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'Breaking Atoms' has all of the ingredients of a modern day myth. It is the debut album of the short-lived rap unit Main Source, highly acclaimed upon release and leading to no less than five singles that went out of print as its stock started to rise. Add Nas (here as Nasty Nas) and early beats by super producer Large Professor to the mix and the interest in one of East Coast hip-hop's mostly widely recognized classics is risen.
One of 'Breaking Atoms'' indisputable classic cuts is the single 'Just Hangin' Out' that cribs samples from Gwen McCrae's '90% of Me Is You', Ike and Tina Turner's 'Bold Soul Sister', and most famously 'Bam Bam' by Sister Nancy (which was covered extensively in a past post on this blog). 'Looking at the Front Door' is the album's first and highest charting single, reaching #1 on the Billboard rap charts. 'Front Door' features, among other samples, bits of 'Think Twice' from Donald Byrd's 1975 album 'Stepping into Tomorrow' produced by Larry Mizell. Main Source's album cut 'Scratch and Kut' has the notable drum break from Kool and the Gang's live version of 'N.T.' from their album 'Live at P.J.'s' (the 'N.T.' drum break is a cornerstone of Large Pro's sound).
Check back for part 2 of 'Breaking Atoms', which will include the track that broke Nas to the rap world.The Lowdown:
Main Source 'Just Hangin' Out', 'Looking at the Front Door', and 'Scratch and Kut'
from 'Breaking Atoms' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Gwen McCrae '90% of Me Is You'
from 'Rockin' Chair' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD)
Ike and Tina Turner 'Bold Soul Sister'
from 'Hunter' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD)
Sister Nancy 'Bam Bam'
from 'One, Two' (1982) (MP3/CD not available)
Donald Byrd 'Think Twice'
from 'Stepping into Tomorrow' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'N.T.'
from 'Live at P.J.'s' (1972) (MP3/CD not available)
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The Stalag Riddim (covered in the last post) is the basis for one of dancehall's biggest singles: 'Bam Bam' by sister Nancy. Not only was 'Bam Bam' a huge hit for Sister Nancy and for the dancehall genre, but it had (and still has) huge crossover appeal. Nearly a decade after the single first appeared, 'Bam Bam' became a prime source for hip-hop sampling.
In 1990, Large Professor sampled 'Bam Bam' for Main Source's single 'Just Hangin' Out' from the now classic and rare album 'Breaking Atoms' (word is 'Breaking Atoms', along with all of Wild Pitch's vaults, will be rereleased in 2008). 'Just Hangin' Out' is my personal favorite from 'Breaking Atoms', which has several essential hip-hop cuts. The Stalag Riddim provides a mellow groove to 'Hangin' Out' while the turntable cuts of 'Bam Bam' in the center of the track provide a great nod to Sister Nancy. 'Bam Bam' was used again in 1992 by Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth on 'The Basement' from the fantastically produced 'Mecca and the Soul Brother'. Pete Rock and C.L. have, not surprisingly, been a staple of this blog and a producer profile for Pete Rock is slated for a future post.
Dancehall made a strong comeback in the late 90s and early 00s, leading to more hip-hop tracks incorporating Stalag samples. 2004's single for Biggie-soundalike Guerilla Black, 'Compton', was a bit of a flash in the pan, but still had apt production from Carlos Broady.The Lowdown:
Sister Nancy 'Bam Bam'
from 'One, Two' (1982) (MP3/CD not available)
Main Source 'Just Hangin' Out'
from 'Breaking Atoms' (1990) (MP3/CD not available)
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Basement'
from 'Mecca and the Soul Brother' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Guerilla Black 'Compton'
from 'Guerilla City' (2004) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Compton'
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For the first post in this blog's section dedicated to dancehall, I chose to devote a two post arc about the Stalag Riddim (concluding next post with Sister Nancy's influence on hip-hop). The Stalag Riddim is, possibly, the most used dancehall riddim with well over a hundred versions over its 30 year lifetime. The origin of the Stalag Riddim is 1973's 'Stalag 17' by the Techniques, produced by Winston Riley.
The bulk of the classic dancehall songs recorded on the Stalag Riddim are from the early 80s, including two of the most recognizable dancehall singles of all time: 'Bam Bam' and 'Ring the Alarm'. 'Bam Bam' from Sister Nancy's 1982 album 'One, Two' (which is full of classics) is a sure-fire party starter and a popular sample source for 90s hip-hop. Similarly, Tenor Saw's immortal 'Ring the Alarm' is one of dancehall's most played singles.
Not as widely known as 'Bam Bam' and 'Ring the Alarm', but a giant hit in Jamaica, is Big Youth's 'All Nations Bow' from 1982's The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style'. One of my personal favorite versions on the Stalag Riddim is 'Love is the Light' by dancehall veteran and Massive Attack co-conspirator Horace Andy. Andy's vocals are fit for almost any riddim, but they work wonderfully on this track.The Lowdown:
The Techniques 'Stalag 17'
Sister Nancy 'Bam Bam'
from 'One, Two' (1982) (MP3/CD not available)
Tenor Saw 'Ring the Alarm'
Big Youth 'All Nations Bow'
from 'The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style' (1982) (MP3/CD)
Horace Andy 'Love is the Light'
