Historical Hip Hop Thursday:Stetsasonic
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Stetsasonic's 1988 smash, Talkin' All That Jazz, is an under-repped Hip Hop classic. To folks who were around when it came out, it quickly became an anthem. Besides being full of stellar samples (Lonnie Liston Smith, Donald Byrd, Sly & The Family Stone, Mtume,Banbarra), it introduced the world (well, at least the world that didn't buy their first album) to the genius of Prince Paul.
In a few years he would produce De La Soul's groundbreaking 3 Feet High and Rising, but with Stetsasonic he was a member of a hip hop band, something that was pretty unique for '88. They could make this happen live, and in some ways it seemed like a gimmick, but the verses and beats are strong..already addressing sampling and hip hop's place in the great continuum of American music. Sounds serious, but fun and funk were never left behind.
It's hard to imagine, with all the soul, funk, and jazz re-issues that have come out in the last 20 years, that these lines were on point in '88:
Tell the truth James Brown was old
Until Eric B. and Rakim came out with I Got Soul
Rap brings back old R&B
And if we would not people would've forgot..
In my case this is the gospel, 'cause it was hip hop that sent me and many other kids scurrying off to the crates to find the records that drove these songs. The careers of numerous folks..Donald Byrd,Roy Ayers,George Clinton,and many more got an incredible boost from Hip Hop..especially James Brown. Not that these giants didn't already have legacies for days..but times were tough for many of them as the 90's approached. Anyone who bought CD's at the time could attest to the fact that the majors did not rush to roll out R&B, funk, and soul-jazz classics on CD. Hip Hop helped identify that there were many fans out there who wanted this stuff.
Prince Paul,Frukwon,DBC, and Daddy-O were at the front of hip hop unleashing some of its vast artistic potential, and these cats, especially Paul,continue to effect hip hop history today. Back then, though, they opened my eyes to the world of music out there beyond hip hop, introducing me to artists and sounds that would come to be all time favorites of mine. That some cats from Brooklyn helped usher me in to the world of jazz and record collecting is what the hip hop movement was all about.
The Samples-
Nothing earth shaking here in the crate digging department, but at worst an interesting mix tape, and at best, an introduction to some of the original breaks in Hip Hop's DNA.
About The Samples-
Lonnie Liston Smith- After acoustic piano work with R. Roland Kirk, Pharoah Sanders, and Betty Carter, Lonnie L. Smith went electric w/Miles Davis in the early 70's..He went solo on the Flying Dutchman label in '74. The cut Expansions ( from 75) probably came to hip hop through the disco, where Lonnie's spiritual jazz funk records with the Cosmic Echoes received serious play, becoming underground classics. I remember dancing to Expansions with Larry Levan on the decks in the early 90's..
Donald Byrd - Fallin' Like Dominoes comes from his Larry Mizell produced Blue Note LP, Places and Spaces from 1975. Donald was a young lion on trumpet in the 60's, but by 75 he was all about surviving..and this record is a perfect example of where fusion was headed by then. The tune is produced by one of the premier jazz funk cats of the era, Mr. Mizell, who helped define the jazz-purist-hated sounds of the 70's, that were popular nonetheless with listeners who were the parents of the first generation of hip hoppers. Sounds like this would become the almost universally hated "smooth jazz" in the 80's and 90's, but still retained quite a bit o' funk in the hands of folks like Byrd and Mizell.
Sly & The Family Stone- Clearly a huge record that almost any hip hopper would have gotten from mom's and pop's collection, Sly is up amongst the most sampled artists of all time.
Banbarra- As far as I can tell Shack Up was a single only release on United Artists from 1975..This here is a true crate diggers special. The band was from DC and this was their only record. The tune entered the hip hop canon early, probably arriving in the Bronx via England, where it was a Northern Soul dancefloor cut (later covered by Factory Records band, A Certain Ratio).
Mtume-The band was started by James Mtume in 1973 after he left a stint w/Miles Davis. Their monster salacious soul hit Juicy Fruit, was not released until '83, and has gone on to become a go to nick for producers looking for a sultry vibe. Besides fueling Biggies Juicy , the tune has sexed up tracks from Common,AMG , Warren G, and other Puffy projects like, Faith Evans.
I guess I took the long way in explaining what Stetsasonic talked about in their tune..Sampling isn't a crime..when done right it shines a light on more music..using beats as a way to communicate, extrapolate, and create a new language. It's a lot easier now,with the music world at your fingertips and entire websites dedicated to identifying samples and influences, but in '86, folks like Stetsasonic were defining a new sonic world for folks like me.
Happy record hunting and Happy New Year.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (18)
common superlatives do not give justice to your post, but hey, it's all I got at the moment. Stellar!
Now that's how ya start the new year!!
Thanks Rummy..and a few of these are direct from my new HD. 463 gigs to go. I wonder if I can do that in a year..
Nice to see you back, Cody. nice tune from the 80's .I am familiar with all the samples,have em all on vinyl except that obscure Banbarra. Your right about the mid 70's jazz it was the thing of its day then. I have been digging my vinyl out for awhile and I can see that I need to get a new HD myself coz i'm running out of room.
Heard their name but not the music so thanks for the vid! Interesting to hear the original songs the samples are from . . . .
Thanks CP..I feel like a digital maven now that I've filled my first 500 gigs..It took about 2 years I guess..who sez mp3's are free. It was really fun digitizing some vinyl..I'm scared if I start going down that road whole hog. Happy New Year!
Hey A1, glad you enjoyed..I didn't notice til I did it but 3 outta 5 are from 75. I guess Prince Paul's parents did a lot of record shopping around then.
nice post, makes me remember watching Yo! MTV raps and seeing Daddy O say anyone can be a daddy, but only I can be a daddy-o
HNY Rawk..I guess both Yo MTV Raps and Talkin All That Jazz turned 20 in 2008. Damn I'm old..
Yo Professor! Good to see ya in the MOGness. That was quite the lesson. Thanks for the samples. I thought that Shack Up sounded familiar. I've know it from A Certain Ratio. Bizarre. It all comes around and comes together, doesn't it?
Hope y'all had some good holiday times! Ciao!
Well, thank you and HNY, LMI. There will not be a quiz. I was just listening to A Cetain Ratio today and that combined with a healthy session of dl'ing on an Old School 12" blog, helped me formulate the lesson plan. Now if I could only get mine to look as cool as Coop's.
Great stuff as always, Prince Paul is one of my favorites.
Thanks UG..HNY to you and the fam, as well as the mighty Prince Paul.
I like the Stetsasonic. Oooh I like the Mtume song. Never heard before. It's righteous. Or should I say Joosay! I remember when I found that Banbarra around '02. That sucker went on many a mix cd. I got it and the Certain Ratio track at the same time and it was completely unrelated how I found them. Great post as always.
Heh..I had the Certain Ratio tune way before the Banbarra..I was a bit of a Factory-head back in the day..I think I first heard Banbarra from the Ultimate Breaks and Beats series, then it was on Blue Break Beats. It is a banger indeed..Thanks Sam.
Mr. Cody, one of the best books yet in your ongoing bible. 1988 was when I began to lose the hip hop thread a little, having just left Manhattan for the exurbs, but this is helps restore several critical lost connections. It really is a bridge to "3 Feet High and Rising." And Lonnie Liston Smith and Donald Byrd are always welcome presences....
Happy New Year Ivy.
Bible? Thank you.
I can see it now..
Rabbi Cody's Torah O'FUnk
HNW to you and yours, too.
Hey, you do have something of a rabbinical aspect....
If your avatar could fill his hair in a bit he could be making minions.