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)

Rewind: Organized Konfusion 'Organized Konfusion' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at Organized Konfusion's 1991 debut album titled 'Organized Konfusion' produced and emceed by Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch.

The album's title track 'Organized Konfusion' by Organized Konfusion features a sample from the James Brown hit single 'Think (About It)' by Lyn Collins, which has been notably sampled frequently throughout hip-hop's history. The track 'Open Your Eyes' samples a pair of tracks from Herbie Hancock's foundational album 'Headhunters': the huge breakbeat cut 'Chameleon' and 'Watermelon Man'. On 'Roosevelt Franklin', Organized Konfusion flow over another sample from Weather Report's 1973 album 'Sweetnighter', this time it's the cut '125th Street Congress'. 'Intro' samples the early Kool and the Gang burner 'Give it Up' as well as George Benson's 'California Dreamin' from his 1971 album 'White Rabbit'. Finally, on 'Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?', the duo use a melange of samples including the Ohio Players' 'Pain', Skull Snaps' classic 'It's a New Day', and the J.B.'s 'Rice N Ribs'.

Following the end of Organized Konfusion in 1997 after only three albums, Pharoahe Monch went on to score a hit on Rawkus Records while Prince Po released solo material on Lex. In the 2000's, the group has briefly reunited at times, though not for long.

The Lowdown:
Organized Konufsion 'Organized Konufsion', 'Open Your Eyes', 'Roosevelt Franklin', 'Intro', and 'Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?'
from 'Organized Konufsion' (1991) (MP3 not available/CD)
Lyn Collins 'Think (About It)'
from 'Think (About It)' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Herbie Hancock 'Chameleon' and 'Watermelon Man'
from 'Headhunters' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Weather Report '125th Street Congress'
from 'Sweetnighter' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Give it Up'
from 'Kool and the Gang' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
George Benson 'California Dreamin''
from 'White Rabbit' (1971) (MP3/CD)
The Ohio Players 'Pain'
from 'Pain' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Skull Snaps 'It's a New Day'
from 'Skull Snaps' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The J.B.'s 'Rice N Ribs'
from 'Breakin' Bread' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Related Posts:
Five On It: July 2008's Essentials (Lyn Collins appearance)
Five On It: November 2008's Essentials (Skull Snaps Appearance)

Five On It: August 2009's Essentials

This month was brimming with excellent breaks, so it was difficult to pick just five for this month's edition of Five On It, but we have five sureshot house burners for your listening pleasure.

On the first part of our look at N.W.A.'s 'Straight Outta Compton', we mentioned the Ohio Players' essential 'Funky Worm' from their 1972 album 'Pleasure'. Early Ohio Players material has been rather hard to come by in the past few years, so it's great to see their early work, like this track, is now readily available. The 'Funky Worm' synthesizer sound, along with Parliament, is the foundation of G-Funk; don't miss out. In our second look at 'Straight Outta Compton', we covered Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's 'Express Yourself' from their 1969 album 'Express Yourself'. On our final look at 'Compton', Dre and Yella sampled Herman Kelly and Life's foundational b-boy break 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat', which still lights b-boy competition dancefloors on fire today. On our second look at Cypress Hill's debut album from this past month, we covered two huge beats: All the People's 'Cramp Your Style' (more info about this one below) and Rufus Thomas' 'The Breakdown', another essential Stax open break from Thomas that needs to be in every producer's sample bank.

The Lowdown:
The Ohio Players 'Funky Worm'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band 'Express Yourself'
from 'Express Yourself' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Herman Kelly and Life 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat'
from 'Percussion Explosion' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
All the People 'Cramp Your Style'
from 'Cramp Your Style' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Rufus Thomas 'The Breakdown'
from 'Did You Heard Me?' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Bonus Cuts:
'Cramp Your Style' by All the People is a huge b-boy break, but it's also a popular sample for early hip-hop producers and beyond. One of the first notable uses of 'Cramp Your Style' is by KRS-One on Boogie Down Production's single 'Still #1'. Two years later, Marley Marl used the sample on LL Cool J's 'Mr. Good Bar' while Teddy Riley sampled it for Guy's sophomore album R&B track 'D-O-G Me Out'. In 1991, DJ Slip and the Unknown DJ sampled 'Cramp Your Style' on Compton Most Wanted's 'Growin' up in the Hood' while Howie Tee used the sample for Chubb Rock's 'Keep it Street'.

