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After a successful string of production credits and Gang Starr albums, DJ Premier was high profile in 1997, but there was still room to achieve more success. 1997 yielded two of Primo's most unstoppable beats, which will be covered in this post looking at his production credits from that year.One of Jay-Z's most underrated cuts is the DJ Premier produced 'Intro/A Million and One Questions', the intro to his second full length album 'In My Lifetime, Vol. 1'. This banging track samples its share of unusual sources: Dorothy Ashby's 'Cause I Need It', Latimore's 'Let Me Go', and the Main Ingredient's 'Car of Love' (sorry, no download links for any of these tracks). Primo produced the beat for O.C.'s 'My World' by sampling 'Killer's Lullaby' by Love Unlimited Orchestra on Barry White's 1974 soundtrack 'Together Brothers'. On Rakim's solo album, Premier provides the beat to 'New York (Ya Out There)' which samples the excellent James Brown cut 'Down and Out in New York City' from the soundtrack to 'Black Caesar' as well as the huge drum break from Mountain's 'Long Red'. Finally, one of Primo's oddest yet most banging beats wallops behind Notorious B.I.G. on 'Kick in the Door' on his posthumous album 'Life After Death'. The track samples Screamin' Jay Hawkins 1956 hit 'I Put a Spell on You' to great effect.The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Intro/A Million and One Questions'
from 'In My Lifetime, Vol. 1' (1997) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Intro/A Million and One Questions'
Dorothy Ashby 'Cause I Need It'
from 'Dorothy's Harp' (1969) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Latimore 'Let Me Go'
from 'It Ain't Where You Been... It's Where Your Goin'' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Main Ingredient 'Car of Love'
from 'Music Maximus' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
O.C. 'My World'
from 'Jewelz' (1997) (MP3 not available/CD)
Love Unlimited Orchestra 'Killer's Lullaby'
from 'Together Brothers' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)
Rakim 'New York (Ya Out There)'
from 'The 18th Letter' (1997) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Down and Out in New York City'
from 'Black Caesar' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Mountain 'Long Red'
from 'Mountain Live' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Kick in the Door'
from 'Life After Death' (1997) (MP3/CD)
Screamin' Jay Hawkins 'I Put a Spell on You'
from 'I Put a Spell on You' (1956) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
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)
Producer Profile: Dj Premier (Part 4, 1995-1996)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Life After Death' (Part 1)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Life After Death' (Part 2)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Life After Death' (Part 3)
Welcome to our first installment of James Brown week. As the godfather of soul and the undisputed champion of mentions on this blog (this post will be his 30th mention in 146 posts, meaning he is mentioned in more than 1 in 5 posts), I thought we should celebrate his birthday, May 3rd, annually with James Brown week which will look at some of his lesser known breaks and releases. Today is the first look at a two part arc covering James Brown's 1974 double album 'Hell' and the producers who sampled it.
One of 'Hell''s standout tracks is the break laden 'Coldblooded' which is a prime slice of JB mid-70s funk. In 1990, DJ Premier sampled 'Coldblooded' for Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth's 'Baby, You Nasty' from the album 'Funky Technician'. Easy Mo Bee used the same break in 1994 for the Notorious B.I.G.'s classic album cut 'Gimme the Loot' from his debut album 'Ready to Die'.Another heavily sampled track from 'Hell' is James Brown's 'My Thang'. The song was sampled by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince for 1988's 'Brand New Funk' and a year later for Heavy D and the Boyz' cut 'We Got Our Own Thang' produced by Teddy Riley. In 1992, EPMD used the sample for their cut 'Gold Digger' and in 1993, it was sampled again by K-Def for the Lord of the Underground's single 'Funky Child' from the album 'Here Come the Lords'. Premier sampled 'My Thang' in 1996 for Jeru the Damaja's 'The Frustrated N----' and in 1997, J Dilla (as Jay Dee) sampled the song for Slum Village's 'I Don't Know' from their debut album 'Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1'.
