Rewind: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Main Ingredient' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at 'The Main Ingredient', Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's sophomore album.

What is a hip-hop classic without a James Brown beat? Pete Rock samples James Brown's 'Escape-ism' (as well as Ramsey Lewis' 'Sun Goddess' from Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's track 'Escapism'. On 'Escape''s outro, Rock samples the Pointer Sisters' killer take on 'Yes We Can Can', originally a Lee Dorsey cut written by Allen Toussaint. On 'The Main Ingredient''s title track, Pete Rock samples 'Psychadelic Shack' by Albino Gorilla, 'Submission' by Tyrone Washington, and Les McCann's 'Harlem Buck Dance Strut' from his 1973 album 'Layers'. 'All the Places' samples two more J.B. cuts: 'Mind Power' and 'Take Some - Leave Some', both from James Brown's 1974 album 'The Payback', as well as the title track from Donald Byrd's 1975 album 'Places and Spaces' produced by Fonce and Larry Mizell. On 'Tell Me', Pete Rock samples the drums from the Detroit Emeralds' breakbeat cut 'You're Getting a Little Too Smart', J.B.'s 'Funky President (People It's Bad)' and 'Don't Tell It', and Stan Getz's 'Keep Dreamin'' from 1977's 'Another World'. During the outro, Pete Rock plays a bit of 'On the Hill' by Oliver Sain. 'Take You There' features samples from Joe Farrell's 'Upon This Rock', the Black Heat cut 'Zimba Ku' from 'Keep on Runnin', and 'Risin' to the Top' from Ken Burke's 'Changes'. Pete Rock samples one of rock's major breakbeats on the outro: Mountain's live version of 'Long Red' from 1972's full length 'Mountain Live'.

Check back for the final part of our look at Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's 'The Main Ingredient'.

The Lowdown:
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'Escapism', 'The Main Ingredient', 'All the Places', 'Tell Me', and 'Take You There'
from 'The Main Ingredient' (1994) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Escape-ism'
from 'Hot Pants' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)
Ramsey Lewis 'Sun Goddess'
from 'Sun Goddess' (1974) (MP3/CD)
The Pointer Sisters 'Yes We Can Can'
from 'The Pointer Sisters' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Albino Gorilla 'Psychadelic Shack'
from 'Detroit 1984' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Tyrone Washington 'Submission'
'Roots' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Les McCann 'Harlem Buck Dance Strut'
from 'Layers' (1973) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Mind Power' (edit) and 'Take Some - Leave Some'
from 'The Payback' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Donald Byrd 'Places and Spaces'
from 'Places and Spaces' (1976) (MP3/CD)
The Detroit Emeralds 'You're Getting a Little Too Smart'
from 'Detroit Emeralds' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Don't Tell It'
from 'Bodyheat' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Stan Getz 'Keep Dreamin''
from 'Another World' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Oliver Sain 'On the Hill'
from 'The Main Man' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Joe Farrell 'Upon This Rock'
from 'Upon This Rock' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Black Heat 'Zimba Ku'
from 'Keep on Runnin'' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Keni Burke 'Risin' to the Top'
from 'Changes' (1982) (MP3/Import CD)
Mountain 'Long Red'
from 'Mountain Live' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: Pete Rock (Part 1, 1991-1993)
Producer Profile: Pete Rock (Part 2, 1994)

Rewind: DOOM 'Born Like This' (Part 1)

After three years of near silence after a flurry of releases, MF Doom returned to Earth with 2009's 'Born Like This' under his new pseudonym DOOM. This two part blog post will cover the music and samples of Doom's latest album.

The album's opening track, 'Supervillain Intro, recycles a past Doom beat from 2005's 'Special Herbs 9+0': 'Coca Leaf' as Metal Fingers. DOOM's 'Gazzillion Ear' uses a posthumous J Dilla beat that utilizes samples from Giorgio Moroder's '(Theme from) Midnight Express' from the 'Midnight Express' soundtrack from 1987 and an early Brenton Wood single titled 'Trouble'. Raekwon takes center stage on 'Yessir!, floating on MF Doom's beat constructed from ESG's b-boy break 'UFO'. Madlib provides production for DOOM's 'Absolutely' uses a grip of producer go to tracks. Madlib samples Joe Tex's 'Tramp' answer track 'Papa Was Too', Ramsey Lewis' 'Sun Goddess', and Earth, Wind and Fire's essential party starter 'Brazilian Rhyme'.

Check back for part two of our look at 'Born Like This'.

