Brand new banger from Theophilus London & A$AP Rocky: Big Spender (produced by DJ Carnage). Something about this record got me hype as hell...I'll blame it on the production with that sample chopped up. For those who don't know about diggin' in the crates, the sample is taken from the 60's musical "Sweet Charity" (click here to read about "Sweet Charity" via Wikipedia).
Here is the original recording from Joseph Gershenson
The play "Sweet Charity" was eventually adapted for the screen in 1969 with Shirley MacLaine as Charity and John McMartin recreating his Broadway role as Oscar Lindquist. Bob Fosse directed and choreographed this film. Just a little tidbit from a DJ that actually digs in the crates.
One of the funkiest albums ever made and probably one of my favorites to just drop the needle and let it ride - Sly and the Family Stone's 6th album "Fresh" (released in 1973). George Clinton liked the album so much he convinced the Red Hot Chili Peppers to do a remake of "If You Want Me To Stay". According to wikipedia, jazz legend Miles Davis was so impressed by the song "In Time" from the album that he made his band listen to the track repeatedly for a full 30 minutes. Another interesting note, "Que Sera Sera" is the only cover song Sly and the Family Stone ever recorded (a cover of Doris Day's Academy Award-winning song from Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much"). Rolling Stone magazine listed the album at number 186 on their list of the 500 greatest albums ever made. With all that said, the album hasn't been sampled much at all. The only 3 tracks that I could find any sample credits for were "If You Want Me To Stay", "In Time", and "Thankful & Thoughtful" (samples listed below)
FRESH: (EPIC 1973) * "If You Want Me to Stay" Above the Law - "Commercial" BBD - "She's Dope" Dana Dane - "Tales from the Dane Side" The D.O.C. ft MC Ren - "Comm 2" Red Hot Chili Peppers - "If You Want Me to Stay" Warren G - "Reality" Non Phixion "The Freshfest" Dysfunkshunal Familee "Keep Me High" * "In Time" J-88 - "Stupid Ass Lies" Maceo Parker ft Fred Wesley, Pee-Wee, & Bootsy Collins - "In Time" Missy Elliot - "X-tasy" Future Sound "The Function" Pizzicato Five "Cosmic Blues" * "Thankful & Thoughtful" PM Dawn - "Comatose" La Cliqua "Requiem" and "Maintenant Ou Jamais" Panda One "Panda Meets Sly '99"
My personal favorite from the album is "Let Me Have It All" which really makes me think Prince must have listened to a ton of Sly and the Family Stone because that song sounds like a Prince record from the vibe to the vocals.
If anyone has really paid attention to my previous mixtapes you would have heard me chop in clips of "Keep On Dancin" in my mixes. Listen close and you'll hear me chopping in clips from this album from time to time in my mixes. Looking for a link to cop the album? Visit SoGoodMusic.com
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE "FRESH" Side one "In Time" – 5:48 "If You Want Me to Stay" – 3:01 "Let Me Have It All" – 2:56 "Frisky – 3:12 "Thankful N' Thoughtful" – 4:41 Side two "Skin I'm In" – 2:55 "I Don't Know (Satisfaction)" – 3:51 "Keep on Dancin'" – 2:23 "Qué Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) – 5:23 "If It Were Left Up to Me" – 1:56 "Babies Makin' Babies" – 3:38 LINER CREDITS Sly Stone: vocals, organ, guitar, bass guitar, piano, harmonica, and more Freddie Stone: vocals, guitar Rose Stone: vocals, piano, keyboard Cynthia Robinson: trumpet Jerry Martini: saxophone Pat Rizzo: saxophone Rusty Allen: bass guitar on "In Time", "Let Me Have it All", and "Keep On Dancin'" Larry Graham: bass guitar on "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" and "If It Were Left Up To Me" (uncredited) Andy Newmark: drums Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton): vocals Karat Faye: Engineer
The Counts (originally known as The Fabulous Counts) "Love Sign" album dropped in 1973 on the Aware label and went largely overlooked, but there are some real gems in the album for crate diggers like me. Other albums from The Counts have been sampled before from artists like Eric B and Rakim, Queen Latifah, DJ Mark the 45 King, Snoop Dogg, Atmosphere, Gravediggaz, Dilated Peoples, Planet Asia, and more - but no samples have been credited to this album.