Check back to this blog for more 'Hell' breaks.The Lowdown:
James Brown 'Coldblooded' and 'My Thang'
from 'Hell' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth 'Baby, You Nasty'
from 'Funky Technician' (1990) (MP3/CD)
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Gimme the Loot'
from 'Ready To Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Gimme the Loot'
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince 'Brand New Funk'
from 'He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper' (1988) (MP3 not available/CD)
Heavy D and the Boyz 'We Got Our Own Thang'
from 'Big Tyme' (1989) (MP3/CD)
EPMD 'Gold Digger'
from 'Business As Usual' (1992) (MP3/CD)
The Lords of the Underground 'Funky Child'
from 'Here Come the Lords' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Jeru the Damaja 'The Frustrated N----'
from 'Wrath of the Math' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Slum Village 'I Don't Know'
from 'Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1' (1997) (MP3/CD not available)
Bonus Cut:
'Brand New Funk' by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince got a makeover in 2007 by DJ Jazzy Jeff for 'Brand New Funk 2k7'.
Related Posts:
Source Material: James Brown 'Black Casear' (Part 1)
Source Material: James Brown 'Black Casear' (Part 2)
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 3, 1994)
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Following his success with Gang Starr and production work for Lord Finesse, Heavy D, and KRS-One; DJ Premier produced some classic cuts in 1994.
After Gang Starr's collaboration with Branford Marsalis for the 'Mo' Betta Blues' soundtrack, Primo and Marsalis collaborated on the debut album 'Buckshot LeFonque' by Marsalis' Buckshot LeFonque side project. The track 'Breakfast @ Denny's' samples James Brown's 'Get on the Good Foot' from his 1972 album of the same title. In 1994, Premier produced one of the outstanding tracks for Notorious B.I.G.'s debut 'Ready to Die'. The track 'Unbelievable' samples Patrice Rushen's 'Remind Me' and R. Kelly's 'Your Body's Callin''.
Finally, in 1994, Primo laced Group Home with a beat for the single 'Supa Star'. The song has a series of samples, including James Brown's 'Funky President (People It's Bad)', the Fifth Dimension's 'He's a Runner', Cameo's 'Downtown', and Isaac Hayes' fantastic 'One Woman' from 1968's essential 'Hot Buttered Soul'.
Check back for more Premier tracks and samples.The Lowdown:
Buckshot LeFonque 'Breakfast @ Denny's'
from 'Buckshot LeFonque' (1994) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Get on the Good Foot'
from 'Get on the Good Foot' (1972) (MP3/CD not available)
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Unbelievable'
from 'Ready to Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Unbelievable'
Patrice Rushen 'Remind Me'
from 'Straight from the Heart' (1981) (MP3/CD)
R. Kelly 'Your Body's Callin''
from '12 play' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Group Home 'Supa Star'
from 'Supa Star' (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Fifth Dimension 'He's a Runner'
from 'Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Cameo 'Downtown'
from 'She's Strange' (1984) (MP3 not available/CD)
Isaac Hayes 'One Woman'
from 'Hot Buttered Soul' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Related Posts:
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 1, 1989-1990)
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 2, 1991-1993)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Ready to Die' (Part 1)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Ready to Die' (Part 2)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Ready to Die' (Part 3)
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One of my favorite breaks of all time is the bombastic opening drum break to Isaac Hayes' cover of 'Walk On By'. The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and was first sung by Dionne Warwick who made 'Walk on By' a hit. Hayes turns the song into a 10+ minute monster with giant buildups and breakdowns, completely reimagined segments, and classic Stax fire.
Of course the break has been used numerous times in the realm of hip-hop. On the 1992 album 'Music to Driveby', CMW used the break on the track 'Hood Took Me Under'. Two year later, Easy Mo Bee crafted a classic beat for a classic album: 'Warning' by the Notorious B.I.G. from 'Ready to Die'. Recently, the beat has been slowed down (instead of sped up) for Method Man's 'Walk On' produced by Versatile, Erick Sermon, and the RZA.
The break was also highly influential for the shortlived 90s genre trip-hop (whose influences included both Bacharach and Hayes). Hooverphonic's debut single '2wicky' incorporated 'Walk on By' heavily and the Martin Virgo produced track 'Silicone' by Mono featured use of the break as well.
This track is a necessity for aspiring producers and is one of the great tracks from Hayes' catalog.The Lowdown:
Isaac Hayes 'Walk on By' (Radio Edit)
from 'Hot Buttered Soul' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Dionne Warwick 'Walk on By'
from 'Make Way for Dionne Warwick' (1964) (MP3/CD)
CMW 'Hood Took Me Under'
from 'Music to Driveby' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Hood Took Me Under'
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Warning'
from 'Ready To Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Warning'
Method Man 'Walk On'
from '4:21... The Day After' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Walk On'
Hooverphonic '2wicky'
from 'A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular' (1997) (MP3 not available/CD)
Mono 'Silicone'
from 'Formica Blues' (1996) (MP3 not available/CD)
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Welcome to part 3 of our three-part look at the Notorious B.I.G.'s album 'Life After Death'.
