Series : Complex's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Beats Of All Time Part 1
Series : Complex's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Beats Of All Time Part 1
100. Public Enemy "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (1989)
The Bomb Squad had already proven that they could bring the noise with chaotic, multi-layered symphonies of sampled mayhem, but this this solemn tale of busting out of the bing showcased a more subtle approach. Based on a piano riff from Isaac Hayes' "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic," the tension of this beat builds-up from verse to verse, with the live phone-in from Flava Flav adding an authentic clandestine atmosphere to proceedings. Just Blaze would later flip the same loop for The Game in homage to the original, which is still one of the most effective displays of the power of Public Enemy to this day.
99. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" (1994)
DJ U-Neek has a case for being one of the most underrated producers ever. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he hardly ever branched out and produced for anyone but Bone Thugs. Still, he’s got a Grammy on his mantle for producing Bone’s timeless classic “Crossroads,” and he crafted a ghoulish, chaotic backdrop for Bone’s spitfire rhymes on E. 1999 Eternal. However, we’re forced to declare “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” his best work, which has endless interesting elements, but is best remembered for its huge hook, and most importantly, that whirling synthesizer that sounded like G-funk by way of Cleveland.
The main groove here is based around a killer combo of The Whatnauts' butter-smooth "Help Is On The Way," with some "Impeach The President" drums and a bass grab via Lou Reed. In typical De La style, what seems like a care-free party song is actually a snarky "Please Don't Make Me Listen To Your Demo" retort against thirsty rappers. With a beat this nice, it's easy to zone out on the lyrics.
97. Special Ed "I Got It Made" (1989)
Can it be that it was all so simple back in 1989, when all you needed for a hit single was a hot loop (in this case, Ripple's "I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky"), drums you could dance to, and some catchy rhymes. Teen rap sensation Special Ed later went on to appear on The Cosby Show as "JT Freeze," but thanks to dope beats like this, Hitman Howie Tee guaranteed that Ed will always be best known for this track more than anything.
96. Chubb Rock "Treat 'Em Right" (1991)
Riding an addictive Dee Felice Trio loop ("There Was A Time"), the Chubbster set dance floors on fire with this uptempo ode to polite behavior. Howie Tee was the master of creating beats that rocked the Walkman and the clubs in equal measure, and this is no exception. He introduces strings and a guitar lick as the track progresses, with hyped-up chants and female vocals to tie it all together for the hook.
95. Common "The Light" (2000)
Common was never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, and here we witness a man deep in the throes of a serious case of "Baduizm." Crisp drums add a hard edge to the almost syrupy loop, before your boy Bobby Caldwell seals the deal on the sampled hook. For the video, Lonnie was joined by Erykah to demonstrate the sensual seduction that is mangoes and lava lamps. That's what happens when you blend Common at his most emo with J Dilla at his smoothest.
94. Mike Jones f/ Slim Thug & Paul Wall "Still Tippin" (2004)
The combination of the Slim Thug vocal loop, a "William Tell Overture" sample, and Paul Wall informing us that he's "got the Internet goin' nuts" made this Mike Jones' biggest hit and a breakout song for the then burgeoning Houston rap scene. The original version with Chamillionaire featured the same vocal loop, but it wasn't until Salih Williams remixed it with the ill Gioachino Rossini loop that it reached its full potential. It turns out the Swishahouse crew was somewhat partial to classical music, as "The Nutcracker, Act 2, No 1: Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" is used on "Got It Sewed Up" from the same album.
93. Pacewon "I Declare War" (1998)
Most recently heard on Sean Price's "Figure Four," this unmistakable Lee Mason flute break first appeared on Pacewon's debut single in 1998 (which was also the same time it had been bootlegged on a Dusty Fingers LP and used by Madlib for a Lootpack song). Did Ski dig this gem up himself, or was he just the first to flip the bootleg? Regardless, it's a superb loop that does all the heavy lifting itself, sounding like James Bond, secret agent theme music. This former pal of Eminem impressed everyone on this and often forgotten follow-up, "Sunroof Top," before vanishing from all but the most dedicated New Jersey rap fan's radar.
