iCrate Diggers
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
iCrate Diggers: Week #015  Sample: Joann Newsom - The Book of Right On – Released: March 2004
| Little is ever said about Philadelphia based, true school “hip hop band”…The Roots Crew. Back when they used to go by the Square Roots (circa 1989), it was just 2 members, Black Thought and Quest Love. The crew is a force to be recon with, having members ranging from beat boxers, to drummers, bass players, keyboardists and MC’s, the Roots definitely rep the live form. After release of their 1st album independently, “Organix”, they got a deal with Geffen records. By that time, notable keyboardist, and now super producer, who initially got his start with the Roots Scott Storch, left the group to pursue a solo career. |
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On Geffen the grouped dropped 3 back to back to back classics, defying the mainstream and creating their own nitch. Their sound is signature and really what has kept the roots afloat for so many years while others have come and gone. When you buy a Roots album, you buy it because you want to hear that “live” hip hop sound. Their reign didn’t always receive as much exposure and or publicity from mainstream as they do today. Even so, I’ve always felt that they still haven’t gotten the props they deserve and after a successful run throughout the 2000 era, the Roots are still working, and currently are rocking a nightly gig at the Jimmy Fallon show.
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Like most all great Roots albums, live instrumentation takes you through an uncharted tunnel of the hip hop underground. The Roots always find a way to push the limits and explore their sound. Its never the same old same, but yet that dark journey down the poetic ills of the street in a different context. This album is no different than the rest. Trying to push the limit as musicians is one reason I’ve always given the Roots respect. Creatively different, I may not always like their music to the fullest, but I always give it a shot and support. |
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| This song “Right On” is sampled from Indie Folk singer Joann Newsom. The fairly young Newsom, 28, is apparently a well-trained harp player which can be heard throughout the sampled track “The Book Right On”. The Roots really found someone that really matched their “sound” and reached out to Newsom for a collaboration. What I find interesting is how they built the track around her already existing idea rather than just straight up sampling the song. With the broad musical background, if I had to pick a hip-hop group to pull off this great feat, it would be the Roots. Taking the song and converting it into an upbeat hip hop track “Roots” style came out dope. Live drumming from QuestLove of the Roots and little ambiances of vocal scratching sounds from “Scratch” of the Roots, “Right On” is just another example of the Roots trying to take it to the next level. |
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A cohesive project none the less, definitely check out the full length Roots album “How I Got Over”. So far The Roots have released 2 great videos for their project and hopefully a third for “Right On”. If you haven’t be sure to check out “FIRE” featuring John Legend. Check back in a few weeks when we bring you another sample from an up and coming release. Until then, p-p….peace! Questions or comments @KoolPapaiLL |
Tags: ?love, @koolpapaill, blackthought, dj illskill, istandard, iStandard Blog, istandard producer showcase, istandardproducers, istandardproducers.com, joann newsom, medik, quest love, questlove, right on, the roots, track
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Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
iCrate Diggers: Week #014
Sample: Smoked Sugar -
Keeping Up My Front (1975)
When you mention Long Island MC’s, many names come to mind. Rakim, KMD, Public Enemy, EPMD,
JVC Force, Original Concept but perhaps you aren’t famliar with the name - Roc Marciano. This past week marked the release of Long Island native’s – long awaited debut – “Marcberg“. Before the collapse of Loud Records in the late 90’s, Roc Marc was in talks of his debut with Loud subsidiary SRC. As member of Busta’s Flipmode Squad, Roc was on the come up, honing his skills. Roc released a 12″ produced by Biggie fame producer, Easy Mo Bee. |
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“…my adidas….don’t put ya big stank feet in!”
-Roc Marc
After Loud, Roc formed a group with his neighborhood partners in rhyme
Mike Raw, Dino Brave and Laku. 4 members deep, their group was hailed as “The UN”. Around 2000 the UN gained notoriety dropping material from the release of Pete Rock’s Petestrumentals LP. Their critically acclaimed mixtape “World Domination” dropped in 2003 and was a prelude to their group debut 2004 album, “UN or U Out“.
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Like many other talented MC’s in hip hop such as Large Professor, Alchemist, Pete Rock, Havoc and Kanye….Roc Marc produces his own tracks. Marcberg is produced entirely by Roc himself.