1. LOVE SIGN 2. TOO BAD (You Don’t Love Me) 3. JUST YOU JUST ME 4. RIDING HIGH 5. SACRIFICE 6. COUNTS MEDLEY
The title track starts the album off and sounds like something Prince might have used for inspiration and reminded me of the scene in Beat Street when "Kenny" hit the "Blackbird Fly" mix in his bedroom. "Just You, Just Me" reminds me a lot of the soul you hear in War's "World is a Ghetto". "Riding High" starts off with a dope guitar riff that would sound great if it was flipped in the classic Bomb Squad vibe. Listen to the funky flavor of the song "Sacrifice" and know that I will most definitely twist some of that in the mix. Go to the 1:47 mark of "Counts Medley" when the beat drops out and you hear "Play it again! Play it again!" then the funky drum roll...that is MOST DEFINITELY going to be a clip I use. I'm actually surprised that someone like Public Enemy didn't use the horn riffs at the 7:28 mark too. This album was a nice surprise for me and is one I sometimes just let ride when I'm at the house.
Liner Credits for anyone interested: Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals – Demo Cates Arranged By [All Arrangements By] – Counts, The Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Milan Bogdan Executive Producer – Leroy Emmanuel, Marlin McNichols Guitar, Percussion, Vocals – Leroy Emmanuel Keyboards, Vocals – Mose Davis Percussion, Vocals – Andreau Gibsont Published By – Fudge Lips Music Co. Published By – Act I Music Co., Inc. Copyright (c) – GRC Phonographic Copyright (p) – GRC Manufactured By – GRC Distributed By – GRC Recorded At – The Sound Pit
Whenever I dig in the crates I usually try to avoid artists that have been heavily sampled before. As a DJ I pride myself on finding and flipping shit that is dope and somehow has gone unnoticed. That's my edge...my Unique Styles. Although the Crusaders have been heavily sampled, I was still able to find some material from their SOUTHERN COMFORT album that has slipped through (until now) like the souful jazz in their title cut "Southern Comfort". The opening piano from "Greasy Spoon" or the bass guitar riffs from the opening of "Double Bubble" (which is really dope when you screw the pitch way down)...both dope clips that I will be chopping into my mixes.
Want to see how much the Crusaders have impacted Hip-Hop and who's sampled their music already? Check it here and here. You'll find names ranging from Guru and KRS-One to Digable Planets, Ice Cube, Method Man, Kool G Rap, Noreaga, the Beastie Boys, Ultramagnetic MCs, ATCQ, Tyrese, Snoop Dogg, Tupac....you get the picture.
The homie J. Rhodes (@J_Rhodes on twitter) hit me today with the new "No Games" record he produced featuring Ni Taylor (@Ni_Taylor on twitter) and Rapsody. The record is available as a free download at Jrhodes.Bandcamp.com
If you know me then you know I'm always diggin' in the crates, so I had to hit J Rhodes and ask about the samples he flipped. He told me its "Hey U" from The Dramatics (which he found at Half Price Books). Dope.
No Games is the first single from Ni Taylor's upcoming Politely Rude LP. It is produced by J.Rhodes and features fellow female spitter Rapsody from N.C . Enjoy!
credits released 07 February 2012 Produced by J.Rhodes performed by Ni Taylor and Rapsody
I came across this Charles Hilton Brown "Owed To Myself" record today and finally got the opportunity to drop the needle on it...dope. He's got some cover material like "Try a Little Tenderness", "Ain't No Sunshine", and "Love Train", but the highlights are easily the funky originals. The album was recorded in Italy and released in 1974 on the Ampex Records label and apparantly is considered a rare issue but there was a reissue done by Schema Records in 2000. Charles Hilton Brown was military based in italy in the 60’s and was the lead singer of the Four Kents. But it was in England where he met up with a scathing Afro-Funk band called Assagai and they decided to record an album that Charles felt was “Owed To Himself". This is the ONLY album ever recorded by Charles Hilton Brown. Ever. I did some research and through every possible resource I know - I could not find any history of any piece of the album ever being sampled. This is exactly the kind of thing that separates me from other DJs - diggin in the crates for gems just like this, then flipping them into my mixes. Normally I would sit on a secret weapon like this, but today I'm going to share two of his original tracks to give you a taste of the flavor I'm about to twist in my mixes.