92. Gang Starr "Mass Appeal" (1994)
DJ Premier's work with Guru had a slightly different sound than much of his outside production work, often having a simpler, less choppy structure to the compositions. This beat provides further evidence that few producers have the patience nor the ear of Premier, who discovered this snippet right in the middle of a song called "Horizon Drive" by jazz guitarist Vic Juris. Throw in some thumping drums and well-chosen scratch hooks and you've got another Gang Starr classic to add to their impressive resumé.
91. Outkast "ATLiens" (1996)
Similar to Eminem, Outkast’s sound has often existed in its own world—one built only for ATLiens. Certainly, the majority of their beats sound nothing like contemporary hip-hop mostly because 'Kast and, to a greater extent, the Dungeon Family, are just so damn original. But even if “B.O.B.” is a better example of their idiosyncrasy, “ATLiens” is even more undeniable.
The song is built on two samples, the first is "Around The World" by Attilio Mineo, which gives the song its atmosphere via that spooky, space-aged intro. But the hallmark of the beat is a looped-up vocal courtesy of The Chambers Brothers’ “So Tired.” The sample sounds like what we imagine an Instagram filter would sound like, which in turn gives the beat its unwinding effect.
90. O.C. "Time's Up" (1994)
It's the things that Buckwild doesn't do on this track that make it so great. Having dug-out the incredible "A Day in the Life" break from Les DeMerle, Buck exercises the necessary restraint and lets it run its course, choosing only to enhance the drums and add an unorthodox Slick Rick scratch. This bare bones approach can be seen as a reaction to the growing trend in over-produced hip-hop beats, and serves as the perfect platform for O.C. to unleash his diatribe against rap phonies.
89. DJ Quik "Born and Raised in Compton" (1990)
As Quik explained to us earlier this year, he first fell for Isaac Hayes’ soul classic "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" thanks to his mother, who used to play it around the house. The song became the basis for Quik’s debut single, “Born and Raised in Compton.” Quik said it best himself: “[Sampling] this track in particular, it just made me feel like a god. Like, on top of the world. It just sounded so big.” With the help of a 4-track Tascam recorder and an SP1200 drum machine, Quik transformed Hayes’ original into the perfect basis for a story about his own origins.
88. Jeru The Damaja "Come Clean"
"Come Clean" is the sound of raw rap. Armed with nothing more than loud drums and something that sounds like Chinese water torture, Jeru stepped to the plate to prove why he was the D. Original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel as he kicked his unique vocal science. Much like that other 1994 underground classic, O.C.'s "Time's Up," this track was also notable for featuring a scratch hook that makes no mention of the song title whatsoever.
87. UGK "Front, Back & Side to Side" (1994)
A well-orchestrated replayed loop of "Rigor Mortis" by The Meters with a portion of "Boyz-N-The-Hood" from Eazy-E (a.k.a. Whodini's "I'm A Hoe") and a high-pitched synth provides Pimp C and Bun B a solid foundation to drop knowledge on all the car freaks. The remains the ideal soundtrack for all car-related exploits, from hitting switches, to a lazy summer drive.
86. Twista f/ Yung Buk "Adrenaline Rush" (1997)
This gritty Chicago joint creeps up with an air of menace worthy of Jeffrey Dahmer, as Twista fires off a barrage of verbal ammunition with his usual rapid-fire flow, weaving in and out of the bass-heavy beat. Yung Buk (not to be confused with Young Buck of G-Unit fame) contrasts Twista with his slowed-down, measured delivery to produce an air of murderous chemistry, which fits to the beat just as well.
85. East Flatbush Project f/ DeS "Tried By 12" (1996)
Who would have thought that a humble indie rap record would be the subject of an entire electronic remix album two years later? This song that imprints itself into your subconsciousness the moment you first hear the haunting acoustic strums of the main loop, which originated from a Japanese live album recorded by American folk singer Odetta Holmes, who's regarded as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" and was a major influence on Bob Dylan. Let's not forget the verses from Des, who unloads that East New York talk in a suitable "no shorts taken" technique. Recently, the instrumental found new life after it provided the backdrop to all of the freestyles at the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards cyphers, thanks in part to the urging of Eminem.
