The Crackle

This month's "Revisionist History" track is dedicated to what makes this project what it is.  (diggin)  Elbows deep in crates of records and finding that ill break. 

Sly & The Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" is easily one of the funkiest drum breaks and has been used by damn near EVERYBODY.  The horns and the drums are simply undeniable.  From Dr. Dre's "Deep Cover" to Digital Underground's "The Humpty Dance" to KRS-One's "Sound of Da Police", this break has simply MADE CLASSIC HIP HOP. 

The copy I found was from when I worked at a record shop in Seattle.  It was in the dollar bin and scratched/well played.  When I dropped the needle and heard how the drums were panned to one side/singled out and it was SO gritty, I just bugged out.  So many cats want to clean up their samples, but I wanted it dirty and even threw it in the SP1200 to give it that 12bit sound. 

This beat was one of the original tracks for the beat tape I made when I 1st thought up this project.  It sat for a long while until I finally came up with something to do with it.  (sadly years)  At the time I moved on from the "Revisionist History" project and I was thinking of using it for the "Basement Sessions" follow up.  I even came up with a concept for releasing this track, but who knows... it may resurface as a promo in the future. But... now with the rebirth of this project I thought I had to drop it for "Revisionist History".

"The Crackle" is simply that... a song about diggin', dope records, the grit, the grime and the imperfections that make records so much more appealing than microwave glossy music in this digital age. 

The Physics - So Funky (video)

The Physics doing what they do and doing it SO well.

Yo! (Ed Lover)

Today I found my "Yo! MTV Raps" trading cards.  It's perfect timing after dropping the "Revisionist History" track the other day.  Check the video.

Peace

Yo!!! Bum Rush the Flow

This month "Revisionist History" is not only going to take on a classic track, but pay homage to a rap institution. 

"Yo! MTV Raps" was to hip hop what "American Bandstand" was to pop music.  Outside of New York, a lot of hip hop music wasn't available to the U.S. and when MTV was innovative, they decided to take a risk by bringing rap music to the masses.  In a few short years music videos became the new medium for music to be consumed by the public.  Video didn't kill the radio star, but consumers didn't have to subscribe to the pseudo Clear Channel top 40 radio rotation anymore.  This was how I heard rap music for the 1st time.  I was with my father and while he flipped through the channels we stumbled across Run-DMC's "It's Tricky" video... and that was it for me.

The program had two sets of hosts.  Fab 5 Freddy did the weekend slot and Ed Lover and Doctor Dre did the daily show.  (not to be confused with Beats by Dr. Dre)  The weekday show, for many, is what defined the look and feel of the program to most people.  Ed and Dre would interview guests, play videos and do skits in-between songs.  One of the regular routines that would occur on the show involved Ed Lover doing his signature dance while Dre dropped Mark the 45 King's "900 Number."  In a time when even the HARDEST of rappers had dancers, the "Ed Lover Dance" fit in perfectly with the music, humor and style of the show.

"Yo!", along with "Pump It Up" and BET's "Rap City" broke boundaries, ground, artists and hip hop to mainstream culture worldwide.   All have come and gone, but the impact they had on hip hop was unmeasurable.  This month's "Revisionist History" track is a flip on the classic loop that Mark the 45 King made and a nod to Ed Lover, the dance he did, the show and the video pioneers that ushered rap music to mainstream America via television.  (the revolution was televised)
 

DJ Ian Head, DJ Center and Joe Blaxx flipping 45s

DJ Ian Head, DJ Center and Joe Blaxx flipping though the 7" joints on some dope ish.

"Battle Anybody" Undercaste Recording Session.

This is a preview of what will be an ill cut featuring Ace-One.  This track has been bubbling for a minute, but it's going to drop on the next solo Dawhud project and will be on some "Meth Vs. Chef" ish. 

A Dedication to "U Suckas!!!"

"Revisionist History" is in full swing as we roll into October and the final sprint of our election season.  BUT, this is the ONLY "Revisionist History" you need to worry about.  Last month, the jump off was a remix to Vintage Dope's debut single, "Cratebangin," with the classic Zapp and Roger "More Bounce to the Ounce" flip.  Now that Summer is over and Fall is upon us, we need something classic that fits that shift.  Cold... hard... and straight up mean.  (The type of joint that when you hear it you make a "who farted" face.)

The Bomb Squad/Public Enemy is responsible for some of the BEST production and albums in hip hop.  That being said, "Black Steal in the Hour of Chaos" is probably the hardest beat ever made.  Chuck D's iconic opening line simply defined a generation and showed the public that there was more to hip hop than party raps.  Rap was big, rap made a statement and the revolution WOULD be televised via MTV.  (back when it was known for music videos)

Issac Hayes' end to end burner, "Hot Buttered Soul" and the track "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" painted the backdrop for The Bomb Squad's epic track.  The only thing missing was Chuck D's commanding voice and Flav's distorted "CB" vox on the hook.  The end result was nothing short of a bonified classic.

So, why should we mess with such a dope song?  I honestly don't want to George Lucas my favorite tracks and make Han shoot 2nd.  This project is a platform to make some dope music while revisiting and paying homage to the originals.  (hip hop & source material)  Personally, I've found that I appreciate the music even more after dissecting the beats and rebuilding them.

The beat I made for this month's installment has had long history and it only recently developed into what it is now.  I originally made this beat quite some time ago when I was juggling this, wrapping up "Basement Sessions" and developing what would become "Dub Styles."  After I originally made this beat I let a few people hear it and even asked some cats if they'd be interested in throwing a verse over it.  But... it's easy to have people say they want to do something to a beat, it's HARD to get them to do it.  (I've even heard Jake One and other producers say this regarding their projects) 

Fast forward to when I re-upped this project and after the 1st release.  I was contemplating what to do next and I wasn't really in the mood to put out one of the joints that some people may have already heard.  Also, after the 1st track was released, I wanted to put something out that was just as undeniable as Zapp & Roger.  Once I made that decision, the track started to take shape.  I reworked the beat, listened to a lot of Public Enemy for inspiration and just started writing.  What ended up on tape was a rant about "hustling" rappers in this social media age we live in.  Usually I try to not write something that I think will become dated, but in a way the message is universal. 

So... without any further delay, this month's "Revisionist History" track is dedicated to all "U Suckas."