Most of the interviews on this site are usually with artists/producers either in the biz or coming up in the biz. This one here is a little bit different, but equally entertaining. For the past few months, myself, Thomas, Ivan, Goon, John Q, Bulldog, and others have been digging for samples used in our favorite hip hop albums online. Although, not exactly “crate diggers”, we still dig.  This is not a new phenomenon. Music lovers world-wide have been diggin’ for years.

According to Wikipedia, crate digging is a slang term used by DJs to refer to the activity of checking record stores for old, rare or unusual music on the vinyl format, which can be used by DJs, turntablists, or be sampled.

I had the opportunity to sit down with crate digger Greg Korbas last week to talk about the “art of digging”. Greg was featured last summer in an issue of Scratch magazine for his extensive collection of vinyl. He contacted me through this site a while back and I thought it’d be a great idea to get his views on digging, tips on collecting, and hear some stories based from his record buying experiences. If you love the sample sets we’ve been pushing out here on the site, I think you’ll really find this interview a good read.

As a bonus, Greg threw together a personal compilation for all of us here to download. Check the link at the end of the interview.

Read more

Thanks to my blogger-in-crime Goon, who recently posted up the samples to Jay’s Life & Times of S. Carter and Kingdom Come, we now have the complete Jay-Z sample discography available between Goon’s site, Hip-Hop Is Read and us right here. So if you’re looking for Jay-Z original samples, this is the post to bookmark. Just click the album cover to go directly to the post with the tracklistings and download links!

Here’s a sample set you probably weren’t expecting. Yeah, we try to keep it fresh around here. The classic hip hop sample sets are just what they are… classic. However, it’s nice to showcase those albums that didn’t really get their shine when they were released and probably deserve a little more props. That’s how I feel about Young Gunz debut album, Tough Luv.

Thomas hit me up with this set out of left field over the weekend. We have our planned sets, but sometimes we’ll get a vibe about an album and knock out the set real quick. That’s what Thomas did here and I was pleasantly surprised when this was sitting in my inbox. Tough Luv has some real nice gems on it, particularly the tracks that are produced by Just Blaze and the song “No Better Luv”. If only they had included the original version of “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop”, instead of that crappy remix with Chingy. Oh well… where’s Young Chris and Young Neef at now?
Read more

Remember when MTV used to play videos? Well, now you have to catch the latest videos online, unless you have a premium cable subscription. I try not to make a habit of posting videos on the site, unless they’re worth of a post of course. Well, these two videos I got directly from my man J. Master from Same Plate Management. Dope stuff going on over there! This first vid is from the Talib Kweli/Res supergroup Idle Warship. J. Master got executive producer credits for the vid, as well as Tunji & Adam Riccio. Court Dunn made the magic happen with his editing skills.

Idle Warship: Fall Back (feat Chester French)

This next vid is from Same Plate artist Dan Johns. It’s off Dan’s Rebirth of a Dying Breed mixtape, which you can grab off his MySpace. South Carolina, stand up!

Dan Johns: Now I Know

My man, John Q from Lyrics To Go, is back in the sample game! He hit me up and wanted to share this Black Moon set that he has been working on. Big props to John Q for puttin’ this one together!

Released on October 19, 1993, Enta Da Stage is the debut album from Black Moon. The group consists of Buckshot, 5ft, and DJ Evil Dee (of Da Beatminerz), although Buckshot is the primary emcee on most of the tracks. This album was also the debut production for Da Beatminerz’s DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt.

Da Beatminerz laced the album with their signature basement sound, filled with hard drums, grimy horn arrangements and dark basslines. In the album’s liner notes, DJ Evil Dee stated: “This album was done on blunted terms. Anyone who is offended by the contents of the album, FUCK YOU. Nuff said.”

A few of the samples used here were later recreated by a number of hip hop artists in the ’90s. The single “Buck Em Down” features a sample from Donald Byrd’s “Wind Parade”, a sample which was later re-used for Organized Konfusion’s 1994 concept track “Stray Bullet”. “How Many MC’s…” features a sample from Grover Washington, Jr.’s “Hydra”, which was used for earlier hip hop tracks like EPMD’s “Underground”. Evil Dee and Walt take a portion of the sample and craft it into a different loop. Check all the samples below…

Read more

Isley Brothers: “Voyage To Atlantis”
From Go For Your Guns (1977)

Snoop Dogg: “Press Play”
From Ego Trippin’ (2008)
Produced by DJ Quik

Big Boi: “Royal Flush”
From Sir Lucious Left Foot (2008)
Produced by Rick Walker & John Ward of Royal Flush Ent.

I was sittin’ around last night thinking we hadn’t done one of these in a while. With all the sample sets we’ve been pumping out, I notice a lot of the same samples being used. It’s nice to compare those tracks with one another and see who flipped the sample better.

I recently noticed two songs that are out now sampled the Isley Brothers song “Voyage To Atlantis”. DJ Quik used it in “Press Play”, off of Snoop Dogg’s new album Ego Trippin’. I’m not a fan of the new Snoop album, but you gotta admit DJ Quik flipped the hell out of this sample.

The Isley Brothers song is also sampled in the new Big Boi track, “Royal Flush”, which was produced by Rick Walker & John Ward of Royal Flush Entertainment. Though the sample is not laced throughout the whole track, it is in there nonetheless.

I don’t think there’s much debate between these two track. This is probably more of a Sample & Example post, a la Hip-Hop Is Read. At any rate, here’s your sample history lesson for the day!

New track from Fokis, off his upcoming album Road To Riches, Vol 1. We previously gave you “Pandemonium (feat Joel Ortiz)“, the lead single from Road. You all need to check this dude out; for real!

