Posts Tagged ‘Rap’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “She’s Crafty” by Beastie Boys
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “She’s Crafty” by Beastie Boys
From their not-so-humble beginnings as a truly awful Hard Core band who I had the privilege to see as an opening act at Big Audio Dynamite’s first U.S. show at a club called “The World” in New York City in 1984…to the juvenile hardy partyers who opened for Madonna on her “Virgin” tour the following year riding on an inflatable penis…to the Brooklyn Dust masters who came into their own with Paul’s Boutique in 1989 and followed with iconic Spike Jonze-directed videos in in 1994…to the elder statesmen of Hip Hop today…the Beasties managed to invent and reinvent Rap and Hip Hop in their own image many times over.
Today’s Song Of The Day by Eric Berman comes from The Beasties The Beasties (Michael Diamond/”Mike D. ,” Adam Yauch/”MCA” & Adam Horovitz/”King Ad Rock”) debut Def Jam album License To Ill which was produced by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons.
It’s a record that could not exist today because of the prohibitive cost of samples by the likes of Led Zeppelin on this tune and The Beatles’ song “The End” on which they sampled for the song “The Sounds Of Science” from this record’s follow up. Such were the early days of hip-hop.
Edited: August 21st, 2014
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Eye Know” by De La Soul
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Eye Know” by De La Soul
With samples from Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” and Steely Dan’s “Peg,” De La Soul unleashed this bouillabaisse of good times onto a hip-hop public in 1989 with today’s Song Of the Day by Eric Berman. The 3 Feet High And Rising album is one of two stone-cold sample-delic masterpieces that came out that year along with The Beastie Boys’ classic Paul’s Boutique, and they both sound as fresh today as they did when they were newly minted.
I was fortunate enough to see them perform shortly after the album’s release during the New Music Seminar in New York City opening for none other than George Clinton and the P-Funk All-stars. Not only was it a very late evening of music with the funksters doing their usual for then four hour set, but it was very memorable even after all these years.
If you’ve never heard the album…it is surely your loss…
Edited: August 14th, 2014
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Harlem Hendoo” by Al Hirt
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Harlem Hendoo” by Al Hirt
Time was running out. By 1968, the gravy train that artists like Al Hirt and Herb Alpert had ridden to fame on, was about to make a stop. Sure, Alpert would score his last huge hit, the #1 Bacharach and David gem “This Guy’s In Love With You” in 1968, but shortly after that, even Alpert’s run at the top would end until the mid-1980s.
Things were even worse for Al Hirt. It had been four years since Hirt was on the top with singles like the Allen Toussaint-penned “Java,” “The Green Hornet Theme” and “Sugar Lips,” plus top-ten albums like “Honey In The Horn” and “Cotton Candy.” Changes would have to be made, so like many others of his ilk, Al Hirt decided to try new things to see if he could keep himself commercially viable.
The sound would have to be updated, so in 1967 “The Round Mound Of Sound” (as he was known) released the album “Soul In The Horn.” Gone was the old, good-time-trad-Jazz-Dixieland-Bourbon Street sound of yore, only to be replaced by certainly the funkiest, au go-go sounds to ever come out of Hirt’s horn. Think “Shagadelic,” but a whole lot more jazz, and a whole lot more serious in the groove department.
Hirt sets the tone right from the opening cut with a cover of Booker T. & The MG’s 1966 single “Honey Pot.” Perhaps the album’s most famous song is today’s Song Of The Day, “Harlem Hendoo,” which was famously sampled by De La Soul for the track “Ego Trippin’ Pt. 2” from the album “Buhloone Mindstate” and also by The Roots on the track “Stay Cool” from their 2004 album, “The Tipping Point.”
Credits for this album are hard to come by, but what I do know was that the sessions were arranged by George “Teacho” Wiltshire (known for his work with Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, The Drifters, Gene Pitney and many others) and produced at RCA Victor’s Studios in New York City and Chicago by Paul Robinson (who would later produce tracks for Maxi Priest in the 1980s).