Here's Charles Hilton Brown's "GRF" and "I'm Coming Home"
Here's some liner credits for those who might be interested: Artwork By [Design] – Gianni Ronero, Luciano Tallarini Bass – David Ganpot Chorus – Duo Macumbo Congas [Congos] – Ayinde Folarin Drums, Percussion – Gabriel George Guitar – Keith Ganpot Keyboards, Organ, Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Peter Nelson (4) Mixed By – Charles Hilton Brown, Gabriel George Mixed By, Engineer [Mixing] – Sergio Marcotulli Producer, Arranged By – Charles Hilton Brown Saxophone [Alto & Tenor] – Frederick Mathias Saxophone [Tenor] – Kirk Redding Technician – Gino Incerti (2) Trumpet, Trombone – Roy Edwards Vocals – David Ganpot (tracks: 8), Frederick Mathias (tracks: 8) Edited and mastered at Massive Arts Milano.
I got my hands on Tarika Blue's self-titled album (1976) and as I'm going through it I come across her song "Dreamflower" which I immediately recognized as the samples riding underneath Erykah Badu's "Didn't Cha Know" record from her 2000 album "Mama's Gun". J Dilla was behind the production on Erykah Badu's version which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for 2001. A bit of a music production background lesson though; the sample was used without permission which eventually led to a lawsuit and Universal/Motown and Badu agreeing to pay a settlement fee for the sample.
In my opinion this is a perfect example of Hip-Hop making an obscure record from a forgotten artist relevant again. If it wasn't for J Dilla flipping the samples and Erykah Badu's incredible voice...this would have been completely buried in time.
Check out Tarika Blue's original "Dreamflower"
Now Check out Erykah Badu's "Didn't Cha Know"
Outside of the "Dreamflower" song, Tarika Blue's album is useful for some ill horn riffs, but if you want to flip any breaks out of the album you'll most likely find yourself screwing the BPM's way down as the majority of the album is uptempo jazz. Remember, Tarika Blue was released in 1976 so we're right around the disco era with this one. If you need the album you can find the link in the comments below.
I've been digging through a stack of Trouble Funk albums and finally clipped out a grip of samples and breaks that I can flip into my mixes. Thought I'd share it for any other DJs who might be looking for a dope percussion sample or classic Trouble Funk break.
“Jump Around” is a classic Hip-Hop record from House of Pain (released in 1992 on the groups first self-titled album through XL Recordings and Tommy Boy Records), produced by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. This song became a hit in 1992, reaching Number 3 in the USA. A 1993 re-release of the song in the UK, where the original had been a minor hit, peaked at Number 8. On VH1′s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s, “Jump Around” was featured at position 24. It was number 66 on VH1′s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. The album went mutli-platinum.
The famous horn riff that jumps it all off is from the record "Harlem Shuffle" by Bob & Earl (1963). The loop that runs throughout the entire song is a pitched way down sample from "Popeye The Hitchhiker" by Chubby Checker (1962). A sure sign that DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill produced the record is the sample of "Tramp" by Lowell Fulsom (1966) running throughout the song. If you listen to the original "Tramp" record you will also recognize the sample was used in Cypres Hill's classic "How I Could Just Kill a Man". There used to be a rumor floating around that the high pitched squeel at the beginning of each bar was a sample of Prince screaming in his song "Gett Off", but it's actually a saxophone stab taken from "Shoot Your Shot" by Jr. Walker & the All Stars (1965). It is widely known throughout the industry that securing a sample from Prince is somewhere between impossible and can't be done. The scratch that DJ Lethal is rubbing through the hooks is from the old "Military Cut - Scratch Mix" by DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and Kevie Kev Rockwell (1983).
I've read that the song also incorporates a sample from "Soul Girl" by Jeanne & the Darlings (1967), but I could only find that sample used on the Pete Rock remix of "Jump Around". The same is true of "Pot Belly" by Lou Donaldson (1970). I could only hear the sample used in Pete Rock's remix - not the original House of Pain record. The same is also true for the use of the sample from the Harvey Averne Dozen "You're No Good" (1968) record. According to Funkmaster Flex the song also samples Johnny Cash's "Daddy Sang Bass" (1969) but I haven't found any sample from that record in "Jump Around".
Some more interesting facts about the record from Wikipedia:
In television and film The song has been featured in films Mrs. Doubtfire, The Rookie, Daredevil (film), Rush Hour, Happy Gilmore, Kiss of Death, and Black Hawk Down, as well as the television series My Name Is Earl, the TBS talk show Lopez Tonight and the BBC Radio Scotland series Off The Ball. It was also featured in a Pringles commercial in the late 1990s. It also features as darts player Gary Anderson's walk on music.
