Rewind: Reflection Eternal 'Train of Thought' (Part 1)

Until this year, 'Train of Thought' was the lone album by Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek's Reflection Eternal project. Over the next two posts, we'll investigate the sample sources used by DJ Hi-Tek for the beats on this album.

The album's lead single, 'Move Somethin'', Kweli rhymes over Charlie Whitehead's 'Shaft's Mama' from his 1973 album 'Charlie Whitehead and the Swamp Dogg Band'. Black Star is reunited on the cut 'This Means You' where Mos Def and Talib Kweli trade quips over 'Cloud in My Sunshine' from Redbone's 1973 rock album 'Wavoka'. For 'Too Late', which features Res along side Talib Kweli, finds Hi-Tek sampling two cuts from Tomita's 'Snowflakes are Dancing' album: 'Reverie' and 'Passepied'.

Check back for part two of our two part look at 'Train of Thought'.

The Lowdown:
Reflection Eternal 'Move Somethin'', 'This Means You', and 'Too Late'
from 'Train of Thought' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Charlie Whitehead 'Shaft's Mama'
from 'Charlie Whitehead and the Swamp Dogg Band' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Redbone 'Cloud in My Sunshine'
from 'Wavoka' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isao Tomita 'Reverie' and 'Passepied'
from 'Snowflakes are Dancing' (1973) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both Sides' (Part 1)
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both Sides' (Part 2)
Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 1)
Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 2)

Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second and final look at the sample source material of Mos Def's fourth solo album, 2009's 'The Ecstatic'.

Madlib's brother and label mate Oh No racks up another production credit on the album with his production on 'Pistola'. The track samples a song earlier re-released by the Stones Throw label: 'In the Rain' by the Wooden Glass from the compilation 'Funky 16 Corners'. Mr. Flash provides another production credit as well for Mos Def's 'Workers Comp' which samples 'If this World Were Mine' from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel's first duet album 'United'. A posthumous J Dilla beat appears on 'History', which finds Mos Def and Talib Kweli on another Motown based beat, this time sampling Mary Wells' single 'Two Lovers' History'. Finally, Mos Def and Andre Lyon share production duties on the closing track 'Casa Bey' which samples 'Casa Forte' by legendary Brazilian funk act Banda Black Rio's debut album 'Maria Fumaça'.

'The Ecstatic' has been the first Mos Def album to be both critically lauded and commercially accepted since his 1999 debut. The album, debuting on June 9th, 2009, placed in the top 10 on the Billboard album charts in its first week of release.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Pistola', 'Workers Comp', 'History', and 'Casa Bey'
from 'The Ecstatic' (2009) (MP3/CD)
The Wooden Glass 'In the Rain'
from 'Funky 16 Corners' (2001) (MP3/CD)
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel 'If this World Were Mine'
from 'United' (1967) (MP3 not available/CD)
Mary Wells 'Two Lovers' History'
from 'Servin' Up Some Soul' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Banda Black Rio 'Casa Forte'
from 'Maria Fumaça' (1977) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Related Posts:
The Breaks: Marlena Shaw 'California Soul' (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel appearance)
Producer Profile: Kanye West (Part 2, 2001-2002) (Talib Kweli appearance)

Rewind: Mos Def 'The Ecstatic' (Part 1)

Following two disappointing LPs for Geffen, Mos Def rocketed himself back into underground hip-hop's radar with 2009's 'The Ecstatic'. With this album, he returned to form backed with some of hip-hop's best beatmakers. This two part post will demystify 'The Ecstatic''s sample sources.

'The Ecstatic''s opening track and first video single is the Oh No produced 'Supermagic'. Mos Def rhymes over a beat formerly used by Oh No on his own track 'Heavy' from 2007's 'Dr. No's Oxperiment'. The beat samples obscure Turkish singer Selda Bagcan (or just Selda)'s song 'Ince Ince' from her 1976 album 'Selda'. One of the album's standout tracks is 'Auditorium' where Mos trades verses with the ruler Slick Rick. The two ride Madlib's previously released instrumental 'Movie Finale' from his India themed album 'Beat Konducta 3 and 4: In India' from 2007. Madlib also provides the beat for Mos Def's 'Wahid' by sampling Bobby Hebb's 1970 track 'Flower'. Mos Def selected a beat from French producer Mr. Flash for 'Life in Marvelous Times'. The same backing track was previously used on Mr. Flash's own single 'Champions' which included a vocal cut with French rapper TTC and an instrumental version.

