skip to main |
skip to sidebar
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)
 |
 |
Welcome to part two of our look at James Brown soundtrack for 'Black Caesar'.
Sure, 'Down and Out...' and 'The Boss' are obvious tracks to sample, but hip-hop's finest have made use of some of 'Black Caesar''s lesser known album cuts too. Large Professor assisted Kool G Rap on the production of 'Play it Again, Polo' which used a sample of 'Black Caesar''s album cut 'Make it Good to Yourself'. James wrote and produced much of Lyn Collins' output, including her vocal contribution to 'Black Caesar' titled 'Mama Feelgood'. The blazing funk of 'Mama Feelgood' was used by Marley Marl for Big Daddy Kane's 1988 track 'Raw' from the album 'Long Live Kane'. Primo dips into James Brown's back catalog again for the beat to Gang Starr's 'I'm The Man' from their classic 'Daily Operation' album. DJ Premier sampled the 'Black Caesar' album cut 'White Lightning (I Mean Moonshine)' for 'I'm the Man'.
The film 'Black Caesar' was a success, as was the soundtrack. The team behind the film quickly started to develop a sequel that was released in late 1973 and titled 'Hell Up in Harlem'. James Brown was originally attached for the score, but (as the legend goes) had his music reject as it was not "funky enough" for the film. The song that was rejected would later be the title track to his 1974 album 'The Payback'. Notably, the soundtrack to 'Hell Up in Harlem' was ably handled by Edwin Starr, Fonce Mizell, and Freddie Perren - look for a future post regarding the 'Hell Up in Harlem' soundtrack.The Lowdown:
James Brown 'Make it Good to Yourself' and 'White Lightning (I Mean Moonshine)'
from 'Black Caesar' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Kool G Rap and DJ Polo 'Play it Again, Polo'
from 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' (1990) (MP3/CD not available)
Lyn Collins 'Mama Feelgood'
from 'Black Caesar' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Big Daddy Kane 'Raw'
from 'Long Live Kane' (1988) (MP3 not available/CD)
Gang Starr 'I'm the Man'
from 'Daily Operation' (1992) (MP3/CD)
 |
 |
Landing in Brooklyn via Texas, DJ Premier replaced Mark the 45 King as the DJ and producer of the rap unit Gang Starr which would reemerge as a duo in 1989 with Gang Starr's classic debut album 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' on Wild Pitch. The single 'Manifest' utilizes jazz samples as well as funk tracks, a specialty of Premier. The track samples Charlie Parker's 1962 jazz joint 'Night in Tunisia' and James Brown's 60s soul single 'Bring it Up (Hipster's Avenue)'. The work with Wild Pitch led to production work for half of Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth's 'Funky Technician'. The track 'Baby, You Nasty' uses samples from James Brown's 'Hell'-era track 'Coldblooded' and 'What's on Your Mind (Expression)' by Brass Construction.
For the soundtrack to the movie 'Mo' Better Blues', Guru and Premier collaborated with Branford Marsalis for the Gang Starr track 'Jazz Thing'. The track samples Thelonious Monk's classic 'Light Blue' and a song from Kool and the Gang's poorly received 1974 foray into jazz 'Kool Jazz' titled 'Dujii'.
Check back for our next look at DJ Premier's productions with his work from 1991 and 1992.The Lowdown:
Gang Starr 'Manifest'
from 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' (1989) (MP3/CD)
Charlie Parker 'Night in Tunisia'
from 'Bird Symbols' (1962) (MP3 not available/CD)
James Brown 'Bring It Up (Hipster's Avenue)'
from 'James Brown Sings Raw Soul' (1967) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth 'Baby, You Nasty'
from 'Funky Technician' (1990) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Coldblooded'
from 'Hell' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Brass Construction 'What's on Your Mind (Expression)'
from 'Brass Construction II' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Gang Starr 'Jazz Thing'
from 'Music for Mo Betta Blues' (1990) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Thelonious Monk 'Light Blue'
from 'At the Five Spot' (1958) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Dujii'
from 'Kool Jazz' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)
Between his two landmark albums 'What's Going On' and 'Let's Get it On', Marvin Gaye produced and released one of his generally forgotten albums: 1972's mostly instrumental soundtrack album 'Trouble Man' released on this date. Those who did not forget about this album have been hip-hop beat makers using the fertile instrumental landscapes in Gaye during his production prime. This post will cover 'Trouble Man''s standout tracks and the people who sampled them.
One of my favorite tracks from this album and one of Gaye's best productions in my opinion is 'T Plays it Cool', a necessity for downtempo sets. The beat was nicked by a pre-House of Pain Everlast on the track 'Pass It On' from his not-so-aptly-titled forgotten album 'Forever Everlasting'. A year later, DJ Premier would use the same loop for Gang Starr's much more widely received 'Take a Rest' from the excellent 1991 album 'Step in the Arena'.'Trouble Man''s lone single is the title track 'Trouble Man', which breached the top 10 in 1972. 25 years later, the song would be sampled for Rocafella R&B protégés Christión, who are perhaps best remembered for their inclusion on 'Streets is Watching'. The single for their debut album 'Ghetto Cyrano' was the Gaye sampling 'Full of Smoke' whose production is credited to Dame Dash, Jay-Z, and Biggs Burke. Ghost producers stand up! I'm surprised that this song hasn't been sampled more, aspiring beat makers should give it a go. Gaye's album track 'T Stands for Trouble' is one of the sources used by the Bomb Squad for their stunning beat for Ice Cube's 'Who's the Mack?'. 'T Stands for Trouble' would get a second rinse on Brand Nubian's 'The Meaning of the 5%' from their highly militant 1993 follow up album 'In God We Trust'.