84. Jay-Z "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (1998)
Despite being responsible for a mercifully short-lived trend of sampling showtunes, The 45 King's flip of this Annie cast recording provided Jigga with his first international hit. After seeing a commercial for a new Broadway run of the musical, Mark realized that the theme song would sound dope with some drums, and bagged the LP for 25 cents when he next spotted it during a digging mission at the Salvation Army. Originally intended for his own album, Kid Capri began playing a test-pressing of the beat while on tour with Jay-Z, who promptly contacted Mark James and purchased the track. Hard drums and an infuriatingly catchy sample gave S.C. the platform he needed to unleash the next stage of his plan for world domination.
83. Brand Nubian "Slow Down" (1990)
In much the same way that Greg Nice used Tracey Chapman's "Fast Car" the following year, Brand Nubian took the unusual step of sampling the guitar and vocals from "What I Am" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (an "alternative rock jam band") for their cautionary tale of fast living. Offset by Funkadelic drums and some Kool and The Gang horns, Grand Puba and company carried on the eccentric Zulu Nation break tradition perfectly.
82. dead prez "Hip Hop" (1999)
There are plenty beats where you could describe a “sinister synth” but none quite matches the nerve grinding effect of dead prez’s anthem. Although this is the kind of beat we’d be happy to hear just about anyone rap on, it’s really the perfect beat for stic.man and M1, mostly because their music is all about revolution—a revolution that isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but sounds like it could happen at any moment when you’re blasting this song. Produced by the duo themselves, this beat sounds like the ruckus before the riot, a rebellious uprising ready to erupt at any moment. Ironically, the beats legacy actually doesn’t lie with civil unrest but instead in sketch comedy. On every episode of Chappelle's Show, Dave Chappelle was introduced while this song’s instrumental played.
81. Lords of the Underground "Chief Rocka" (1993)
Marley Marl protege K-Def graduated from the House of Hits when he laced Lords of the Underground with a string of popular singles. Blending sweet horns from Jack Bruce and John Coltrane with a 1963 chant from Alvin Cash & the Crawlers, K produced a bouncy head-cracker of a rhythm for this New Jersey trio. When he used another Jack Bruce horn section that had previously been flipped for Showbiz & A.G.'s "Hold Ya Head" for the "Chief Rocka" remix, he inadvertently added fuel to the feud between Lord Finesse and LOTUG's Mr. Funkee, which resulted in A.G. warning, "Fake lords get strangled with mic cords/Stealing beats from my LP sure ain't healthy," on "Next Level."
80. The Game f/ 50 Cent "Hate It or Love It" (2005)
By 2005, the West Coast was getting restless and was looking for a savior. It found one in the Dr. Dre approved Jayceon “Game” Taylor whose debut album The Documentary became a classic in large part to its astounding production. Legendary names like Buckwild, Timbaland, and of course Dr. Dre all contributed top-notch beats but it was relative newcomers Cool & Dre who stole the show with the 50-assisted single, “Hate It Or Love It.”
What made the beat so dope was the way they cleverly removed the drums at key intervals. It’s best heard in the opening seconds of the song as 50 starts flowing over what we imagine a peaceful Compton sounds like when it’s soaked in California sunshine. Then the drums kick in and the song takes off. For most songs that’s enough, but not “Hate It Or Love It,” which does the same trick for the opening of both of Game’s verses—giving this fairly subdued beat more ups and down than you’d expect.
But maybe what’s most interesting about this beat is trying to figure out which Dre deserves more credit for it. Everyone knows that 50 would later take credit for writing all of Game’s hits, but when Complex asked both Dre (of Cool & Dre) and Dr. Dre’s right-hand man Mike Lynn about the making of this beat, another dispute of ownership was revealed.
According to Dre (of Cool & Dre) he onced played the original version of the beat for Jimmy Iovine who wanted to hear what it sounded like prior to Dr. Dre’s magic touch. When Iovine heard the original he exclaimed, “It's the same damn beat.” However, Dre was willing to admit the Good Doc put his stamp on it. “Dr. Dre had put the most amazing mix on it,” he said. “A Dr. Dre mix is a co-production in our mind.”
Meanwhile, Mike Lynn had a very different take. “Dr. Dre completely re-produced that track,” he said. “’Hate It Or Love It’ sounded like a sample, Dre made it sound like a record. If they play you their version and his version, they’re night and day. He had to [get co-producer credit], he did all the work.”
