Time and time again – during those periods where hip-hop has found itself weighed-down by excessive, over-produced beats – a segment of beat makers return to the basics and remind us of the importance of a raw, stripped-down track. We saw this when Larry Smith and Russell Simmons created ‘Sucker MC’s’ for Darryl and Joe,…
Category: Searching For The Perfect Beat
Missed Dipset Beat Opportunities, Part 1
Why is it that The Heatmakerz, Swizz Beatz nor Dame Grease never snatched up this Giorgio Moroder 80’s epic from Stallone’s arm-wrestling magnum opus Over The Top? With it’s action packed synths, cock-rock geetar, tinny drum rolls and built-in chorus stabs, this could have been the tipping point for one of the numerous Dimplomats Diplomats…
Video: Memories of Paul McKasty
The first two parts of Pritt Kalasi‘s Memories of Paul McKasty are available to watch over at his site: “This is by all means not the definitive documentary or story of Paul C McKasty. The Legendary producer from Queens NYC who had his life cut short aged only 24 years old. This is a film…
Searching For The Perfect Remix: By Request
Before I wind-up the Perfect Remix polls with The 45 King edition, I thought I’d give all the remixes that missed out a chance to make the final cut. Whether it was a favorite of yours that didn’t make the original eight per artist (Large Pro‘s Resurrection remixes, for example), or something from a producer…
Searching For The Perfect Remix: Marley Marl
Engineer All-Star Marley Marl came from the era when a remix often meant turning-up the drums, dropping out the main loop occasionally and adding a horn blast and some echo, but even when the additions were relatively minor, they proved to be incredibly effective. The remixed versions of ‘Vapors’ and ‘Shootin’ The Gift’ both maintain…
Searching For The Perfect Remix: Diamond D
Diamond D was never too heavily involved in the remix game, but in the early days he cashed some checks where he could, and the was able to lend his sound to some otherwise forgettable groups like the Private Investigators and The A.T.E.E.M. His work for Brand Nubian and Ras Kass, however? Effin’ incredible. Welcome…
Searching For The Perfect Remix: Large Professor
Trying to pick the best Paul Mitchell remix is like trying to pick your favorite type of booze – they all work in the real situation. But since I’m restricting each round to eight selections, stuff like the “Resurrection’ remixes just missed out on making the cut.