University of Wisconsin-Madison At University of Wisconsin-Madison home football games, students "Jump Around" to the song between the third and fourth quarters. The tradition grew out of the Men's Varsity Swimteam members playing it over a discman and broadcasting via a smuggled in megaphone to sections O and P during the games to rile up those sections. This began in '93; well before the official start. The "official" start began on Saturday, October 10, 1998, at the Badgers' Homecoming game against the Purdue Boilermakers[3] After no offensive points were scored in the third quarter, and en route to their second 6-0 start of the modern football era, one of the Badgers' marketing agents, who was in charge of sound, piped the song through the loudspeakers.It stirred up fans and players and has become a tradition of the last decade. However, on September 6, 2003 (the Badgers' first home game of the season), with construction of skyboxes surrounding Camp Randall Stadium, UW officials decided to cancel the "Jump Around" due to worries about structural integrity. Stadium security and the local police department had been informed of this decision, but no notification had been given to the fans. When news surfaced on Monday, September 8, that this event was not a technical or human malfunction, but rather a decision by campus officials, the students launched a protest. Petitions circulated and students pushed back against administration. Structural engineers confirmed that the stadium would suffer no structural damage caused by the vibrations created by jumping. Two days later, Chancellor John D. Wiley announced that the "Jump Around" tradition would resume. The song's title is displayed on unofficial Wisconsin Badgers clothing and apparel and even on some of a Madison-based bank's credit cards.
University of North Carolina In 2004, the North Carolina Tar Heels began using the song as it was a favorite tune among the team, Rashad McCants and others. The song has played at the beginning of every North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball home game at the Dean Smith Center since that year. Just as in Madison, during the song the entire student section jumps up and down. Occasionally, the players are seen dancing to the song as well. When the Tar Heels won their most recent national title in 2009, the song was played over the Smith Center loudspeakers after the final buzzer. When the Tar Heels moved a 2010 game against Texas to the Greensboro Coliseum, Jump Around was played before the opening tip of that game as well.
Just finished chopping samples out of the Pretty Purdie "Soul Drums" album and thought I would share it with the producers and DJs that are looking for some high energy drums from Bernard "Pretty" Purdie with that late 60's flavor. I was honestly surprised to find that there are very few uses of samples from Pretty Purdie.
Since it has been so long since I posted any entries in the Diggin In The Crates section I thought I'd pass along another treat: Funk Factory's "Funk Factory" album. I've already used chops from the lead track "Watusi Dance", but I'll be twisting in a lot more of this into my mixes. Slam full of wide open organ riffs, wah guitar work, percussion, and some odd bits and pieces of sounds. The vocals are wack as hell though-fair warning. If you like the Beastie Boys you will recognize the source of the sample they used for their "Car Thief" track (also sampled by 3 6 Mafia for "Puttin' Hoez on the House"). I definitely suggest checking out "Lilliput". Watch for some chops of that to show up in my next mixtape.
Today I dropped the needle on the 1977 funk album "Atlas" and found some gems; especially the songs "Necessity" and "Ain't No Sunshine". There are some nice breaks in "Play It Cool" too. If you like horns then you're sure to find some nice riffs to sample. When I saw the cover art I had to give this record a listen and I'm glad I did. Diggin in the crates...real DJ shit. I was surprised that I wasn't able to find any previous samples from Atlas used by any Hip-Hop artists, but that is always a bonus when you find something fly that no one has used yet.
01 Hey, Man! 02 Pasteboard 03 Skybird, Fly 04 Necessity 05 Ain't No Sunshine 06 Play It Cool 07 Rhode Island 08 We Are Happy 09 Let's Not Believe
BeatsByYou.com and Unique Styles team up to deliver the first of a new compilation series titled "Crate Digga's" geared towards producers looking for new samples and DJs looking for classic breaks. This collection was compiled by Da' Hitman, including the comments for each track. No mix, no added sound effects, no DJ tags - strictly the breaks and songs (38 total tracks) to allow producers and DJs to utilize the compilation as needed. "Crate Digga's Vol 1" is free and available exclusively at www.beatsbyyou.com.
