Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 1)

Without parallel commercially speaking, Cypress Hill's 1993 album 'Black Sunday' is still the release the rap unit is most recognized for. The album charted at #1 on the Billboard album charts and contains their most enduring hit single. This two part post will cover the sample material used by Cypress Hill and their producer DJ Muggs to make this album.

The album's opening track sets the mood for the album and much of Cypress Hill's career: 'I Wanna Get High'. Muggs samples the drums from Lee Dorsey's famous 'Get Out of My Life Woman' along with Junior Parker's 'Taxman' and Rita Marley's 1981 cut 'One Draw'. The only track on the album not produced by DJ Muggs is the single 'I Ain't Goin' Out Like That', produced by T-Ray. The song samples two cuts from Black Sabbath's 1970 self titled debut album: 'Wicked World' and 'The Wizard'. The first single from the album is still Cypress Hill's most recognizable song: 'Insane in the Brain'. The song samples Sly and the Family Stone's title track from the 1968 album 'Life', James Brown's title track from the 1969 album 'Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud', Mel and Tim's title track from the 1969 album 'Good Guys Only Win in the Movies', and a song from the Youngbloods titled 'All Over the World'. Finally 'When the S--- Goes Down' makes good use of 'Deep Gully' by the Outlaw Blues Band and the massive bassline and breaks from Billy Cobham's 'Stratus'.

Check back for our second look at 'Black Sunday'.

The Lowdown:
Cypress Hill 'I Wanna Get High', 'I Ain't Goin' Out Like That', 'Insane in the Brain', and 'When the S--- Goes Down'
from 'Black Sunday' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'I Wanna Get High', 'I Ain't Goin' Out Like That', 'Insane in the Brain', and 'When the S--- Goes Down'
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The New Lee Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Junior Parker 'Taxman'
from 'The Outside Man' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Rita Marley 'One Draw'
from 'Who Feels It Knows It' (1981) (MP3/CD)
Black Sabbath 'Wicked World' and 'The Wizard'
from 'Black Sabbath' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Life'
from 'Life' (1968) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud'
from 'Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud' (1969) (MP3/Import CD)
Mel and Tim 'Good Guys Only Win in the Movies'
from 'Good Guys Only Win in the Movies' (1969) (MP3/CD)
The Youngbloods 'All Over the World'
from 'Get Together' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Outlaw Blues Band 'Deep Gully'
from 'Breakin' In' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Billy Cobham 'Stratus'
from 'Spectrum' (1973) (MP3/CD)

Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 5, 1997)

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)

Source Material: Roy Ayers Ubiquity 'Change Up the Groove'

Over ten years into his recording career, Roy Ayers released his Ubiquity album 'Change Up the Groove' in 1974. This post will examine the producers and artists that sampled Roy Ayers's 1974 album for their own works.

Among many of the tracks sampled by Madlib for his Quasimoto album 'The Unseen' is Ubiquity's 'Sensitize' sampled on 'Come on Feet'. Large Professor produced the hit single 'Keep on Rollin'' in 1993 for A Tribe Called Quest by sampling Ubiquity's 'Feel Like Making Love' from 'Change Up the Groove'.

The most sampled track on the album however is the album's closing cut 'The Boogie Back'. The song was sampled by Ced Gee for the Ultramagnetic MCs song 'Funky' from the classic 1988 album 'Critical Beatdown'. In the same year on the West Coast, the song was sampled for another classic hip-hop album: N.W.A.'s 'Straight Outta Compton'. A sample of 'The Boogie Back' appears on the caustic cut 'F--- Tha Police' produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella. Six year later, 'The Boogie Back' would back the West Coast sound again when it appeared as a sample on Coolio's 1994 album 'It Takes a Thief' on the Dobbs the Wino produced single 'County Line'.

Look for more posts outlining Roy Ayers' career. For people lucky enough to be in or around Seattle this summer, catch Roy Ayers at the annual Bumbershoot Festival.