Fokis recently did an interview with BeatDynasty.com. Read up on that to get a better look into the life of Fokis.

As a bonus, we’ve also included an unreleased freestyle Fokis did with Punch from eMC. Fokis has an EP coming out with Punch early next month. The album, Road To Riches, Vol 1, includes features from Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Deemi and DJ
Absolut and should be out by the end of the summer.

• Download “Can’t You See”
• Download “Dollar Circulate (freestyle with Punch)”

• Fokis’ MySpace Page

My man Tudakay has been workin’ hard in the studio on his album, Dollar Menu, due to drop this year. We got two new tracks, that should be on the album, straight from Tudakay himself. Check dude out; his style is sick!

• Download “So Cold”
• Download “Soulfood Sunday”

• Tudakay’s MySpace Page
• Previous post… Walking Contradiction (Remix with Wordsworth)

I haven’t been diggin’ much this week, but I know what you all come here for and I can’t let the week go without droppin’ a sample set. We’re keepin’ it old school and goin’ back to Biz Markie’s debut album, Goin’ Off. Released back in 1988, Goin’ Off introduced Biz Markie to the world not with his lyrical talent, but with his sense of humor. Shame, ain’t it? I think I read somewhere that Big Daddy Kane actually wrote most of his rhymes on this album. But this album to me isn’t great because of Biz, it’s because of the legendary Marley Marl, who produced every track on this record. Marley Marl dug for your typical funk, soul, and breakbeat samples for this album, but this is a great set nonetheless.

Read more

Why all the hostility towards bloggers lately? I don’t know the full story behind this and I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but apparently Pete Rock commented recently on fellow blogger, Dan Love, and his Pete Rock Breaks & Beats Mix.

You can read the accusations here at Ohword.

Next thing you know, Dr. Dre is gonna be tearin’ up my man DJ BIGTEXAS! LOL

I hope Pete Rock ain’t trying to pull a Madlib. Yo, Thomas! We got that Pete Rock sample set ready yet?

Check out Dan Love’s mix though… shit is tight!

I’m still going through the loads of music I got in my email and Small Professor hit me up saying, “check out my new remix project.” You may remember Small Professor from his American Gangster remix project he put out called Crooklyn Gangster. If you don’t remember, make sure you check it. It was one of the best ones that was put out.

So anyway, Small Professor says, “yeah, I remixed my boy, Has-Lo, latest album.” I was like, “damn, that sounds familiar… yeah Has-Lo hit me up about a month ago with the original album, Fuck Has Day.” Small was like, “yeah, this is my remix.” So I’m like, “damn, I totally slept on this.”

I’m listening to both of these now and said to myself, “self, you gotta get both these on the site pronto!” So I’m giving you all a two-fer right here! The original Fuck Has Day is totally produced by Has-Lo himself, whereas the remix album Fuck Has Day (Remixed But Still Fucked) was produced by Small Professor. Production on both albums is straight raw! If you remember Small Professor’s style from Crooklyn Gangster, you know that he’s got that gritty feel to his tracks. Anyway, enough talk, check both these out. You won’t be sorry.

Download Has-Lo: Fuck Has Day

Download Has-Lo & Small Professor: Fuck Has Day (Remixed But Still Fucked)

• Has-Lo’s MySpace Page
• Small Professor’s MySpace Page

For those of you that slept on last year’s Dedication from Rashid Hadee and for those that didn’t, Rashid dropped a new mixtape yesterday that is pure fi-yah!

Hosted by Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother and mixed by Cosm Rocks, A Change Gon’ Come has a few cuts from Dedication, some new tracks, and some other Rashid Hadee produced cuts.

Dedication was one of my favorite albums from last year and Rashid produced one of my favorite tracks off Little Brother’s Getback LP, “Dreams”.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Rashid, check this mixtape. After listenin’ to this, you’ll be runnin’ to your wrecka sto’ buying up all theie copies of Dedication!

Read on for mixtape tracklist and download link…

Read more

Man, I’m droppin’ some gems on you all tonight! I think a lot of you all are really gonna like this next album. Trav Williams, reppin’ Ft Lauderdale out of Athens, GA, just dropped his debut album, The Trickle Down, and yes it’s pure heat!

Trav Williams has worked on various projects prior to this release with Akil from Jurassic 5 and DJ Speek Greene. This album, however, includes production from Keenan (who submitted the American Gangster remix album, Brazilian Gangster) and 20 Keys, who has been a regular here in the remix contest. The production on this album is incredible and Trav does not skip a beat with his flow.

Don’t sleep on this release… download it now!

Download Trav Williams: The Trickle Down

• Trav Williams’ MySpace Page

I finally had a little time tonight to go through the loads of music I receive in my email everyday. I try to get through them all, but my email gets so flooded that I sometimes loose links and sometimes I download stuff and forget who sent it to me. So right off, I apologize for not getting to everyone.

My primary goal is to keep up with the latest hot hip hop tracks, but I also like to give shine to the cats gettin’ their hustle on. This dude, Young McFly, contacted me on MySpace about 3 weeks ago and was like, “yo, I’mma be on your Producer’s Spotlight one day.” I was like, “yeah ok, send me some tracks.” Unfortunately, I’ve sat on the tracks for the last few weeks… until now. Sittin’ here with my headphones on, I stumbled across these 2 tracks McFly sent me and I popped em in Winamp. Man, I was impressed!

Young McFly’s definitely got some talent. Not only does he produce, but he raps on the tracks as well. Coming out of my city here of Miami, this McFly has got a future in hip hop. Check out the tracks below and let me know what you think. Hit him up on his Myspace for more tracks.

Download Ur The One

Download Do I Again

• Young McFly’s MySpace Page