Contact Complex TV
Website | Facebook | Google+ | Tumblr
Sources : HIP HOP Conglomerate Logo | Original Article
100. Public Enemy "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (1989)
The Bomb Squad had already proven that they could bring the noise with chaotic, multi-layered symphonies of sampled mayhem, but this this solemn tale of busting out of the bing showcased a more subtle approach. Based on a piano riff from Isaac Hayes' "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic," the tension of this beat builds-up from verse to verse, with the live phone-in from Flava Flav adding an authentic clandestine atmosphere to proceedings. Just Blaze would later flip the same loop for The Game in homage to the original, which is still one of the most effective displays of the power of Public Enemy to this day.
99. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" (1994)
DJ U-Neek has a case for being one of the most underrated producers ever. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he hardly ever branched out and produced for anyone but Bone Thugs. Still, he’s got a Grammy on his mantle for producing Bone’s timeless classic “Crossroads,” and he crafted a ghoulish, chaotic backdrop for Bone’s spitfire rhymes on E. 1999 Eternal. However, we’re forced to declare “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” his best work, which has endless interesting elements, but is best remembered for its huge hook, and most importantly, that whirling synthesizer that sounded like G-funk by way of Cleveland.
De La Soul - Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) (7" Single) (VHS) [1991] [HQ] from Oldschool’ove "Germany" on Vimeo.
98. De La Soul "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (1991)The main groove here is based around a killer combo of The Whatnauts' butter-smooth "Help Is On The Way," with some "Impeach The President" drums and a bass grab via Lou Reed. In typical De La style, what seems like a care-free party song is actually a snarky "Please Don't Make Me Listen To Your Demo" retort against thirsty rappers. With a beat this nice, it's easy to zone out on the lyrics.
97. Special Ed "I Got It Made" (1989)
Can it be that it was all so simple back in 1989, when all you needed for a hit single was a hot loop (in this case, Ripple's "I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky"), drums you could dance to, and some catchy rhymes. Teen rap sensation Special Ed later went on to appear on The Cosby Show as "JT Freeze," but thanks to dope beats like this, Hitman Howie Tee guaranteed that Ed will always be best known for this track more than anything.
96. Chubb Rock "Treat 'Em Right" (1991)
Riding an addictive Dee Felice Trio loop ("There Was A Time"), the Chubbster set dance floors on fire with this uptempo ode to polite behavior. Howie Tee was the master of creating beats that rocked the Walkman and the clubs in equal measure, and this is no exception. He introduces strings and a guitar lick as the track progresses, with hyped-up chants and female vocals to tie it all together for the hook.
95. Common "The Light" (2000)
Common was never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, and here we witness a man deep in the throes of a serious case of "Baduizm." Crisp drums add a hard edge to the almost syrupy loop, before your boy Bobby Caldwell seals the deal on the sampled hook. For the video, Lonnie was joined by Erykah to demonstrate the sensual seduction that is mangoes and lava lamps. That's what happens when you blend Common at his most emo with J Dilla at his smoothest.
94. Mike Jones f/ Slim Thug & Paul Wall "Still Tippin" (2004)
The combination of the Slim Thug vocal loop, a "William Tell Overture" sample, and Paul Wall informing us that he's "got the Internet goin' nuts" made this Mike Jones' biggest hit and a breakout song for the then burgeoning Houston rap scene. The original version with Chamillionaire featured the same vocal loop, but it wasn't until Salih Williams remixed it with the ill Gioachino Rossini loop that it reached its full potential. It turns out the Swishahouse crew was somewhat partial to classical music, as "The Nutcracker, Act 2, No 1: Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" is used on "Got It Sewed Up" from the same album.
93. Pacewon "I Declare War" (1998)
Most recently heard on Sean Price's "Figure Four," this unmistakable Lee Mason flute break first appeared on Pacewon's debut single in 1998 (which was also the same time it had been bootlegged on a Dusty Fingers LP and used by Madlib for a Lootpack song). Did Ski dig this gem up himself, or was he just the first to flip the bootleg? Regardless, it's a superb loop that does all the heavy lifting itself, sounding like James Bond, secret agent theme music. This former pal of Eminem impressed everyone on this and often forgotten follow-up, "Sunroof Top," before vanishing from all but the most dedicated New Jersey rap fan's radar.