Dirty drums and dirty breaks, its Boom Bap at its finest. With only 1 guest appearance “Marcberg” proves solid. Its the type of music you want to commit crimes to, hence the name. Its something you put on when you had a long day at work and you want wild out type music. Its not for everyone. But as “tough” as the album is, from high to low, Marcberg is sequenced like an album should be. |
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| The 2nd to last track “Hide My Tears” brings the tone of the album to a close. A slow double time hat driven testimonial, “Hide My Tears” samples the song “Keeping on My Front”. Pretty much a loop jack, but very dope find. So much of a find, me being a digger, I’ve never even heard of the group “Smoked Sugar”. Perhaps a 70’s soul era one-hit wonder, “Keeping On My Front” proves hip hop worthy. Roc Marc really accentuated the baseline and added a snappy snare which mends well with the instruments underneath. |
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Alchemist on the other hand sampling it for his single “Smile” featuring Twista, add’s a thick kick and added some extra percussion. The percussion reminiscent of Kanye’s bongos style. Either way both versions are really dope. Check back in a few weeks when we bring you a sample from the forthcoming Reflection Eternal album “RPM”. |
Tags: alchemist, Alchemist Twista - Smile, Hide My Tears, JVC Force, Keeping Up My Front, Petestrumentals, roc marciano, Smoked Sugar
Posted in iCrate Diggers | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
iCrate Diggers: Week #013
Sample:
Vic Juris -Horizon Drive 1980 (Sampled @ 3:30)
Sample: EPMD - You’re a Customer (Drums)
Sample: Da Youngsta’s - Pass Da Mic Remix (Sampled @ 0:16)
This past week, we lost one of the most profound voices in hip hop, Guru, one half of legendary group Gang Starr. Late April 19th 2010, he lost his battle with Cancer, Guru was 48. “Keithy E” as he was known in his early career, traveled from Boston to Brooklyn in hopes of making it. Gang Starr was formed in the mid-eighties and was comprised of Guru, Big Shug and Shug’s brother Mike D. With help from 45 King in 1986 they put out their 1st 12″ single
Believe Dat!. After the release Shug had gone to prison and Guru was no longer inclined to work with Shug’s brother. |
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“I used to sit up in the crib…listening to Red and Marley …wishin I was on kid…”
-Guru
At the same time, in Texas, a DJ by the name of Wax Master C aka DJ Premier was working at a local record store, when store manger and friend, secretly sent his demo to Wild Pitch records. Guru heard the tape and immediately wanted to work with Premier. Premier moved to New York and they started working on their 1st album “No More Mister Nice Guy”.
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The chemistry between Guru and Premier is what makes Gang Starr such a legendary group and cornerstone in hip hop. Its one of those pieces of art where 1 piece compliments the other perfectly, beyond explanation. Just like peanut butter goes with jelly, Guru’s voice meshes with Premier beats. Have you ever heard a wack Gang Starr song? Chemistry like Gang Starr isn’t something you can scout for, Gang Starr was destiny. |
Their formula is what makes their musical process unique. First, Guru comes up with all the song names he wants to write for an album, then would give that list to Premier. He would then go create beats based on what he thinks those titles should sound like.
“Premiers beats provoke us to meditate like Zen, with the will and the strength of a million men…“
-Guru
Guru was a natural MC. His way with words always made for witty and slick rhymes. He had a way of translating his life experiences into rhymes and that’s what made him a unique MC. No matter if you didn’t like the track, with Gang Starr, there’s always a message involved. After 3 albums with not much notoriety in the mainstream, they dropped their 4th album “Hard To Earn”.
| “Hard To Earn” included a slew of classics including one of their most successful single to date, “Mass Appeal”. Ironically the song was intended to make a mockery of all those successful 1 hit wonder rap groups with weak beats/rhymes, and in doing so it brought Gang Starr the notoriety they sought. Those who grew up in the early 90’s know the influence of the Native Tongue movement and how around that time, sampling Jazz started to become popular. The sample for the track “Mass Appeal” comes from Jazz Guitarist artist Vic Juris. Vic Juris although born in the 50’s put out his 1st 2 albums in 1979. |
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“suckas be like playin themselves to have mass appeal…“
-Guru
Premier with his keen ear for breaks was quoted as saying he wanted the beat to sound like “…elevator music…”, in leiu of what other successful “wack” hip hop artists were putting out at the time. A fast “Horizon Drive” was slowed down to fit the roughly 90 bpm format of a hip hop beat. Once premier caught the break he chopped up the punchy drums from the EPMD classic “You’re a Customer”. Those same drums were also sampled by Pete Rock on the Main ingredient album on the track “In The Flesh“. Mass Appeal probably took all of about 20 minutes to put together, but the idea is what makes ingenious. Digging for the sample sometimes takes longer than making the beat.