CRATE DIGGA'S VOL 1 TRACKLISTING Accadde A - Accadde A Bali (I like the flute when it jumps in over that bassline. I left the entire track because of the different cymbal hits throughout) Amon Duul - Kismet (I’ve heard this flipped before, but its still dope) Bernard Wystraete - Daydream (Again with the flutes lol I like the horn stabs at the transitions too) Brother Jack Mcduff - Electric Surfboard Bassline and Horn Riffs (I clipped it to just the bassline and horn riffs) Chapeau - Botte de Cuire Break (The wah guitar is ill and the horn stabs are dope. When it hits 34 seconds the beat fills up nice) Churchill - Here We Are (I’ll be using the horns from the intro for transitions I’m sure. Love the bassline and when the horns come in…dope) Ferrante & Teicher - Lady Love (I like the acoustic guitar and the muted trumpet. Lot of dope bits in this one) Francois De Roubaix - Les Dunes Dostende (Skip through to the 37 second mark and the twist is dope) Gary Pacific Orchestra - Soft Wind (Almost didn’t include this one but I thought someone might want to flip it) Gator Soundtrack - Laying the Trap (THIS MU’FUCKA HAD ME GOING NUTS AT THE 1:38 MARK!!!!! DOPE!!! MY FAVORITE OF THIS BATCH) Golden Music Orchestra - African Honeymoon (I love percussion so the congas and horns together caught me. I like the vocal riffs too – not so much the animal sounds though lol) Hardy's Jet Band - Selected Sound (I thought someone might want the bass guitar stabs. This one is pretty basic but nice. The breakbeat 40 seconds is engineered just right) Head West - Attention (When the beat trips in with the dude screamin “OH!”…fly shit) Hysear Don Walker - Children of the Night Break with Bassline (I like the bassline but the congas are too low) Ian Carr - Roots (Perfect for a transition, especially for a movie score) Jack Arel - Psychedelic Portrait (I swear this sounds like something Cypress Hill should have ripped! I love this one for a story-telling rhyme) JJ Johnson - Pull Jabal Pull (The beginning bored the shit outta me, but 12 seconds in I was going nuts!) Johnny Harris - Light My Fire (I’ve already had a producer flip this one and he absolutely murdered it! I’ll send it to you if you want it. Chill Rob G is recording to it for me) Kerrie Biddell - In Necessity (Her voice is fuckin dope! I really want to find a way to work this in my mixes) Lafayette Afro-Rock Band - Darkest Light (You will immediately recognize this from Public Enemy. Dope) Les Mcann - Go On and Cry (I really like the vibe of this one. Another one of my favorites from this batch) Louis Clark - Brute Part 1 and 2 (For anyone looking for instrument pieces they can sample-they will love this one. The strings are dope) Maleditus Sound - Kriminal Theme (Almost didn’t include this one too, but maybe someone might dig it. The horns are nice and the snare hits like a mu’fucka. Song gets really strange at the 1:30 mark lol) Michel Gonet - Flower Dance (You’re going to recognize this one immediately, but it’s still dope. I think NAS ripped this best) Monk Higgins - Railroad Snippet (This one is fuckin sick immediately!) Nick Ingman - Under Pressure (You’ll recognize this one immediately for Slim Thug’s rip, but the whole damn thing is dope) Oliver Sain - On The Hill (I like the drums – reminds me of Rakim’s Mahongony flip of Al Green’s classic, but the horns on this one have a real Odd Couple vibe) Parry Music - The Climb (This one is dope right away and screams for some WuTang flava) Passport - Puzzle (skit) (Very basic but somebody might find some use for it – one of my least favorites in this batch) Ronald Stein - Go Home Pigs (You’re going to immediately recognize this one from Dr Dre, but I still kept it in the batch) S.S.O - Faded Lady (skit) (Another one you’re going to recognize right away) Serge Gainsbourg - Requiem Pour un Con (I like the Timbaland type vibe of the beat and the percussion. Hard to sit through that foreign language singing though lol break at 2:13 is nice and open) Sound Studio Orchestra - Southbound (Sounds like an old Too Short bassline. I love the horns again. I really like the way they build up and layer. Snatch the bars at 46 seconds and loop em - dope) Sun - Time is Passing (Piano is very nice. Really liked the piano, but hang on for the beat to drop in 25 seconds and think Erykah Badu or Mary J Blige) Syrius - Devils Masquerade Break (I will definitely be using this as a transition. Classic breakbeat with the cymbals riding) The Bubble Gum Machine - I Wonder (You’ll recognize this one right away too, but couldn’t leave it off the batch. Who’s the Black Sheep!) The Phoenix Authority - Come Together (That “shooooop” shit is dope and I love that this is a jazzy instrumental to the classic) Wet Willie - The Beggar's Song (I like the opening vocals. Beat is ok but the melody is catchy as hell)
Tonight I got back on my crate diggin and pulled up a classic from Monk Higgins (thanks to SoGoodMusic).
