Producer Profile: Kanye West (Part 3, 2003)

After placing beats on Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint', Kanye West became a sought after producer even before the release of 2004's 'The College Dropout'. Part one of this three part post will cover the beats and samples from Kanye West's 2003 production credits.

West had two beats on Jay-Z's 'Black Album' from 2003, Jay's short-lived retirement farewell address. Kanye's production for 'Encore' samples John Holt's 'I Will' from his album '2000 Volts of Holt'. Another reggae sample appears on Jay-Z's 'Lucifer' via Max Romeo's classic Lee Perry produced 'I Chase the Devil' (covered in depth on a previous post on this blog). West's work with Rocafella was not limited to Jay-Z in 2003, West also had a beat on Freeway's under-appreciated debut album 'Philadelphia Freeway'. The track 'Hear the Song' samples Chic's 'Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)'.

One of Kanye's biggest production credits in 2003 was for Alicia Key's hit single 'You Don't Know My Name' peaking at #3 on the Billboard 100. The track is cleverly crafted from Main Ingredient's 'Let Me Prove My Love to You' from their 1975 album 'Shame on the World'.

Check back for the second part of our look at Kanye West's production credits of 2003.

The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Encore' and 'Lucifer'
from 'Black Album' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Encore' and 'Lucifer'
John Holt 'I Will'
from '2000 Volts of Holt' (1976) (MP3/CD not available)
Max Romeo 'I Chase the Devil'
from 'War Ina Babylon' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD)
Freeway 'Hear the Song'
from 'Philadelphia Freeway' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Hear the Song'
Chic 'Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)'
from 'Risqué' (1979) (MP3/CD)
Alicia Keys 'You Don't Know My Name'
from 'The Diary of Alicia Keys' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Main Ingredient 'Let Me Prove My Love to You'
from 'Shame on the World' (1975) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

BONUS CUT:
The original Jamaican mix of 'I Will' by John Holt'.

Rewind: Fugees 'The Score' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of this blogs in depth look at Fugee's 1996 album 'The Score'. The album's biggest hit by far was the inescapable 'Killing Me Softly', an update of Roberta Flack's ballad 'Killing Me Softly with His Song'. The Fugees hit peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts and was a #1 R&B hit. The song also featured samples from 'Memory Band' by Rotary Connection and 'Fool Yourself' from Little Feat's 1962 album 'Dixie Chicken'. Talk about a diverse set of sources for a gigantic (and minimalist) pop hit!


One of my all time favorite songs is referenced in the chorus on the album cut 'Cowboys'; perhaps it is a regional classic, but the Intruder's Philly soul monster 'Cowboys to Girls' is an essential summer / spring / fall / whenever jam. 'Cowboys' also includes a sample of 'Something 'Bout Love' by Main Ingredient. 'The Score's final single was 'No Woman, No Cry', a cover (or, mostly a cover) of Bob Marley and the Wailers' 'No Woman, No Cry' from 'Natty Dread'.

To date, 'The Score' has sold over 6 million copies in the U.S. alone and peaked at #1 on the Billboard album charts. Though there have been rumors, movie appearances, and one terribly underwhelming single (2005's 'Take it Easy'); it seems 'The Score' will likely be the Fugees swan song.

The Lowdown:
Fugees 'Killing Me Softly', 'Cowboys', and 'No Woman, No Cry'
from 'The Score' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Roberta Flack 'Killing Me Softly with His Song'
from 'Killing Me Softly' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Rotary Connection 'Memory Band'
from 'Rotary Connection' (1967) (MP3 Not available / CD not available)
Little Feat 'Fool Yourself'
from 'Dixie Chicken' (1962) (MP3/CD)
The Intruders 'Cowboys to Girls'
from 'Cowboys to Girls' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Main Ingredient 'Something 'Bout Love'
from 'Afrodisiac' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Bob Marley and the Wailers 'No Woman, No Cry'
from 'Natty Dread' (1974) (MP3/CD)

BONUS CUTS:
'Killing Me Softly with His Song' was a Grammy Award winning hit for Roberta Flack, but was actually written two years earlier by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel based on a poem by Lori Lieberman about Don McLean (that's right, the 'American Pie' dude is the dude who is killing girls softly with his song, which is funny as 'American Pie' seems to kill me slowly every time I hear it). Lauryn Hill delivered our generation's most noted cover of the song, but many other artists covered the song as well. John Holt's reggae version titled 'Killing Me Softly with Her Song' is a stellar example of reggae artists covering famous American soul hits. And how is this for digging DEEP: Inger Lise Rypdal covered 'Killing Me Softly' in Norwegian on 'Sangen Han Sang Var Min Egen'. This begs the question, is there a nationally recognized Norwegian pie?