The Lowdown:
Roy Ayers Ubiquity 'Sensitize', 'Feel Like Making Love', and 'The Boogie Back'
from 'Change Up the Groove' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Quasimoto 'Come On Feet'
from 'The Unseen' (2000) (MP3/CD)
A Tribe Called Quest 'Keep it Rollin''
from 'Midnight Marauders' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Ultramagnetic MCs 'Funky'
from 'Critical Beatdown' (1988) (MP3/CD)
N.W.A. 'F--- Tha Police'
from 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Coolio 'County Line'
from 'It Takes a Thief' (1994) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Five On It: February 2009 (Roy Ayers Ubiquity Appearance)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 1)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 2)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 3)

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)

Rewind: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Main Ingredient' (Part 2)

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

What is a hip-hop classic without a James Brown beat? Pete Rock samples James Brown's 'Escape-ism' (as well as Ramsey Lewis' 'Sun Goddess' from Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's track 'Escapism'. On 'Escape''s outro, Rock samples the Pointer Sisters' killer take on 'Yes We Can Can', originally a Lee Dorsey cut written by Allen Toussaint. On 'The Main Ingredient''s title track, Pete Rock samples 'Psychadelic Shack' by Albino Gorilla, 'Submission' by Tyrone Washington, and Les McCann's 'Harlem Buck Dance Strut' from his 1973 album 'Layers'. 'All the Places' samples two more J.B. cuts: 'Mind Power' and 'Take Some - Leave Some', both from James Brown's 1974 album 'The Payback', as well as the title track from Donald Byrd's 1975 album 'Places and Spaces' produced by Fonce and Larry Mizell. On 'Tell Me', Pete Rock samples the drums from the Detroit Emeralds' breakbeat cut 'You're Getting a Little Too Smart', J.B.'s 'Funky President (People It's Bad)' and 'Don't Tell It', and Stan Getz's 'Keep Dreamin'' from 1977's 'Another World'. During the outro, Pete Rock plays a bit of 'On the Hill' by Oliver Sain. 'Take You There' features samples from Joe Farrell's 'Upon This Rock', the Black Heat cut 'Zimba Ku' from 'Keep on Runnin', and 'Risin' to the Top' from Ken Burke's 'Changes'. Pete Rock samples one of rock's major breakbeats on the outro: Mountain's live version of 'Long Red' from 1972's full length 'Mountain Live'.

Check back for the final part of our look at Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's 'The Main Ingredient'.

The Lowdown:
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'Escapism', 'The Main Ingredient', 'All the Places', 'Tell Me', and 'Take You There'
from 'The Main Ingredient' (1994) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Escape-ism'
from 'Hot Pants' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)
Ramsey Lewis 'Sun Goddess'
from 'Sun Goddess' (1974) (MP3/CD)
The Pointer Sisters 'Yes We Can Can'
from 'The Pointer Sisters' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Albino Gorilla 'Psychadelic Shack'
from 'Detroit 1984' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Tyrone Washington 'Submission'
'Roots' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Les McCann 'Harlem Buck Dance Strut'
from 'Layers' (1973) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Mind Power' (edit) and 'Take Some - Leave Some'
from 'The Payback' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Donald Byrd 'Places and Spaces'
from 'Places and Spaces' (1976) (MP3/CD)
The Detroit Emeralds 'You're Getting a Little Too Smart'
from 'Detroit Emeralds' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Don't Tell It'
from 'Bodyheat' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Stan Getz 'Keep Dreamin''
from 'Another World' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Oliver Sain 'On the Hill'
from 'The Main Man' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Joe Farrell 'Upon This Rock'
from 'Upon This Rock' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Black Heat 'Zimba Ku'
from 'Keep on Runnin'' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Keni Burke 'Risin' to the Top'
from 'Changes' (1982) (MP3/Import CD)
Mountain 'Long Red'
from 'Mountain Live' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: Pete Rock (Part 1, 1991-1993)
Producer Profile: Pete Rock (Part 2, 1994)

Rewind: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Main Ingredient' (Part 1)

Following the success of their debut album and the eternal hip-hop classic 'They Reminisce Over You', Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth returned in 1994 with their second and final album as a duo. This three part arc will cover the many tracks and many samples used by Pete Rock for the creation of 'The Main Ingredient'.

On the opening track, 'In the House', Pete Rock cropped samples from the Power of Zeus' 'The Sorcerer of Isis'. Deodato's excellent drum break track 'September 13', and the David Axelrod produced 'Capricorn' by Cannonball Adderley. On the song's outro, Rock uses Roy Ayers' 'Ain't Got Time' from the Ubiquity album 'He's Coming' from 1974. Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's 'Carmel City' features samples from Hugo Montenegro's synth filled 'Dizzy' from his 1969 album 'Moog Power' and Milt Jackson's 'Enchanted Lady' from his 1970 album 'Memphis Jackson'. On 'I Get Physical', C.L. rhymes over George Benson's 'Face It Boy, It's Over' from his 1968 album 'Shape of Things to Come'. 'Sun Won't Come Out' features a classic octopus break beat by sampling Bob James' 'Nautilus' while the outro samples another essential Bob James cut, 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras' from 1975's 'Two' and Billy Joel's smaltzy hit 'Just the Way You Are' from 1977's 'The Stranger'. On the album's lead single, 'I Got a Love', Pete Rock samples the Ambassadors' soul single 'Ain't Got the Love (of One Girl on My Mind)' and Mel and Tim's 'Groovy Situation' from their album 'Good Guys Only Win in the Movies'.