The lion-share of the songs were written by Paul Griffin, who was famous for session work with King Curtis, Bob Dylan (on Highway 61 and Blonde On Blonde, no less), Van Morrison, The Isley Brothers, and Steely Dan (on Aja). There are several other tracks from the record that really cashed my register, including the island-flavored “Calypsoul” and the relentlessly groovilicious “Love Ya’ Baby.”
Al Hirt’s foray into soul never did bring him back into the charts or the forefront of the music scene, but he did continue to play at his club in New Orleans, and years later make many DJ crate diggers very happy.
Edited: July 29th, 2014
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy
This track is ground zero in all of hip hop and perhaps the most in your face rap single of all time! While Public Enemy are no doubt the most influential rap group of all time, they were also the most innovative with their sampling and dynamic backing tracks provided by brothers Hank and Keith Shocklee, also known as The Bomb Squad.
The Shocklee brothers had their own mobile DJ business called Spectrum City DJs who also counted Professor Griff amongst its employees. Carlton Ridenhour, also known as Chuck D, was an aspiring graphic designer who offered to design some posters for the Spectrum City crew while he was a radio DJ at WBAU, the Adelphi College radio station. At one point, he also told them he could emcee, and along with another WBAU regular, Flavor Flav (William Drayton Jr.), and local DJ, Terminator X (Norman Rogers), Public Enemy was born.
Right from the start, PE’s sound was a mix of the serious brought out by Chuck D’s politically charged topical messages cooled off by the somewhat slacker presence of D’s amiable sidekick Flavor Flav, all supported by the hyper-charged backing tracks of The Bomb Squad.
It was through WBAU program director Bill Stephney that they came to the attention of producer Rick Rubin who signed them to his Def Jam record label and released their first album Yo! Bum Rush The Show in 1987. The group followed that record with the earth shattering It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, which was the first rap album to top the Village Voice’s Pazz and Jop Poll in 1988.
This song comes from their no less essential third release Fear Of A Black Planet from 1990 and it later turned up as the centerpiece of the “Spike Lee joint” Do The Right Thing. Other singles on this album included “Welcome To The Terrordome” and “911 Is A Joke” in which, Flavor Flav and company take on the response times of 911 in black neighborhoods.
Edited: June 26th, 2014
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West
Kanye West is a mutha-effen’ “G” – that’s not “G” as in Gangsta, by the way, that’s “G” as in GENIUS.
Think what you may about Kanye’s antics, but he’s always full of surprises, and you can’t touch him when it comes to creating some of the most relevant Hip Hop records…ever!
When confronted with anything regarding Kanye, most people like to focus on his arrogance and the Taylor Swift Grammy Awards incident. Truth be told, the point Kanye was making at the Grammy’s when he interrupted Taylor Swift was a valid one. Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” was the best video of that particular year, certainly better than Swift’s video, and with the passage of time the “Single Ladies” video has become one of the most iconic music videos of all time. It was the bone-headed way he chose to handle himself that night that caused him problems.
Big deal, move on! Beside, my hunch is that most of the Kanye haters out there haven’t even heard enough of his music to really have an opinion, and much of their attitude towards West edges on racism.
Yeezy’s new album Yeezus is a full-on assault from beginning to end, and an exhausting spin that is high in noise levels, with equal measures of misogyny and epiphany thrown in. It is, indeed, Kanye West’s industrial album.
In marketing his latest opus, West chose to debut song s from the album by projecting quick-cut video montages on buildings in cities all over the world. It was then followed by an appearance on Saturday Night Live in which West performed the songs “New Slave” and “Black Skinhead” complete with the industrial montages projecting behind him.
Like The Beatles’ White Album and Spinal Tap’s classic album Smell The Glove, Kanye’s latest comes to us issued in a plain cover, a clear plastic jewel case with a sticker on the back sporting sampling credits, as if to (somewhat accurately) say “with music this good, who needs credits and liner notes.” Kanye recently explained, “With this album, we ain’t drop no single to radio. We ain’t got no NBA campaign, nothing like that. Shit, we ain’t even got no cover. We just made some real music.” Putting it into biblical terms, the rest is all commentary.
