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Friday, Aug 26 2016, 2PM
This was the song on De La’s demo that caught the attention of their long time collaborator and producer Prince Paul, but what you just heard is the re-recorded version; the original 12” closes the album. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Trugoy notes, "That was an important record, because I think that sorta signed how we were gonna approach writing rhymes, in terms of style. We were always impressed by KRS-One and how he always had a style, so instead of saying 'Mic check one, two' we would say 'Plug one, plug two.' It was a routine... A lot of people listen to that song and say, 'What the hell are you guys talking about? I don't understand a word,' but if you listen to it, you can get it," Trugoy continued. "What's really cool about that record is the style, the pattern and the cadence of the rhymes."
De La track uses the horns throughout the song, first at 0:10. The piano is also used throughout in various forms, first at 0:22, with a different one entering at 1:25, and the celesta at 1:44. The background vocals are used first at 0:52. The main vocal "I can twist…" is used at 3:45. This New York R&B group of the '60s and '70s, with members including Lew Kirton, Herman Colefield, Gary Grant, Bill Morris and Bobby Rivers, toured the United Kingdom under the forced name of the Drifters as promoters wanted to cash in on their '60s R&B success. They have continued to release music, dropping an album in 2009.
Segments of this performance, both the piano playing and Liberace talking, were used multiple times in this track, including Liberace's introduction at the very beginning of the track.
Though this track was not directly referenced or sampled, a Chuck D lyric is referred to at 1:21, and Public Enemy is sampled/referred to multiple times on the album.
In interview with Melody Maker, Posdnuos recounted, "'De La Orgee' came about because our producer, Prince Paul from Stetasonic, had this Barry White record with Barry moaning all the way through. So the three of us got into the booth and started moaning and then we got everybody else who was hanging around to come in too. It wasn't like we had the title and worked towards that -- the title came last."
De La uses the drums throughout the song, starting at 0:06. In the pure spirit of the source track, De La Soul and friends make feral, animal-like lovemaking noises, all placed over the drums and piano from the Barry White song. He’d be very proud. Q-Tip, who appears on the next track “Buddy,” is also present here talking about his jimmy and joining the De La Orgee.
In Rolling Stone, Posdnous recalled how "Mase would always play the Commodores record ['Girl, I Think the World About You'] and we figured, let's make a song out of it. We didn't know what it would be called, the idea of 'Buddy' had come up and we had a session planned in about to week to record it, and we had a show with Q-Tip and Jungle [Brothers], meeting them for the first time... It was never planned for Jungle Brothers to be on that first album. They happened to come to that session while we were recording that song and we were like, 'Hey, you want to get on it?' and lo and behold, that's how we became the Native Tongues." Incidentally, the NY-based Native Tongues posse was a collective of like-minded hiphop artists who often collaborated. This song's remix included all the major members of the Native Tongues crew, adding Queen Latifah and Monie Love to the already featured Jungle Brothers and Q-Tip.
De La uses keyboards from this track throughout the song, first at 0:22. They also use the horn/vocal hook at 1:19. One of two Commodores samples on the album. Hot On The Tracks was their their fourth studio album, and the first to top the US R&B charts.
De La uses the drums from this song throughout the track, starting at 0:02. The bass comes in at 0:11 and is also used throughout. The “la la la” vocals are used at 2:46. Famous R&B/Chicago blues singer and guitarist Bo Didley’s “Hit or Miss” has often been sampled for its drums (see Method Man, X-Ecutioners, Schoolly D), including this De La track, but here it is also used for its bass and vocals. The track has also been sampled by Gorillaz, where Bo Diddley’s vocals are scratched on the track “New Genious (Brother).”
De La uses the drum break at 0:18 before jumping into the first verse. This highly sampled drum break shows up in the track listing of this classic album. This Grammy award-winning smooth jazz keyboardist has recorded or arranged hundreds of records, whether or solo or with a group. This track was originally by Paul Simon, with Bob James putting more of a jazz-funk groove on it in his interpretation.
Ranked #402 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, it was the group's only Top 40 hit, but has become the Stairsteps' signature song and has inspired more than twenty covers since its release. It is also featured on the "Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix" film soundtrack.