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In 1993 Premier got the chance to produce a track for the Philly group of teenagers known as “Da Youngstas” on their sophomore release. One of the two members, Qu’ran, was son to the owner of the 1st ever hip hop label started in Philadelphia “Pop Art Records”. They released some of the early philly records by Cool C, Steady B and others. Da Youngstas debut album featured the release of the single “Pass Da Mic” which had a remix by Pete Rock. On that single was the lyric “Monies Growing Like Grass with the Mass Appeal“. And hence “Mass Appeal” was born. |
| With this vocal Premier wanted to cut, there was no acapella for the lyrics. If you listen close you can hear premier cleverly scratch the drum cuts in between the vocals several times throughout the “Mass Appeal”. With Primos cuts and Guru’s spit fire battle rhymes, “Mass Appeal” became an instant hit. The first time I heard this song, I must have played it 50 times in a row. Not only was the beat dope, but Guru let it be known that Gang Starr was nothing to fuck with.
“and no we don’t make wack tracks…“
-Guru |
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After the critical acclaim of “Hard To Earn” Gang Starr went on a 4 year hiatus. Between the time of 1994 and 1998 Guru was arrested and was facing time for a gun charge. After being acquitted the release of “Moment of Truth” their 5th album earned them a gold plaque. Rumors of a Gang Starr break up were in the talks but in summer of 2003 they returned with their 6th album “The Ownerz”. Guru went on to venture into a solo career following up the releases of his successful Jazzmatazz series,which brought together hip hop with the finest in Jazz musicians.
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As Guru complimented Premier’s beats, Guru set the bar to which many MC’s can be measured. Not enough can be said about the messages he spit to Youth and how was able put into perspective the everyday struggles, we ourselves, face. A cornerstone to what it means to be hip hop in New York, Guru won’t be forgotten. One of the most distinctive voices…the King of Monotone, Guru will truly be missed. A teacher, a leader, a father and hip hop revolutionary, there will never be another Guru.
RIP
“Nobody’s invincible, no plan is foolproof. For we all must meet our moment of truth…”
-Guru |
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Tags: @koolpapaill, Da Youngsta's, dj illskill, dj premier, EPMD, gang starr, gangstarr, guru, Horizon Drive, istandard, iStandard Blog, istandard producer showcase, istandardproducers, istandardproducers.com, jazzmatazz, Mass Appeal, medik, Pass Da Mic Remix, solar, track, Vic Juris, You're a Customer
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Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
| iCrate Diggers: Week #012
Sample:Mulatu Astatke -Yegelle Tezeta (1971)
| Nas is one of those artists that appears on everyone’s “to work with” list. As reported by Scratch Magazine in late 2006 Nas and DJ Premier were supposed to do a full-length record…keep dreaming. Last summer, a far cry from that match up, Nas shockingly announced that he was in production with long time reggae star, Damian Marley on a full length album titled “Distant Relatives”. |
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Late summer 2009 brought the 1st leak off the album, which is now considered the albums first single, “As We Enter“. Sticking to the theme of the album, the song samples music with African roots, “Yegelle Tezeta”. “As We Enter” is said to have been “produced” by Damian
Marley, who responsible for most of the albums production.The sample comes from Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke. Mulatu is the founder of the genre “ethio jazz”, a genre of very unique sounds and rhythms from northern part of African. Mulatu was noted for playing with in Africa with Jazz legend Duke Ellington in the early 70’s. |
Mulatu’s “Yegelle Tezeta” appears on the 1971 LP entitled “Ethiopiques, Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale”. The most recent appearance of the song in a film or music is in the 2005 film staring Bill Murray “Broken Flowers”. “Yegelle Tezeta” appeared on the movies soundtrack. Others are familiar with the usage in this Disney classic.As much as this beat is a straight jack, its a great piece of music to grab. In this case since they are doing an album called
“Distant Relatives”, based on the African vibe, I’ll let it slide. They also layered some drums on top of the original and put in some string work in for that partial break which sounds nice. The one thing I really do like about the song is that it has no set format. From 1 MC to the next, Nas and Marley pass the mic back and forth, trading bars during each verse. The only gripe is that its too short. Listed below is the tentative track listing, album due out May 25th. |
