Five On It: September 2009's Essentials

Welcome to our September installment of Five On It, the most essential five breaks and sample sources of the past month compiled in one easy to access section.

This month began with a classic in our look at Organized Konfusion's self titled debut album, the breakdance anthem 'The Mexican' from Babe Ruth's first album 'First Base'. In our second look at 'Organized Konfusion', we mentioned the huge drum break at the start of Herbie Hancock's famous 'Chameleon' from 1973's 'Headhunters'. Check out the link to 'Chameleon' - I don't think you'll find a cheaper download for the full album length track anywhere else! The David Axelrod produced album 'Release of an Oath' by the Electric Prunes covered here has the other-worldly 'General Confessional', which made its rounds as a digger's dream find in the 90s. From their 1968 debut album, Kool and the Gang's 'Give It Up' has been used numerous times in hip-hop sampling, sampled by Dr. Dre among others. Finally, during our producer profile of Mark the 45 King, we mentioned his use of the cut 'Soul Power 74' by Maceo and the Macks - a stirring J.B. inspired cut with a notable heavy sax solo that has seen its fair share of sampling in the past.

The Lowdown:
Babe Ruth 'The Mexican'
from 'First Base' (1972) (MP3/Import CD)
Herbie Hancock 'Chameleon'
from 'Headhunters' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Electric Prunes 'General Confessional'
from 'Release of an Oath' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Give it Up'
from 'Kool and the Gang' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Maceo and the Macks 'Soul Power 74'
from 'Us!' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Babe Ruth's 'The Mexican' was a building block for b-boy sets in the early days of hip-hop, but it was also a building block for one of hip-hop's earliest crossover hits: 'Planet Rock' by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. Many people instantly think of Kraftwerk when 'Planet Rock' is mentioned, but a lengthy instrumental riff is lifted from 'The Mexican' as well. Another bonus download link: the 'Planet Rock' instrumental version!

Producer Profile: Mark the 45 King (Part 2, 1990-1991)

Mark the 45 King was riding high in the late 80s with production credits for Flavor Unit member Queen Latifah and Gang Starr and continued into the 90s with a series of high profile beats for hip-hop's most forward thinking labels at the time.

In 1990, Flavor Unit emcee Chill Rob G released his album 'Ride the Rhythm', produced almost entirely by the 45 King. On 'Court is Now in Session' samples the fantastic cut 'Soul Power 74' from Maceo and the Macks' 1974 album 'Us!' and the hit single 'The Jam' from Graham Central Station's 'Ain't No Doubt About It' from the same year. For the album's title track, the 45 King samples Baby Huey's 'Hard Times' from the famous posthumous Curtis Mayfield produced album 'The Baby Huey Story'. In the same year, the Flavor Unit released the album 'The 45 King Presents the Flavor Unit' which featured the song 'Flavor Unit Assassination Squad', which cut up James Brown's 'Let a Man Come In and Do The Popcorn' from James' 1970 album 'It's a New Day So Let a Man Come in and Do the Popcorn'.

In 1991, Mark the 45 King produced a number of tracks for Delicious Vinyl artist Def Jef's second album 'Soul Food'. On 'A Poet's Prelude', the 45 King deftly samples Sly and the Family Stone's 'Poet' while on 'Fa Sho Shot', the 45 King samples 'Everytime I Turn Around (Back in Love Again)' by L.T.D. - two sample sources that may as well be light years away.

Check back for more on Mark James, the 45 King.

The Lowdown:
Chill Rob G 'Court is Now in Session' and 'Ride the Rhythm'
from 'Ride the Rhythm' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Maceo and the Macks 'Soul Power 74'
from 'Us!' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Graham Central Station 'The Jam'
from 'Ain't No Doubt About It' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Baby Huey 'Hard Times'
from 'The Baby Huey Story' (1970) (MP3/CD)
The Flavor Unit 'Flavor Unit Assassination Squad'
from 'The 45 King Presents the Flavor Unit' (1990) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Let a Man Come In and Do The Popcorn'
from 'It's a New Day So Let a Man Come in and Do the Popcorn' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Def Jef 'A Poet's Prelude' and 'Fa Sho Shot'
from 'Soul Food' (1991) (MP3/Import CD)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Poet'
from 'There's a Riot Goin' On' (1971) (MP3/CD)
L.T.D. 'Everytime I Turn Around (Back in Love Again)'
from 'Something to Love' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD)

Related Posts:
Five On It: January 2009's Essentials (Baby Huey Appearance)
Producer Profile: Mark the 45 King (Part 1, 1988-1989)
Source Material: Sly and the Family Stone 'There's a Riot Goin' On'

Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 2)

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!'.