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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)
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Released on September 29th of 1998, Jay-Z's third full length, 'Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life' dropped following the breakout hit of its lead single. This post will look at the producers and the artists sampled for Jay-Z's hit album.
'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)' was the polarizing lead single from the album, featuring Mark the 45 King flipping the song 'It's a Hard Knock Life' from Peter Gennaro's 1977 version of the broadway musical 'Annie'. No one could have foreseen the impact of sampling such a strange song, or the terrible knockoffs it would produce (I'm looking at you 'Anything'). On the J-Runnah produced 'A Week Ago', Jigga and Too Short rhyme over the Isley Brothers deep album cut 'Ballad for the Fallen Soldier' from their own hit album 'Between the Sheets' from 1983. The Erick Sermon produced 'Reservoir Dogs' features Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and innexplicably the Lox on the rhythm of Isaac Hayes' 'Theme from Shaft'. The song also features a sample of '24 Carat Black (Theme)' from 24 Carat Black's lone Stax album 'Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth' from 1973, which has since been a highly coveted beat tool by producers. Jay-Z's 'It's Like That' finds Kid Capri sampling the rock song 'Beggar's Song' from Wet Willie's eponymous 1971 album. Finally, Jermaine Dupri and Jay-Z team up for the bonus track 'Money Ain't a Thing' which has Dupri sampling Steve Arrington's hit 'Weak at the Knees' and has the stuttered drum shuffle of Manu Dibango's African crossover hit 'Soul Makossa' from his 1972 album of the same title.The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)', 'A Week Ago', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'It's Like That', and 'Money Ain't a Thing'
from 'Vol. 2' (1998) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)', 'A Week Ago', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'It's Like That', and 'Money Ain't a Thing'
Peter Gennaro 'It's a Hard Knock Life'
from 'Annie' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'Ballad for the Fallen Soldier'
from 'Between the Sheets' (1983) (MP3/CD)
Isaac Hayes 'Theme from Shaft'
from 'Shaft' (1971) (MP3/CD)
24 Carat Black '24 Carat Black (Theme)'
from 'Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Wet Willie 'Beggar's Song'
from 'Wet Willie' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Steve Arrington 'Weak at the Knees'
from 'Steve Arrington Hall of Fame I' (1983) (MP3/CD not available)
Manu Dibango 'Soul Makossa'
from 'Soul Makossa' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
It's no secret that MF Doom has a vast catalog of beats, so another look at his beats should not come as a surprise to readers. This post will cover the beats and samples from MF Doom's 'Special Herbs Vol. 4, 5, and 6' as Metal Fingers.The Metal Fingers track 'Galangal Root' samples the huge breakbeat track 'Walk on By' from Isaac Hayes and the 1987 pop / R&B track 'Always' by Atlantic Starr from their album 'All in the Name of Love'. The beat was previously used by MF Doom on his track 'Gas Drawls' from 1999's 'Operation Doomsday'. 'Spikenard' from the album uses a sample from the Spinners' 1973 album 'Mighty Love': the track 'Ain't No Price on Happiness'. This track also appeared on 'Operation Doomsday' as the song 'Go with the Flow'. Doom samples Galt MacDermot on the track 'Cinquefoil', using the track 'Space' from his sought after 1969 album 'Woman is Sweeter'. The cut 'Valerian Root' samples New Birth's 'Do it Again' from 1974's 'Comin' from All Ends'. Finally, Isaac Hayes is sampled by Doom again for Metal Fingers' 'Patchouly Leaves' which uses Isaac's 'Our Day Will Come'. The instrumental backed 'Operation: Doomsday''s 'Operation: Greenbacks'.
