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

Last month we looked at Cypress Hill's second album, 'Black Sunday', their commercial breakthrough produced mostly by DJ Muggs. Over the next three posts, we'll look at Cypress Hill's debut album from 1991 titled 'Cypress Hill' produced entirely by DJ Muggs.

'How I Could Just Kill a Man' was originally a B-side, but has become one of Cypress Hill's most notable cuts. The song includes samples from several different genres smelted in the Cypress Hill cauldron. Among them is Jimi Hendrix's 'Are You Experienced' from his 1967 album of the same title, Lowell Fulsom's tremendous breakbeat track 'Tramp', James Brown's 'Escape-ism' from 1972 and J.B.'s 'I Got Ants in My Pants (and I Want to Dance)', as well as Manzel's popular break 'Midnight Theme'. Cypress Hill's single 'Hand on the Pump' famously samples Gene Chandler's doo-wop hit 'Duke of Earl' from his 1962 album of the same title and Junior Walker and the All Stars' Motown hit 'Shotgun'. 'Hole in the Head' finds Cypress Hill rhyming over Jimmy McGriff's 'The Bird' from his highly sought after 1971 album 'Groove Grease'. On 'Ultraviolet Dreams', DJ Muggs samples Muddy Waters' electrified blues cut 'Tom Cat' from his album 'Electric Mud'. On 'Light Another', the crew samples an early Kool and the Gang cut, 'Good Times', from their 1972 album 'Good Times'.

Check back for part two of our look at Cypress Hill's debut album 'Cypress Hill'.

The Lowdown:
Cypress Hill 'How I Could Just Kill a Man', 'Hand on the Pump', 'Hole in the Head', 'Ultraviolet Dreams', and 'Light Another'
from 'Cypress Hill' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Jimi Hendrix 'Are You Experienced'
from 'Are You Experienced' (1967) (MP3/CD)
Lowell Fulsom 'Tramp'
from 'Tramp' (1967) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
James Brown 'Escape-ism'
from 'Hot Pants' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)
James Brown 'I Got Ants in My Pants (and I Want to Dance)'
from 'Get on the Good Foot' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Manzel 'Midnight Theme'
from 'Midnight Theme' 7" (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Gene Chandler 'Duke of Earl'
from 'Duke of Earl' (1962) (MP3/CD not available)
Junior Walker and the All Stars 'Shotgun'
from 'Shotgun' 7" (1965) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Jimmy McGriff 'The Bird'
from 'Groove Grease' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Muddy Waters 'Tom Cat'
from 'Electric Mud' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Good Times'
from 'Good Times' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 1)
Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 2)
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang' (Part 2) (Lowell Fulsom appearance)

The Breaks: Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at the songs that sampled Lee Dorsey's 60s hit single 'Get Out of My Life Woman'.

In 1994, two of the year's biggest releases sampled Dorsey's classic break: DJ Premier laced Nas with the beat for 'Memory Lane (Sittin' in the Park)' from his debut album 'Illmatic' and Run DMC's Jam Master Jay and Jeff Harris produced the beat for Onyx's album cut 'Stik'n'Muve' from 'Bacdafucup'. On Grand Puba's sophomore solo album '2000' (confusingly released in 1995), the ex-Brand Nubian emcee rapped over Dorsey on 'Playin' the Game' produced by Alamo. One of the many songs sampled by Beck and the Dust Brothers for his album 'Odelay' is 'Get Out of My Life Woman' on the hit single 'Where It's At'. A year later, the RZA used the break on the Wu-Tang Clan's double disc album 'Wu-Tang Forever's deep album cut 'Maria'. In 1999, Q-Unique sampled Dorsey on the Arsonists' 'Pyromaniax' and in 2000, Chief Xcel sampled Dorsey on the Blackalicious track 'Lyric Fathom' from the compilation 'Solesides Greatest Bumps' (quite hard to find in the past few years, but available again on MP3 now!).