Check back for part 2 of our look at 'The Main Ingredient'.

The Lowdown:
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'In the House', 'Carmel City', 'I Get Physical', 'Sun Won't Come Out', and 'I Got a Love'
from 'The Main Ingredient' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Power of Zeus 'The Sorcerer of Isis'
from 'The Gospel According to Zeus' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Deodato 'September 13'
from 'Prelude' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Cannonball Adderley 'Capricorn'
from 'Music, You All' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Roy Ayers Ubiquity 'Ain't Got Time'
from 'He's Coming' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Hugo Montenegro 'Dizzy'
from 'Moog Power' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD)
Milt Jackson 'Enchanted Lady'
from 'Memphis Jackson' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
George Benson 'Face It Boy, It's Over'
from 'Shape of Things to Come' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Bob James 'Nautilus'
from 'One' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Bob James 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras'
from 'Two' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Billy Joel 'Just the Way You Are'
from 'The Stranger' (1977) (MP3/CD)
The Ambassadors 'Ain't Got the Love (of One Girl on My Mind)'
from 'Soul Summit' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD)
Mel and Tim 'Groovy Situation'
from 'Good Guys Only Win in the Movies' (1969) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Creator'
Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 4, 1972-1977) (Cannonball Adderley)

The Breaks: Young-Holt Unlimited 'Soulful Strut'

This edition of the breaks may be a little goofy to hardcore hip-hop fans, but its undeniable that Young-Holt Unlimited's 1968 instrumental 'Soulful Strut' has spawned its share of hot hip-hop songs through sampling. This post will look at the songs that have sampled 'Soulful Strut'.

The version of 'Soulful Strut' that most people remember is not the instrumental at all. Barbara Acklin's 'Am I the Same Girl',written by Chi-Lites member Eugene Record, was a top 100 hit ('Soulful Strut' peaked at #3). The song appeared on her album 'Seven Days of Night' and less than a year later was covered by Dusty Springfield whose recording of 'Am I the Same Girl' became a modest hit in the UK.

In 1989, Miami's 2 Live Crew sampled 'Soulful Strut' for their song 'Coolin'' for their breakthrough dirty-dirty album 'As Nasty as They Wanna Be'. Two years later, the song was sampled again by Nice and Smooth for the track 'Step by Step' for their album 'Ain't a Damn Thing Changed'. On the soundtrack of the 1993 film 'Poetic Justice', Pete Rock produces the excellent harder to find Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth cut 'One in a Million'. In 2004, with Betty 'Tonight is the Night' Wright in charge of production, Joss Stone sampled 'Soulful Strut' on her song 'Don't Cha Wanna Ride' on her album 'Mind Body and Soul'.

The Lowdown:
Young-Holt Unlimited 'Soulful Strut'
from 'Soulful Strut' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Barbara Acklin 'Am I the Same Girl'
from 'Seven Days of Night' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Dusty Springfield 'Am I the Same Girl'
from 'Am I the Same Girl' 7" (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
2 Live Crew 'Coolin''
from 'As Nasty as They Wanna Be' (1989) (MP3/CD)
Nice and Smooth 'Step by Step'
from 'Ain't a Damn Thing Changed' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'One in a Million'
from 'Poetic Justice' soundtrack (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
Joss Stone 'Don't Cha Wanna Ride'
from 'Mind Body and Soul' (2004) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Creator'

Rewind: Nightmares on Wax 'A Word of Science'

This year, independent electronic label Warp Records will be celebrating their 20th anniversary. This may not mean a lot to hip-hop fans, but Warp has released some great downtempo hip-hop albums. One of them is 1991's debut album by Nightmares on Wax titled 'A Word of Science'. This post will cover the sample sources of some of N.O.W.'s classic cuts and may even turn a few hip-hop heads towards Warp's direction.

