Five On It: August 2009's Essentials

This month was brimming with excellent breaks, so it was difficult to pick just five for this month's edition of Five On It, but we have five sureshot house burners for your listening pleasure.

On the first part of our look at N.W.A.'s 'Straight Outta Compton', we mentioned the Ohio Players' essential 'Funky Worm' from their 1972 album 'Pleasure'. Early Ohio Players material has been rather hard to come by in the past few years, so it's great to see their early work, like this track, is now readily available. The 'Funky Worm' synthesizer sound, along with Parliament, is the foundation of G-Funk; don't miss out. In our second look at 'Straight Outta Compton', we covered Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's 'Express Yourself' from their 1969 album 'Express Yourself'. On our final look at 'Compton', Dre and Yella sampled Herman Kelly and Life's foundational b-boy break 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat', which still lights b-boy competition dancefloors on fire today. On our second look at Cypress Hill's debut album from this past month, we covered two huge beats: All the People's 'Cramp Your Style' (more info about this one below) and Rufus Thomas' 'The Breakdown', another essential Stax open break from Thomas that needs to be in every producer's sample bank.

The Lowdown:
The Ohio Players 'Funky Worm'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band 'Express Yourself'
from 'Express Yourself' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Herman Kelly and Life 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat'
from 'Percussion Explosion' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
All the People 'Cramp Your Style'
from 'Cramp Your Style' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Rufus Thomas 'The Breakdown'
from 'Did You Heard Me?' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Bonus Cuts:
'Cramp Your Style' by All the People is a huge b-boy break, but it's also a popular sample for early hip-hop producers and beyond. One of the first notable uses of 'Cramp Your Style' is by KRS-One on Boogie Down Production's single 'Still #1'. Two years later, Marley Marl used the sample on LL Cool J's 'Mr. Good Bar' while Teddy Riley sampled it for Guy's sophomore album R&B track 'D-O-G Me Out'. In 1991, DJ Slip and the Unknown DJ sampled 'Cramp Your Style' on Compton Most Wanted's 'Growin' up in the Hood' while Howie Tee used the sample for Chubb Rock's 'Keep it Street'.

Related Posts:
Five On It: January 2009's Essentials (Rufus Thomas appearance)

Source Material: James Brown 'Hell' (Part 2)

Welcome back to James Brown Week and our second look at James Brown's 1974 album 'Hell' and the producers and artists who sampled it.

One of James' earlier hits was suped up for the excellent 'I Can't Stand It '76', which was sampled by Lord Finesse on his own album 'Return of the Funky Man' for the track 'Funk on the Fast Tip'. James' single 'Papa Don't Take No Mess' spawned a series of sampled tracks through out hip hop's history. Kool Moe Dee sampled it in 1986 on 'I'm a Player', but Eric B. and Rakim had a much bigger his in 1987 using the same sample for their classic 'Move the Crowd' from the album 'Paid in Full'. In 1988, Marley Marl sampled 'Papa Don't Take No Mess' for Biz Markie's single 'Vapors' from the album 'Goin' Off' and 7A3 sampled the song for their track 'Mad Mad World' from the soundtrack to the movie 'Colors'. Finally in 1993, Puff Daddy and Tony Dofat sampled the same song for Mary J. Blige's 'You Don't Have to Worry', a single with Craig Mack that hovered in the upper reaches of the Billboard 100.

'Hell' may not be as sought after as other albums from the era, but its a burner with an unlikely latin flavor. 1974 was a banner year, like any other, for James also released his legendary album 'The Payback' (another double album) during the same year.

The Lowdown:
James Brown 'I Can't Stand It '76' and 'Papa Don't Take No Mess'
from 'Hell' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Lord Finesse 'Funk on the Fast Tip'
from 'Return of the Funky Man' (1992) (MP3/CD not available)
Kool Moe Dee 'I'm a Player'
from 'How Ya Like Me Now' (1986) (MP3/CD)
Eric B. and Rakim 'Move the Crowd'
from 'Paid in Full' (1987) (MP3/CD)
Biz Markie 'Vapors'
from 'Goin' Off' (1988) (MP3/CD)
7A3 'Mad Mad World'
from 'Colors Soundtrack' (1988) (MP3/CD not available)
Mary J. Blige 'You Don't Have to Worry'
from 'What's the 411? Remix' (1993) (MP3/CD)

Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both Sides' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at Mos Def's 'Black on Both Sides'.

Ayatollah produced the beat for the Talib Kweli and Mos Def team up 'Know That'. The track samples 'Anyone Who Had a Heart' from Dionne Warwick's Burt Bacharach and Hal David produced 1963 album of the same name. Mos Def's excellent track 'Brooklyn' uses a sample from Roy Ayers' Ubiquity project's 'We Live in Brooklyn, Baby' in addition to David Porter's 'I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over'. Marley Marl's 'The Symphony' posse cut is the source for DJ Etch-A-Sketch's beat for Mos Def's 'Habitat'. Finally, Mos' track with Q-Tip 'Mr. N----', produced by D-Prosper and Mos Def, samples Ramsey Lewis' 'Sun Goddess' and Gil Scott-Heron's 'A Legend in His Own Mind'.