Other guests on this new crowd-funded album include David Byrne, as well as The Darkness' Justin Hawkins. In continuing the fun and fruitful collaboration, De La Soul will be collaborating on the new Gorillaz album, as well as Snoop Dogg, French composer Jean Michel-Jarre, producer Twilite Tone, singer-songwriter Liam Bailey, and Chicago rapper Vic Mensa.
One of many tracks in a row featuring Q-Tip. This track also features verses from Granny, De La Soul’s backup dancers, and even Prince Paul himself.
The third time Sly Stone is featured on the album, and De La uses the hook/drums from this track as the basis for the song’s beat, starting right from the beginning. This cut is off of Sly & The Family Stone’s fifth record, one of two samples from them. It was recorded during a period of band tension, being one of the last releases before Sly went solo with the album “Small Talk,” also sampled on this album. The name of this record is a reference to Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin On,” released 5 months earlier
De La pulls the drums from this track, starting at 0:03, over the top of the quieter but quicker Sly drums. Manzel was an instrumental funk band from Kentucky which released a few influential singles in the late 1970s that have been heavily sampled by hip hop acts. This track was also sampled on the original 12” single version of 'Plug Tunin’.'
This single established the group’s characteristic style of mixing hip hop with humor and social commentary. The group’s frustration concerning their forced-upon hippie label is addressed in the typically dry humor which became the De La Soul trademark. It was the group’s only number one on the U.S. R&B chart. Of this track, Trugoy told Rolling Stone, ""Originally, it was us trying to make sure we're saying we're not hippies. We were just being ourselves. People are now taking the song to be, 'OK, it's cool to be me and I don't have to be hard' - it wasn't really about saying that, even though the video came off like that."
This is the core sample on the De La track. The opening drum beat is used from the beginning and throughout the DLS track. The keyboard hook is also used throughout, first at 0:03, and the vocal hook is used first at 0:27 to cap of the first verse. The guitar is used in verses, first at 0:12.
The most recognizable sample on the track, with multiple elements used, often in a linear way right in the De La track. The album version is over 15 minutes long, while the single version is cut down to just about 10 minutes. The a-side of the 12” single version topped the Billboard Black singles and R&B charts, reaching 77 on the Hot 100.
De La uses the “ayy ayy” vocal repeatedly, first at 1:21. British R&B group that found most success in the 1980s, releasing four studio albums. “Gonna Make You Mine” only appeared on the album in the UK, but the source record did have multiple hit singles on the US R&B charts, including a #1 hit “Slow Down.”
De La samples the “say it now” vocal and uses it throughout, first at 0:09. The Ohio Players were an American funk/R&B band out of Ohio. Famous tracks from the group include “Fire” and “Love Rollercoaster,” later covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Pleasure was their third album, with “Funky Worm” being a #1 R&B hit single, leading to widespread sampling (especially of its synth) later on by N.W.A., Snoop Dogg, and The Game, among others.
Pretty buried in the mix, but De La uses the beatbox noise from 0:15 repeatedly, first at 0:25.
Nicknamed The Human Beat Box, Doug E. Fresh is a legendary piece of the hip hop community. Bord in Barbados, he would release most of his music as a part of the Get Fresh Crew, including Barry Bee, Chill Will, and MC Ricky D aka Slick Rick. He has continued to release music through the 2000s, including a single with Ludacris and Nas in 2007.
The main sample on the De La track. The opening drum beat is used from the beginning and throughout the DLS track. Keyboard hook is used throughout, first at 0:03. Vocal hook is used first at 0:27 to cap of the first verse. The guitar is used in verses, first at 0:12. The most recognizable sample on the track, with multiple elements used, often in a linear way right in the De La track. The album version is over 15 minutes long, while the single version is cut down to just about 10 minutes. The a-side of the 12” single version topped the Billboard Black singles and R&B charts, reaching 77 on the Hot 100.
Catch it again at www.dailymotion.com/video/x3222kx
De La begins using the riff at 1:19. This female hip hop trio was active on the Sugarhill label in the '70s and '80s. “Funk You Up” was Sugarhill’s second single, and the first ever by a female group. In addition to many singles, they would release three studio albums on Sugarhill, in addition to work supporting Spoonie Gee.