1. Little Mama 2. Walking In My Sleep 3. Trusting You (La, La, La Song) 4. So Far Away 5. Can't Stop 6. Black Fox 7. If 8. Heaven Only Knows 9. God's In The Blessing Business 10. Highway Number 101 (Pacific Coast Highway)
The Arkansas Saxophonist Monk Higgins (real name Milton Bland) made two hugely sought after jazz/funk/soul albums for United Artists in 1972. The first was "Heavy Weight" - and then came this - "Little Mama".
Produced by LARRY MAXWELL, the "Little Mama" LP was originally released on Liberty/United Artists UA-LA005-F in the USA in late 1972 - this 2004 remaster is a straightforward reissue of that funky rarity and is part of EMI Europe's "Masters Of Funk & Soul" Remaster Series.
The MUSICIANS for "Little Mama" were: MONK HIGGINS - Tenor Saxophone & Organ JOE SAMPLE [of The Crusaders] - Piano, Clavinet & Harpsichord CLARENCE McDONALD - Piano WILTON FELDER [of The Crusaders} - Bass FREDDY ROBINSON - Guitar & Harmonica AL VESCOVO - Guitar SPECIALTIES UNLIMITED - Backing Vocals PAUL HUMPHREY - Drums & Percussion
In case you were wondering, Monk Higgins has been sampled plenty in the past. Here's a short list of some of the Monk Higgins samples:
Extra Soul Perception: (Solid State 1970) * "Little Green Apples" Gang Starr - "Code of the Streets"
Heavyweight: (United Artists 1972) * "Feeling You Feeling Me" Bulldog Breaks - "Bring it on Down" Hard 2 Obtain - "Local Hero" Souls of Mischief - "That's When Ya Lost" * "Up on the Hill" Beck - "Hotwax" * "Big Water Bed" Big Daddy Kane - "Ain't No Half Steppin'"
Dance to the Disco Sax: (Buddah 1974) * "One Man Band" (Drums) Antoinette - "Unfinished Business" Ballistic Brothers - "Perfect Day" Big Daddy Kane - "Get Bizzy" Biz Markie - "Biz is Goin' Off" Chill Rob G - "Let Me Show You" Coolio - "I Remember" Gang Starr - "Positivity" Gravediggaz - "1-800-SUICIDE" Masta Ace - "As I Reminisce" Masta Ace - "Together" Sounds of Blackness - "Optimistic" US3 - "Different Rhythms, Different People"
Little Mama: (United Artists 1972) * "Black Fox" Hard 2 Obtain - "Heels without Souls"
Sheba Baby soundtrack: (Buddah 1975) * "A Good Man is Gone" Gang Starr - "Next Time"
I make my rounds to a handful of websites usually every day, but today I spent a grip of time over at WaxPoetics and came away with some new breaks to twist. If you dig in the crates, you will find some real gems over there
Thanks to Kanye And Jay-Z and their new "Otis" record (built around the samples from Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness"), Otis Redding's music is a hot commodity all over again. It's been a while since I posted a new "Diggin in the Crates" post so here you go:
If you're not familiar with the soulful genius of Otis Redding, visit OtisRedding.com and check out the full discography, bio, etc
If you didn't know, this is not the first time Kanye West has sampled Otis Redding. Kanye sampled Otis Redding's "Its Too Late" for his "Gone" record featuring Cam'ron & Consequence. Here's a short list of others who have sampled Otis Redding in the past:
The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads: (Atlantic 1965) * "Mr. Pitiful" UMC - "Swing into the Area" * "It's Too Late" Kanye West ft Cam'ron & Consequence - "Gone"
Otis Redding's Dictionary of Soul: (Stax 1966) * "I'm Sick Y'all" Pete Nice & Daddy Rich - "3 Blind Mice" * "Try a Little Tenderness" Young Black Teenagers - "Tap the Bottle"
The Soul Album: (Atlantic 1966) * "Scratch My Back" 3rd Bass - "Come In" Yo-Yo - "It's a Long Way Home"
Otis Blue: (Atco 1966) * "Change is Gonna Come" Ghostface Killah - "Fish" Guru - "Looking through Darkness" * "My Girl" Geto Boys - "Read These Nikes"
The Dock of the Bay: (Stax 1968) * "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" De la Soul - "Eye Know" Nine - "Whutcha Want?" * "Let Me Come on Home" EPMD - "The Steve Martin" MC Shan - "Neva Rock a Party" * "Don't Mess with Cupid" Al Tariq - "Nikki" Cocoa Brovaz - "Still Standing Strong"
