Saturday, May 12, 2007

Know Your History: Givin' Props

Let's take it back to 1988. All my friends were doing the skits from 3 Feet High & Rising verbatim...except for me because I didn't have it yet! I finally convinced my mom to take me to Caldors(Wow...is there still a Caldors?) and let me get this tape. I bought it and DAMN, it was dope! I must have listened to it back to back for a week straight! I then got it on vinyl and started to use it for DJ'ing. I came across the Say No Go single and loved the way they used The Hall & Oates sample. WHO & WHO!?! Yep, the two white guys that sang Maneater(did any producer ever use that bassline? That was hot too!)


I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) topped the charts in 1981 with it's sick bassline and soulful percussion. It was the duo's 4th #1 hit and knocked that god-awful Physical by Olivia Newton John out of the #1 spot.(That is the last time her name will ever be mentioned in a Hip-Hop blog.) I guess Prince Paul & Co. recognized the greatness of that beat and let De La rip it. I'm glad they did. It made 3FH&R an enjoyable experience.



...but wait THERE'S MORE!

Jump ahead to the summer of '90. That cute chick from the Buddy video dropped an album. Yup, Monie Love released Down To Earth and was riding the success of Monie In The Middle which was a huge hit. The second single was It's A Shame (My Sister) which I actually enjoyed more than the first one. The beat was dope and Monie kicked her rapid fire lyrics like they were made for it. It also had True Image(who I swore was Queen Latifah) singing the hook. This and the ensuing video mix would be the heights of her exposure. She never blew like I thought she would.


The song however has a great bit of history to it though. Not only does the title and hook owe something to the song It's A Shame by the Spinners but it sampled the opening guitar to great effect. And as an added bonus the backing beat is looped from Say No Go which as you now know comes from I Can't Go For That. So ya see kids, HALL & OATES ARE HIP-HOP...OK they may not be but they and The Spinners made an important contribution to it as you will be able to hear. The Spinners and Hall & Oates are just two of the many artists that Hip-Hop and it's fans owe a little gratitude to.

Please enjoy the originals as well as the songs they spawned:


Say No Go-De La Soul
http://sharebee.com/6d495f12

I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)-Hall & Oates

http://www.zshare.net/download/i-cant-go-for-that-no-can-do-wma.html

It's A Shame (My Sister)-Monie Love (feat. Tru Image)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/its-a-shame-my-sister-mp3-1w7.html

It's A Shame-The Spinners
http://www.zshare.net/audio/its-a-shame-mp3-gkf.html

3 comments:

alley al said...

peace. yeah, certain white artists just get a pass for a song or 2 on black radio stations. hall & oates would be one of'em. teena marie. and i think i remember michael mcdonald even before wraren g did regulate.

good stuff. was gonna throw some of that stuff up, cuz i just got back from a long vacation, and that's the shit i was listening to.

on another note, what station the clark kent dj on? i don't remember him on a regular time slot. red, chuck, magic, marley later on.. can't remember clark kent!?

Animal Mother said...

I think he rotated on Saturday. I didstinctly remember having a few tapes of him. One had him cutting up 100 Miles & Running and I remember another one had Back From Hell by Run DMC.

Animal Mother said...

Just found it. He was on BLS on the In Control Show. Marley had guest DJ's and Clark did it for awhile. 1990