And speaking of biblical terms, God permeates this album right down to its nervy title. It makes one wonder, does Yeezy think he’s god? Well, maybe…
At least what we do learn is that he thinks he is a God in “I Am A God,” and not just any God, but a God who drives a Porsche and craves messages and ménage a trois: “I am a god / Hurry up with my damn massage / Hurry up with my damn ménage / Get the Porsche out the damn garage / I am a god / Even though I’m a man of God / My whole life in the hands of God / So y’all better quit playing with God.”
Daft Punk lend a hand on the production and the electronic noise quotient of four of the album’s tracks including today’s Song Of The Day which features a rhythm pattern that is reminiscent of Gary Glitter’s “Rock And Roll.” West elevates the level of paranoia in the song singing “Middle America packed in / Came to see me in my black skin / Number one question they asking / Fuck every question you asking / If I don’t get ran out by Catholics” and when all is said and done, West is heard screaming the word God over and over as the track comes to a close.
West addresses racism on “New Slaves” proclaiming “My momma was raised in the era when / clean water was only served to the fairer skin,” as with many of the tracks on the album, this one abruptly takes a musical left turn into new musical terrain whether its with an old school sample or, in this case with Frank Ocean’s soulful vocal contribution.
The album turns harrowing on “Blood On The Leaves” which samples Nina Simone’s recording of the Billie Holiday classic “Strange Fruit,” and somehow manages to relate the paranoia and hatred of the lynching of blacks before the civil rights movement to a song about divorce: “Then she said she impregnated, that’s the night your heart died / Then you gotta go and tell your girl and report that / Main reason cause your pastor said you can’t abort that / Now your driver say that new Benz you can’t afford that / All that cocaine on the table you can’t snort that / That going to that owing money that the court got / All in on that alimony, uh, yeah-yeah, she got you homie / ’til death but do your part, unholy matrimony.”
The album’s final song, “Bound 2” samples Ponderosa Twins Plus One’s soul classic “Bound” and adds a dash of Brenda Lee’s “Sweet Nothin’s.” Musically, it is the only song on this entire record that could have fit on one of his earlier releases.
During the last few weeks leading up to the release, West brought in producer Rick Rubin to strip these tracks down even more than they already were, resulting in some last minute re-recording of several songs, giving the 40 minute album an unfinished quality about it.
So what do we make of Yeezus. It’s certainly the ballsiest effort from an artist who revels in his restlessness. It’s also his most in-your-face-album, which concedes to no one, not his fans, and certainly not to his detractors.
Edited: June 23rd, 2013
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – 9/30/12
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Clique” by GOOD Music featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z and Big Sean
Kanye West is a mutha-fucken’ “G” – that’s not “G” as in Gangsta, by the way, that’s “G” as in GENIUS. Think what you may about Kanye’s antics, and he’s always full of surprises, but you can’t touch him when it comes to creating some of the greatest Hip Hop records…ever! Truth be told, the point Kanye was making at the Grammy Awards when he interrupted Taylor Swift was a valid one. Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” was the best video of that particular year, certainly better than the ones that were receiving the awards, and with the passage of time the video has become one of the most iconic music videos of all time. It was the bone-headed way he chose to handle himself that night that caused him problems. The “GOOD” of GOOD Music stands for “Getting Out Our Dreams” and it is also Kanye’s record label. The new album called “Cruel Summer” features many of the artists from the label’s roster including John Legend, Kid Cudi, Common, Pusha T, plus some of his other high-profile friends. This track features Kanye, Jay-Z and Big Sean.