The Immortal Otis Redding: (Atlantic 1968) * "Hard to Handle" 5 Sterne Deluxe - "Will Smith, Meer Gayne?" Capleton ft Method Man - "Wings of the Morning" Grand Puba - "Ya Know How it Goes" Marley Marl - "The Symphony" Nas - "Affirmative Action" Positive K - "Ain't No Crime" Public Enemy - "I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Nigga" * "The Happy Song" Das EFX - "Dum Dums"
This is my Diggin In The Crates treat for all the DJs out here that dig in the crates, study the craft, and are like me and always looking for that rare vinyl. The infamous Juice Crew EP was limited to just 350 pressings with a breakdown like this:
Red vinyl: 75 copies Blue vinyl: 75 copies White vinyl: 75 copies Black vinyl: 125 copies
Kool G Rap & D.J. Polo "I Declare War" is a left over from the recording sessions for the classic "Road to Riches" album. Super Kids "Stunt Of The Block" might be easier to remember if you knew Super kids is a young Tragedy the Intelligent Hoodlum. Big Daddy Kane "For Your Own Concern" somehow never made it on the "Long Live the Kane" album. The Kool G Rap & D.J. Polo "Enter The Dragon" remix came out in 96 but wasn't with the original Marley marl production - this one is the original. Craig G "Drop A Bomb On 'Em" is another EP that never was given any shine. Every track on the Juice Crew EP was produced and mixed by Marley Marl. On some Real DJ Shit....enjoy
What do X-Clan, Mobb Deep, DMX, Herbie Hancock, David Axelrod, Art Farmer, Biggie Smalls, 50 Cent, Howlin Wolf, MC Shan, The Meters, and Travis Porter all have in common? I can flip ‘em all into the time frame of one TV commercial break on some REAL DJ SHIT.
I'm betting that most people wouldn't even give this DVD a second look if they saw it in a stack of 'bargain deals', but if you run across the sountrack from Quincy Jones - you better scoop that up if you are a producer or a DJ.
1. Money Is - Little Richard 2. Snow Creatures 3. Ribber Ducky 4. Redeye Runnin' Train - Doug Kershaw 5. Shady Lady 6. Monney Runner 7. When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) (End Title) - Robert Flack 8. Do It - To It - Little Richard 9. Candy Man 10. Passin' The Buck 11. Kitty With The Bent Frame 12. Brook's 50 Cent Tour (Main Title Collage)
Just to give you an idea of the funk Quincy laced into the soundtrack, check out some of the samples chopped out of it
* "Rubber Ducky" D&D Project ft Ill Breed - "Act Up" * "Snow Creatures" Common - "Tricks up My Sleeve" Compton's Most Wanted - "Def Wish II" Daddy Kev ft Circus - "This Stuff's Really Wacko" Gang Starr - "Alongwaytogo" Lord Finesse - "_Return of the Funky Man_ Intro" * "Candy Man" Naughty by Nature - "1,2,3" * "Kitty with the Bent Frame" Black Moses - "Oh God" Dr. Octagon - "Girl, Let me Touch You" Mobb Deep - "Q.U. - Hectic" Mobb Deep - "Shook Ones pt II" * "The Money Runners" Ceasefire - "Caipirinha" Chemical Brothers - "Get up on it Like This" Major Force - "Return of the Original Art Form" * "Brooks' 50 cent Tour (Main Title Collage)" Justin Warfield - "B-Boys on Acid" Rakim - "Waiting for the World to End"
Better get to diggin' in the crates if you are a producer or DJ. I do this all the time and sometimes chop out simple snare hits or guitar stabs, drum fills, horn riffs, etc. On some REAL DJ SHIT this album is a must have and you may or may not have noticed, but I have chopped some of this into my mixtapes and shows before. The link to download "Dollars" (Soundtrack) is in the comments below.
Ok, I know I have never did any kind of movie promo or reviews, but I caught the preview for this movie Sucker Punch during the KNICKS WIN OVER MIAMI (BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) ok, I got that out of my system....
Anyway, the movie looked fly as hell with some insane cinematography so I am definitely going to be peepin the premier of this one.
I had to add this trailer simply for the use of the Led Zeppelin "When the Levee Breaks" beat(probably most recognized by Hip-Hop heads as the Beastie Boys "Rhymin and Stealin").
SIDENOTE: I need this font in my life so if anyone comes across the font and is kind enough to share - please let me know where to grab the font!
