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

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)

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

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: Nightmares on Wax 'A Word of Science'

This year, independent electronic label Warp Records will be celebrating their 20th anniversary. This may not mean a lot to hip-hop fans, but Warp has released some great downtempo hip-hop albums. One of them is 1991's debut album by Nightmares on Wax titled 'A Word of Science'. This post will cover the sample sources of some of N.O.W.'s classic cuts and may even turn a few hip-hop heads towards Warp's direction.

The opening song to the album is 'Nights Interlude', a fantastic downtempo joint that pounds out live. The song samples 'Summer in the City', the highlight from Quincy Jones' 1973 album 'You Got it Bad Girl'. Look below for more on this track and the songs that have sampled it. On 'Coming Down', Nightmares on Wax samples Bob James' breakbeat extravaganza 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras' from his 1975 album 'Two'. 'A Case of Funk' samples the proto-disco track 'Sing Sing' by Gaz, which has in the last two decades come to be the defining sample in Baltimore Club's brash club beats. For 'Playtime', N.O.W. samples the popular break from Tom Scott and the L.A. Express' 'Sneakin' in the Back' from their eponymous 1974 album. Nightmares on Wax's earliest hit single is the throbbing 'Aftermath', which famously samples vocals from Cuba Gooding's 1983 single 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend'. Finally, on 'Back into Time', Steve Miller Band's 'Fly Like an Eagle' weaves its way in and out of the mix.

Since 1991, Nightmares on Wax has gone onto release five more albums, each with lazy day hip-hop speed instrumentals that are perfect for backyard barbecue soundtracks. Don't sleep on N.O.W. and don't sleep on these samples!

The Lowdown:
Nightmares on Wax 'Nights Interlude', 'Coming Down', 'A Case of Funk', 'Playtime', 'Aftermath', and 'Back into Time'
from 'A Word of Science' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Quincy Jones 'Summer in the City'
from 'You Got it Bad Girl' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Bob James 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras'
from 'Two' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Gaz 'Sing Sing'
from 'Gaz' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Tom Scott and the L.A. Express 'Sneakin' in the Back'
from 'Tom Scott and the L.A. Express' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)
Cuba Gooding 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend'
from 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend' (1983) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Steve Miller Band 'Fly Like and Eagle'
from 'Fly Like an Eagle' (1974) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Quincy Jones' haunting rendition of 'Summer in the City' is the choice for most funk and hip-hop fans, but classic rock people are more familiar with the original 'Summer in the City' by the Lovin' Spoonful (although, it too was sampled by J Dilla for De La Soul's 'Thru Ya City'). Quincy Jones' track was sampled by Nightmares on Wax in 1991, but has been sampled many more times since: most famously on the J-Swift produced 'Passin' Me By' by the Pharycde, in 1996 on the Roots' 'Clones', and on the 2000 Allstar produced remix of Joe's 'Stutter' with Mystikal.

Producer Profile: J Dilla (part 6, 2004-2005)

With J Dilla's reputation for heavy beats growing and a series of releases on his own, Dilla was able to place beats on some high profile projects. This post will cover snippets of his 2004-2005 output that include three of his highest profile productions.

In 2004, Blue Note Records enlisted producers to remix tracks from their back catalog. Dilla remixed Brother Jack McDuff's 1969 track 'Oblighetto' for 'Blue Note Revisited'. Jack McDuff's original track appeared on his sought after album 'Moon Rappin''. Also in 2004, Dilla landed a beat on De La Soul's first album in 3 years: 'The Grind Date'. The album contains two beats by J Dilla (three on the international version), 'Much More' (which was famously featured on 'Chapelle's Show') samples parts of Shuggie Otis' 'Strawberry Letter 23' (which would become a hit for the Brothers Johnson, but would never be bested) and L.T.D.'s 'Love Ballad' from 1975's 'Love to the World'. In 2005, Dilla contributed two more beats to Common's latest album 'Be', which was produced entirely by Kanye West with the exception of Dilla's tracks. 'Love Is...' utilizes Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' B-Side cut 'God is Love' to great effect.

During this same time period, reports of J Dilla's illness started to recieve press. By the end of 2005, Dilla was confined to a wheel chair as a symptom of TTP. On February 10, 2006 died - only three days after the release of his opus 'Donuts'. Our next look at Dilla will cover his final and posthumously released production work.

The Lowdown:
Brother Jack McDuff 'Oblighetto' (Dilla Mix)
from 'Blue Note Revisited' (2004) (MP3 not available/CD)
Brother Jack McDuff 'Oblighetto'
from 'Moon Rappin''(1969) (MP3/CD not available)
De La Soul 'Much More'
from 'The Grind Date' (2004) (MP3/CD)
Shuggie Otis 'Strawberry Letter 23'
from 'Freedom Flight' (1971) (MP3/CD)
L.T.D. 'Love Ballad'
from 'Love to the World' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Common 'God Is...'
from 'Be' (2005) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'God Is...'
Marvin Gaye 'God is Love'
from 'What's Going On' (1971) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 1, 1995)
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 2, 1996-1997)
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 3, 1998-1999)
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 4, 2000)
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 5, 2001-2003)

Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 4, 2000)

Welcome to part 4 of this blog's look at J Dilla's production career.

