Janelle Monae and Badu with thay Stargate swag :-) 14 hours ago
RT @MMFlint: Malcolm X's b-day. At 4yrs old, white supremacists in East Lansing, MI set his house on fire. FD, all white, just stood by & w… 15 hours ago
Jazz legend Donald Byrd has passed away at the age of 80, confirmed his nephew and fellow artist Alex Bugnon.
Byrd, whose career spanned over 50 years, was a frontrunner in several music movements including hard bop, jazz fusion, R&B and later Hip-Hop through sampling of his work on classic tracks like Black Moon’s “Buck ‘Em Down (Remix)” and Main Source’s “Looking At the Front Door.”
Later in his career, Byrd lent his talents to education, teaching at higher institutions such as Columbia, Rutgers, Howard and New York University.
At press time, the cause of death has not been made public. Byrd, according to Bugnon, passed away on Monday (February 4).
When LL Cool J dropped “Ratchet” a few weeks ago, the track was deservedly panned by critics and fans alike. One of my colleagues went as far as to claim LL was completely washed up. Well, LL heard the naysayers and has returned with a much better effort in “Take It.” LL’s career found new life in the mid 90s when he hooked up with the Trackmasters for the multi-platinum Mr. Smith album. For 2012, the production looks back to 1980 for a beautiful, majestic ballad off The Jones Girls’ 1980 At Peace With Woman.
The Trackmasters can’t claim credit for touching it first (I believe that credit goes to Royal Flush’s 1997 “What A Shame”), but they flip it for a butter-smooth template that serves perfect for LL’s vintage serenades to the ladies. Hold off on those calls for LL to stick to acting. The Jones Girls got LL sounding young again.
If you are a fan of hard funk, you adore Yvonne Fair. Starting her career in the 60s as a member of the Chantels and later with the James Brown Revue, Fair’s big break would come in 1969 when she signed with Motown. She recorded a duet with Marvin Gaye and dropped a string of funk singles in 1974 (“Love Ain’t No Toy,” “Walk Out the Door If You Wanna,” and “Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On”). This lead to her 1975 debut The Bitch Is Black, which hit big in the UK with the Top 5 single “It Should Have Been Me.” It would unfortunately be her only Motown LP.
The Bitch Is Black would re-emerge amongst a new generation in late 90s on Jay-Z’s In My Lifetime Vol. 1 courtesy of Diddy’s in-house producers The Hitmen. Listening to the album track “Let Your Hair Down,” an early pause in Fair’s lyrics leaves a brief few seconds of music that are melodic and slightly ominous. Those few, seemingly inconsequential notes would transform into one of the best tracks off Vol. 1.
Jay-Z is rightly doing a lot of self-reflection and forward-thinking with the birth of his daughter Blue Ivy, but it’s always good to remember where he’s from.
YVONNE FAIR “LET YOUR HAIR DOWN” (SAMPLE AT :55 MARK)
DJ Omega and Ty Kidd are blessing crate diggers early this year with a 49-song collection of samples from Wale’s career. Instead of testing your knowledge, these guys make things easier by blending the original with Wale’s rendition. From Phil Collins and Aretha Franklin to Angela Bofill and Kut Klose, this tape is a great offering of decades worth of music history. Check the few samples beflow before downloading.
THE MOMENTS X WALE “GIRLS/BACK YARD BAND/PRETTY GIRLS”
Camp Lo’s remarkable debut, Uptown Saturday Night, ranks as one of the best produced Hip-Hop albums of all time. Much of producer Ski Beatz’s brilliance comes from his selection of soul, jazz and funk samples. One standout example comes from A Little Spice, the hit debut from UK soul trio Loose Ends.
Formed in 1981, the group would find their first success in 1985 with their #1 Billboard R&B single “Hangin’ On a String (Contemplating).” The success caused their label Virgin to repackage their debut, which was released in the UK in 1984, to include “Hangin’ On a String” for a U.S. run. The title track, “A Little Spice,” with its mix of Caribbean grooves and smooth jazz arrangements, would catch the ear of Ski Beatz and become the basis for Camp Lo’s lively house party jam “Rockin’ It.”
Loose Ends would have a successful throughout the 80s, releasing four more albums and charting with the singles “Slow Down” and “Watching You.” After disbanding in 1990, the group reunited to contribute to the 1998 Pete Rock single “Take Your Time.”
The music world suffered another huge loss tonight with the news that Nick Ashford has passed away from throat cancer at the age of 70. With his wife Valerie Simspon, Ashford was one of the most important songwriters in soul music history. The duo penned many of Motown’s biggest hits before having their own success as a duo in the late 70s and early 80s. Tonight we take a look back at Ashford & Simpson’s influence on music.
