Monday, July 2, 2007

Sad state of musical affairs...

I just had someone e-mail me the new 50 cents single "I get money" with the subject being "The hottest song out". If this is truly the case than Hip Hop as we know it isn't only DEAD as Nas so eloquently proclaimed it, it's buried, disintegrated, and lost in an unmarked grave. The only reason that 50 cent's song is even palatable is because of the sampling of Audio Two’s 1988 huge classic hit single “Top Billin”. The same reason Mary J. Blige used it to break her career with it on her hit single “Real love” back in 1992 off of her debut album “What’s the 411” and now 50 cent has reverted to the same tactics of trying to use the nostalgia of a sample to gain spins hoping no one notices they only really like the song because it reminds them of the original song while hearing the sample playing in the back as opposed to any of the verses the artist just threw in to fill in the spaces in between. This is a tactic brought upon by fear and unoriginality because he sees himself starting to lose his popularity and music career (THANK GOD!) with two flopped attempts at singles with "amusement park" and "Straight to the bank". Below are both sample uses and the original, you can be the judge.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS HERE IF YOU HAVE THEM, WOULD LOVE TO READ WHAT YOU THINK.


GVG
~we're the warriors they write epics about~



50 Cent “ I GET MONEY”


Mary J. Blige “Real Love”


Audio Two “TOP BILLIN”


OMG IMPORTANT UPDATE:


WHILE I WAS WRITING THE ABOVE POST I FELT LIKE I WAS SHORT CHANGING AUDIO TWO ON HOW MANY PEOPLE USED THE SAMPLE TO GET THAT NOSTALGIC HIT. SO I JUST LOOKED IT UP ON WIKIPEDIA (ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SITES) AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY WITH WHAT I FOUND. HERE IS THE LIST OF ARTISTS AND THE WAYS THEY'VE USED THE SAMPLE OVER THE YEARS AND I'M CERTAINLY SURE THERE ARE EVEN MORE OUT THERE.

  • "Wreck Shop (Remix)" by Wreckx-N-Effect used the drum break from Top Billin'.
  • The beat for Mary J. Blige's 1992 hit single, "Real Love," comes from the beat for this song.
  • The intro to The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album Ready to Die samples Top Billin' behind a skit of a train robbery.
  • "I Got 5 on It" by The Luniz samples the line "Got it? Good" from Top Billin'.
  • "Bitch Niggaz" from Dr. Dre's album 2001 samples a line from Top Billin' ("stop scheming, and looking hard").
  • The lines "Kwa is chillin', Tone is chillin', what more can I say, we stay building" on Talib Kweli's song Too Late is inspired by Audio Two's Top Billin'.
  • "We Trying to Stay Alive" by Wyclef Jean samples Top Billin', and more prominently samples "Stayin' Alive" by the BeeGees.
  • Madlib also used a short break from the track on Quasimoto's "Basic Instinct."
  • "What More Can I Say" by Jay-Z from The Black Album takes its name from a line from Top Billin'.
  • Danger Mouse samples the line "What more can I say" in his remix of the Jay-Z song "What More can I Say" on The Grey Album.
  • The same line is used in "Is He Ill" by MF Doom.
  • Earatik Statik samples the line "on and on and on" from Top Billin' on their song "Evil is Timeless."
  • The song "Chillin'" by Erick Sermon, Talib Kweli and Whip Montez has a chorus completely based upon that of "Top Billin'"
  • "SexyLove (Remix)" by Ne-Yo and Candace Jones features the "Top Billin'" drum break punctuating the end of each musical phrase.
  • "Pop the Glock" by Uffie is in large-part based both lyrically and musically upon "Top Billin'".
  • "Get To Poppin'" by Rich Boy
  • The track "Why Wout I" by Beanie Sigel that appears on the State Property mixtape "Out On Bail" uses a similar line to the chorus. Sigel rhymes "Sige is chillin', stackin' shit to the ceilin', what would I ever say about a killin'?"
  • "Top Billin'" appears on Tony Hawk's Underground 2.
  • "Top Billin'" is sampled in the chorus of 50 Cent's new single "I Get Money"
  • "Top Billin'" is sampled in the chorus of Lil' Flip's song "I Get Money" (Feautring Jim Jones)
  • "Top Billin'" is sampled in Apathy's song "The Buck Stops Here."

LIKE THE LINE SAYS

"WHAT MORE CAN I SAY!!!"

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I debate this same issue at least once a week with other cats around our age (Late 20's - early 30's) - Hilarious...the same age as many of the culprits in the game like 50. But, also the age of cats that (like Mos, Talib, etc) who are holding the flame alive.

The "Original Brooklyn" beat...Audio II...Mary used it, LL used it...now 50...he's garbage. But, I suppose anyone reading and or responding to this feels similarly.

CMG

Unknown said...

Yes, 50 is the absolute worst. Never liked him and never will. I'm glad his music career is dwindling and feel shamed that I've bought Vitamin Water before. Shame. Shame. Shame.

Top Billin' is the lick!

Steve said...

I'm actually a fan of 50. Always have been ever since How to Rob. One of the reasons why I like him so much because I put him in the category of commercial musicians.

I don't dare put him in same category of say Murs, MF Doom Skyzoo. (underground)

Or maybe in the category Talib, Mos or Common. (semi-underground)

So today when the class of commercial garbage such as Lil Wayne, Weezy, TI, MIMS, 50 is tops.

Put him in the right classification and you'll be fine.

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