2000 saw a string of high profile beats appearing on albums by mainstream artists with, as always, difficult and unusual sample sources. His beat for Busta Rhymes' 'Show Me What You Got' from the album 'Anarchy' featured a sample from the indie band Stereolab's 'Come and Play in the Milky Night' released just a year earlier (check back for the next post in our look at J Dilla for another link between Dilla and Stereolab). Dilla also landed a beat on De La Soul's arguably misguided album 'Art Official Intelligence'. The Dilla produced 'Thru Ya City' samples the Lovin' Spoonful's classic rock hit 'Summer in the City'.

J Dilla also worked extensively with the Soulquarians in 2000. The year saw the release of the Soulquarians produced album 'Like Water for Chocolate' by Common and the hit single 'The Light' that samples Bobby Caldwell's 'Open Your Eyes'. An even bigger hit for the Soulquarians and for Dilla was Erykah Badu's giant hit 'Didn't Cha Know' from her album 'Mama's Gun'. The song samples the relatively unknown act Tarika Blue and the song 'Dreamflower' from their self-titled 1977 album.

Check back for part 5 of our look at Dilla's career including production work for his own emerging career.

The Lowdown:
Busta Rhymes 'Show Me What You Got'
from 'Anarchy' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit:'Show Me What You Got'
Stereolab 'Come and Play in the Milky Night'
from 'Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night' (1999) (MP3/CD)
De La Soul 'Thru Ya City'
from 'Art Official Intelligence' (2000) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Lovin' Spoonful 'Summer in the City'
from 'Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful' (1966) (MP3/CD)
Common 'The Light'
from 'Like Water for Chocolate' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'The Light'
Bobby Caldwell 'Open Your Eyes'
from 'Cat in the Hat' (1982) (MP3/CD not available)
Erykah Badu 'Didn't Cha Know'
from 'Mama's Gun' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Tarika Blue 'Dreamflower'
from 'Tarika Blue' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Producer Profile: 9th Wonder (Part 1, 2003)

During the late 90's, armed with Fruity Loops production software, 9th Wonder began working with friends Phonte and Big Pooh under the name Little Brother. 2003 would see the release of Little Brother's debut album, 'The Listening', though it's underground success would be overshadowed by 9th Wonder's mainstream breakthrough.

Much like Danger Mouse, 9th Wonder's big break was making an unauthorized remix album for Nas' 'God's Son' album in 2002. This led to A&R interest and landed his production for 'Threat' on 'Black Album'. 'Threat' cribs Jay's sometimes collaborator R. Kelly's 2000 track 'A Woman's Threat'. Real talk. Another high profile beat also landed on De La Soul's 2003 album 'The Grind Date'. Sampling a block party classic, Pleasure's 'Reality', 9th Wonder laced De La with 'Church'. Little Brother experiences limited success, leading to a major label deal for their next album. 'The Listening''s lead single 'Whatever You Say' landed Little Brother with underground cred and proper beats.

Check back to this blog for more of 9th Wonder's exploits. In part 2 of his Producer Profile, we'll see 9th as he produces a full album for Murs and drops a major single with Destiny's Child in 2004. on Jay-Z's hugely successful

The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Threat'
from 'The Black Album' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Threat'
R. Kelly 'A Woman's Threat'
from 'TP-2.com' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'A Woman's Threat'
De La Soul 'Church'
from 'The Grind Date' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Pleasure 'Reality'
from 'Dust Yourself Off' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Little Brother 'Whatever You Say'
from 'The Listening' (2003) (MP3/CD)
BONUS CUT:
The instrumental for 'Whatever You Say'.

Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 2, 1996-1997)

Following the limited success of 'Runnin'' by the Pharcyde, J Dilla (then, as Jay Dee) scored his second single 'Stakes is High' for De La Soul. 'Stakes is High', like 'Runnin'', was not initially successful but is now seen as one the essential mid 90s East Coast singles. The trademark laid-back beat for 'Stakes is High' is cut partially from James Brown's 'Mind Power' from his landmark album 'The Payback'. Dilla met Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest through Amp Fiddler in 1995, leading to the formation of the Ummah with Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Tip in 1996. One of the Ummah's most notable production credits is on Janet Jackson's 1997 single 'Got Til It's Gone', which famously interpolates Joni Mitchell's 1970 hit 'Big Yellow Taxi'. Though the actual production credits are still argued, the liner notes claim the producers of 'Got Til It's Gone' are Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, but many hip-hop fans contend that the beat is obviously by the Ummah.

In addition to breaking into the charts with the Ummah, Dilla was still trying to launch his own group, Slum Village. Slum Village, though not making an impression on Q-Tip at first, toured with A Tribe Called Quest in 1998. Due to problems with their label A&M, their 1997 album, 'Fan-tas-tic Vol. 1' was never officially released until 2005 (five years after the sequel was released). 'Fan-tas-tic Vol. 1' gives insight to Slum Village in an early stage and offers up some early Dilla beats. 'Forth & Back', in particular, shines with a sample from Herbie Hancock's 'I Thought it Was You'.

In a future post of this blog, we'll see Dilla's stock rise with Ummah's production for ATCQ's 'The Love Movement' and the formation of the Soulquarians.

The Lowdown:
De La Soul 'Stakes is High'
from 'Stakes is High' (1996) (MP3 not available/CD)
James Brown 'Mind Power'
from 'The Payback' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Janet Jackson 'Got Til It's Gone'
from 'The Velvet Rope' (1997) (MP3/CD)
Joni Mitchell 'Big Yellow Taxi'
from 'Ladies of the Canyon' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Slum Village 'Forth & Back'
from 'Fan-tas-tic Vol. 1' (1997) (MP3/CD)
Herbie Hancock 'I Thought it Was You'
from 'Sunlight' (1977) (MP3/CD)