Puff Daddy, Steven Jordan, and the Hitmen sample the late Delfonics single 'Hey! Love' from their fourth album 'Tell Me This is a Dream' for Biggie's album track 'Playa Hater'. The same production team sampled Liquid Liquid's NYC breakbeat anthem 'Cavern' (previously covered in depth on this blog) for the hit single 'Nasty Boy', complete with one of hip-hop's nastiest intros. Biggie's 'The World is Filled...' with Too Short and Carl Thomas features the use of one of my favorite, unusual breaks: Asha Puthli's 'Space Talk' (not so easy to find, so I'm surprised you can download it from Amazon) from her 1978 album 'The Devil is Loose'. The track's production is credited to D-Dot and Puff Daddy. The Wu's RZA makes a late album production appearance on the track 'Long Kiss Goodnight' and samples Wu-stand by Al Green's excellent 'Green is Blues'-era cover of 'The Letter'.
Released only a few weeks after the Notorious B.I.G.'s murder, the double album debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and amassed a string of hits. Some verses from Biggie would appear later that year on Puff Daddy's solo outing 'No Way Out' and in the decade proceeding Biggie's death, no less than two terrible cash-in projects were released with unearthed verses and guest vocalists (1999's 'Born Again' and 2005's 'Duets: The Final Chapter'... lets hope it's the final chapter). Despite additional albums produced after his death, the Notorious B.I.G.'s legacy is complete with his two studio albums - two of hip-hop's most endearing works.The Lowdown:
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Playa Hater', 'Nasty Boy', 'The World is Filled...', and 'Long Kiss Goodnight'
from 'Life After Death' (1997) (MP3/CD)
The Delfonics 'Hey! Love'
from 'Tell Me This is a Dream' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD)
Liquid Liquid 'Cavern'
from 'Optimo' (1982) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Asha Puthli 'Space Talk'
from 'The Devil is Loose' (1978) (MP3/CD not available)
Al Green 'The Letter'
from 'Green is Blues' (1972) (MP3/CD)
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Welcome to part 2 of 3 of our dissection of 'Life After Death' by the Notorious B.I.G.
Another #1 single from 'Life After Death' is the Biggie / Puffy and the Family hit 'Mo Money Mo Problems' produced by Steven Jordan, Puff Daddy, and the Hitmen. Aside from being a great, energetic sample, the question will always remain: why did Puffy choose to sample Diana Ross' 'I'm Coming Out'? The vocal sample used prominently throughout the song has, seemingly, nothing to do with the theme. Leave thoughts in the comment. The first disc of 'Life After Death' ends with the Buckwild produced 'I Got a Story to Tell', which makes good use of the ever-samplable drums from Al Green's 'I'm Glad You're Mine' from 1972's 'I'm Still in Love with You'. Stevie J, Puffy and the Hitmen provide the beat to disc two's 'Another' with guest verse from Junior M.A.F.I.A. alumnus Lil' Kim. The team samples Barbara Mason's single 'Another Man' from her album of the same title. Easy Mo Bee adds some West Coast funk to the album by sampling Zapp's 'More Bounce to the Ounce' for the Biggie single 'Going Back to Cali'.
Check back for the final part of our look at 'Life After Death'.The Lowdown:
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Mo Money Mo Problems', 'I Got a Story to Tell', 'Another', and 'Going Back to Cali'
from 'Life After Death' (1997) (MP3/CD)
Diana Ross 'I'm Coming Out'
from 'Diana' (1980) (MP3/CD)
Al Green 'I'm Glad You're Mine'
from 'I'm Still In Love With You' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Barbara Mason 'Another Man'
from 'Another Man' (1984) (MP3/CD)
Zapp 'More Bounce to the Ounce'
from 'Zapp' (1979) (MP3/CD)
BONUS CUT:
The 12" instrumental for 'Another Man' by Barbara Mason. Karaoke time.
