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

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)

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

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

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: 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: Massive Attack 'Blue Lines' (Part 1)

Following success with the Wild Bunch, the members of Massive Attack released one of the then-unnamed genre of trip-hop's defining albums: 1991's 'Blue Lines'. Like its hip-hop predecessors, 'Blue Lines' contains more than its fair share of sampled breaks. This two part look at 'Blue Lines' will cover Massive Attack's sample sources.

The album's opening track and highest charting single is the hypnotic 'Safe from Harm'. The track samples its bassline from Billy Cobham's 1973 song 'Stratus' from the album 'Spectrum' as well as drum fills from Funkadelic's 'Good Ole Music'. The title track 'Blue Lines' samples Tom Scott and L.A. Express' necessary breakbeat 'Sneakin' In the Back' and the Donald Byrd produced b-boy classic 'Rock Creek Park' from the Blackbyrds' 1975 album 'City Life'. Massive Attack do a cover of William DeVaughn's 'Be Thankful for What You Got' on their similarly titled 'Be Thankful for What You've Got'. The group use another classic break on 'Five Man Army': Al Green's slo-mo intro drum fill on 'I'm Glad You're Mine' from his legendary album 'I'm Still in Love with You'.

Check back for part 2 of our look at 'Blue Lines'.

The Lowdown:
Massive Attack 'Safe from Harm', 'Blue Lines', 'Be Thankful for What You've Got', and 'Five Man Army'
from 'Blue Lines' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Billy Cobham 'Stratus'
from 'Spectrum' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic 'Good Ole Music'
from 'Funkadelic' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD)
Tom Scott and the L.A. Express 'Sneakin' in the Back'
from 'Tom Scott and the L.A. Express' (1973) (MP3/CD not available)
The Blackbyrds 'Rock Creek Park'
from 'City Life' (1975) (MP3/CD)
William DeVaughn 'Be Thankful for What You Got'
from 'Be Thankful for What You Got' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD)
Al Green 'I'm Glad You're Mine'
from 'I'm Still in Love with You' (1972) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
The title track from 'Blue Lines' was sampled on Barry Adamson's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' released only a few years after Massive Attack's album. The song is notable for its use in David Lynch's film 'Lost Highway'.

Related Posts:
Source Material: Marvin Gaye 'I Want You' (Massive Attack appearance)

Rewind: Scarface 'Mr. Scarface is Back' (Part 2)

Welcome to the second part of our look at Scarface's 1991 debut album 'Mr. Scarface is Back'.

Scarface's 'Diary of a Madman' borrows licks from George Clinton's often sampled 'Atomic Dog'. 'Good Girl Gone Bad' samples more Clinton by way of Funkadelic's 'Good Ole Music' from their 1970 debut album. The track also samples Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' later-career song 'Do Like I Do'. The album's second single, 'A Minute to Pray and a Second to Die', is built on a double shot of Motown classics: 'What's Going On' and 'Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)' both from Marvin Gaye's 1971 magnum opus 'What's Going On'. 'A Minute to Pray...' also samples 'Kissin' My Love' from Bill Withers' hit album 'Still Bill'. The album's final track titled 'I'm Dead' samples its break from the forever funk Meters, using the track 'Thinking' from their 1970 album 'Look-ka Py Py'.

Within two years, 'Mr. Scarface is Back' sold over 500,000 units in the United States and has since been lauded as one of the most important hip-hop albums, not to mention one of the essential releases from Texas' hip-hop scene. In the years after 'Mr. Scarface', his solo career outshined the Geto Boys leading to a series of well recieved albums throughout the 90s and the 00s.

The Lowdown:
Scarface 'Diary of a Madman', 'Good Girl Gone Bad', 'A Minute to Pray and a Second to Die', and 'I'm Dead'
from 'Mr. Scarface is Back' (1991) (MP3/CD)
George Clinton 'Atomic Dog'
from 'Computer Games' (1982) (MP3 not available/CD)
Funkadelic 'Good Ole Music'
from 'Funkadelic' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD)
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 'Do Like I Do'
from 'Smokey's Family Robinson' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Marvin Gaye 'What's Goin' On?' and 'Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)'
from 'What's Going On' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Bill Withers 'Kissin' My Love'
from 'Still Bill' (1971) (MP3/CD)
The Meters 'Thinking'
from 'Look-ka Py Py' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: Kanye West (Part 2, 2001-2002) (Scarface Appearance)
Source Material: Marvin Gaye 'Trouble Man'

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: 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: Dr. Dre 'The Chronic' (Part 1)

After splitting with N.W.A., production credits for Above the Law and the D.O.C., signing to Death Row, and debuting on the 'Deep Cover' soundtrack; the stage was set for Dr. Dre to drop his solo album 'The Chronic' at the end of 1992. It was an instant success, critically acclaimed, and became the new high watermark for West Coast hip-hop. This two-post arc will cover the sample sources of Dr. Dre's undisputed hip-hop classic.

