Part of the appeal of this album is that it has a demo quality to it. It was never officially released, so it came from a cassette. This song starts the album off strong and features fellow Outsidaz member Loon One before Young Zee blesses the track with a style nobody has had before or since. Respect to RGH for getting this to me when there wasn't a digital file, you had to have the cassette.
Artist: Gil-Scott Heron and Brian Jackson Song: Delta Man (Where I'm Comin' From) Year: 1977 Album: Bridges
My distant relative supplied Young Zee with a two-bar loop starting at 0:30.
Artist: Rapper Big Pooh Song: FootPrints Year: 2013 Album: Fat Boy Fresh Vol. 3.5 - Happy Birthday, Thomas
I was listening to Fat Boy Fresh Vol. 3 from the day it came out last summer and then was really pleased that Vol. 3.5 came out with a few more tracks, such as this one. Classic album! I hope Pooh puts out a box set of all the Fat Boy Fresh series in 20 years.
Artist: Tracey Lee Song: Big Will Year: 1996 Album: Many Facez
It's too bad that Tracey Lee and The Reepz didn't put out more material, but I'll settle for what they gave me. This song actually didn't sample Minnie Riperton, but was inspired by her.
Artist: Minnie Riperton Song: Completeness Year: 1971 Album: Come To My Garden
I wanted to sample this song ages ago so it makes sense that someone would eventually make use of it.
Rapper Big Pooh sampled 7 bars starting at 0:19 for the intro. The rest of the song samples the two-bar loop from 0:00.
Tracey Lee was inspired to not sample but play the 4 bars starting from 0:00 and also threw in some singing similar to what is heard at 3:13. A great way to get around a sample clearance.
Artist: Da Youngsta's Song: Hip Hop Ride (Mellow Mix) Year: 1994 Album: Hip Hop Ride / No Mercy 12-inch Single
I wonder if Da Youngsta's still use this group name as they approach middle age. I believe this is another Marley Marl hit.
Artist: Extra Pro Song: That's A Shame Year: 1998 Album: Master Piece
This is the little known third album from Extra Prolific on cassette. If you're a fan of Snupe, as I am, you will like this album. I always liked Snupe's balance of jazz and pimp sensibilities. This album leans more towards pimp and less towards jazz.
Artist: Ronnie Laws Song: Grace Year: 1978 Album: Flame
When I am grocery shopping, this is the type of music I like to hear. Some call it elevator Muzak but I think it is ripe for sampling.
Da Youngsta's used the two-bar loop from 0:01 for their intro and chorus, while employing the two-bar loop from 0:13 for the verses.
Extra Pro used the two-bar loop from 1:23 for the whole song. For the chorus, horns were added to the mix. The chorus uses 5 one-bar loops from 2:22 and then a three-bar sample from 2:25.
Artist: Royal Flush Song: Family Problems Year: 1997 Album: Ghetto Millionaire
This album had some big tunes that received a lot of radio airplay. However, this lesser known album cut was my favourite.
Artist: A Tribe Called Quest Song: Jam (Remix) Year: 2006 Album: The Lost Tribes
I'm not sure how official this remix is because it appears on this compilation album.
Artist: Quincy Jones Song: Don't Fly If It's Foggy Year: 1966 Album: The Deadly Affair (The Original Sound Track Album)
I can't believe that this is the first Quincy Jones sample on this blog. He could supply many more posts with great samples. The four-bar sample at 0:25 is used as the main sample for Royal Flush and A Tribe Called Quest. However...
Artist: Quincy Jones Song: Ridiculous Scene Year: 1966 Album: The Deadly Affair (The Original Sound Track Album)
Royal Flush used another sample in the beginning and end of his song, the four-bars starting at 0:00. For many older soundtrack albums, the songs tend to sound similar and use the same melody played in different ways. It was a great idea to use this other song to supply another sample for Royal Flush because the two samples blend perfectly.
Just like DJ Premier does each year, I want to list my favourite albums of 2013. Here are my top 25 Hip Hop albums of 2013.
25. Action Bronson - Blue Chips 2
24. Freedom Writers - NOW
23. Yancey Boys - Sunset Blvd.
22. Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge - 12 Reasons To Die
21. Willie the Kid - Aquamarine
20. Mac Miller - Watching Movies With The Sound Off
19. Marco Polo - Newport Authority 2
18. Action Bronson - Saaab Stories
17. Tyler, The Creator - Wolf
16. Inspectah Deck and 7L and Esoteric - Czarface
15. Slum Village - Evolution
14. Boldy James and Alchemist - My 1st Chemistry Set
13. Freddie Gibbs - ESGN - Evil Seeds Grown Naturally
12. Hieroglyphics - The Kitchen
11. Trinity (Sadat X, A.G. and DJ Jab) - 20 In
The Top 10 Hip Hop Albums of 2013:
10. Ras Kass - Barmageddon
9. Pete Rock and Camp-Lo - 80 Blocks From Tiffany's pt. II
8. Statik Selektah - Extended Play
7. MED and Blu - The Burgundy EP
6. Tony Touch - The Piece Maker 3: Return Of The 50 MC's
5. Neek The Exotic - Hustle Don't Stop
4. Ghostface Killah and Apollo Brown - 12 Reasons To Die: The Brown Tape
3. Covert Ops (Arcee and Marvel) - Covert Ops
2. Rapper Big Pooh - Fat Boy Fresh, Vol. 3.5: Happy Birthday Thomas
1. Durag Dynasty - 360 Waves
I wish I had room on this list for Roc Marciano, Termanology, Black Milk and Talib Kweli.