Related Posts:
Five On It: January 2009's Essentials (Rufus Thomas appearance)

Rewind: The Roots 'Game Theory'

The Roots' seventh studio album, 'Game Theory', was released on August 29th three years ago. This post will look at the sample sources used by the Roots for this album.

On the album's intro track, 'Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)', the Roots pay tribute to J Dilla by sampling his production for Slum Village's 'Fantastic', which itself samples Herbie Hancock's 'You'll Know When You Get There' from his 1977 album 'V.S.O.P.'. The album's lead single, 'Don't Feel Right', has the Roots sampling Kool and the Gang's 'Jungle Boogie' and the Ohio Players' 'Ecstasy'. 'Atonement' has the Roots sampling alt rock band Radiohead's 'You and Whose Army?' from 2001's 'Amnesiac'. As a bookend to 'Game Theory', the Roots end the album with another tribute to J Dilla with 'Can't Stop This'. On 'Can't Stop This', the Roots sample Dilla's 'Time: The Donut of the Heart' from his 'Donuts' album which samples 'All I Do is Think of You' from the 1975 Jackson 5 album 'Moving Violation'.

'Game Theory' peaked in the Billboard top 10, but was not a high selling album. The album has been followed by 'Rising Down' in 2008 and 2009's soon to be released album 'How I Got Over'.

The Lowdown:
The Roots 'Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)', 'Don't Feel Right', 'Atonement', and 'Can't Stop This'
from 'Game Theory' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)', 'Don't Feel Right', 'Atonement', and 'Can't Stop This'
Slum Village 'Fantastic'
from 'Fan-tas-tic Vol. 1' (1997) (MP3/CD not available)
Herbie Hancock 'You'll Know When You Get There'
from 'V.S.O.P.' (1977) (MP3/Import CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Jungle Boogie'
from 'Wild and Peaceful' (1973) (MP3/CD)
The Ohio Players 'Ecstasy'
from 'Ecstasy' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Radiohead 'You and Whose Army?'
from 'Amnesiac' (2001) (MP3/CD)
J Dilla 'Time: The Donut of the Heart'
from 'Donuts' (2006) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Jackson 5 'All I Do is Think of You'
from 'Moving Violation' (1975) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 7, 2006)

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.

Rewind: Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics 'Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop' (Part 3)

Welcome to our third and final look at Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics' 1992 album 'Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop'.

Diamond D samples a couple hits for 'Confused', cutting up King Floyd's excellent single 'Groove Me' and the 80s joint 'Intimate Connection' by Kleeer (which sounds a lot like "internet connection" - you'll hear it). On the posse cut 'Pass Dat S---', which includes some early raps by Fat Joe, Diamond samples the Ohio Players song 'Pride and Vanity' from 1973's 'Pleasure' and Rare Earth's Motown rock joint 'Keep Me Out of the Storm'. Q-Tip joins Diamond D on 'K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple Stupid)', which samples fusion rock group Weather Report (who yield a lot of samplable cuts, take note)'s 'American Tango' from their 1974 album 'Mysterious Traveller'. On the title track for 'Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop', Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics use a sample of Billy Cobham and George Duke Band's 'Almustafa the Beloved' from the 1976 album 'Live on tour in Europe'. Finally, on 'Feel the Vibe', Showbiz and Diamond D sample Lee Dorsey's huge break 'Get Out My Life Woman', Brother Jack McDuff's 'Hold it for a Minute', and Earth, Wind and Fire's 1970 song 'Bad Tune' from their self titled debut album.