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It's hard to believe, but the Notorious B.I.G. released only one solo album during his lifetime, 1994's 'Ready to Die' (previously covered in depth on this blog here, here, and here). Biggie's follow up album was finished before his untimely murder in 1997 - his second, prophetically named studio album 'Life After Death' was released less than a month after his death. This three part post arc will cover the music of 'Life After Death', the producers, and the sample sources.
The Dramatics' excellent single 'In the Rain' is the basis for the Carlos Broady, Nashiem Myrick, and Puff Daddy produced album track 'Somebody's Gotta Die'. The album's smash hit is the unstoppable 'Hypnotize'; a decade later it is still nitro on the dancefloor. The production team of D-Dot, Ron Lawrence, Puffy and the Hitmen sampled the breakdown of Herb Alpert's 'Rise' and heavily interpolates the lyrics from Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh's 'La Di Da Di'. One of my favorite Biggie cuts is the DJ Premier produced B-side 'Kick in the Door' that makes remarkable use of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' 1950s voodoo freakout 'I Put a Spell on You'. Truly awesome work by Primo. Easy Mo Bee, returning from his work on 'Ready to Die', laces B.I.G. with the beat to 'I Love the Dough'. The track features a guest spot from Jay-Z and Angela Winbush from René and Angela on the hook, who happens to be the source of the track's sample: 'I Love You More' by René and Angela.
Check back for part 2 of our look at 'Life After Death'.The Lowdown:
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Somebody's Gotta Die', 'Hypnotize', 'Kick in the Door', and 'I Love the Dough'
from 'Life After Death' (1997) (MP3/CD)
The Dramatics 'In the Rain'
from 'Whatcha See is Whatcha Get' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Herb Alpert 'Rise'
from 'Rise' (1979) (MP3/CD)
Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh 'La Di Da Di'
from 'The Show' (1985) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Screamin' Jay Hawkins 'I Put a Spell on You'
from 'I Put a Spell on You' (1956) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
René and Angela 'I Love you More'
from 'Wall to Wall' (1981) (MP3 not available/CD not available)BONUS CUTS:
'I Put a Spell on You' is a classic cut and has been covered (not to mention sampled) many times. Two notable covers of the song are Nina Simone's take on 'I Put a Spell on You' from 1964 and Creedence Clearwater Revival's cover from 1968.
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One of the 80s most widely known, yet least likely to be properly identified, breaks is Liquid Liquid's 1982 breakbeat jam 'Cavern'. Liquid Liquid, along with another heavily sampled band called ESG (who will be covered in a future post) were part of a short-lived, minimalistic early 80s post-punk movement centered in New York City. 'Cavern''s signature bassline and chant would be most notably replayed by the Sugar Hill band as the backing for Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel's single 'White Lines (Don't Do It)'. 'White Lines', remarkably, never broke the top 40 in America, but was a giant hit in the UK which further ignited their burgeoning electro scene.
A decade later, 'Cavern' would be sampled by a new stable of artists. LL Cool J reinterpolated the chorus of 'Cavern' for his hit 'Phenomenon' from the album of the same title (which is in the running for the worst use of a lens flare on an album cover award). The Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Nasty Boy' also interpolates 'Cavern'. Not oddly enough, both of these tracks from 1997 were produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs. Havoc has production credits for 1999's 'Quiet Storm' by Mobb Deep. The 'Quiet Storm' remix has a guest verse from Lil' Kim, part of the Diddy / Biggie stable.
2006 saw one of the more unusual interpolations of 'Cavern', bringing it back to its NYC rock roots. 'Phenomena' from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' album 'Show Your Bones' uses Liquid Liquid's familiar chant during its slow motion chorus.The Lowdown:
Liquid Liquid 'Cavern'
from 'Optimo' (1982) (MP3 Not available/CD not available)
Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel 'White Lines (Don't Do It)'
LL Cool J 'Phenomenon'
from 'Phenomenon' (1997) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Phenomenon'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Nasty Boy'
from 'Life After Death' (1997) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Nasty Boy'
Mobb Deep 'Quiet Storm' and 'Quiet Storm' (Remix)
from 'Murda Muzik' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'Phenomena'
from 'Show Your Bones' (2006) (MP3/CD)
BONUS CUT:
'Cavern' is the cut, but it is not the only track from Liquid Liquid's short career with floor filling beats. Check out 'Optimo', also from their 1982 EP that produced 'Cavern'.