Although Ashford and Simpson recorded music for several labels in the mid 60s, they would find initial success from their songwriting talents. Their big break was penning “Let’s Go Get Stoned” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor” for Ray Charles, who then recommended their talents to Motown founder Berry Gordy. They signed on exclusively with Motown in 1966. Their first project was creating hits for another upstart duo, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Ashford and Simpson did the majority of their colleagues singles, including the classics “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” and “You’re All I Need to Get By.” The latter would be remade into a modern Hip-Hop classic via Method Man and Mary J. Blige, and also receive interpolations of Tammi’s vocal’s through Janet Jackson, LL Cool J and The Notorious B.I.G.
Diana Ross would offer her own take on “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in 1970. It would be this version that Jadakiss handled for his lively 2009 single “Can’t Stop Me.” Their work a year later on Ross’ 1971 track “Surrender” would be used for Busta Rhymes’s “Fire.”
DIANA ROSS “AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH” (2:53 MARK)
JADAKISS “CAN’T STOP ME”
DIANA ROSS “SURRENDER” (BEGINNING NOTES)
BUSTA RHYMES “FIRE”
1971 would also be the year Valerie Simpson reestablished her solo career with the LP Valerie Simpson Exposed. In 1972 she dropped a self-titled album that featured “Silly Wasn’t I,” a song that decades later would find new life with 50 Cent’s “Best Friend” and Murs’ “Silly Girl.
VALERIE SIMPSON “SILLY WASN’T I”
50 CENT “BEST FRIEND”
MURS “SILLY GIRL”
By the mid 70s, the duo felt they had exhausted everything possible at Motown. They moved on Warner Bros. as performers, where they released nine albums (three going gold). One of their best grooves from this period was 1978′s “It Seems to Hang On,” which Zhane used as the basis for their 1997 single “Request Line.”
“IT SEEMS TO HANG ON”
ZHANE “REQUEST LINE”
They moved on to their last major label, Capitol Records, in 1982. Their first album there, Street Opera, featured “Street Corner,” used by singer Tyrese and underground rapper Nutso.
“STREET CORNER”
NUTSO FT. TORAE, PUNCHLINE AND PANCHI “STREET CORNER”
TYRESE “YOU GET YOURS”
Ashford & Simpson’s 1984 gold-selling Solid was fueled by the popular single of the same name. MC Lyte would use the vocalization of the words “as a rock” for the chorus of one of her most well-known singles, “Lyte As a Rock.”
“SOLID” (:29 MARK)
MC LYTE ”LYTE AS A ROCK”
Nick Ashford is survived by his wife Valerie and two daughters. On behalf of Beats, Boxing & Mayhem, I send my condolences to the fans, friends and family of Nick Ashford.
The Emotions are Hip-Hop royalty. One listen to this female R&B group’s sample classic “Blind Alley” is all one needs to know about how important their music is to Hip-Hop’s history. Producers have found great breaks and melodies from their 10 albums released from 1969-1985. Instead of focusing on their well-known later gold and platinum LPs for Columbia (Flowers, Rejoice, Sunbeam), Wu-Tang’s RZA stayed their sophomore album Untouched, which includes “Blind Alley,” made when they were under Stax and going through a lineup change (original member Jeanette Hutchinson quit after getting married and having a child).
Produced at this time by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, The Emotions hit “I You Think It…” featured a short speaking intro from one of singers reflecting on her love of a man. When she questions the danger of it, she accents the words “what if” with a timbre that’s both shrill and raspy. It catches your attention, as it no doubt caught RZA’s, who made it the foundation for one of the best tracks off the original Cuban Linx, “Verbal Intercourse.” From the womb to the tomb…
THE EMOTIONS “IF YOU THINK IT YOU MAY AS WELL DO IT”
Gil Scott-Heron, the prolific musician and poet whose work was a building block for Hip-Hop culture, passed away at 62 earlier tonight. The news broke first on Twitter from a Heron friend, who disclosed the Chicago legend died at roughly 4 PM earlier today at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt hospital. While the details on the how and why of Heron’s death will reveal itself in the days and weeks to come, the music remains eternal. Beats, Boxing & Mayhem looks back on Heron’s work and its impact on Hip-Hop culture.
Heron began his recording career at a mere 21 years old with the release of Small Talk at 125th and Lenox. The entire album was lauded for its depiction of inner-city city and social hypocrisy. Unlike his later albums, it relied more on the power of the spoken than music arrangements. The authoritative, rhythmic flow of Heron’s voice caught Kanye West’s ear, and the track “Comment #1″ would be used on “Lost In the World.”
