Continued' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'You're So Good to Me'
from 'Heartbeat' (1979) (MP3/CD not available)
Jimmy Spicer 'Money (Dollar Bill Ya'll)'
from 'Money' 12" (1983) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Rewind: Mary J. Blige 'My Life' (Part 1)

Following the runaway success of her debut album, Mary J. Blige returned two years later with her second album titled 'My Life' which was produced almost entirely by Puff Daddy and the Hitmen and generated six singles. This two part arc will cover the hits and samples from Mary's 'My Life'.

The album's second single 'Mary Jane' samples the Rick James produced 80s hit 'All Night Long' by the Mary Jane Girls. 'You Bring Me Joy', which floated just outside of Billboard's Top 50 singles in 1995, samples Barry White's hit 'It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me' from his breakout hit album 'Sings a Song for Someone You Love' from 1976. As an aside, doesn't 'Sings a Song...' have one of the worst covers from the 70s - a locket on some discolored shag carpeting? Damn. The album track 'I'm the Only Woman' samples Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly'-era single 'Give Me Your Love', a standout from his film soundtrack.

Check back for our second batch of Mary J. Blige tracks from 'My Life' and their sample sources.

The Lowdown:
Mary J. Blige 'Mary Jane', 'You Bring Me Joy', and 'I'm the Only Woman'
from 'My Life' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Mary Jane Girls 'All Night Long'
from 'Mary Jane Girls' (1983) (MP3 not available/CD)
Barry White 'It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me'
from 'Sings a Song for Someone You Love' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Give Me Your Love'
from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Source Material: Curtis Mayfield 'Superfly'

Five On It: January 2009's Essentials

January was a burner on this blog! On some months, it's a no-brainer to pick five essential beats, but this month we covered so many heavy beats that it was hard to pick a top five. That being said, this months Five On It is all killer.

For our review of James Brown's classic blaxploitation soundtrack 'Black Caesar', we mentioned the influence of James' 'The Boss', a career defining bad ass anthem. During our review of the samples used on Spice 1's 'Spice 1', we mentioned the classic Funkadelic cut 'One Nation Under a Groove' that should already be a part of your party rocking playlist. James couldn't be confined by one beat on is month's list: 'Funky President (People It's Bad)' was mentioned in our second look at DJ Premier's production work and coincidentally during the month of the inauguration of America's funky president. A happy coincidence, I assure you.

During our first look at Ghostface's 'Supreme Clientele', we mentioned the breakbeat party starter 'Do the Funky Chicken' by Rufus Thomas, one of the many serious Stax breaks by the king of dances that will no doubt be covered in future blog posts. Finally, from the second look at 'Supreme Clientele' is the Curtis Mayfield produced 'Hard Times' by the Living Legend Baby Huey. Look below for more Baby Huey breaks.

The Lowdown:
James Brown 'The Boss'
from 'Black Caesar' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic 'One Nation Under a Groove'
from 'One Nation Under a Groove' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Rufus Thomas 'Do the Funky Penguin'
from 'The Crown Prince of Dance' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Baby Huey 'Hard Times'
from 'The Living Legend' (1970) (MP3/CD)

BONUS CUTS:
'The Living Legend' by Baby Huey is full outstanding breaks used regularly by producers. 'Listen to Me' was sampled for both Eric B. and Rakim's 'Follow the Leader' and Public Enemy's 'Revolutionary Generation' while the wah guitar squall and heavy drums of 'Runnin'' and the full out funk party of 'Mighty Mighty' are ripe for the plucking. 'The Living Legend' is the lone album by Baby Huey, released after his untimely death. One can only imagine the albums he could've made if his career wasn't cut so short.

Rewind: Ghostface Killah 'Supreme Clientele' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our 3 part look at 'Supreme Clientele' by Ghostface Killah.

'Supreme Clientele''s RZA produced Wu posse cut is 'Buck 50', which I presume is one of the album's 50 Cent disses. RZA samples the Curtis Mayfield produced 'Hard Times' by Baby Huey from his lone, posthumous album 'The Living Legend' from 1970. Mathematics produced the beat for Ghost's 'Mighty Healthy', which samples 'Wish That I Could Talk to You' from the Sylver's self titled 1972 album as well as James Brown's 'Funky President' from 1975's 'Reality'. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' 'Hope That We Can Be Together Soon' plays behind the skit titled 'Woodrow the Basshead' (sorry, no download for this one - you'll have to buy the full album to hear it) to excellent effect. Finally, Inspectah Deck samples David Axelrod's 'Strange Ladies'-era song 'Terri's Tune' for Ghostface's 'Stay True (Deck's Beat)'. Inspectah is digging in the crates for that one!

Check back for the third and final part of our look at 'Supreme Clientele'.

The Lowdown:
Ghostface Killah 'Buck 50', 'Mighty Healthy', 'Woodrow the Basshead', and 'Stay True (Deck's Beat)'
from 'Supreme Clientele' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Baby Huey 'Hard Times'
from 'The Living Legend' (1970) (MP3/CD)
The Sylvers 'Wish That I Could Talk to You'
from 'The Sylvers' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes 'Hope That We Can Be Together Soon'
from 'To Be True' (1975) (MP3/CD not available)
David Axelrod 'Terri's Tune'
from 'Strange Ladies' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Rewind: Spice 1 'Spice 1'

1992's 'Spice 1' is the proper debut album from Bay Area rapper Spice 1 if one excludes the independent release 'Let it Be Known' from a year previous. The controversial, gritty lyrics of 'Spice 1' are matched perfectly with the production of Ant Banks throughout the album. This post will cover the sample basis of this album.