Before I played Durag Dynasty - 360 Waves for the first time, I thought to myself that I was about to hear a classic album. Alchemist, Planet Asia, TriState and Killer Ben did not disappoint. In the year 2033, the 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition should include last year's "Spudnik Webb" track.
Artist: Jerline And Friends Song: Joy Trip (Part 1) Year: 2007 Album: Best Of Friends
Although this song was recorded in the 1970's, it was rereleased on this 2007 album.
The Durag Dynasty intro is the sample starting at 0:01. The verses loop the four bars from 0:07 and 0:19. Another sample used in the song is the eight bars beginning at 0:57.
I was inspired by my friend, Ilango, and his Top 25 Hip Hop Songs of 2013 List:
Mr. Ilango, here are my Top 25 Hip Hop Songs of 2013 in ranked order:
25 Ghostface Killah and Apollo Brown “Enemies All Around Me”
24 Harry Fraud “Yacht Lash” (featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Riff Raff)
23 Marco Polo “Fame For President (featuring Lil Fame)”
22 Earl Sweatshirt “Burgundy”
21 Roc Marciano “The Specialist”
20 Mac Miller “The Star Room”
19 Pete Rock and Camplo “You Never Seen A City Like (The Bronx)”
18 Ras Kass “Coke Lines” (featuring Agallah)
17 Marco Polo “Glory” (featuring Masta Ace, A.G. and Posdnuos)
16 Ghostface Killah and Apollo Brown “Murder Spree”
15 MED and Blu “Burgundy Whip”
14 Rapper Big Pooh “Steve Harvey”
13 Rapper Big Pooh “Don’t Change”
12 Neek The Exotic “Comin’ In Piles” (featuring Meyhem Lauren and B-1)
11 Rapper Big Pooh – “Happy Birthday”
10 Roc Marciano “The Sacrifice”
9 Durag Dynasty – “Tetrahydrons on Mars”
8 MED and Blu “Belly Full”
7 Tyler, The Creator “Rusty” (featuring Domo Genesis and Earl Sweatshirt)
6 Covert Ops (Arcee and Marvel) “Covert Operation”
5 Alchemist “Camp Registration” (featuring Step Brothers, Action Bronson, Blu and Domo Genesis)
4 Freddie Gibbs “I Seen A Man Die” (featuring Lil Sodi)
3 MED, Blu, Madlib and Mayer Hawthorne “The Buzz”
2 Yasiin Bey & Preservation “Auditorium” (DJ Preservation Remix featuring The Ruler)
1 Ghostface Killah and Apollo Brown “Revenge Is Sweet”
Almost Made It:
Hieroglyphics “Indonesia”
LMNO “All Things Pass” (featuring Evidence)
Ag Da Coroner “Welcome To My World”
Termanology “I Fuck Fans”
Boldy James “What’s The Word”
When I saw the movie Back To The Future Part II in 1989, I wondered if 2015 would be anything like in the movie. We still don't have flying skateboards in 2013. Tha Alkaholiks also painted this vision of the future which starts tomorrow.
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G. Song: Long Kiss Goodnight Year: 1997 Album: Life After Death
This double album had its commercial moments but also some gems like this one.
Artist: Capone-N-Noreaga Song: L.A., L.A. (Kuwait Remix) Year: 1996 Album: Illegal Life / Stick You / L.A., L.A. 12-inch Single
This song appeared on many mixtapes and was an underappreciated remix. Add this to Marley Marl's long list of classic productions.
Artist: Al Green Song: The Letter Year: 1969 Album: Green Is Blues
Tha Alkaholiks sampled one bar from 0:01. The Notorious B.I.G. sampled two bars from 0:01. Capone-N-Noreaga sampled one bar from 0:03.
Artist: Extra Prolific Song: Critics (Oh My!) Year: 1996 Album: 2 For 15
Forgive the sound quality on this tune, this album was a cassette release. I never cared too much about sound quality as long as the song had a good sample. This is one of my favourite Hieroglyphics albums. For Del The Funky Homosapien fans, here is a lesser-known guest verse.
Artist: Roy Ayers Song: Everytime I See You Year: 1978 Album: You Send Me
And here a lesser- known Roy Ayers sample with his classic sound.
The sample is a two-bar loop starting at 0:11. Extra Prolific added some other great samples to bring the track together nicely.
http://masterbutcher.tumblr.com/post/73643053163/top-25-rap-records-for-2013