Check back for further looks at MF Doom's discography.The Lowdown:
Metal Fingers 'Galangal Root', 'Spikenard', 'Cinquefoil', 'Valerian Root', and 'Patchouly Leaves'
from 'Special Herbs Vol. 4, 5, and 6' (2003) (MP3/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Walk on By'
from 'Hot Buttered Soul' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Atlantic Starr 'Always'
from 'All in the Name of Love' (1987) (MP3/CD)
MF Doom 'Gas Drawls', 'Go with the Flow', and 'Operation: Greenbacks'
from 'Operation: Doomsday' (1999) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Spinners 'Ain't No Price on Happiness'
from 'Mighty Love' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Galt MacDermot 'Space'
from 'Woman is Sweeter' (1969) (MP3/CD not available)
New Birth 'Do it Again'
from 'Comin' from All Ends' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD)
Isaac Hayes 'Our Day Will Come'
from '...To Be Continued' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Related Posts:
Rewind: Metal Fingers 'Special Herbs Vol. 1 and 2' (Part 1)
Rewind: Metal Fingers 'Special Herbs Vol. 1 and 2' (Part 2)
Here it is, this month's Five On It: the most necessary breaks of the past month distilled for maximum usability / listenability. This month had some burning hot cuts and also had some big tracks from our James Brown week. Check out what we've got for you.UGK's 'Hard to Swallow' review was full of classic breaks, two of which we'll highlight this month. Bill Withers' 'Still Bill' is a classic album and no cut is more useful for slo-mo tracks than the hit 'Use Me'. Also, other 'Superfly album cuts have been previously featured as Five On It picks, but this month highlights the single 'Freddie's Dead' for its usefulness to producers. James Brown week featured a look at James Brown's 1974 album 'Hell' and featured the big cut 'My Thang', which may not be the first break one would pick from J.B.'s archive, but is a heavy one. Also featured during our look at James Brown was Myra Barnes' 'Message from the Soul Sisters' when we looked at the numerous songs that sampled that break. Finally, during our look at Ice Cube's 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted', we mentioned Funkadelic's heavy 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On' from the album of the same title. It's no secret that P-Funk samples make up a large part of West Coast hip-hop history, and this song is no exception.The Lowdown:
Bill Withers 'Use Me'
from 'Still Bill' (1972)(MP3/Import CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Freddie's Dead'
from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'My Thang'
from 'Hell' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Myra Barnes 'Message from the Soul Sisters'
from 'Message from the Soul Sisters' 7" (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Funkadelic 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On'
from 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On' (1974) (MP3/CD)Bonus Cuts:
Bill Withers' 'Use Me' intro drums have always been a popular sampling source, but that shouldn't take away from the impact of the song itself, which was covered many times by great artists. Esther Phillips delivered a version of 'Use Me' as did Isaac Hayes who played a live version of 'Use Me' at the Sahara Tahoe. In 1981, Grace Jones had a spooky version of 'Use Me' as only Grace Jones could. The original was recently sampled by Kanye West for Nas' track 'Still Dreaming'.
Welcome to part 2 of our three part look at Ice Cube's 1990 debut album 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'.Sir Jinx and the Bomb Squad dig deep for Betty Davis' 'Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him' from her sophomore album 'They Say I'm Different' for Ice Cube's 'Once Upon a Time in the Projects'. Look below in the bonus cuts section for further info on Betty Davis. The Bomb Squad pull yet another early Kool and the Gang track on 'Turn Off the Radio', which uses the 1972 album cut 'Rated X'. The track also samples Isaac Hayes' 'Truck Turner' soundtrack cut 'House of Beauty' and late 80s R&B group Guy's 'Piece of My Love'. Chuck D joins Cube on 'Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)', rhyming over the familiar 'Funky Drummer' rhythm by James Brown and the title track from Parliament's 1974 album 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On'. The album lightens up a bit, for better or worse, with Cube's 'A Gangsta's Fairytale', which samples J.B. associate Maceo Parker's 1974 single 'Parrty' from Maceo and the Macks' album 'Us!'.
Check back for out third and final look at 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'.The Lowdown:
Ice Cube 'Once Upon a Time in the Projects', 'Turn Off the Radio', 'Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)', and 'A Gangsta's Fairytale'
from 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Betty Davis 'Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him'
from 'They Say I'm Different' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)
Kool and the Gang 'Rated X'
from 'Good Times' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'House of Beauty'
from 'Truck Turner' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Guy 'Piece of my Love'
from 'Guy' (1988) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Funky Drummer'
from 'Funky Drummer' 7" (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Parliament 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On'
from 'Standing on the Verge of Getting It On' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Maceo and the Macks 'Parrty'
from 'Us!' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Bonus Cuts:
Extrovert ex-wife of Miles Davis, Betty Davis had a storied, but until recently relatively unknown, music career. Seattle label Light in the Attic has reissued the first two Betty Davis albums with further plans to release previously unissued tracks. Of course, heavy funk from Miles Davis' stable is hard to resist by hip-hop producers, 'Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him' sampled on 'Once Upon a Time in the Projects' was itself sampled by Redman on 'Jersey Yo!'.