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01. As We Enter
02. Tribal War (feat. K?AAN)
03. Strong Will Continue
04. Leaders
05. Wisdom (Sabali)
06. Count Your Blessings
07. Disappear
08. The Promised Land (feat. Dennis Brown)
09. Nah Mean
10. Angola (Friends)
11. My Generation (feat. Lil Wayne and Joss Stone)
12. Africa Must Wake Up (Feat. K?AAN)
13. BONUS TRACK Ancient People (feat. Junior Reid) |
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Tags: @koolpapaill, as we enter, damian marley, distant relative, distant relatives, dj ill skill, duke ellington, istandard, iStandard Blog, istandard producer showcase, istandardproducers, istandardproducers.com, medik, Mulatu Astatke, Nas, track, Yegelle Tezeta
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Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
| iCrate Diggers: Week #011
Sample:
Patrice Rushen - Remind Me
Sample: The Honey Drippers - Impeach The President
The late great Notorious BIG is the mark many use when considering someone a “great” MC. Biggie as charismatic as he was, had a lazy eye, nasally voice, and weighed over 300 pounds, but that didn’t stop him from gracing the upper echelon class of MC’s. In the mid-late 80’s, honing his skills, a young kid from Brooklyn, BIG would freestyle on the corner
and battle anyone who would step up. What separates Biggie from the rest of the class is that he not only embodied flow and story telling ability but he was a natural! |
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“cause the greatest rapper of all-time died on march 9th“
-Canibus
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With the help of DJ 50 Grand, Biggie put together a demo that later got passed onto David Mays, founder of Source Magazine. Reef and Matty C who also worked up at the Source were contacted by Puff at Bad Boy Records who at the time was
looking for new talent. Matty C passed Big’s Demo to Puff and he immediately fell in love. Shortly after, a meeting ensued where Puff offered Biggie a deal right
on the spot. Biggie didn’t take Puff seriously and told him everything he needed he just had to work it out with his DJ, who at the time was Mr Cee. Between the time of signing and recording his debut album, Ready To Die, Biggie was expecting his 1st child. Big not convinced Puff’s deal was genuine, returned to the selling drugs down south where he was once arrested.
Eventually the King Of New York returned and pursed his career at Bad Boy. |
Enlisting Easy Mo Bee and early members of the Hitmen producer crew Chucky Thompson and Nashiem Myrick, by summer of 94, Ready To Die was near completion. DJ Premier on the verge of his break-out career, also resided in Brooklyn at
the time. Premier, originally from Texas, lived down the block from Biggie in Brooklyn. DJ Premier just got done recording 3 tracks off Nas’s illmatic and was producing Jeru The Damaja’s full length LP. By this time Premier was getting upwards of
$25,000 a beat.
Biggie not only a friend of Premiers, but a fan of his music as well, wanted Premier to be on his album. According to Premier, Biggie was already over budget on the album cost.
Premier also revealed that Biggie begged him for a beat, even if he just had to threw down a sample over some Impeach The President drums, he wanted a Premier track. And that’s exactly what he did. Premier grabbed the Impeach The President drum break and the sample Patrice Rushen “Remind Me” and got busy. Although Premier was getting $25k a track did it out of love for Big and was given $5,000 out of pocket to cover costs. Premier also said that the scratches on the track, the popular R. Kelly “Cause Your Body’s Calling” was done at Big’s request.
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The sample Patrice Rushen “Remind Me” was into a bunch of little pieces and re-played into a funky head nodding banger! He flipped it. It sounds nothing like the original. The chorus changes up from the verse which keeps the beat from being monotonous. As for the banging drums, Impeach The President is always a good choice. Premier chopped and replayed them, giving them that “Premier swing” leaving out that reverse hat that you always hear on the loop. Every producer at least once has used “Impeach The President” drum break. Listed below are a few of the more popular uses of it. |
Check back next week when we bring you a sample from the forthcoming album Nas and Damien Marley album “Distant Relatives”.Questions or Comments hit me @KoolPapaiLL
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Tags: bad boy records, biggie, biggie smalls, biggy, david mays, diddy, dj 50 grand, dj ill skill, dj premier, easy mo bee, impeach the president, istandard, iStandard Blog, istandard producer showcase, istandardproducers, istandardproducers.com, medik, notorious big, patrice rushen, puff daddy, remind me, the honey drippers, track, unbelievable
Posted in Exclusive Blogs, iCrate Diggers | 1 Comment »
