For those who frequent the page, you would notice that there would be songs of mine that were available for listening. After listening to them for a year, I realized that I was not satisfied with the quality of the songs being produced (in other words, they were very AM quality).
I took time to make some changes in my technology to better enhance the sound, and as a result I am more comfortable now with actually making a few of the songs available for sale.
With that being said, the EP “UnMastered Collection Vol. I” is now on sale on my page. You can buy the entire EP for $4.99, or you have the option to buy individual songs for 99 cents apiece.
Your support with this passionate hobby of mine would be greatly appreciated. And best believe there’s more to come in the future.
For those who are lovers of the Quiet Storm format, you are familiar with Patrice Rushen’s classic song, “You Remind Me”, from her Straight From the Heart Album that came out in 1983. For those who aren’t as familiar, here’s the song:
Note about this song: There are only four instruments that are being used in this song (Rhodes Mark II, a splash of synth, a lead guitar, and the drums). I love how the bass line on this song is using the Rhodes, which adds a distinct flavor on to it. Not to mention how Patrice, who was an accomplished jazz musician before she went into R&B, kills the solo in the middle of the song.
According to Whosampled.com, this song has been sampled at least 22 times. But just like all samples, there are only a few that are memorable or even worth noting. Here are, in my opinion, the top samples of this song, and ironically they all came out in 1995:
The Golden Era of Bad Boy, when if you used a sample, you did it justice. Ah, memories.
I’m sure everyone remembers this one hit wonder of chicks who were cool with their man cheating on them, as long as he comes back home. LOL
I like this one because Diddy double dips with the Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam sample in the hook, and I like how he uses Patrice’s Rhodes solo in the hook as well.
So out of these ’95 club bangers (per se), which one was your favorite? Let it be known.
One thing that is a standard in the music industry since the 80′s has been using an old school hits to make a new one. The Sample Series is highlighting that aspect in contemporary black music and gives the readers a chance to also go back in time and take inventory of how far (or not so far) we have become in the progression of music.
When you talk about the beginnings of funk music, NO conversation can be had without including George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic. As many of my older relatives can attest to, when Parliament hit the scene, they ran through the streets like a hurricane. To this day, Parliament is a staple in any old school party you go to, and a staple in Soul Train lines at family reunions anywhere. In addition, two of their hits have become unofficial theme songs for the brothers of Omega Psi Phi (Atomic Dog) and Kappa Alpha Psi (Flashlight, at least in the southern region). As a tribute to Parliament, I picked out some songs that have sampled the P-Funk. There were a couple that indirectly mentioned in my blog about Zapp and Roger that sampled Parliament’s “Flashlight”, so I won’t include those in this entry. If I missed some, definitely leave a comment and share your thoughts.
MC Hammer – Turn this Mutha Out (sampled from Parliament’s “Give up the Funk”)
Dr. Dre – Let Me Ride (sampled from Parliament’s “Mothership Connection”)
Digital Underground – Same Song (sampled from Parliament’s “Theme from the Black Hole”)
De La Soul – Me, Myself, and I (sampled from Parliament’s Knee Deep)
X-Clan – Funkin’ Lesson (sampled from Parliament’s “One Nation Under a Groove” and “Knee Deep”)
Ice Cube – Bop Gun (sampled from Parliament’s “One Nation Under a Groove”)
Guy – Teddy’s Jam 2 (Sampled from George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog”)
Ice Cube – The N—- you Love to Hate (sampled from “Atomic Dog”)
MC Hammer – Pumps and a Bump (sampled from “Atomic Dog”)
Crucial Conflict – Hay (sampled from Parliament’s “I’ll Stay”)
That’s enough for now. Trust and believe there are countless more that are feeding the pockets of George Clinton to this day. Which one is your favorite? Let me hear your thoughts.
One thing that is a standard in the music industry since the 80′s has been using an old school hits to make a new one. The Sample Series is highlighting that aspect in contemporary black music and gives the readers a chance to also go back in time and take inventory of how far (or not so far) we have become in the progression of music.
Growing up in LA, there were a lot of things that were a standard of living there: year round great weather, the Lakers, and Zapp on the radio. Years after thei albums dropped, Zapp and Roger records still got constant air play in LA, and this music became somewhat of an anthem for the gangstas and hustlas in LA. You could be at an party, and no matter what was going on, you drop this beat right here, and everyone (even the hardest dude) would hit the dance floor:
Of course this was the banger all over the country when it dropped (when I was a baby), but out in Cali it all but created the standard for West Coast Hip Hop. However, More Bounce is one of Zapp and Roger’s more heavily sampled songs. With that being said, I’m opening it up to my readers to have an informal debate on which song you think has done the best sample of this song. Thanks to WhoSampled.com, along with songs I remember off top, I was able to pick out what I feel are the best samples. Here they are:
EPMD – You Gots to Chill (this one here is the most known one across the country, and they also sample Kool and the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie” on this one as well):
X-Clan – Heed the Word of the Brother (which also uses Parliament’s “Flashlight”):
Rodney O and Joe Cooley – You Don’t Hear Me Though (also using Parliament’s “Flashlight”, just like X-Clan, and I apologize that this isn’t the clean version):
The Late Mc Breed and the DFC – Ain’t No Future in Yo’ Frontin’:
Coolio – County Line
Biggie Smalls – Going Back to Cali (it’s not as obvious as the other ones, but it definitely has the elements, and once again sorry for the non-clean version):
Yesterday I was at Best Buy with a friend who just recently relocated to the area. Unfortunately for me, Best Buy to me is like any decent shoe store to a woman: I all but HAVE to buy something.