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This is part three and the final installment of our look at 'Ready to Die'.
To me, one of the best non-single tracks on 'Ready to Die' is the Easy Mo Bee produced 'Friend of Mine'. It contains samples from Sly and the Family Stone expatriate Larry Graham's Graham Central Station ('The Jam') and Kool and the Gang ('Spirit of the Boogie'). 'Unbelievable' lives up to its name; the unbelievable beat from DJ Premier stitches together samples from Patrice Rushen's 'Remind Me' and R. Kelly's top 20 single 'Your Body's Callin''. The uneasy album closer 'Suicidal Thoughts' features a sample of Mile Davis' 'Lonely Fire' from 'Big Fun'. The beat itself was produced by the Funky Technician himself Lord Finesse.
A Bonus track on the remastered extended version of 'Ready to Die' is the B-side track 'Just Playing (Dreams)' which, despite never being on an album, has been referenced again and again in other hip-hop tracks. The Rashad Smith produced beat contains a sample of James Brown's 'Blues and Pants' from the 1971 album 'Hot Pants'.
'Ready to Die' is one of hip-hop's masterpieces and would be the only album released by B.I.G. during his lifetime. The Notorious B.I.G.'s second and final album, 'Life After Death', was released only 15 days after his murder in Los Angeles. 'Life After Death' will be covered in depth in a future post on this blog.The Lowdown:
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Friend of Mine', 'Unbelievable', 'Suicidal Thoughts', and 'Just Playing (Dreams)'
from 'Ready to Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Friend of Mine', 'Unbelievable', 'Suicidal Thoughts', and 'Just Playing (Dreams)'
Graham Central Station 'The Jam'
from 'Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Spirit of the Boogie'
from 'Spirit of the Boogie' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Patrice Rushen 'Remind Me'
from 'Straight from the Heart'(1981) (MP3/CD)
R. Kelly 'Your Body's Callin''
from '12 Play' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Miles Davis 'Lonely Fire'
from 'Big Fun' (1969) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Blues and Pants'
from 'Hot Pants' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)
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The track that introduced much of the world to B.I.G. was the album's lead smash single 'Juicy', which would go gold by the end of 1994. For one of Biggie's trademark songs, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Jean Oliver looped segments of Mtume's 80s hit 'Juicy Fruit'. More than a decade after its release as a single, 'Juicy' is still one of the necessary tracks in every DJ's arsenal: it is an essential party mover.
The Bluez Brothers produced 'Everyday Struggle' samples smooth jazz icon Dave Grusin's 1979 song 'Either Way' from his album 'Mountain Dance'. 'Ready to Die''s second single was another smash hit, the Sean "Puffy" Combs / Chucky Thompson produced 'Big Poppa' launched into the Billboard top 10 in 1995. The track famously mines 'Between the Sheets' by the Isley Brothers to fantastic results. Combs and Oliver dissect George McCrae's 'I Get Lifted' for Biggie's 'Respect'. 'Respect' features guest vocals from Diana King, who would receive a record deal due to this appearance and go on to have a solo hit with 'Shy Guy'.
Check back for part 3 of 'Ready to Die'.The Lowdown:
Notorious B.I.G. 'Juicy', 'Everyday Struggle', 'Big Poppa', and 'Respect'
from 'Ready to Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Juicy', 'Everyday Struggle', 'Big Poppa', and 'Respect'
Mtume 'Juicy Fruit'
from 'Juicy Fruit' (1982) (MP3/CD)
Dave Grusin 'Either Way'
from 'Mountain Dance' (1979) (MP3/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'Between the Sheets'
from 'Between the Sheets' (1982) (MP3/CD)
George McCrae 'I Get Lifted
from 'Rock Your Baby' (1974) (MP3 unavailable/CD)BONUS CUT:
Of course, Biggie was not the only one to use 'Juicy Fruit' as a sample. Warren G's self-produced singles 'Do You See' and 'This D.J.' both pluck 'Juicy Fruit' (and both slightly pre-date 'Ready to Die', although both albums were probably produced around the same time). Several B.I.G. referencing tracks also use 'Juicy Fruit', like the Faith Evans' 2001 album title track 'Faithfully and the 2007 hit 'Let it Go' by Keyshia Cole produced by Missy Elliott who also appears along with Lil' Kim.