Ambrosius said that the overall vibe of the album is "sensual, it’s sincere, it’s seductive" and I think that is a very solid description. Her voice and vocal tone alone deliver a sensual vibe and you will hear that immediately with the intro song “Anticipation” and the first words you will hear ooze from her beautiful songstress voice “come keep me warm tonight”. I’ve been anticipating the song “With You’ since I heard that Alicia Keys co-wrote the song. I have to find synonyms for sexy because that is the one word that best describes the majority of the album and “With You” is definitely sexy. Marsha does a terrific job of really banging out the breakdowns to drive the sensual tone even deeper.
The title song “Late Nights and Early Mornings” slides in softly with a piano and Ambrosius crooning her seductive lead into the full body of the track with the words “Let me do you all night long” and builds the erotic temperature from there – yeah, this album is sexy like that. As the song builds it reminds me of a classic Prince song, especially the familiar snare pattern from Prince’s “When Doves Cry” (but screwed WAY down). “Hope She Cheats On You (With a Basketball Player)” came out as the lead single back in August of 2010 so no description is necessary. If you haven’t heard it then you must be living under a rock or sleeping in a tent on some far away beach Ricky Williams style. “Far Away” is produced by super-producer Just Blaze and judging by the more than 7 minute song length; Marsha got every bit out of Just Blaze she possibly could. The song is nice, but realistically it is just way too long. An interesting slice of the song kicks in at the 5 minute mark though, with Just Blaze taking his shot at a Roger Troutman impersonation with the talk box.
Finally we get to the much talked about Lauryn Hill written “Lose Myself”. I can imagine Lauryn Hill singing it, but Ambrosius does not disappoint. “Lose Myself” is definitely one of the many highlights of the album. “Your Hands” jumps in with a big kick but still somehow lays back to allow Marsha to lay her emotions all over the track. The production is great in that it doesn’t force the song to speed up or build, but instead lays back in it’s simplicity to provide Marsha with a canvas to paint with her beautiful voice and sensual wordplay. To give you an idea of the genius behind the production, there is not one single snare hit in the entire song.
“I Want You To Stay” picks up the tempo with a more feel-good vibe. If you have a mature woman with some throwback in her soul, grab her hand and swing out with this one. “Sour Times” sounds like it belongs in a Mission Impossible movie and that could be because I recognized the sample immediately as the Lalo Schifrin “Danube Incident”. Yes, I dig in the crates and the sample did not slip by me. Google “Lalo Schifrin Danube Incident” then hit play on Marsha Ambrosius “Sour Times”. I’ll wait…..
“Tears” is another song you will recognize immediately if you have ever seen the classic movie “Car Wash” and heard the classic “I’m Goin Down”. Maybe that’s too far back for you, so how about Mary J Blige’s “I’m Going Down” rendition. I know the track listing says “Tears” was produced Focus, but credit has to be given to the pioneers that created the original flavor. By now this is bothering me with the obvious Prince rip, then the Lalo Schifrin rip, then the Rose Royce/Tamera Mowry rip. Let me move on…
“Chasing Clouds” is nice, but the awkward drum pattern made it feel too busy. “The Break Up Song” is phenomenal. I don’t know how else to describe it. Beautiful, painful, soulful…whatever adjective you want to insert it all boils down to phenomenal. The album closes out with the remake of the classic Floetry “Butterflies”.
Overall this is a nice album and worthy of the hype surrounding it’s release, BUT Marsha Ambrosius needs to give credit where credit is due to the artist she ripped to create ‘her’ album. Anyone involved in music production knows Prince is impossible to get samples cleared so I’m interested to see what happens when Prince hears his drum patterns and snare patterns straight sampled in the title track “Late Nights and Early Mornings”. This is a story yet to unfold; I am sure of that.
Tracklist: 01. Anticipation (Intro) (Produced By Marsha Ambrosius) 02. With You (Produced By Marsha Ambrosius) 03. Late Nights And Early Mornings (Produced By Richard Harris) 04. Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player) (Produced By M. Ambrosius) 05. Far Away (Produced By Just Blaze) 06. Lose Myself (Produced By Canei Finch) 07. Your Hands (Produced By Andre Harris And Vidal Davis) 08. I Want You To Stay (Produced By Marsha Ambrosius) 09. Sour Times (Produced By Marsha Ambrosius) 10. Tears (Produced By Focus) 11. Chasing Clouds (Produced By Syience) 12. The Break Up Song (Produced By Marsha Ambrosius) 13. Butterflies (Produced By Marsha Ambrosius And Canei Finch)
If you go to http://www.marshaambrosiusonline.com/ she gives a brief description of each song from the album and does acknowldge the Lalo Schifrin rip and the Rose Royce rip, but no mention of the Prince sample. I am itching to hear the back story on how she managed to get these samples cleared.