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Welcome to part 2 of our two part look at Mary J. Blige's Puffy and the Hitmen produced album 'My Life' from 1994.
The album's biggest hit was its fourth single, 'I'm Goin' Down'. The track is a cover of Rose Royce's single 'I'm Going Down' from the soundtrack to the movie 'Car Wash' (better known for its title track). 'I Love You', a top 40 R&B single, samples Isaac Hayes' 'The Look of Love' and 'Ike's Mood I', both from Hayes' essential 1971 album '...To Be Continued'. Finally, the album's first single 'Be Happy' features a sample of Curtis Mayfield's 'You're So Good to Me' from his later career album 'Heartbeat' and also uses Jimmy Spicer's early 80s single 'Money (Dollar Bill Ya'll)'.
'My Life' was another bona fide success for Mary J. Blige and Puff Daddy's camp, producing a handful of singles and staying on top of the Billboard R&B album charts for eight consecutive weeks. However, with Uptown records falling apart, this would be her final album produced with such large input from the Hitmen production team.The Lowdown:
Mary J. Blige 'I'm Goin' Down', 'I Love You', and 'Be Happy'
from 'My Life' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Rose Royce 'I'm Going Down'
from 'Car Wash' (1976) (MP3/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'The Look of Love' (Radio Edit) and 'Ike's Mood I' (Radio Edit)
from '...To Be Continued' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'You're So Good to Me'
from 'Heartbeat' (1979) (MP3/CD not available)
Jimmy Spicer 'Money (Dollar Bill Ya'll)'
from 'Money' 12" (1983) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
In 2001, Beanie Sigel released his sophomore effort 'The Reason'. Like much of Roc-a-fella's output from the early 00s, this album has a soulful sound with numerous contributions from the in house production team of Just Blaze and Kanye West. This blog post will cover the key cuts from 'The Reason' and the samples used to create them.Just Blaze produced the track 'So What You Saying' for Bean and label mate Memphis Bleek. The track samples B.T. Express' often used 'If It Don't Turn You On (You Ought to Leave It Alone)' from their 1974 album 'Do It ('Til Your Satisfied)'. Blaze also laces Sigel with the bumping 'Get Down' which is cut from Quincy Jones' title track from his soundtrack to 'The Lost Man'. Chicago veteran producer and Kanye mentor No I.D. contributes the beat for 'Man's World' which is deftly constructed from James Brown's 'It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World' from the 1966 album of the same title. 'Still Got Love For You' finds Just Blaze using the huge break from Isaac Hayes' 'Ike's Mood I' from his album ''...To Be Continued''.Look out for more Roc classics from this period to be covered in future posts on this blog.The Lowdown:
Beanie Sigel 'So What You Saying', 'Get Down', 'Man's World', and 'Still Got Love For You'
from 'The Reason' (2001) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'So What You Saying', 'Get Down', 'Man's World', and 'Still Got Love For You'
B.T. Express 'If It Don't Turn You On (You Ought to Leave It Alone)'
from 'Do It ('Til Your Satisfied)' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Quincy Jones 'Lost Man'
from 'The Lost Man' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World'
from 'It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World' (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Ike's Mood I' (Radio Edit)
from '...To Be Continued' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Related Posts:
Producer Profile: Kanye west (Part 1, 2000) (Beanie Sigel Appearance)
Producer Profile: Just Blaze (Part 1, 2000-2001) (Beanie Sigel Appearance)
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Following his success with Gang Starr and production work for Lord Finesse, Heavy D, and KRS-One; DJ Premier produced some classic cuts in 1994.