Uses the “this is a recording” lyric throghout the track, first at 0:02. This is the second time this track is sampled on the record, with the first being the “Can U Keep A Secret” skit. This time, the track is sampled for its lyric “this is a recording,” the namesake sample.
A fun, short track. Not really a skit, but sort of a joke track laid over a simple beatbox and drum beat.
An acronym for "da inner sound y'all," Pos revealed to The Guardian, "We coined the term 'the daisy age' after we noticed a nightgown in a store that had a picture of Minnie Mouse holding a daisy on it. Although daisy stood for Da Inner Sound Y'All, it was also about suggesting a sunnier style of rap – during downtime, we'd do skits, silly stuff over music. When we finished the album, Prince Paul said that it needed something to glue all the tracks together, so we got on the mic and gave the album its rolling game show skit.” www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/29/how-we-made-3-feet-high-and-rising-de-la-soul
Recorded just following the heroin overdose of original drummer Robbie McIntosh, Average White Band’s Cut the Cake was a commercial disappointment following the immense success of 1974’s breakthrough AWB album. However, it contains several of the band’s most popular songs, including “Cut the Cake” (which peaked at No. 7 on the R&B Charts), and “If I Ever Lose this Heaven” (originally recorded by Quincy Jones). “School Boy Crush” has been sampled by a variety of hip hop & R&B artists, including Eric B. & Rakim, Nas, TLC, and Janet Jackson.
“Catch the Beat” was Bronx-born rapper/musician T-Ski Valley’s first recorded track, and was also included on his sole studio album, In the 80’s, which came out in 1984. While still in high school, T-Ski formed The Erotic Disco Brothers with Disco Prince. Following “Catch the Beat,” he went on to produce work by Just Four and Chapter III.
A former bouncer at punk clubs, Just-Ice was one of the first NY-based rappers to embrace gangsta rap. His debut album, Back to the Old School, was revolutionary for its time, featuring prominent use of the Roland 606 drum machine and the individual production of Kurtis Mantronik. Though The Source listed his follow-up album, Kool & Deadly, as one of the greatest rap albums of all time, many consider Back to the Old School to be his most lasting work.
Formed in Garfield, New Jersey, The Rascals had nine Top 20 singles throughout the late-60s, including three #1 hits. This track comes from their fourth record Once Upon A Dream, which was their first release conceived as an actual album, as opposed to a way to package their singles. Once Upon a Dream hit No. 9 on the Billboard Charts, and is alternately considered as one of the band’s best albums, and a letdown following the hyper-successful Groovin’ LP. It was heavily inspired by Sgt. Peppers. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Get immersed in more of what Prince Paul and his buddies in BROOKZILL! are up to right here: brookzill.bandcamp.com Their full album drops on October 7th, 2016.
This is the very demo Maseo gave to Prince Paul at the very beginning... the very original track that started it all. The remix and Prince Paul-produced version of "Plug Tunin'," featured earlier in the show, has different lyrics.
Billy Joel’s sixth studio album, 52nd Street, was his first of four LPs to top the Billboard charts, and netted the 1979 Album of the Year Grammy Award. 52nd Street was the musician’s first record since his commercial breakthrough, The Stranger, its title referencing the central hub of jazz clubs on Manhattan. The album is fittingly more jazzy than its predecessors. This track, “Stiletto,” leads off side B, and was chosen by Rolling Stone readers as the 9th best Billy Joel deep cut in a recent poll.
Wattstax was a charitable music festival organized by the founders of Stax Records in commemoration of the seven-year anniversary of the 1965 riots in the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Watts in LA. This track from Bar-Kays comes from a compilation released months after the festival by Stax featuring highlights. It was also made in a 1973 documentary film, Wattstax, which depicts performances from the festival. The movie was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Documentary in 1974.
From De La Soul's smoking fresh album, just released today! Enjoy, and have a safe and superlative weekend.
--We’re starting to feel like this may be more than a temporary opening theme!