Check back for our second look at Mos Def's 'The Ecstatic'.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Supermagic', 'Auditorium', 'Wahid', and 'Life in Marvelous Times'
from 'The Ecstatic' (2009) (MP3/CD)
Oh No 'Heavy'
from 'Dr. No's Oxperiment' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Selda 'Ince Ince'
from 'Selda' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Madlib 'Movie Finale'
from 'Beat Konducta 3 and 4: In India' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Bobby Hebb 'Flower'
from 'Love Games' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Mr. Flash 'Champions' and 'Champions' (Instrumental)
from 'Champions' (2006) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both sides' (Part 1)
Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both sides' (Part 2)

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)

Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both Sides' (Part 1)

Following the success of Talib Kweli and Mos Def's Black Star collaboration, Mos Def released his debut album 'Black on Both Sides' in 1998. This two part post will cover Both Sides' tracks and samples.

The album intro 'Fear Not of Man' samples legendary Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti's 'Fear Not for Man' from the 1977 album of the same title. Diamond D and Mos Def produced the beat for 'Hip Hop' using a sample from David Axelrod's 'The Warnings (Part 2)' from the 1970 album 'Earth Rot'.

The biggest hit from 'Black on Both Sides', still a party starter, is the Ayatollah produced single 'Ms. Fat Booty'. The fantastic beat incorporates loops from Aretha Franklin's early career single 'One Step Ahead'. 88-Keys sampled the Big Brother and the Holding Company song 'Promise Her Anything but Give Her Arpeggio' for the track 'Speed Law'.

Check back for part 2 of our look at 'Black on Both Sides'.

The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Fear Not of Man', 'Hip Hop', 'Ms. Fat Booty', and 'Speed Law'
from 'Black on Both Sides' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Fela Kuti 'Fear Not for Man'
from 'Fear Not for Man' (1977) (MP3/CD)
David Axelrod 'The Warnings (Part 2)'
from 'Earth Rot' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Aretha Franklin 'One Step Ahead'
from 'One Step Ahead' 7" (1965) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Big Brother and the Holding Company 'Promise Her Anything but Give Her Arpeggio'
from 'How Hard It Is' (1971) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Fela Kuti is often referred to as the James Brown of Africa. He's the father of afrobeat and has recorded an amazing amount of music throughout the 70s and 80s. It's amazing that his music hasn't been sampled in hip-hop as much of his music is prime for funky beats. One of the few songs sampled by hip-hop producers is the track 'Colonial Mentality' from 'Sorrow Tears and Blood' which was sampled by Chief Xcel for Blackalicious' 'Smithzonian Institute of Rhymes' and by Timbaland for Missy Elliott's 'Watcha Gonna Do'.

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 3, 1970-1972)

Rewind: Kanye West 'College Dropout' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at Kanye West's 'The College Dropout'.

One of 'College Dropout''s standout album tracks is Kanye's 'School Spirit' sampling Aretha Franklin's 'Spirit in the Dark' from her 1970 album of the same name. Knowledge jewel: 'School Spirit' is edited for language because one of Aretha Franklin's stipulation for using the sample is there was no cursing over it. The Kanye, Freeway, and Mos Def posse cut 'Two Words' features a sample from Mandrill's 'Peace and Love (Amani Na Mapenzi) - Movement IV' from their self-titled 1970 album. Look for future posts about both Free and Mos this month on this blog.

The album's lead single is the outstanding 'Through the Wire', which put Kanye on the map as a rapper in addition to a producer. The track samples and interpolates Chaka Khan's 'Through the Fire' from her hit album 'I Feel for You' from 1984. West's 'Family Business' cuts a sample from 'Fonky Thang' by the Dells from 1972's 'Sweet as Funk Can Be'. The album ends with the track 'Last Call', co-produced by Porse. West's story of joining the Roc thematically uses a loop from Bette Midler's 'Mr. Rockefeller' from her album 'Songs for the New Depression'.

In addition to 'The College Dropout', Kanye produced a grip of great single in 2004 and returned in 2005 with his sophomore album 'Late Registration' (look for a multi-post arc about 'Late Registration' in the future).

The Lowdown:
Kanye West 'School Spirit', 'Two Words', 'Through the Wire', 'Family Business', and 'Last Call'
from 'College Dropout' (2004) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'School Spirit', 'Two Words', 'Through the Wire', 'Family Business', and 'Last Call'
Aretha Franklin 'Spirit in the Dark'
from 'Spirit in the Dark' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Mandrill 'Peace and Love (Amani Na Mapenzi) - Movement IV'
from 'Mandrill' (1970) (MP3 not avialable/CD)
Chaka Khan 'Through the Fire'
from 'I Feel for You' (1984) (MP3/CD)
The Dells 'Fonky Thang'
from 'Sweet as Funk Can Be' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Bette Midler 'Mr. Rockefeller'
from 'Songs for the New Depression' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 3, 1970-1972)

After two of his most sought after albums, 'Song of Innocence' and 'Songs of Experience', David Axelrod released his final solo album for Capitol records in 1970: 'Earth Rot'. Like much of his output, this album is highly sought after by beat diggers and has been sampled by hip-hop's finest. This post will cover 'Earth Rot', as well as some of his production credits for Cannonball Adderley.