After Gang Starr's collaboration with Branford Marsalis for the 'Mo' Betta Blues' soundtrack, Primo and Marsalis collaborated on the debut album 'Buckshot LeFonque' by Marsalis' Buckshot LeFonque side project. The track 'Breakfast @ Denny's' samples James Brown's 'Get on the Good Foot' from his 1972 album of the same title. In 1994, Premier produced one of the outstanding tracks for Notorious B.I.G.'s debut 'Ready to Die'. The track 'Unbelievable' samples Patrice Rushen's 'Remind Me' and R. Kelly's 'Your Body's Callin''.
Finally, in 1994, Primo laced Group Home with a beat for the single 'Supa Star'. The song has a series of samples, including James Brown's 'Funky President (People It's Bad)', the Fifth Dimension's 'He's a Runner', Cameo's 'Downtown', and Isaac Hayes' fantastic 'One Woman' from 1968's essential 'Hot Buttered Soul'.
Check back for more Premier tracks and samples.The Lowdown:
Buckshot LeFonque 'Breakfast @ Denny's'
from 'Buckshot LeFonque' (1994) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Get on the Good Foot'
from 'Get on the Good Foot' (1972) (MP3/CD not available)
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Unbelievable'
from 'Ready to Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Unbelievable'
Patrice Rushen 'Remind Me'
from 'Straight from the Heart' (1981) (MP3/CD)
R. Kelly 'Your Body's Callin''
from '12 play' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Group Home 'Supa Star'
from 'Supa Star' (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Fifth Dimension 'He's a Runner'
from 'Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Cameo 'Downtown'
from 'She's Strange' (1984) (MP3 not available/CD)
Isaac Hayes 'One Woman'
from 'Hot Buttered Soul' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Related Posts:
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 1, 1989-1990)
Producer Profile: DJ Premier (Part 2, 1991-1993)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Ready to Die' (Part 1)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Ready to Die' (Part 2)
Rewind: The Notorious B.I.G. 'Ready to Die' (Part 3)
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Welcome to the final post in our three part look at Ghostface Killah's 2000 album 'Supreme Clientele'.
Carlos Broady produced the beat for the album track 'We Made It', which samples Syl Johnson's 1973 track 'I Hate I Walked Away' from his album 'Back for a Taste of Your Love'. Another highlight on 'Supreme Clientele' is the non-single track 'Malcolm'. 'Malcolm', along with samples of a speech my Malcolm X, uses the beat from Isaac Hayes' 'Going in Circles' from his 1973 double album 'Black Moses'. One of my personal favorite tracks on this album is the RZA produced track 'Child's Play' which perfectly flips the drum and electric piano intro from George Jackson's 1972 single 'Aretha, Sing One for Me'. Additionally, RZA uses the highly samplable intro to Mountain's 'Long Red', a b-boy essential. The album's biggest charting single (hitting 98 on the Billboard 100) is 'Cherchez LaGhost' which reinterpolates Dr. Buzzard's single 'Cherchez LaFemme' from their 1975 album 'Dr.Buzzard's Original Savannah Band'.
'Supreme Clientele', though not a huge seller, is seen as one of the best hip-hop albums from the 90s and still is acclaimed critically. Ghostface followed with 2001's 'Bulletproof Wallets' (not nearly as bad as people make it out to be), breaking with Epic, and resigning with Def Jam. Look out for more posts about Ghostface's other albums in the future of this blog.The Lowdown:
Ghostface Killah 'We Made It', 'Malcolm', 'Child's Play', and 'Cherchez LaGhost'
from 'Supreme Clientele' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Syl Johnson 'I Hate I Walked Away'
from 'Back for a Taste of Your Love' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Going in Circles'
from 'Black Moses' (1973) (MP3/CD)
George Jackson 'Aretha, Sing One for Me'
from 'Aretha, Sing One for Me' 7" (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Mountain 'Long Red'
from 'Mountain Live' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Dr. Buzzard 'Cherchez LaFemme'
from 'Dr.Buzzard's Original Savannah Band' (1975) (MP3/CD)
BONUS CUT:
It sucks that I can't offer a download for George Jackson's AWESOME 'Aretha, Sing One for Me', but I did find a download for Cat Power's recent cover of 'Aretha, Sing One for Me'. What an unusual song to decide to cover for a major label, check it out.
