Rewind: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Main Ingredient' (Part 3)

Welcome to our third and final look at Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's second and final album 'The Main Ingredient'.

On 'Searching', Pete Rock sampled the Roy Ayers Ubiquity track 'Searching' from 1976's 'Vibrations'. The track 'Check it Out' finds C.L. rhyming on Young-Holt Unlimited's 'Bumpin' on Young Street' from 1972'2 'Oh Girl'. 'In the Flesh' features a sample from 1966's 'Ralph's New Blues' by the Modern Jazz Quartet as well as a sample from Steve Miller Band's 1976 hit 'Fly Like an Eagle' from the album of the same name. The outro of 'In the Flesh' features two very samplable funk joints: Kool and the Gang's 'Duji' from the 1974 album 'Kool Jazz' and Average White Band's breakbeat 'School Boy Crush' from the 1975 album 'Cut the Cake'. Pete Rock returns to Tom Scott's 'The Honeysuckle Breeze' on 'It's on You' by sampling 'Never My Love'. The song also samples Ahmad Jamal's 'The Awakening' from his 1970 album of the same name. On the closing track 'Get on the Mic', Pete Rock samples the Stax single 'Soul Girl' by Jeanne and the Darlings. On the album's final outro, he samples another cut from Ahmad Jamal's 'The Awakening': 'You're My Everything'.

Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth parted ways in 1995, following some commercial success with 'The Main Ingredient''s singles. Pete Rock followed up with a series of well received solo albums while C.L. Smooth appeared sporadically on other albums as cameos before his 2006 debut solo album 'American Me' (featuring one track produced by Pete Rock).

The Lowdown:
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'Searching', 'Check it Out', 'In the Flesh', 'It's on You', and 'Get on the Mic'
from 'The Main Ingredient' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Roy Ayers Ubiquity 'Searching'
from 'Vibrations' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Young-Holt Unlimited 'Bumpin' on Young Street'
from 'Oh Girl' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Modern Jazz Quartet 'Ralph's New Blues'
from 'Blues at Carnegie Hall' (1966) (MP3/CD not available)
Steve Miller Band 'Fly Like an Eagle'
from 'Fly Like an Eagle' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Duji'
from 'Kool Jazz' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Average White Band 'School Boy Crush'
from 'Cut the Cake' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Tom Scott 'Never My Love'
from 'The Honeysuckle Breeze' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Ahmad Jamal 'The Awakening' and 'You are My Everything'
from 'The Awakening' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Jeanne and the Darlings 'Soul Girl'
from 'Soul Girl' 7" (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 4, 1995-1996)

Welcome to our fourth look at DJ Premier's production career, this look will cover the years 1995 and 1996 of Primo's beats.

In 1995, KRS-One collaborated with DJ Premier again for his album simply titled 'KRS ONE'. The track 'MC's Act Like They Don't Know' utilizes a sample from Clifford Brown's 'Yesterdays' from his 1955 album 'Clifford Brown with Strings' and Kurtis Blow's old school classic 'The Breaks'. Primo's beat for KRS-One's 'Wannabemceez' samples Isaac Hayes' 1974 'Tough Guys' soundtrack cut 'Buns O' Plenty'.

In 1996, Primo produced the single 'Me or the Papes' for Jeru the Damaja's album 'Wrath of the Math' by cutting up the Ahmad Jamal Trio's 1970 'The Awakening''s album cut 'I Love Music' as well as sampling the sound effects from Pink Floyd's 'Money' from 'Dark Side of the Moon'. The same year, Premier sampled Ahmad Jamal again for Nas's 'I Gave You Power', this time sampling Ahmad Jamal's 'Theme Bahamas' from the 1974 album 'Jamaica'. Finally, Primo and M.O.P. also collaborated in 1996 on 'New Jack City'. The song samples the Modern Jazz Quartet's 'Spanish Steps' from the album 'The Comedy'.

The Lowdown:
KRS-One 'MC's Act Like They Don't Know' and 'Wannabemceez'
from 'KRS ONE' (1995) (MP3/CD)
Clifford Brown 'Yesterdays'
from 'Clifford Brown with Strings' (1955) (MP3/CD)
Kurtis Blow 'The Breaks'
from 'Kurtis Blow' (1980) (MP3 not available/CD)
Isaac Hayes 'Buns O' Plenty'
from 'Tough Guys' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Jeru the Damaja 'Me or the Papes'
from 'Wrath of the Math' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Ahmad Jamal Trio 'I Love Music'
from 'The Awakening' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Pink Floyd 'Money'
from 'Dark Side of the Moon' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Nas 'I Gave You Power'
from 'It Was Written' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'I Gave You Power'
Ahmad Jamal 'Theme Bahamas'
from 'Jamaica' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
M.O.P. 'New Jack City'
from 'Firing Squad' (1996) (MP3 not available/CD)
Modern Jazz Quartet 'Spanish Steps'
from 'The Comedy' (1962) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 1, 1989-1990)
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 2, 1991-1993)
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 3, 1994)

Rewind: Fugees 'The Score' (Part 1)

One of 1996's most widely acclaimed and commercially successful albums is also one of the most densely produced albums of the year. Fugees' sophomore album, 'The Score', led with three charting smash hits, repainted the landscape of pop and hip-hop with dark atmospheric beats that feel like a humid, murky swamp.

'Ready or Not' was the third single from the album, and though not as big of a hit at the time, the track is now one of the album's classic cuts. The chorus is an interpolation of the Delfonics classic 'Ready of Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)', an essential slice of Philly soul. 'Ready or Not' also includes samples from 'Django' by the Modern Jazz Quartet, 'God Made Me Funky' by the Headhunters, and most strangely 'Boadicea' from Enya's new age feel good album 'The Celts'. Like whoa.


The tense deep album track 'Zealots' has a quick vocal interpolation of 'I Only Have Eyes for You' by the Flamingos. The album's first single, the Salaam Remi produced 'Fu-Gee-La' features an interpolation (anyone see a pattern?) of Teena Marie's 1988 single 'Ooo La La La' from her album 'Naked to the World'. The song additionally samples Ramsey Lewis' hit '(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right'.

Check back for part 2 of 'The Score'.

The Lowdown:
Fugees 'Ready or Not', 'Zealots', and 'Fu-Gee-La'
from 'The Score' (1996) (MP3/CD)
The Delfonics 'Ready or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)'
from 'The Sound of Sexy Soul' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Modern Jazz Quartet 'Django'
from 'Pyramid' (1959) (MP3/CD)
Headhunters 'God Made Me Funky'
from 'Survival of the Fittest' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Enya 'Boadecia'
from 'The Celts' (1986) (MP3/CD)
The Flamingos 'I Only Have Eyes for You'
from 'Flamingo Serenade' (1959) (MP3 not available/CD)
Teena Marie 'Ooo La La La'
from 'Naked to the World' (1988) (MP3/CD not available)
Ramsey Lewis '(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right'
from 'Funky Serenity' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)

BONUS CUTS:
Here are two cuts to diversify your Fugees medley at the clubs: Sly and Robbie's remix of 'Fu-Gee-La' (which is the only reason to own the lamely packaged Fugees 'Greatest Hits' album, trust me) and the 12" mix of 'Ooo La La La' by Teena Marie. Have fun.