The album received high reviews, respect from the underground, and modest chart success. Mos Def would not record another solo effort until 2004's 'The New Danger', which signaled a dramatic change in his music. Check back for more coverage of Mos Def as well as Black Star in future posts on this blog.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Know That', 'Brooklyn', 'Habitat', and 'Mr. N----'
from 'Black on Both Sides' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Dionne Warwick 'Anyone Who Had a Heart'
from 'Anyone Who Had a Heart' (1963) (MP3/CD)
Roy Ayers Ubiquity' 'We Live in Brooklyn, Baby'
from 'He's Coming' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
David Porter 'I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over'
from 'Victim of the Joke?' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD)
Marley Marl 'The Symphony'
from 'In Control, Vol. 1' (1987) (MP3/CD not available)
Ramsey Lewis 'Sun Goddess'
from 'Sun Goddess' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Gil Scott-Heron 'A Legend in His Own Mind'
from 'Real Eyes' (1980) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Source Material: James Brown 'Black Caesar' (Part 2)

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)

Rewind: Eric B. and Rakim 'Paid in Full'

One of the most important albums in hip-hop's history and one of the most stunning, fully realized debuts in the history of music is Eric B. and Rakim's 1987 album 'Paid in Full'. Produced entirely by Rakim and DJ Eric B. with production help from Marley Marl, 'Paid in Full' ushered in a new era of rap music, forever changing the landscape of the genre. The duo's groundbreaking debut single was 1986's 'Eric B. is President' which samples beats from James Brown's 'Funky President' and Mountain's 'Long Red' - now one of the most widely used breakbeats in hip-hop.

The hits kept coming after the album's release. 'I Ain't No Joke' and 'I Know You Got Soul' are even bigger hits than 'Eric B. is President'. Both tracks utilize James Brown productions for their basis, 'I Ain't No Joke' floats on top of the J.B.'s 'Pass the Peas' while 'I Know You Got Soul' contains beats and vocal snippets from Bobby Byrd's 'I Know You Got Soul' (and additionally contains segments of the J.B.'s 'The Grunt'). At the same time across the Atlantic Ocean, the DJ team of Coldcut were also looping and cutting up James Brown records for their debut renegade white label 'Say Kids, What Time Is It?'. At the end of 1987, the UK team was tapped to remix the title track to 'Paid in Full' leading to the giant UK hit 'Paid in Full' (Coldcut Remix), an all time classic extended reinterpretation that still rocks clubs everywhere. In addition to the use of the 'Ashley's Roachclip' break by the Soul Searchers which was looped for the original track, Coldcut famously laces the track with a vocal sample from Ofra Haza's 'Im Nin'Alu', a world music single that had some impact on the UK charts a few years previous. Also, Coldcut adds in some additional JB artillery by sampling James Brown's 'Hot Pants'. The results are devastating.

'Paid in Full' was proceeded by 'Follow the Leader' and two other fantastic albums, which will undoubtedly show up in later posts on this blog.

The Lowdown:
Eric B. and Rakim 'Eric B. is President', 'I Ain't No Joke', and 'I Know You Got Soul'
from 'Paid in Full' (1987) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Mountain 'Long Red'
from 'Mountain Live' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
The J.B.'s 'Pass the Peas' and 'The Grunt'
from 'Food for Thought' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Bobby Byrd 'I Know You Got Soul'
from 'I Need Help' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Eric B. and Rakim 'Paid in Full' (Coldcut Remix)
Soul Searchers 'Ashley's Roachclip'
from 'Salt of the Earth' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Ofra Haza 'Im Nin'Alu'
from 'Fifty Gates of Wisdom' (1983) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Hot Pants'
from 'Hot Pants' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)

The Breaks: Otis Redding 'Hard to Handle'

'Hard to Handle' is a monumental break track and the source for many of hip-hop's most notable beats. 'Hard to Handle' was released after Otis Redding's tragic 1967 death on the album 'The Immortal Otis Redding'. It was a modestly successful single, but gained more notoriety and attention as time went on via covers and sample usage.

'Hard to Handle' appears in Marley Marl's posse cut 'The Symphony' with verses from Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, and Big Daddy Kane. Five years later, the sample would be used again by Grand Puba's self-produced 'Reel to Reel' cut titled 'Ya Know How it Goes'. 'Reel to Reel' is an often overlooked solid album and will be covered in full in a later post on this blog. The Trackmasters used 'Hard to Handle' as the basis for Nas' own posse cut with future members on the Firm on 'Affirmative Action' on his sophomore album 'It Was Written'.

The Lowdown:
Otis Redding 'Hard to Handle'
from 'The Immortal Otis Redding' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Marley Marl 'The Symphony'
from 'In Control Vol. 1' (1987) (MP3/CD not available)
Grand Puba 'Ya Know How it Goes'
from 'Reel to Reel' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Nas 'Affirmative Action'
from 'It Was Written' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Affirmative Action'

BONUS CUTS:
The most well known cover of 'Hard to Handle' is likely the version by the Black Crowes from 1990. I'm not going to front - the opening drums on their version are equally useful for producers, I wonder who the first producer who uses this break on a hit record will be. An absolutely killer, relatively unknown version of 'Hard to Handle' comes from Patti Drew. Check out the drums on that cut, it's a bombast!