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)

Rewind: Jay-Z 'Vol. 3'

Jay-Z's fourth studio album, 1999's 'Vol. 3', is perhaps not his best outing, but still contains more than a few hits and notable tracks with contributions for hip-hop's most wanted producers. This post will explore 'Vol. 3' and its sample basis.

The opener 'Hova Song (Intro)' uses a sample of the same song by two different artists. Jimi Hendrix's version of 'Burning of the Midnight Lamp' from 'Electric Ladyland' and Rotary Connection's version of the same song are both used in the album intro. The most controversial sample source on the album is not even a sample: Washington DC go-go legends Rare Essence claim that their song 'Overnight Scenario' is the basis for the single 'Do it Again (Put Ya Hands Up)' with Beanie Sigel and Amil, produced by Rockwilder. See for yourself if you think 'Do it Again' steals 'Overnight Scenario''s countdown of events.

The smash hit of the album (originally a B-side) is the Timbaland produced 'Big Pimpin'' with UGK that samples Egyptian instrumentalist Hossam Ramzy's instantly recognizable 'Khusara Khusara'. This is the song that set Indian samples into motion in American hip-hop (for better or for worse) for the next few years. Finally, the track 'There's Been a Murder' uses an odd sample source, 'Murder' by pop artist Alana Davis released only two years earlier.

The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Hova Song (Intro)', 'Do it Again (Put Ya Hands Up)', 'Big Pimpin'', and 'There's Been a Murder'
from 'Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit:'Hova Song (Intro)', 'Do it Again (Put Ya Hands Up)', 'Big Pimpin'', and 'There's Been a Murder'
The Jimi Hendrix Experience 'Burning the Midnight Lamp'
from 'Electric Ladyland' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Rotary Connection 'Burning the Midnight Lamp'
from 'Songs' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD)
Rare Essence 'Overnight Scenario'
from 'We Go On and On' (1998) (MP3 not available/CD)
Hossam Ramzy 'Khusara Khusara'
Alana Davis 'Murder'
from 'Blame it On Me' (1997) (MP3/CD)

Rewind: The Pharcyde 'Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde' (Part 3)

Welcome to the final part of our 3 part arc look at the sample sources of the Pharcyde's 1992 breakthrough album 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde', released on this day in 1992.

The Pharcyde's most memorable single is the classic 'Passin' Me By' which samples the melody of Quincy Jones' cover of 'Summer in the City'. The track also samples 'It's a New Day' by Skull Snaps (breaks don't get more essential than this one, it's unbelievable that over 70 posts into this blog, this is the first mention of 'It's a New Day' - whoa), 'Are You Experienced?' by Jimi Hendrix, Weather Report's '125th Street Congress', and 'The Third Eye' by Roy Ayers from 1976's 'Everyone Loves the Sunshine'. The only track from 'Bizarre Ride' not produced by J-Swift is the single 'Otha Fish', produced by L.A. Jay and SlimKid 3. The track samples Herbie Mann's 'Today' and Marvin Gaye's 'I Want You'-era album track 'Since I had You'. Herbie Mann is sampled again on the Pharcyde's cult favorite 'Pack the Pipe' which uses 'Bijou' from his 'Latin Mann' album. Two other jazz joints lend samples to the track: John Coltrane's 'Autumn Serenade' and the Cannonball Adderley Quintet's 'Exquisition' from the David Axelrod produced album 'The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free' from 1970.

Following the success of their debut album, the Pharcyde began to fall apart. Before the album's completion, J-Swift quarreled with members of the group over production credits and compensation. By their second and final album with their classic lineup, the Pharcyde split with J-Swift altogether opting to work with new producers. After drug problems, Fatlip left the Pharcyde, although they went on to release two more albums in the 2000s without him. In 2008, the group reunited for the Rock the Bells tour.

The Lowdown:
The Pharcyde 'Passin' Me By', 'Otha Fish', and 'Pack the Pipe'
from 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Quincy Jones 'Summer in the City'
from 'You Got it Bad Girl' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Skull Snaps 'It's a New Day'
from 'Skull Snaps' (1973) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Jimi Hendrix 'Are You Experienced?'
from 'Are You Experienced' (1967) (MP3/CD)
Weather Report '125th Street Congress'
from 'Sweetnighter' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Roy Ayers 'The Third Eye'
'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Herbie Mann 'Today'
from 'Today!' (1966) (MP3/CD)
Marvin Gaye 'Since I Had You'
from 'I Want You' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Herbie Mann 'Bijou'
from 'Latin Mann' (1966) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
John Coltrane 'Autumn Serenade'
from 'John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman' (1963) (MP3/CD)
Cannonball Adderley Quintet 'Exquisition'
from 'The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

BONUS CUTS:
Sorry that I don't have a download for Quincy Jones' excellent cover of 'Summer in the City' (very different than 'Summer in the City' by the Lovin' Spoonful, also a floor killer), but I can offer Nightmares on Wax's excellent 'Summer' sampling track 'Nights Interlude'. Get your blend on!