What caught my eye this time was a Pro Tools starters kit that included a 49 key MIDI controller and the equivalent of Pro Tools for beginners CD included in it. So I decided to do an impulse buy and get it. Man, I’m glad I did. As soon as I loaded it up, it was ready to go and merged into my Reason 4 software seamlessly. As a result, I took a song that I originally did on my Yamaha arranger and converted it over to Reason, then re-made some of the parts of the song. I decided to share the rough draft of the remake with you all so I can see what you think.
However, in the words of E. Badu, “Keep in mind that I’m an artist, and I’m sensitive about my (ish)”
Well, there’s no way I can end this without giving a little love to the honorable mentions that I jotted down. Some will argue that some of these people belong in the Top 5, and you can make a good argument for all. But in the end, they didn’t make the cut.
Unfortunately I can’t find any of The Artist on youtube because he virtually had them all taken down. So moving on to………
Brian McKnight (anyone remember this one from the 90210 soundtrack?)
You can’t forget Steveland Morris, and because of what he has done, I have to put up 2 songs. One he did:
And one Stevie did for another artist (yeah he did this one too):
Next up is black America’s favorite Chester (LOL, sorry I had to say it, but doesn’t diminish his music cred):
A man that practically owned hip hop in the mid to late 1990′s with the beats he made for Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Missy, and nowadays for Timberlake:
Now, this next artist still has his album from 1992 still played in the clubs to this day (mainly because of east coast bias and the demise of Death Row), but you can’t deny the work he did for 50 and putting his career on the map. Named the “Quincy Jones of Hip-Hop” by the Source magazine, you have to bow down to this man:
Speaking of east coast bias, this man right here NEVER comes up in a talk about great hip-hop producers. I’m sure most of y’all remember this cut from 1996, to show his versatility and still getting gangstas doing that walk:
Now this man can’t go without a shout either. They came onto the scene when they produced Noreaga’s “SuperThug” track, and have been shutting it down since.
Now this one needs no introduction:
I can’t get to them all, but what a better way to end this honorable mention tribute with 2 songs that were the conception of the man who can’t seem to keep his artists signed for no more than 3 albums at a time. But his impact to the hip hop and R&B world are undeniable.
The first one is one of the staple brown liquor songs of our generation:
And of course the one that all but started Bad Boy:
It wasn’t just R&B that had an impact in urban music, but also Gospel. You definitely had trailblazing groups in the 80′s that took gospel to new heights in mainstream consciousness such as the Clark Sisters, the Winans Family, and of course Commissioned. But when you talk about that dude, that man of God who put gospel on hip hop stations on a regular basis, it was definitely Kirk Franklin. If it wasn’t for him, Tye Tribbett, Tonex, and other similar artists would not exist in the light that they do exist. Now granted, most of the work he has done was for himself, as most gospel artists do, but it definitely cannot go unnoticed. So, allow me to share a few of his hits that some of you may (or may not) know about.
Here’s one he co-wrote with Tonex:
Now, what youth choir did NOT sing this song in the 90′s:
Now this is just the audio, but this one of my personal faves that Kirk Franklin somewhat sampled from D’Angelo. See if you can figure out which one:
The inventor of the New Jack Swing, Teddy Riley got his foot in the game at a young age. In his hey day, he was a more talented and more versatile version of Jermaine Dupree, straight up. To show his versatility, I decided to show 3 videos as a sample of his versatility.
Here’s one put out by Teddy for the Diddlydiddlydiddlydiddly D!!!
I wonder if the Ques can figure out where Teddy sampled this from (LOL):
And you can’t forget his work with Blackstreet and how Teddy flipped this classic Debarge slow jam:
To continue the MB Top 5, I have to go next to the man who the tandem that has produced countless hits for our generation. From “Slow Jam” by Midnight Star, to “Two Occasions” when they were in the Deele, to both the Boomerang and Waiting to Exhale soundtracks. Yes people, the LAFace production team. The songs I chose to show their production prowless (actually 2) are one that is known, and one that is not so known in the annals for Slow Jam cuts of all time. But, once again, those who know their music like me might know the second one. You have no excuse to not know the first one.
Just on the strength of the Thriller album (the greatest selling album of all-time by more than 50 million albums), Quincy was #1 on my Top 5 Producers series. The man’s resume prior to the ending of his trumpet playing career was impeccable (ever heard of Killer Joe?) but his resume of songs he has produced from the late 70′s on has cemented his legacy. To give you a sample of his work, allow me to bring you arguably one of the Top 10 slow jams of all time. Due to copyright issues, the actual music video’s not up on youtube, so here’s a live version I found. My bad for the sound quality, but…………enjoy.
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