The opening song to the album is 'Nights Interlude', a fantastic downtempo joint that pounds out live. The song samples 'Summer in the City', the highlight from Quincy Jones' 1973 album 'You Got it Bad Girl'. Look below for more on this track and the songs that have sampled it. On 'Coming Down', Nightmares on Wax samples Bob James' breakbeat extravaganza 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras' from his 1975 album 'Two'. 'A Case of Funk' samples the proto-disco track 'Sing Sing' by Gaz, which has in the last two decades come to be the defining sample in Baltimore Club's brash club beats. For 'Playtime', N.O.W. samples the popular break from Tom Scott and the L.A. Express' 'Sneakin' in the Back' from their eponymous 1974 album. Nightmares on Wax's earliest hit single is the throbbing 'Aftermath', which famously samples vocals from Cuba Gooding's 1983 single 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend'. Finally, on 'Back into Time', Steve Miller Band's 'Fly Like an Eagle' weaves its way in and out of the mix.

Since 1991, Nightmares on Wax has gone onto release five more albums, each with lazy day hip-hop speed instrumentals that are perfect for backyard barbecue soundtracks. Don't sleep on N.O.W. and don't sleep on these samples!

The Lowdown:
Nightmares on Wax 'Nights Interlude', 'Coming Down', 'A Case of Funk', 'Playtime', 'Aftermath', and 'Back into Time'
from 'A Word of Science' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Quincy Jones 'Summer in the City'
from 'You Got it Bad Girl' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Bob James 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras'
from 'Two' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Gaz 'Sing Sing'
from 'Gaz' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Tom Scott and the L.A. Express 'Sneakin' in the Back'
from 'Tom Scott and the L.A. Express' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)
Cuba Gooding 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend'
from 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend' (1983) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Steve Miller Band 'Fly Like and Eagle'
from 'Fly Like an Eagle' (1974) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Quincy Jones' haunting rendition of 'Summer in the City' is the choice for most funk and hip-hop fans, but classic rock people are more familiar with the original 'Summer in the City' by the Lovin' Spoonful (although, it too was sampled by J Dilla for De La Soul's 'Thru Ya City'). Quincy Jones' track was sampled by Nightmares on Wax in 1991, but has been sampled many more times since: most famously on the J-Swift produced 'Passin' Me By' by the Pharycde, in 1996 on the Roots' 'Clones', and on the 2000 Allstar produced remix of Joe's 'Stutter' with Mystikal.

Five On It: June 2009's Essentials

Welcome to our latest installment of Five On It, the five essential beats covered in the last month that you need to add to your library of samples. Five On it has been running strong, every month I worry about picking five new breaks that haven't been given Five On It status before, but we always easily come up with five more, June being no exception.

This track is the second early hip-hop joint given Five On It status, but it's huge: Kurtis Blow's 'The Breaks'. Whether it's the opening handclap shout outs or its many breakdowns, 'The Breaks' is full of samples and still rocks the party hard. This track was sampled by DJ Premier for KRS-One. Next is another big 80s tune that still resonates with kids who were born after the 80s: Mtume's 'Juicy Fruit', famously sampled by the Notorious B.I.G. and Warren G. Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter III' is responsible for breathing a little more life into Nina Simone's already amazing read of 'Don't Let Me Be Understood'. Look below for more on this classic song. Dilla sampled the hitting song 'I Got Some' by Billy Garner, one of my favorite funk cuts which has a solid intro break and a memorable sample. Finally, we had a post dedicated to Edwin Starr's 'Easin' In'. More blaxploitation bangers are sure to follow, we've covered a few, but there are plenty more to talk about.

The Lowdown:
Kurtis Blow 'The Breaks'
from 'Kurtis Blow' (1980) (MP3 not available/CD)
Mtume 'Juicy Fruit'
from 'Juicy Fruit' (1983) (MP3/CD)
Nina Simone 'Don't Let Me Be Understood'
from 'Broadway - Blues - Ballads' (1964) (MP3/CD)
Billy Garner 'I Got Some'
from 'I Got Some' 7" (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Edwin Starr 'Easin' In'
from 'Hell Up In Harlem' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Bonus Cuts:
Even though Nina Simone was the first person to record the song 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood', the recording is probably best known for its versions by the Animals (1965) or Joe Cocker (1969). I'm usually not into disco songs and especially disco covers, but Santa Esmeralda delivered a quality version of 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' in 1977. Bonus, a new re-release of the single features instrumental and acapella versions of Santa Esmeralda's cut.

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)