“COMMENT 1″ (SAMPLE AT 4:14 MARK)
KANYE WEST “LOST IN THE WORLD”
Heron’s second album, Pieces of a Man, would become one of his most celebrated. Although overlooked upon its initial release in 1971, the album gained a small following a few years later, and then it later decades received much more attention from critics as a starting point for the formulation of Hip-Hop music. The more fleshed out sound was the result of what would be a lasting partnership with keyboardist Brian Jackson. The collection contained his most famous poem, ”The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” The track’s words and rhythms still resonated throughout the 80s and 90s, finding a home in the songs of emcees ranging from Masta Ace to Common and Bilal.
“THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED”
MASTA ACE “TAKE A LOOK AROUND”
COMMON ”THE 6TH SENSE”
“HOME IS WHERE THE HATRED IS” (BEGINNING AND 0:15 MARK)
KANYE WEST FT. COMMON “MY WAY HOME”
“PIECES OF A MAN” (SAMPLE 2:16 MARK)
KMD “WHAT A NIGGY KNOW (REMIX)”
1972′s Free Will hasn’t been touched by many producers, but DJ Honda did use a short portion of the below track for his song “For Every Day That Goes By.”
“DID YOU HEAR WHAT THEY SAID”
DJ HONDA “EVERY DAY THAT GOES BY”
By this point, Heron has perfect the bluesy style of his singing voice. The songs he crafted in this period had a melancholy feel that was perfect for emcees wishing to get introspective with their lyrics.
“PEACE GO WITH YOU, BROTHER (AS-SALAAM-ALAIKUM)”
MIILKBONE “KEEP IT REAL (REMIX)”
“THE BOTTLE”
KENNY DOPE “HITTIN’ THE BOTTLE”
“RIVERS OF MY FATHERS” (SAMPLE AT 3:11 AND 3:43 MARKS)
ATMOSPHERE “CARRY ME HOME”
Skipping ahead a few years (and albums), ’Ye and Common find another gem from Heron’s catalogue in “We Almost Lost Detroit.” While Kanye chopped up various parts of the song, Black Star stuck with just one for “Brown Skin Lady.”
“WE ALMOST LOST DETROIT” (MAIN SAMPLE AT 1:57 MARK)
COMMON FT. DWELE “THE PEOPLE”
BLACK STAR “BROWN SKIN LADY”
“Angel Dust” is perhaps the funkiest song in Heron’s catalogue. It’s a wonder why more West Coast artists haven’t touched it.
“ANGEL DUST”
THE GAME FT. COMMON “ANGEL”
THE COUP “ME AND JESUS THE PIMP IN A ’79 GRENADA LAST NIGHT”
SAM SNEED “LADY HEROIN”
Our last track comes from 1980’s Real Eyes. Mos Def would use the below song 19 years later for his 1999 debut Black On Both Sides.
“LEGEND IN HIS OWN MIND”
MOS DEF “MR. NIGGA”
Last year, Heron recorded with Nas and released I’m New Here, his first album in 16 years. With a musical legacy that spans the Black Power movement to Hip-Hop’s international explosion, Heron’s work was a constant reminder that social and political commentary can and should have a prominent voice in the arts. I extend my thoughts and prayers with Gil Scott Heron, his family, friends and fellow fans worldwide. Rest in peace, brother.
Lil Kim’s Hard Core was a monster debut. The Queen Bee’s album went double platinum off the strength of two catchy singles (“No Time,” ”Not Tonight Remix”), raunchy sex appeal and Biggie’s writing. Another important aspect was the production which sprinkled hard, menacing rhythms amongst Kim’s more radio accessible tracks. The hardest beat, “Queen Bitch,” came from two members of Diddy’s original Hitmen stable — Nasheim Myrick and Carlos “6 July” Broady. They got their hands on Roberta Flack’s 1969 album First Take. The duo’s ingenuity is evident when you listen to Flack’s ”Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.” Buried deep in the song are inconspicuous notes from a piano solo that was amplified for Kim’s pseudo-feminist street anthem. Ms. Flack did publicly cosign the Fugee’s“Killing Me Softly” remake, but something tells me she might be a little bit more taken aback by this interpretation of her work.
You can say a lot of negative things about Charles Hamilton. But one undeniable positive is that the manchild from Harlem is an avid digger/student of music. Anyone whose been brave enough to shift through his prodigious collection of mixtapes can attest to that. One of his better drops comes from jazz singer/songwriter Michael Franks.
“When Sly Calls (Don’t Touch That Phone),” off 1983′s Passionfruit, became one of Franks’s signature hits courtesy of the track’s split between sugary ballad and dance floor rhythms. Decades later on 2008′s Intervention, Hamilton would use the chorus to convey his annoyance at those who blow up his phone.