Edited: September 29th, 2012
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – 8/1/12
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy
This track is ground zero in all of hip hop and perhaps the most in your face rap single of all time! While Public Enemy are no doubt the most influential rap group of all time, they were also the most innovative with their sampling and dynamic backing tracks provided by brothers Hank and Keith Shocklee, also known as The Bomb Squad. The Shocklee brothers had their own mobile DJ business called Spectrum City DJs who also counted Professor Griff amongst its employees. Carlton Ridenhour, also known as Chuck D, was an aspiring graphic designer who offered to design some posters for the Spectrum City crew while he was a radio DJ at WBAU, the Adelphi College radio station. At one point, he also told them he could emcee, and along with another WBAU regular, Flavor Flav (William Drayton Jr.), and local DJ, Terminator X (Norman Rogers), Public Enemy was born. Right from the start, PE’s sound was a mix of the serious brought out by Chuck D’s politically charged topical messages cooled off by the somewhat slacker presence of D’s amiable sidekick Flavor Flav, all supported by the hyper-charged backing tracks of The Bomb Squad. It was through WBAU program director Bill Stephney that they came to the attention of producer Rick Rubin who signed them to his Def Jam record label and released their first album “Yo! Bum Rush The Show” in 1987. The group followed that record with the earth shattering “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back,” which was the first rap album to top the Village Voice’s Pazz and Jop Poll in 1988. This song comes from their no less essential third release “Fear Of A Black Planet” from 1990 and it later turned up as the centerpiece of Spike Lee’s film “Do The Right Thing.” Other singles on this album included “Welcome To The Terrordome” and “911 Is A Joke” in which, Flavor Flav and company take on the response times of 911 in black neighborhoods.
Edited: July 31st, 2012
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – 5/12/12
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Disparate Youth” by Santigold
American born Santi White got her start as an A&R rep for Epic Records before joining the band Stiffed who released two punk rock records in the early two-thousands. In 2008 she went solo in a new direction as a singer, songwriter and dance music maven and scored with the hit “Creator” from her self-titled debut album. Many months touring supporting acts like Kanye West, Jay-Z, Bjork and M.I.A. led her to an afternoon Lollapalooza slot in 2009 where I caught her act and realized that she was much more than a product of some record company boardroom. Turns out she’s quite the performer who writes most of her material and seldom needs to lean on auto-tune to make her voice sound good. Several weeks ago she released her sophomore album “Master Of My Make Believe” with an assist from Karen O and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs to much critical acclaim. She will again be featured at this year’s Lollapalooza Festival.
Edited: May 12th, 2012
Song Of The Day – 2/17/12
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Block Rockin’ Beats” by The Chemical Brothers
Along with Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, Groove Armada, The Propellerheads and The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers introduced the world to an influential dance oriented “Big Beat” music driven by heavy breakbeats in the early 1990s. The duo of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons called themselves “The Dust Brothers” after the influential U.S. producers of early Beastie Boy records. Once they began to become famous with their own records, they were forced to change their name to The Chemical Brothers after their early hit “Chemical Beats.” In the mid-1990s they released an album called “Exit Planet Dust” referencing the name change. They were asked by mega-fan Noel Gallagher of Oasis to work on a track together that became the U.K. #1 single “Setting Sun” landing them at the forefront of the British music scene. Which brings us to the 1997 album “Dig Your Own Hole” and its lead single “Block Rockin’ Beats” that broke them in America. It is not only a landmark dance record, but it is also one of the greatest albums for a workout in the gym. By the end of the 1990s, the Brothers were headlining the Glastonbury Festival in England. They still tour, produce other artists and release records today.
Edited: February 17th, 2012
Song Of The Day – 11/9/11
Song Of The Day – “Check The Rhime” by A Tribe Called Quest
Along with De La Soul, the trio of Q-Tip, Phife Dog and Ali Shaheed Muhammad emanated from Queens, NY and created a sound that melded Hip Hop with Jazz forming a new laid-back alternative style in Rap. This one comes from their second album called “The Low End Theory” from 1991. Check out Michael Rapaport’s 2011 documentary called “Beats, Rhymes & Life – The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest” for the “Low End Theory.”
Edited: November 9th, 2011
Song Of The Day – 10/22/11
Song Of The Day – “Jump Around” by House Of Pain
They were the one and only white Irish Hip-Hop act on the scene in 1992 when this infectious track took over the airwaves. The song was produced by Muggs, who was the same mastermind behind the sound of Cypress Hill. After two failed follow-up albums, Everlast left the group to release the exceptional 1998 record “Whitey Ford Sings The Blues.”