Next month we'll be revisiting 'Get Out of My Life Woman' by checking out the many covers of Dorsey's song and the songs that have sampled them.

The Lowdown:
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of MY Life Woman'
from 'The New Lee Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Nas 'Memory Lane (Sittin' in the Park)'
from 'Illmatic' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Onyx 'Stik'n'Muve'
from 'Bacdafucup' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Grand Puba 'Playin' the Game'
from '2000' (1995) (MP3/CD)
Beck 'Where It's At'
from 'Odelay' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Wu-Tang Clan 'Maria'
from 'Wu-Tang Forever' (1997) (MP3/CD)
The Arsonists 'Pyromaniax'
from 'As the World Burns' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Blackalicious 'Lyric Fathom'
from 'Solesides Greatest Bumps' (2000) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 3, 1994)
Rewind: Beck 'Odelay'
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang' (Part 1)
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang' (Part 2)

The Breaks: Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman' (Part 1)

Last month, Lee Dorsey's essential open drum intro for 'Get Out of My Life Woman' was inducted to our Five On It collection of necessary breaks for hip-hop producers and DJs. I would've liked to expand on why this drum break is so necessary, but it could not have been done in just one part of one post. In total, I have four posts slated to explain 'Get Out of My Life Woman' - the first two dropping this month will look at songs who sampled the Lee Dorsey version and two posts next month will explore the songs that sampled covers of Lee Dorsey's original. Beat scientists will know there are a lot of excellent covers to talk about. Let's get into it!

'Get Out of My Life Woman' may be most famously sampled in 1989 by Biz Markie for his gigantic crossover hit and enduring single 'Just a Friend' from his album 'The Biz Never Sleeps'. Produced by the Biz and Cool V, 'Just a Friend' is a multi-generational party standard. A year later, DJ Slip and the Unknown DJ sampled the 'Get Out of My Life Woman' break for Compton's Most Wanted's 'This is Compton' from 'It's a Compton Thang!' which predates Dr. Dre's Compton-centric 'The Chronic' by one year. In 1991, Prince Paul and De La Soul sampled the drums on 'Fanatic of the B Word' from their sophomore album 'De La Soul is Dead'. In 1992, Common's debut album 'Can I Borrow a Dollar?' contained the Immenslope produced single 'Breaker 1/9' while the title track to Lord Finesse's 'Return of the Funky Man' had Showbiz (of Show and AG fame), both sampling Lee Dorsey. In 1993, both 'Hits from the Bong' by Cypress Hill, produced by DJ Muggs, and the short interlude 'Zearocks' from the Leaders of the New School's 'T.I.M.E.' album also used samples of 'Get Out of My Life Woman'.

Check back for the second part of our look at songs sampling one of Lee Dorsey's finest moments.

The Lowdown:
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The New Lee Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Biz Markie 'Just a Friend'
from 'The Biz Never Sleeps' (1989) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Compton's Most Wanted 'This is Compton'
from 'It's a Compton Thang!' (1990) (MP3/CD not available)
De La Soul 'Fanatic of the B Word'
from 'De La Soul is Dead' (1991) (MP3 not available/CD)
Common 'Breaker 1/9'
from 'Can I Borrow a Dollar?' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Lord Finesse 'Return of the Funky Man'
from 'Return of the Funky Man' (1992) (MP3/CD not available)
Cypress Hill 'Hits from the Bong'
from 'Black Sunday' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Hits from the Bong'
Leaders of the New School 'Zearocks'
from 'T.I.M.E.' (1993) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Five On It: July 2009's Essentials ('Get Out My Life Woman' on Five On It)
Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 1)
Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 2)

Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton' (Part 3)

It's fitting that our final look at N.W.A.'s debut album 'Straight Outta Compton' is post #187. Not only did the album murder the competition in 1988 (released on August 8th, 21 years ago tomorrow), it murdered Los Angeles' electro leanings and ushered in the age of G-Funk.

Ice Cube flies solo on N.W.A.'s track 'I Ain't the 1', produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella. The quirky song samples Brass Construction's 'The Message (Inspiration)' from their 1976 album 'Brass Construction II'. On the 'Dopeman' (Remix), N.W.A. rhyme over Herman Kelly and Life's essential B-boy cut 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat' from the 1978 album 'Percussion Explosion', but heavily re-released on the grey market later through the Ultimate Breakbeats series. N.W.A.'s b-side cut 'Quiet on tha Set' samples George McCrae's 'I Get Lifted' and former Five on It breakbeat of the month 'Rock Creek Park' by the Blackbyrds, produced by the inimitable Donald Byrd. On the album's final track, 'Something 2 Dance 2', N.W.A. join with L.A. legend Arabian Prince for a throwback electro dance number that samples the beat from Sly and the Family Stone's 'Dance to the Music' as well as 'You're the One for Me' by D-Train.

Following 'Straight Outta Compton', Ice Cube left the group over money disputes. In 1990, Ice Cube released his solo debut album 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' while N.W.A. followed with the '100 Miles and Runnin'' EP and 1991's 'Efil4zaggin' before dissolving entirely. In 1992, Dr. Dre found success on his own with his breakthrough debut album 'The Chronic'. Eazy-E would only release 2 EPs before his untimely death in 1995.

The Lowdown:
N.W.A. 'I Ain't the 1', 'Dopeman' (Remix), 'Quiet on tha Set', and 'Something 2 Dance 2'
from 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Brass Construction 'The Message (Inspiration)'
from 'Brass Construction II' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Herman Kelly and Life 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat'
from 'Percussion Explosion' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
George McCrae 'I Get Lifted'
from 'Rock Your Baby' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Blackbyrds 'Rock Creek Park'
from 'City Life' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Dance to the Music'
from 'Dance to the Music' (1968) (MP3/CD)
D-Train 'You're the One for Me'
from 'You're the One for Me' (1982) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 1)
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 2)
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 3)
Rewind: Dr. Dre 'The Chronic' (Part 1)
Rewind: Dr. Dre 'The Chronic' (Part 2)
The Breaks: Sly and the Family Stone 'Dance to the Music'
Five On It: April 2009's Essentials (Blackbyrds appearance)

Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at N.W.A.'s monumental 1988 debut album 'Straight Outta Compton'.

On 'Parental Discretion iz Advised', the D.O.C. share vocal duties with N.W.A. on the mic making for an outstanding early Westside posse cut. The song, produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, samples 'I Turned You On' from the 1969 Isley Brothers album 'The Brothers: Isley'. On the N.W.A. remix of Eazy-E's solo cut '8 Ball', Eazy raps over the Pointer Sister's 'Yes We Can Can' (an Allen Toussaint cover), Kool and the Gang's hit 'Hollywood Swinging', and Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' (the last by way of Eazy-E's car radio). On 'Something Like That', Dre and MC Ren trade verses over Fat Larry's Band's 'Down on the Avenue' with additional samples of 'Take the Money and Run' by the Steve Miller Band. One of the album's biggest hits is the single 'Express Yourself' where Ice Cube rhymes about the downside of selling out and Dr. Dre rhymes about the downside of marijuana. Things changed. The basis for the song is Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's classic single 'Express Yourself' from their 1969 album also titled 'Express Yourself'.

Check back at our third and final look at N.W.A.'s album 'Straight Outta Compton'.

The Lowdown:
N.W.A. 'Parental Discretion iz Advised', '8 Ball' (Remix), 'Something Like That', and 'Express Yourself'
from 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988) (MP3/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'I Turned You On'
from 'The Brothers: Isley' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Pointer Sisters 'Yes We Can Can'
from 'The Pointer Sisters' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Hollywood Swinging'
from 'Wild and Peaceful' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Marvin Gaye 'Let's Get It On'
from 'Let's Get It On' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Fat Larry's Band 'Down on the Avenue'
from 'Feel It' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD)
Steve Miller Band 'Take the Money and Run'
from 'Fly Like an Eagle' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band 'Express Yourself'
from 'Express Yourself' (1969) (MP3/CD)

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.

Five On It: July 2009's Essentials

Welcome to another installment of Five on It, the essential cuts covered in the last month. This month was brimming with excellent breaks, so it was hard to narrow it down to only five cuts; but all five of these tracks are sureshots that need to be in the arsenal of any good producer or DJ.

On our look at Nightmares on Wax's 'A Word of Science', we mentioned two classic breakbeats: Bob James' classic 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras' and Quincy Jones' 'Summer in the City'. Take a look at the original post for more info on Quincy Jones' song and the people who've sampled it throughout history. On the first part of our post about Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's 'Main Ingredient', they used the breakbeat from Deodato's 'September 13' as a sample. Look below for more on samples from Deodatos' 1972 album 'Prelude'. On our first look at 'Black Sunday' by Cypress Hill, we mentioned Lee Dorsey's monumental open break intro to 'Get Out of My Life Woman'. Look for a two-part post next month on the people who've sampled this track - there were too many for only one post. Finally, in the same post, Billy Cobham's jazz-funk drum blast 'Stratus' was mentioned - check out the several minute intro of open drum sounds before the track falls into a bass and drum groove sampled by Massive Attack among others.

The Lowdown:
Bob James 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras'
from 'Two' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Quincy Jones 'Summer in the City'
from 'You Got it Bad Girl' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Deodato 'September 13'
from 'Prelude' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The New Lee Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Billy Cobham 'Stratus'
from 'Spectrum' (1973) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Dedoato's 'Prelude' album contains the break 'September 13', but this isn't the only song sampled from this album. Check out the cut 'Spirit of Summer' sampled by the Dilated Peoples for their early non-album track 'The Ruggedness' in 1997 and sampled again three years later by fellow West Coast rapper Nobody on 'For Those Who Never Dream'.

Related Posts:
Rewind: Massive Attack 'Blue Lines' (Part 1) (Billy Cobham appearance)

Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second and final look at the sample source material of Mos Def's fourth solo album, 2009's 'The Ecstatic'.

Madlib's brother and label mate Oh No racks up another production credit on the album with his production on 'Pistola'. The track samples a song earlier re-released by the Stones Throw label: 'In the Rain' by the Wooden Glass from the compilation 'Funky 16 Corners'. Mr. Flash provides another production credit as well for Mos Def's 'Workers Comp' which samples 'If this World Were Mine' from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel's first duet album 'United'. A posthumous J Dilla beat appears on 'History', which finds Mos Def and Talib Kweli on another Motown based beat, this time sampling Mary Wells' single 'Two Lovers' History'. Finally, Mos Def and Andre Lyon share production duties on the closing track 'Casa Bey' which samples 'Casa Forte' by legendary Brazilian funk act Banda Black Rio's debut album 'Maria Fumaça'.

'The Ecstatic' has been the first Mos Def album to be both critically lauded and commercially accepted since his 1999 debut. The album, debuting on June 9th, 2009, placed in the top 10 on the Billboard album charts in its first week of release.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Pistola', 'Workers Comp', 'History', and 'Casa Bey'
from 'The Ecstatic' (2009) (MP3/CD)
The Wooden Glass 'In the Rain'
from 'Funky 16 Corners' (2001) (MP3/CD)
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel 'If this World Were Mine'
from 'United' (1967) (MP3 not available/CD)
Mary Wells 'Two Lovers' History'
from 'Servin' Up Some Soul' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Banda Black Rio 'Casa Forte'
from 'Maria Fumaça' (1977) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Related Posts:
The Breaks: Marlena Shaw 'California Soul' (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel appearance)
Producer Profile: Kanye West (Part 2, 2001-2002) (Talib Kweli appearance)

Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 1)

Following two disappointing LPs for Geffen, Mos Def rocketed himself back into underground hip-hop's radar with 2009's 'The Ecstatic'. With this album, he returned to form backed with some of hip-hop's best beatmakers. This two part post will demystify 'The Ecstatic''s sample sources.

'The Ecstatic''s opening track and first video single is the Oh No produced 'Supermagic'. Mos Def rhymes over a beat formerly used by Oh No on his own track 'Heavy' from 2007's 'Dr. No's Oxperiment'. The beat samples obscure Turkish singer Selda Bagcan (or just Selda)'s song 'Ince Ince' from her 1976 album 'Selda'. One of the album's standout tracks is 'Auditorium' where Mos trades verses with the ruler Slick Rick. The two ride Madlib's previously released instrumental 'Movie Finale' from his India themed album 'Beat Konducta 3 and 4: In India' from 2007. Madlib also provides the beat for Mos Def's 'Wahid' by sampling Bobby Hebb's 1970 track 'Flower'. Mos Def selected a beat from French producer Mr. Flash for 'Life in Marvelous Times'. The same backing track was previously used on Mr. Flash's own single 'Champions' which included a vocal cut with French rapper TTC and an instrumental version.

Check back for our second look at Mos Def's 'The Ecstatic'.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Supermagic', 'Auditorium', 'Wahid', and 'Life in Marvelous Times'
from 'The Ecstatic' (2009) (MP3/CD)
Oh No 'Heavy'
from 'Dr. No's Oxperiment' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Selda 'Ince Ince'
from 'Selda' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Madlib 'Movie Finale'
from 'Beat Konducta 3 and 4: In India' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Bobby Hebb 'Flower'
from 'Love Games' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Mr. Flash 'Champions' and 'Champions' (Instrumental)
from 'Champions' (2006) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both sides' (Part 1)
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both sides' (Part 2)

Pull Up: Fever Pitch Riddim

Here is a sure shot riddim for the summer: Fever Pitch, one that is sure to make sweaty clubs go nuts. On this post, we'll explore some of the top cuts on the Fever Pitch Riddims for your summertime riddim running fun.

One of the first cuts on Fever Pitch is Bunny General's 'Full Up a Class' first appearing on 12" in 1992. This pivotal cut is overshadowed by a huge hit on the Fever Pitch in 1993: 'Limb by Limb' by Cutty Ranks, one of the biggest dancehall cuts from the 90s altogether. On his album 'Wickedness Increase', General Levy also rode the riddim in 1993 on his track 'Champagne Body' (a hit on its own). In 1994, the Fever Pitch was heavily adopted for "girl tracks". Among them is Janet Lee Davis' 'I Will Always Love You', Sweet Tea's 'Breathe Again', and Louchie Lou and Michie One's gigantic hit single 'If I was a Rich Girl'. 'If I was a Rich Girl' was loosely based on the 'Fiddler on the Roof' showtune 'If I Were a Rich Man' and was resurrected by Dr. Dre in 2004 for Gwen Stefani and Eve's single 'Rich Girl.

The Lowdown:
Bunny General 'Full Up a Class'
from 'Full Up a Class' 12" (1992) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Cutty Ranks 'Limb By Limb'
from 'Limb By Limb' (1993) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
General Levy 'Champagne Body'
from 'Wickedness Increase' (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
Janet Lee Davis 'I Will Always Love You'
from 'V/A - Fever Pitch' (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Sweet Tea 'Breathe Again'
from 'Breathe Again' 12" (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Louchie Lou and Michie One 'If I was a Rich Girl'
from 'II Be Free' (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Topol 'If I Was a Rich Man'
from 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1962) (MP3/CD)
Gwen Stefani and Eve 'Rich Girl'
from 'Love Angel Music Baby' (2004) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Pull Up: Stalag Riddim
Pull Up: Two Sevens Clash Riddim
Pull Up: Darker Shade of Black Riddm
Pull Up: Sleng Teng Riddim
Pull Up: I'm Still in Love with You Riddim
Pull Up: Drum Song Riddim

The Future: Benga

I thought when I wrote a post last month about Skream, I figured I would have to write one too for Croydon's other dubstep phenomenon: Benga.

Benga, along with Skream, is one of the genre's originators beginning with 'Skank / Dose' for Big Apple in 2002, followed by singles for his own Benga Beats starting in 2004. In 2007, Benga appeared on the Planet µ compilation '200' with the track 'Broken Dubstep'. During the same year, he released what has become one of dubstep's most enduring singles: 'Night' with Coki. In 2008, he released his debut full length album 'Diary of an Afro Warrior', which includes heavy cuts like 'Crunked Up' and the single 'Pleasure'. Most recently, Benga has released his 'Buzzin' / One Million' single with the chunky A-side track 'Buzzin'' and the Fatboy Slim sampling cut 'One Million' that nabs some of the vocals from 'Star 69'.

For Seattleites: Benga will be appearing at this year's Decibel Festival, be sure to check him out.

The Lowdown:
Benga 'Skank'
from 'Skank / Dose' (2002) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Benga 'Broken Dubstep'
from '200' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Benga and Coki 'Night'
from 'Night' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Benga 'Crunked Up' and 'Pleasure'
from 'Diary of an Afro Warrior' (2008) (MP3/Import CD)
Benga 'Buzzin'' and 'One Million'
from 'Buzzin' / One Million' (2009) (MP3/CD not available)
Fatboy Slim 'Star 69'
from 'Halfway Between the Gutter and the Star' (2000) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
The Future: Flying Lotus
The Future: Skream

Rewind: Cypress Hill 'Black Sunday' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our two part look at Cypress Hill's album 'Black Sunday', released on this day in 1993.

On the track '3 Lil' Putos', DJ Muggs digs into jazz and brings back 'Ode to Billy Joe' from Lou Donaldson's 1968 album 'Mr. Shing a Ling'. On 'Hits from the Bong', Muggs again uses the break from Lee Dorsey's 'Get Out of My Life Woman', but this time laces it with Dusty Springfield's smash hit single 'Son of a Preacher Man' from 1969's 'Dusty in Memphis' and Junior Mance's 'Don't Cha Hear Me Calling to Ya' from the 1970 album 'With a Lotta Help from My Friends'. 'Get Out of My Life Woman' appears yet again, this time a cover by Grassella Oliphant for Cypress Hill's 'What Go Around Come Around, Kid'. Finally, on 'Break 'em Off Some', Muggs samples the title cut from Joe Zawinul's 1966 album 'Money in the Pocket'.

'Black Sunday' eclipsed Cypress Hill's debut (to be reviewed soon) in terms of success and laid the groundwork for another decade plus of releases.

The Lowdown:
Cypress Hill '3 Lil' Putos', 'Hits from the Bong', 'What Go Around Come Around, Kid', and 'Break 'em Off Some'
from 'Black Sunday' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: '3 Lil' Putos', 'Hits from the Bong', 'What Go Around Come Around, Kid', and 'Break 'em Off Some'
Lou Donaldson 'Ode to Billy Joe'
from 'Mr. Shing a Ling' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Lee Dorsey 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The New Lee Dorsey' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Dusty Springfield 'Son of a Preacher Man'
from 'Dusty in Memphis' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Junior Mance 'Don't Cha Hear Me Calling to Ya'
from 'With a Lotta Help from My Friends' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD)
Grassella Oliphant 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The Grass is Greener' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD)
Joe Zawinul 'Money in the Pocket'
from 'Money in the Pocket' (1966) (MP3/CD not available)