'Stunts, Blunts and Hip-Hop' yielded three singles and peaked just outside of the Billboard R&B / Hip Hop top 40. Big L and Fat Joe, who both contributed to the album, would achieve greater acclaim due to the album's underground success. Though Diamond D would produce for a slew of acts following this album, including Fat Joe, he would not record a follow up solo outing until 1997's 'Hatred, Passions and Infidelity'.

The Lowdown:
Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics 'Confused', 'Pass Dat S---', 'K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple Stupid)', 'Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop', and 'Feel the Vibe'
from 'Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop' (1992) (MP3/CD)
King Floyd 'Groove Me'
from 'King Floyd' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Kleeer 'Intimate Connection'
from 'Intimate Connection' (1984) (MP3/CD not available)
The Ohio Players 'Pride and Vanity'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Rare Earth 'Keep Me Out of the Storm'
from 'Back to Earth' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Weather Report 'American Tango'
from 'Mysterious Traveller' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Billy Cobham and George Duke Band 'Almustafa the Beloved'
from 'Live on tour in Europe' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out My Life Woman'
from 'The New Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Brother Jack McDuff 'Hold it for a Minute'
from 'Getting Our Thing Together' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Earth, Wind and Fire 'Bad Tune'
from 'Earth, Wind and Fire' (1970) (MP3/CD)

Rewind: Jay Dee 'Welcome 2 Detroit'

We've covered a lot of material by the late great J Dilla on this blog, but every one of his releases are essential in their own way and I'll be damned if he doesn't dig deep for some of the craziest songs to sample. This post will cover the source material from Dilla's first solo outing, 2001's 'Welcome 2 Detroit' on BBE, as Jay Dee.

The album's intro track takes a sample from 'Sunset in Golden Horn' from Turkish band Les Mogul's 1971 album 'Danses et Rhythmes de la Turquie'. See what I'm saying? With assistance on the bass from Dwele, Jay Dee delivers an impressive version of 'Think Twice'. The original 'Think Twice' appeared on Donald Byrd's highly sought after 1974 album 'Stepping into Tomorrow' produced by Mizell brother Larry Mizell. 'Beej-N-Dem (Part 2)' features a sample of the Beach Boys' later career album cut 'Feel Flows' from their 1971 album 'Surf's Up' as well as drums from Billy Garner's absolutely sample laden cut 'I Got Some'. Look below for more on 'I Got Some'. 'Featuring Phat Kat', as one would assume, features Phat Kat from Slum Village. Jay Dee pulls Steve Howe's 'Beginnings' out of the crate for the track 'Will O' The Wisp' for 'Featuring Phat Kat''s beat. On the album's final track, 'One', Dilla samples the Ohio Players' controversial (due to the cover imagery) 1971 album 'Pain''s title track. 'Pain' is a highly sampled track and is on the short list for this month's Five On It.

Though Jay Dee had many high profile production credits, many previously reviewed on this blog, it would be another two years before he'd release another solo effort: 2003's 'Ruff Draft' EP which has recently been expanded and re-released.

The Lowdown:
Jay Dee 'Intro', 'Think Twice', 'Beej-N-Dem (Part 2)', 'Featuring Phat Kat', and 'One'
from 'Welcome 2 Detroit' (2001) (MP3/CD)
Les Mogul 'Sunset in Golden Horn'
from 'Danses et Rhythmes de la Turquie' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Donald Byrd 'Think Twice'
from 'Stepping into Tomorrow' (1974) (MP3/CD)
The Beach Boys 'Feel Flows'
from 'Surf's Up' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Billy Garner 'I Got Some'
from 'I Got Some' 7" (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Steve Howe 'Will O' The Wisp'
from 'Beginnings' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Ohio Players 'Pain'
from 'Pain' (1971) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Why aren't more people messing with the drums from Billy Garner's 'I Got Some'? It might be because the track was so fluidly flipped by DJ Premier for Gang Starr's memorable B-side 'B.Y.S.'. It's kind of hard to follow that one up, but beat makers shouldn't fear falling short of Primo. One more bonus: 'I Got Some' (Part 2).