In future posts on this blog, we will undoubtedly look at other albums from Marvin, however this gem should not be overlooked as prime source material.The Lowdown:
Marvin Gaye 'T Plays it Cool', 'Trouble Man', and 'T Stands for Trouble'
from 'Trouble Man' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Everlast 'Pass it On'
'Forever Everlasting' (1990) (MP3/CD not available)
Gang Starr 'Take a Rest'
from 'Step in the Arena' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Christión 'Full of Smoke'
from 'Ghetto Cyrano' (1997) (MP3/CD)
Ice Cube 'Who's the Mack?'
from 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Who's The Mack?'
Brand Nubian 'The Meaning of the 5%'
from 'In God We Trust' (1993) (MP3/CD)
 |
 |
'California Soul' by Marlena Shaw is a former Five On It essential break pick (from August 2008) and this post will expand on why exactly this break is so necessary. Marlena Shaw was signed by Chess Records at the age of 24, leading to two albums before her move to jazz powerhouse Blue Note (where she was the first female artist signing). 'California Soul' is from her 1969 album 'Spice of Life' and the track has received a recent revival from use in a jeans advertisement. Like many other instances, advertisers were a little behind - 'California Soul' has been a hip-hop staple for some time.
One of the first instances of the opening break being sampled is for Gang Starr's 'Check the Technique' from the Primo produced 'Step in the Areana'. Two years later DJ Food (formerly the members of Coldcut, but taken over by Patrick Carpenter in 1993) sampled 'California Soul' on 'Dark Lady' from the fourth entry into the 'Jazz Brakes' series. In 2000, Madlib bit the beat for the title track from Quasimoto's 'The Unseen'.The Lowdown:
Marlena Shaw 'California Soul'
from 'The Spice of Life' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Gang Starr 'Check the Technique'
from 'Step in the Arena' (1991) (MP3/CD)
DJ Food 'Dark Lady'
from 'Jazz Brakes, Vol. 4' (1993) (MP3 not available/CD)
Quasimoto 'The Unseen'
from 'The Unseen' (2000) (MP3/CD)BONUS CUTS:
Marlena Shaw's 'California Soul' was not the original and is perhaps not even the most widely known version. Ashford and Simpson wrote 'California Soul' for the Fifth Dimension in 1968. Additionally, one year after the Marlena Shaw cover, 'California Soul' was covered once again by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (this time produced by the writers Ashford and Simpson). The song was the final single from Gaye and Terrell and was released after Terrell's tragic death at the age of 24.
 |
 |
In 1987, Mark James produced the breakout single 'The 900 Number' under the name Mark the 45 King. '900 number' was a smash, famously appearing on Yo! MTV Raps as the background music to the Ed Lover Dance and it eventually becoming the backing for DJ Kool's 1996 smash single 'Let Me Clear My Throat'. '900 Number' famously uses the opening horn riff from the James Brown produced 'Unwind Yourself' by Marva Whitney. 'Let Me Clear My Throat' also incorporates the opening to Kool and the Gang's 'Hollywood Swinging', which is an easy party starter.
In 1989, 45 King produced tracks for 'All Hail the Queen' by Queen Latifah, who had previously been one of the members of 45 King's Flavor Unit. The album's first single was the 45 King produced 'Dance for Me', which samples Alvin Cash's breakbeat monster 'Keep on Dancing' and 80s new wave band The The's 'Sweet Bird of Truth'. In the same year, 45 King provided a beat to Gang Starr's debut album on Wild Pitch titled 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' (it's notable that this is a rare instance where a Gang Starr track is not produced by DJ Premier and/or Guru). 'Gusto' is laced with samples from Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly' single 'Freddie's Dead' and 'Express' by B.T. Express.
Check back for part 2 of this blog's profile of Mark the 45 King, including his long silence broken by one of Jay-Z most memorable singles.The Lowdown:
Mark the 45 King 'The 900 Number'
from 'The 900 Number' (1990) (MP3 not available/CD)
DJ Kool 'Let Me Clear My Throat'
from 'Let Me Clear My Throat' (1996) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Marva Whitney 'Unwind Yourself'
from 'It's My Thing' (1969) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Hollywood Swinging'
from 'Wild and Peaceful' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Queen Latifah 'Dance for Me'
from 'All Hail the Queen' (1989) (MP3/CD)
Alvin Cash 'Keep on Dancing'
The The 'Sweet Bird of Truth'
from 'Infected' (1986) (MP3/CD not available)
Gang Starr 'Gusto'
from 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' (1989) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Freddie's Dead'
from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)
B.T. Express 'Express'
from 'Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)' (1972) (MP3/CD)