'Earth Rot' is divided into two concept album sides and is not as widely known for its beats. In 1994, No I.D. sampled Axelrod's 'The Signs (Part 2)' on the title track single to Common's sophomore album 'Resurrection'. The same track would be sampled by Madlib among many others (including other Axelrod tracks) on 'Return of the Loop Digga' as Quasimoto, whose album 'The Unseen' is reviewed in depth here, here, and here. In 1999, Diamond D and Mos Def would use another sample from 'Earth Rot', 'The Warnings (Part 2)' for the track 'Hip Hop' from Mos Def's breakthrough album 'Black on Both Sides' (which will be reviewed in depth soon in a future post on this blog).

In addition to producing his own material, Axelrod continued his role as producer on much of Cannonball Adderley's 70s output. Among the many Adderley albums that have been sampled is 1970's 'The Price You Pay to Be Free' whose song 'Exquisition' was sampled for the Pharcyde's 'Pack the Pipe' produced by J-Swift. 'Soul Virgo' from the same album is one of the samples used by A Tribe Called Quest on 'Bonita Applebum' from their debut 'Peoples' Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm'. Six years later, Tribe would sample another Cannonball Adderley track. An untitled track from Adderley's 'Black Messiah' album was sampled by Jay Dee (J Dilla) and the Ummah for Tribe's '1nce Again' from 'Beats, Rhymes, and Life'.

Check back for our next look at David Axelrod's production career.

The Lowdown:
David Axelrod 'The Signs (Part 2)' and 'The Warnings (Part 2)'
from 'Earth Rot' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Common 'Resurrection'
from 'Resurrection' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Quasimoto 'Return of the Loop Digga'
from 'The Unseen' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Mos Def 'Hip Hop'
from 'Black on Both Sides' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Cannonball Adderley 'Exquisition' and 'Soul Virgo'
from 'The Price You Pay to Be Free' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Pharcyde 'Pack the Pipe'
from 'Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde' (1991) (MP3/CD)
A Tribe Called Quest 'Bonita Applebum'
from 'Peoples' Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Cannonball Adderley 'Untitled'
from 'Black Messiah' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
A Tribe Called Quest '1nce Again'
from 'Beats, Rhymes, and Life' (1996) (MP3/CD)

Rewind: Kanye West 'Graduation' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of this blogs look at Kanye West's 'Graduation' album.

'Graduation''s lead single, just missing the Billboard top 40, is the Kanye and DJ Toomp produced 'Can't Tell Me Nothing'. Call it inspiration, recycling, or just getting bonus production credits; but a previous production by Toomp, Young Jeezy and T.I.'s 'I Got Money', is a sample source on 'Nothing'. Clever. The mighty Mos Def appears with Kanye on one of the album's stranger cuts, the West and Jon Brion produced 'Drunk and Hot Girls' that plunders Can's 70s Krautrock freak out 'Sing Swan Song' from Ege Bamyasi. 'Ege Bamyasi' is notable for it's breakbeat heavy 'Vitamin C', so it's odd (and refreshing) to hear another track being sampled. Even more clever.



One of the album's better singles (you can't hate on the remix verse by R. Kelly - brilliant) is the Kanye / Eric Hudson track 'Flashing Lights' which sneaks in a sample of 'Little Child Runnin' Wild' from Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly' (covered in depth in a previous post on this blog). 'The Glory', produced by West, Plain Pat, and Gee Robertson incorporates Laura Nyro's late 60s folk joint 'Save the Country' into the mix.

Though 'Graduation' met uneven reviews upon its release, especially in comparison to its predecessors, it still pushes hip-hop and sampling further when the art is seemingly devoid in mainstream hip-hop. Who else at this level of fame is still digging deep for weird beats to put on their album?

The Lowdown:
Kanye West 'Can't Tell Me Nothing', 'Drunk and Hot Girls', 'Flashing Lights', and 'The Glory'
from 'Graduation' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Can't Tell Me Nothing', 'Drunk and Hot Girls', 'Flashing Lights', and 'The Glory'
Young Jeezy and T.I. 'I Got Money'
from 'The Inspiration' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'I Got Money'
Can 'Sing Swan Song'
from 'Ege Bamyasi' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Little Child Runnin' Wild'
from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Laura Nyro 'Save the Country'
from 'New York Tendaberry' (1968) (MP3/Import CD)

BONUS CUTS:
As Mentioned above, Can's 'Ege Bamyasi' is known for it's beats-for-days breakbeat track 'Vitamin C', but also features some sleeper cuts like the song 'Spoon'. 'Ege Bamyasi' is an adventurous listen, but rewarding for beat heads.