The album opener 'In My Neighborhood' samples the 1977 George Duke song 'Reach for it' from his album of the same title. 'Peace to My Nine' is injected with a bit of G-funk via Funkadelic's 'One Nation Under a Groove'. Ant Banks samples two legends on 'Money of Murder': Isaac Hayes' post-'Shaft' single 'Joy' and Curtis Mayfield's 'Sweet Exorcist'-era album cut 'Make Me Believe in You'. Finally, Spice 1's nightmarish 'City Streets' makes use of the title track from the Dramatics' 1971 Stax/Volt album 'Whatcha See is Whatcha Get', one of my personal favorite soul singles of all time (why aren't more people using this one?).

Spice 1 would go on to release six albums on a major label through the rest of the 90s and early 00s and has released many more albums via independent labels since.

The Lowdown:
Spice 1 'In My Neighborhood', 'Peace to My Nine', 'Money or Murder', and 'City Streets'
from 'Spice 1' (1992) (MP3/CD)
George Duke 'Reach for it'
from 'Reach for it' (1977) (MP3/Import CD)
Funkadelic 'One Nation Under a Groove'
from 'One Nation Under a Groove' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Joy'
from 'Joy' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Make Me Believe in You'
from 'Sweet Exorcist' (1974) (MP3/CD)
The Dramatics 'Whatcha See is Whatcha Get'
from 'Whatcha See is Whatcha Get' (1971) (MP3/CD)

Rewind: Jay-Z 'American Gangster' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our look at the samples used in the making of 'American Gangster'.

Dirty south extraordinaire DJ Toomp lends his production skills for Jay-Z's 'Say Hello', using samples of Tom Brock's 'The Love We Share is the Greatest of Them All' from 1974's 'I Love You More and More'. Chicago's No I.D. (producer for Common and ghost producer for Jermaine Dupri) works alongside Jermaine Dupri on the beat for Jay-Z's 'Success', which samples an rare funk track called 'Funky Thing' (Part 1) by Larry Ellis and the Black Hammer. Dupri and No I.D. sample the Dramatics' 'Fell for You' from 1972's 'A Dramatic Experience' for the 'American Gangster' album track 'Fallin''. The album's first and most successful single (which, still, failed to break the through the top 50 on the Billboard singles chart) is the Neptunes produced 'Blue Magic', which samples En Vogue's 1990 hit single 'Hold On'. Just Blaze closes the album with the album's title track, sampling 'Short Eyes' by Curtis Mayfield from the soundtrack to the movie 'Short Eyes'.

'American Gangster' was highly acclaimed upon its release, especially compared to Jay-Z's shrugworthy return from retirement album 'Kingdom Come'. If internet rumors are to be believed, Jay-Z will drop another album before year's end titled 'Blueprint 3', which will undoubtedly be reviewed once it is out.

The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Say Hello', 'Success', 'Fallin'', 'Blue Magic', and 'American Gangster'
from 'American Gangster' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Tom Brock 'The Love We Share is the Greatest of Them All'
from 'I Love You More and More' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Larry Ellis and the Black Hammer 'Funky Thing' (Part 1)
The Dramatics 'Fell for You'
from 'A Dramatic Experience' (1972) (MP3/CD)
En Vogue 'Hold On'
from 'Born to Sing' (1990) (MP3 not available/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Short Eyes'
from 'Short Eyes' (1977) (MP3/CD not available)

Rewind: Kanye West 'Graduation' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of this blogs look at Kanye West's 'Graduation' album.

'Graduation''s lead single, just missing the Billboard top 40, is the Kanye and DJ Toomp produced 'Can't Tell Me Nothing'. Call it inspiration, recycling, or just getting bonus production credits; but a previous production by Toomp, Young Jeezy and T.I.'s 'I Got Money', is a sample source on 'Nothing'. Clever. The mighty Mos Def appears with Kanye on one of the album's stranger cuts, the West and Jon Brion produced 'Drunk and Hot Girls' that plunders Can's 70s Krautrock freak out 'Sing Swan Song' from Ege Bamyasi. 'Ege Bamyasi' is notable for it's breakbeat heavy 'Vitamin C', so it's odd (and refreshing) to hear another track being sampled. Even more clever.



One of the album's better singles (you can't hate on the remix verse by R. Kelly - brilliant) is the Kanye / Eric Hudson track 'Flashing Lights' which sneaks in a sample of 'Little Child Runnin' Wild' from Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly' (covered in depth in a previous post on this blog). 'The Glory', produced by West, Plain Pat, and Gee Robertson incorporates Laura Nyro's late 60s folk joint 'Save the Country' into the mix.

Though 'Graduation' met uneven reviews upon its release, especially in comparison to its predecessors, it still pushes hip-hop and sampling further when the art is seemingly devoid in mainstream hip-hop. Who else at this level of fame is still digging deep for weird beats to put on their album?

The Lowdown:
Kanye West 'Can't Tell Me Nothing', 'Drunk and Hot Girls', 'Flashing Lights', and 'The Glory'
from 'Graduation' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Can't Tell Me Nothing', 'Drunk and Hot Girls', 'Flashing Lights', and 'The Glory'
Young Jeezy and T.I. 'I Got Money'
from 'The Inspiration' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'I Got Money'
Can 'Sing Swan Song'
from 'Ege Bamyasi' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Little Child Runnin' Wild'
from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Laura Nyro 'Save the Country'
from 'New York Tendaberry' (1968) (MP3/Import CD)

BONUS CUTS:
As Mentioned above, Can's 'Ege Bamyasi' is known for it's beats-for-days breakbeat track 'Vitamin C', but also features some sleeper cuts like the song 'Spoon'. 'Ege Bamyasi' is an adventurous listen, but rewarding for beat heads.