Edited: October 21st, 2011
Song Of The Day – 9/29/11
Song Of The Day – “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Whether you know her from her hit, “Pillow Talk,” or as the Godmother of Rap and Hip Hop, Sylvia Robinson’s contribution to the musical landscape runs deep. At the helm of Sugar Hill Records, she discovered and produced early Rap hits like “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang or this slab of street rhyme. Rest In Peace…your music will live on…
Edited: September 30th, 2011
Song Of The Day – 9/21/11
Song Of The Day – “Relax” by Das Racist
Music festivals are all about choices. Most of the time, I try to be exactly where I think the best music is also going to be. However, the biggest mistake I made at Pitchfork this year was to leave the stage I was at after tUnE-yArDs’ set to go to see Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. Moore was good…but I’m sorry I didn’t stay where I was to see Das Racist. Live and learn…
Edited: September 21st, 2011
Song Of The Day – 7/30/11
Song Of The Day – “Cissy Strut” by The Meters
This 1969 instrumental is practically ground zero for all of Rap and Hip Hop tracks. It’s the essence of songs like this Allen Toussaint-produced classic that informs the genre with its groove and beats. The Meters were formed by Aaron Neville as a backing band for some of New Orleans’ greatest acts like Chris Kenner and Lee Dorsey.
Edited: July 29th, 2011
Song Of The Day – 7/8/11
Song Of The Day – “Cupid’s Chokehold/Breakfast In America” by Gym Class Heroes
I’m taking my kids to the Vans Warped Tour tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing Gym Class Heroes, 3OH!3, Against Me!, D.R.U.G.S. and many of the other bands that I’ve never heard of before. Should be some good people watching too. This track cracks me up and I also like the video. Take that, Supertramp!
Edited: July 8th, 2011
Song Of The Day – 4/14/11
Song Of The Day – “Finger Lickin’ Good” by Beastie Boys
From their not-so-humble beginnings as a truly awful Hard Core band who I saw as an opening act on Big Audio Dynamite’s first U.S. tour…to the hardy partyers who opened for Madonna on her “Virgin” tour…to the Brooklyn Dust masters who came into their own with “Paul’s Boutique” and Spike Jonze videos…to the elder statesmen of Hip Hop on the cusp of releasing their first new record in too many years…the Beasties have managed to invent and reinvent Rap and Hip Hop in their own image many times over. This one comes from “Check Your Head” and I love the use of the Fifth Dimension sample from “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In.”
Edited: April 14th, 2011
Song Of The Day – 3/28/11
Song Of The Day – “Eye Know” by De La Soul
With samples from Otis Redding and Steely Dan, De La Soul unleashed this bouillabaisse of good times onto a hip-hop public in 1989. The “3 Feet High And Rising” album is a stone-cold masterpiece and sounds as fresh today as it did in ’89. If you’ve never heard the album…it’s your loss…
Edited: March 27th, 2011
Song Of The Day – “What’s My Name?” by Rihanna feat. Drake
Song Of The Day – “What’s My Name?” by Rihanna feat. Drake – plus – “Shy Ronnie” feat. Adam Samberg
With a semi-auto tuned voice reminiscent of Ronnie Spector, flaming red hair and great dance moves — love that move she does with her legs! — “What’s My Name?” with its infectious melody and opening cameo by Drake is clearly the highlight of Rihanna’s fifth album “Loud.” Hailing from Barbados, Rihanna’s ascent to supremacy of the pop charts began in 2005 when she was signed by Jay-Z to Def Jam records. Her long list of hits includes “Umbrella,” “Only Girl (In The World),” “S.O.S.,” “Disturbia,” “Take A Bow,” and many others, but this song tops the chart toppers. For further enjoyment, check out one of her SNL “Shy Ronnie” digital shorts with Adam Samberg.
Edited: February 25th, 2011