The Lowdown:
DOOM 'Supervillain Intro', 'Gazzillion Ear', 'Yessir!', and 'Absolutely'
from 'Born Like This' (2009) (MP3/CD)
Metal Fingers 'Coca Leaf'
from 'Special Herbs 9+0' (2005) (MP3/CD)
Giorgio Moroder '(Theme from) Midnight Express'
from 'Midnight Express' (1987) (MP3/CD not available)
Brenton Wood 'Trouble'
from 'Baby You Got It' (1967) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
ESG 'UFO'
from 'ESG' (1981) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Joe Tex 'Papa Was Too'
from 'Papa Was Too' 7" (1966) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Ramsey Lewis 'Sun Goddess'
from 'Sun Goddess' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Earth, Wind and Fire 'Brazilian Rhyme'
from 'All 'n All' (1977) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Madvillain 'Madvillainy' (Part 1)
Rewind: Madvillain 'Madvillainy' (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: The Pharcyde 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our look at 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde'.

'On the DL' from 'Bizarre Ride' samples two tracks from Stanley Cowell 1974 album 'Musa - Ancestral Streams': 'Travelin' Man' and 'Equipoise'. The track also takes a clip from the Meters' 'Struttin'' album track 'Hey! Last Minute'. 'Officer' goes back to JB for two samples: James Brown's 'Funky Drummer' and the J.B.'s 'The Grunt' from 1972's 'Food for Thought'. 'Officer' also samples the Charles Stepney produced 1968 track 'The Mighty Quinn' by Ramsey Lewis from his album 'Maiden Voyage'. The J-Swift produced lead single for 'Bizarre Ride' was the hit 'Ya Mama', which samples Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, and Stephen Stills' 'Seasons of the Witch' from 1968's 'Super Session' album, Young Holt Unlimited's 'Yes We Can Can' and the 'Wattstax' live album track 'I Don't Know What This World is Coming To' by the Stax unit the Soul Children.

Check back for part 3 of our look at 'Bizarre Ride to the Pharcyde'.

The Lowdown:
The Pharcyde 'On the DL', 'Officer', and 'Ya Mama'
from 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Stanley Cowell 'Travelin' Man' and 'Equipoise'
from 'Musa - Ancestral Streams' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Meters 'Hey Last Minute!'
from 'Struttin'' (1969) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Funky Drummer'
from 'Funky Drummer' 7" (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The J.B.'s 'The Grunt'
from 'Food For Thought' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Ramsey Lewis 'The Mighty Quinn'
from 'Maiden Voyage' (1968) (MP3/Import CD)
Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, and Stephen Stills 'Seasons of the Witch'
from 'Super Session' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Young Holt Unlimited 'Yes We Can Can'
from 'Oh Girl' (1972) (MP3/CD)
The Soul Children 'I Don't Know What this World is Coming To'
from 'Wattstax' (1971) (MP3/CD)

Rewind: Fugees 'The Score' (Part 1)

One of 1996's most widely acclaimed and commercially successful albums is also one of the most densely produced albums of the year. Fugees' sophomore album, 'The Score', led with three charting smash hits, repainted the landscape of pop and hip-hop with dark atmospheric beats that feel like a humid, murky swamp.

'Ready or Not' was the third single from the album, and though not as big of a hit at the time, the track is now one of the album's classic cuts. The chorus is an interpolation of the Delfonics classic 'Ready of Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)', an essential slice of Philly soul. 'Ready or Not' also includes samples from 'Django' by the Modern Jazz Quartet, 'God Made Me Funky' by the Headhunters, and most strangely 'Boadicea' from Enya's new age feel good album 'The Celts'. Like whoa.


The tense deep album track 'Zealots' has a quick vocal interpolation of 'I Only Have Eyes for You' by the Flamingos. The album's first single, the Salaam Remi produced 'Fu-Gee-La' features an interpolation (anyone see a pattern?) of Teena Marie's 1988 single 'Ooo La La La' from her album 'Naked to the World'. The song additionally samples Ramsey Lewis' hit '(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right'.

Check back for part 2 of 'The Score'.

The Lowdown:
Fugees 'Ready or Not', 'Zealots', and 'Fu-Gee-La'
from 'The Score' (1996) (MP3/CD)
The Delfonics 'Ready or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)'
from 'The Sound of Sexy Soul' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Modern Jazz Quartet 'Django'
from 'Pyramid' (1959) (MP3/CD)
Headhunters 'God Made Me Funky'
from 'Survival of the Fittest' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Enya 'Boadecia'
from 'The Celts' (1986) (MP3/CD)
The Flamingos 'I Only Have Eyes for You'
from 'Flamingo Serenade' (1959) (MP3 not available/CD)
Teena Marie 'Ooo La La La'
from 'Naked to the World' (1988) (MP3/CD not available)
Ramsey Lewis '(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right'
from 'Funky Serenity' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)

BONUS CUTS:
Here are two cuts to diversify your Fugees medley at the clubs: Sly and Robbie's remix of 'Fu-Gee-La' (which is the only reason to own the lamely packaged Fugees 'Greatest Hits' album, trust me) and the 12" mix of 'Ooo La La La' by Teena Marie. Have fun.