The two minute opening diss-a-thon 'The Chronic (Intro)' samples Solomon Burke's cover of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' and most notably nicks the famous Moog synthesizer tone from the Ohio Players' early single 'Funky Worm'. The excellent single 'Dre Day', a top 10 hit in 1993, samples a grip of Parliament Funkadelic classics whose prevalent song samples are the source of the West Coast G Funk sound. 'Dre Day' samples Parliament's 'Funkentelechy', 'Aquaboogie', 'The Big Bang Theory', and Funkadelic's 1979 track '(Not Just) Knee Deep'. 'Let Me Ride', which surprisingly barely broke the top 40, also hits up George Clinton for samples. The song is built mostly on Parliament's huge single 'Mothership Connection' from the classic 1976 album of the same name while also sampling bits of the live version of 'Swing Down, Sweet Chariot' from Parliament's 'Live: P Funk Earth Tour'. Dre also samples James Brown's 'Funky Drummer' and Bill Withers' 'Kissin' My Love'.

'The Chronic''s biggest single by far was 'Nuthin' but a G Thang' which peaked one spot away from #1 in 1993 (and #1 on the rap charts). The song introduced much of America and the world to Snoop Doggy Dogg's laid back West Coast swagger and became a summer anthem. The most prominent sample in 'G Thang' is a version of Leon Haywood's 'I Wanna Do Something Freaky to You' replayed note for note by a studio band to avoid paying some royalties. The track also utilizes a sample of 'Uphill Battle' from Kid Dynamite's self-titled 1976 album.

Check back for part 2 of our look at 'The Chronic'.

The Lowdown:
Dr. Dre 'The Chronic (Intro)', 'Dre Day', 'Let Me Ride', and 'Nuthin' but a G Thang'
from 'The Chronic' (1992) (MP3 not available/CD)
Solomon Burke 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'I Wish I Knew' (1967) (MP3/CD)
The Ohio Players 'Funky Worm'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD)
Parliament 'Funkentelechy'
from 'Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Parliament 'Aquaboogie'
from 'Motor Booty Affair' (1978) (MP3/CD)
Parliament 'The Big Bang Theory'
from 'Gloryhallastoopid' (1979) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic '(Not Just) Knee Deep'
from 'Uncle Jam Wants You' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Parliament 'Mothership Connection (Star Child)'
from 'Mothership Connection' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Parliament 'Swing Down, Sweet Chariot' (Live)
from 'Live: P Funk Earth Tour' (1976) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Funky Drummer'
'Funky Drummer' 7" (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Bill Withers 'Kissin' My Love'
from 'Still Bill' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Leon Haywood 'I Wanna Do Something Freaky to You'
from 'Come and Get Yourself Some' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Kid Dynamite 'Uphill Peace of Mind'
from 'Kid Dynamite' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD)

Rewind: Geto Boys 'We Can't Be Stopped'

This will mark this blog's first Halloween and I plan to celebrate it with a Halloween themed post each year (if it, in fact, runs longer than a year). What better way to celebrate Halloween than with the Geto Boys and their Halloween themed biggest hit?

'We Can't Be Stopped' was the album that put the Geto Boys on the map (though, remarkably, three of their later four albums charted better than 'Stopped') and as much as it's full of shocking imagery, it's also full of outstanding beats. The title track 'We Can't Be Stopped' samples the mid 70s Average White Band cut 'Love Your Life'. The album cut 'Homie Don't Play That' uses a number of classic West Coast cuts including Funkadelic's '(Not Just) Knee Deep', Zapp's 'More Bounce to the Ounce', Ronnie Hudson's 'West Coast Poplock', George Clinton's party starter 'Atomic Dog', and 'Pumpin' It Up' by the P-Funk All Stars. That list of sampled material itself is a peak hour house party soundtrack.

The Geto Boys' biggest single and the focus of this post is, of course, 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me', a #1 rap single in 1991 and an often referenced hip-hop milestone. The song's bassline is cut from Isaac Hayes' 'Tough Guys' album track 'Hung Up on My Baby'. The song also samples Graham Central Station's popular break 'The Jam'. There are many quotable moments on 'Playing Tricks', but I think it is safe to say that no one in the past or the future will be able to rhyme 'sword' and 'paranoid' together as well as here. Finally, November 4th approaches and it's necessary to say 'F--- a War'. The Geto Boys' deep album cut 'F--- a War' clips Sound Experience's 'Devil with the Bust', a huge drum break for you producers out there (I'm actually amazed Amazon has this one).

The success of the Geto Boys would continue despite a slight line-up change and solo projects from Bushwick Bill and Scarface.

The Lowdown:
Geto Boys 'We Can't Be Stopped', 'Homie Don't Play That', 'Mind Playing Tricks on Me', and 'F--- a War'
from 'We Can't Be Stopped' (1991) (MP3 not available/CD)
Average White Band 'Love Your Life'
from 'Soul Searching' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic '(Not Just) Knee Deep'
from 'Uncle Jam Wants You' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD)
Zapp 'More Bounce to the Ounce'
from 'Zapp' (1979) (MP3/CD)
Ronnie Hudson 'West Coast Poplock'
from 'West Coast Poplock'(1982) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
George Clinton 'Atomic Dog'
from 'Computer Games' (1982) (MP3 not available/CD)
P-Funk All Stars 'Pumpin' it Up'
from 'Urban Dancefloor Guerillas' (1983) (MP3/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Hung Up on My Baby'
from 'Tough Guys' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Graham Central Station 'The Jam'
from 'Ain't No Bout-a-Doubt It' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Sound Experience 'Devil with the Bust'
from 'Don't Fight the Feeling' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)