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 4, 2000)
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 5, 2001-2003)

Producer Profile: Kanye West (Part 5, 2003)

Welcome to our final look at Kanye West's production output from 2003 (and man, was the dude busy - for 2003 alone, there are previous posts here and here).

A relatively unknown production credit from Kanye is 'Dogs Out' from DMX's widely forgotten 2003 album 'Grand Champ'. I'm not so sure about X's delivery, but the beat is among Kanye's best from the period - it samples the Phil Spector produced 1958 hit 'Dedicated to the One I Love' by the Shirelles. Another West produced non-single from 2003 is Fabolous' 'My Life' from 'Street Dreams', which samples 'Pride and Vanity' from the early Ohio Players album 'Pleasure'. Lil Kim's 'La Bella Mafia' album cut 'Came Back for You' produced by West samples Irene Reid's 'Didn't We' from her 1971 album 'The World Needs What I Need'.

Finally, Royce Da 5'9"'s 'Heartbeat' has caused a lot of controversy from both the Royce camp and the Kanye camp. West contends that Royce never paid for his beat to 'Heartbeat' (which samples Junior Walker's 'Darling Come Back Home' from 1978), but recorded on it and released it in 2003 on his mixtape 'Build and Destroy: The Lost Sessions Part 1'.

Check back for our look at Kanye West's production credits from 2004 as well as a look at his album 'The College Dropout' coming soon.

The Lowdown:
DMX 'Dogs Out'
from 'Grand Champ' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Dogs Out'
The Shirelles 'Dedicated to the One I Love'
from 'Dedicated to the One I Love' 7" (1958) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Fabolous 'My Life'
from 'Street Dreams' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'My Life'
The Ohio Players 'Pride and Vanity'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD)
Lil Kim 'Came Back for You'
from 'La Bella Mafia' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Came Back for You'
Irene Reid 'Didn't We'
from 'The World Needs What I Need' (1971) (MP3 Not Available/CD Not Available)
Royce Da 5'9" 'Heartbeat'
from 'Build and Destroy: The Lost Sessions Part 1' (2003) (MP3 not available/CD)
Jr. Walker 'Darling Come Back Home'
from '...Smooth' (1978) (MP3 Not Available/CD Not Available)

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: GZA/Genius 'Liquid Swords' (Part 2)

Welcome to the second part of our look at 'Liquid Swords' by GZA/Genius, released on this day in 1995.

'Liquid Swords''s second single was the RZA produced 'Cold World' and features a fantastic use of the Dramatics' ballad 'In the Rain'. The track also samples Stevie Wonder's 'Hotter than July' album cut 'Rocket Love'. GZA's 'Shadowboxin'', the album's final single, samples Ann Peebles' 'Trouble, Heartaches, and Sadness'. A sample of Three Dog Night appears on GZA's 'Investigatve Reports' by way of their 1974 album 'Hard Labor' and the track 'I'd Be So Happy'. The album's closing track and the only track not produced by the RZA (this track was produced by Wu associate 4th Disciple) is 'B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)' which samples an early Ohio Players track titled 'Our Love Has Died' on their pre-breakthrough album 'Pleasure'.

'Liquid Swords' has, in time, become a platinum selling album and is often cited as being one of the best hip-hop albums of all time and is the high water mark for albums released by Wu-Tang members.

The Lowdown:
GZA/Genius 'Cold World', 'Shadowboxin'', 'Investigatve Reports', and 'B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)'
from 'Liquid Swords' (1995) (MP3/CD)
The Dramatics 'In the Rain'
from 'Whatcha See is Whatcha Get' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Stevie Wonder 'Rocket Love'
from 'Hotter than July' (1980) (MP3/CD)
Ann Peebles 'Trouble, Heartaches, and Sadness'
from 'Straight from the Heart' (1971) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Three Dog Night 'I'd Be So Happy'
from 'Hard Labor' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
The Ohio Players 'Out Love Has Died'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD)