Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both Sides' (Part 1)

Following the success of Talib Kweli and Mos Def's Black Star collaboration, Mos Def released his debut album 'Black on Both Sides' in 1998. This two part post will cover Both Sides' tracks and samples.

The album intro 'Fear Not of Man' samples legendary Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti's 'Fear Not for Man' from the 1977 album of the same title. Diamond D and Mos Def produced the beat for 'Hip Hop' using a sample from David Axelrod's 'The Warnings (Part 2)' from the 1970 album 'Earth Rot'.

The biggest hit from 'Black on Both Sides', still a party starter, is the Ayatollah produced single 'Ms. Fat Booty'. The fantastic beat incorporates loops from Aretha Franklin's early career single 'One Step Ahead'. 88-Keys sampled the Big Brother and the Holding Company song 'Promise Her Anything but Give Her Arpeggio' for the track 'Speed Law'.

Check back for part 2 of our look at 'Black on Both Sides'.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Fear Not of Man', 'Hip Hop', 'Ms. Fat Booty', and 'Speed Law'
from 'Black on Both Sides' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Fela Kuti 'Fear Not for Man'
from 'Fear Not for Man' (1977) (MP3/CD)
David Axelrod 'The Warnings (Part 2)'
from 'Earth Rot' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Aretha Franklin 'One Step Ahead'
from 'One Step Ahead' 7" (1965) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Big Brother and the Holding Company 'Promise Her Anything but Give Her Arpeggio'
from 'How Hard It Is' (1971) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Fela Kuti is often referred to as the James Brown of Africa. He's the father of afrobeat and has recorded an amazing amount of music throughout the 70s and 80s. It's amazing that his music hasn't been sampled in hip-hop as much of his music is prime for funky beats. One of the few songs sampled by hip-hop producers is the track 'Colonial Mentality' from 'Sorrow Tears and Blood' which was sampled by Chief Xcel for Blackalicious' 'Smithzonian Institute of Rhymes' and by Timbaland for Missy Elliott's 'Watcha Gonna Do'.

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 3, 1970-1972)

Rewind: Kanye West 'College Dropout' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at Kanye West's 'The College Dropout'.

One of 'College Dropout''s standout album tracks is Kanye's 'School Spirit' sampling Aretha Franklin's 'Spirit in the Dark' from her 1970 album of the same name. Knowledge jewel: 'School Spirit' is edited for language because one of Aretha Franklin's stipulation for using the sample is there was no cursing over it. The Kanye, Freeway, and Mos Def posse cut 'Two Words' features a sample from Mandrill's 'Peace and Love (Amani Na Mapenzi) - Movement IV' from their self-titled 1970 album. Look for future posts about both Free and Mos this month on this blog.

The album's lead single is the outstanding 'Through the Wire', which put Kanye on the map as a rapper in addition to a producer. The track samples and interpolates Chaka Khan's 'Through the Fire' from her hit album 'I Feel for You' from 1984. West's 'Family Business' cuts a sample from 'Fonky Thang' by the Dells from 1972's 'Sweet as Funk Can Be'. The album ends with the track 'Last Call', co-produced by Porse. West's story of joining the Roc thematically uses a loop from Bette Midler's 'Mr. Rockefeller' from her album 'Songs for the New Depression'.

In addition to 'The College Dropout', Kanye produced a grip of great single in 2004 and returned in 2005 with his sophomore album 'Late Registration' (look for a multi-post arc about 'Late Registration' in the future).

The Lowdown:
Kanye West 'School Spirit', 'Two Words', 'Through the Wire', 'Family Business', and 'Last Call'
from 'College Dropout' (2004) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'School Spirit', 'Two Words', 'Through the Wire', 'Family Business', and 'Last Call'
Aretha Franklin 'Spirit in the Dark'
from 'Spirit in the Dark' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Mandrill 'Peace and Love (Amani Na Mapenzi) - Movement IV'
from 'Mandrill' (1970) (MP3 not avialable/CD)
Chaka Khan 'Through the Fire'
from 'I Feel for You' (1984) (MP3/CD)
The Dells 'Fonky Thang'
from 'Sweet as Funk Can Be' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Bette Midler 'Mr. Rockefeller'
from 'Songs for the New Depression' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Five On It: June 2008's Essentials

The new Five on It section is a recap of the month's most essential beats for everyone too lazy to sift through a month worth of posts (RE: haters) to find the cream of the crop. Each month, I'll also throw some bonus cuts in there as well. "Six On It" or "Seven On It" really doesn't have the same ring, sorry about the misnomer.

June's five begins with Aretha Franklin's 'Save Me' from Rewind: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Creator' (post #1 on this blog). 'Save Me''s driving beat may be an unconventional drum source for hip-hop producers, but it can be deadly on songs in the 120-130 bpm range. Also, slightly fast for conventional hip-hop tracks is 'Superfly' by Curtis from Source Material: Curtis Mayfield 'Superfly', blog post #2. One of my personal favorite rock breaks of all time is the STOMPING organ and drum intro on Graham Nash's 'Chicago' from Producer Profile: Kanye West (Part 1). Never have war protest songs hit so hard (sorry 'Ohio' by Neil Young - I see you).

It may be used to death, but every few years someone flips Bob James' 'Nautilus' (from Rewind: Ghostface Killah 'Ironman') in a new way that makes you forget every Bob James sampling track before it. A note to producers about sample clearance: Bob James will notoriously get his money. He has gone after smaller producers and artists that have sampled his work. Sampler beware. Finally, Zapp's 'More Bounce to the Ounce' was mentioned on post #7's Rewind: Ice Cube 'Jackin' For Beats'. It may not be the most prevalent sample in this Bomb Squad sample massacre, but it's one of the longest living floor fillers and an ongoing sample source for producers.

The Lowdown:
Aretha Franklin 'Save Me'
from 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You' (1967) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Superfly'
from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Graham Nash 'Chicago'
from 'Songs for Beginners' (1970) (MP3/CD unavailable)
Bob James 'Nautilus'
from 'One' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Zapp 'More Bounce to the Ounce'
from 'Zapp' (1979) (MP3/CD)

BONUS CUT:
Aretha's stormer from 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love you', 'Save Me', was covered two years later for an equally storming (and samplable) version by Nina Simone. Simone's version of 'Save Me' is one of the funkiest tracks in her catalog, and those who know her songs, this is saying a lot. Check it out.

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

Welcome to the first post from the Crate Creator Blog. In the coming months, I'll be showcasing classic and cutting edge hip-hop, the samples that created it, and essential funk joints. Additionally, I'm doing the digging for you: most tracks and releases will be available (via Amazon) with a single click. Amazon's MP3s are 256 kbit, DRM-free, and are under a dollar. Filling your crate with fire has never been so easy!

This debut post reviews a deep cut from the 1991 'All Souled Out' EP from Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, which would later appear as a B-Side to their monster hit 'They Reminisce Over You': 'The Creator'. Pete Rock's production is stellar, digging deep for the opening horn and drum drop of Eddie Bo's 'From This Day On'. The track has additional samples from 'Honey Pot' by the Mar-Keys and the classic drum breaks of 'Save Me' by Aretha Franklin (from the absolutely essential 1967 album 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You'). 'The Creator' can never compete with the fantastic 'T.R.O.Y.' (which will no doubt be reviewed in depth in a later post on this blog), but the upbeat track fits in nicely among proto-hip-house tracks from Delicious Vinyl and other labels from the same era.

The Lowdown:
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Creator'
from 'All Souled Out' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Eddie Bo 'From This Day On'
Mar-Keys 'Honey Pot'
from 'The Great Memphis Soul Sound' (1965) (MP3/CD out of print)
Aretha Franklin 'Save Me'
from 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You' (1967) (MP3/CD)