92. Gang Starr "Mass Appeal" (1994)
DJ Premier's work with Guru had a slightly different sound than much of his outside production work, often having a simpler, less choppy structure to the compositions. This beat provides further evidence that few producers have the patience nor the ear of Premier, who discovered this snippet right in the middle of a song called "Horizon Drive" by jazz guitarist Vic Juris. Throw in some thumping drums and well-chosen scratch hooks and you've got another Gang Starr classic to add to their impressive resumé.
91. Outkast "ATLiens" (1996)
Similar to Eminem, Outkast’s sound has often existed in its own world—one built only for ATLiens. Certainly, the majority of their beats sound nothing like contemporary hip-hop mostly because 'Kast and, to a greater extent, the Dungeon Family, are just so damn original. But even if “B.O.B.” is a better example of their idiosyncrasy, “ATLiens” is even more undeniable.
The song is built on two samples, the first is "Around The World" by Attilio Mineo, which gives the song its atmosphere via that spooky, space-aged intro. But the hallmark of the beat is a looped-up vocal courtesy of The Chambers Brothers’ “So Tired.” The sample sounds like what we imagine an Instagram filter would sound like, which in turn gives the beat its unwinding effect.
90. O.C. "Time's Up" (1994)
It's the things that Buckwild doesn't do on this track that make it so great. Having dug-out the incredible "A Day in the Life" break from Les DeMerle, Buck exercises the necessary restraint and lets it run its course, choosing only to enhance the drums and add an unorthodox Slick Rick scratch. This bare bones approach can be seen as a reaction to the growing trend in over-produced hip-hop beats, and serves as the perfect platform for O.C. to unleash his diatribe against rap phonies.
89. DJ Quik "Born and Raised in Compton" (1990)
As Quik explained to us earlier this year, he first fell for Isaac Hayes’ soul classic "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" thanks to his mother, who used to play it around the house. The song became the basis for Quik’s debut single, “Born and Raised in Compton.” Quik said it best himself: “[Sampling] this track in particular, it just made me feel like a god. Like, on top of the world. It just sounded so big.” With the help of a 4-track Tascam recorder and an SP1200 drum machine, Quik transformed Hayes’ original into the perfect basis for a story about his own origins.
88. Jeru The Damaja "Come Clean"
"Come Clean" is the sound of raw rap. Armed with nothing more than loud drums and something that sounds like Chinese water torture, Jeru stepped to the plate to prove why he was the D. Original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel as he kicked his unique vocal science. Much like that other 1994 underground classic, O.C.'s "Time's Up," this track was also notable for featuring a scratch hook that makes no mention of the song title whatsoever.
87. UGK "Front, Back & Side to Side" (1994)
A well-orchestrated replayed loop of "Rigor Mortis" by The Meters with a portion of "Boyz-N-The-Hood" from Eazy-E (a.k.a. Whodini's "I'm A Hoe") and a high-pitched synth provides Pimp C and Bun B a solid foundation to drop knowledge on all the car freaks. The remains the ideal soundtrack for all car-related exploits, from hitting switches, to a lazy summer drive.
86. Twista f/ Yung Buk "Adrenaline Rush" (1997)
This gritty Chicago joint creeps up with an air of menace worthy of Jeffrey Dahmer, as Twista fires off a barrage of verbal ammunition with his usual rapid-fire flow, weaving in and out of the bass-heavy beat. Yung Buk (not to be confused with Young Buck of G-Unit fame) contrasts Twista with his slowed-down, measured delivery to produce an air of murderous chemistry, which fits to the beat just as well.
85. East Flatbush Project f/ DeS "Tried By 12" (1996)
Who would have thought that a humble indie rap record would be the subject of an entire electronic remix album two years later? This song that imprints itself into your subconsciousness the moment you first hear the haunting acoustic strums of the main loop, which originated from a Japanese live album recorded by American folk singer Odetta Holmes, who's regarded as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" and was a major influence on Bob Dylan. Let's not forget the verses from Des, who unloads that East New York talk in a suitable "no shorts taken" technique. Recently, the instrumental found new life after it provided the backdrop to all of the freestyles at the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards cyphers, thanks in part to the urging of Eminem.
84. Jay-Z "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (1998)
Despite being responsible for a mercifully short-lived trend of sampling showtunes, The 45 King's flip of this Annie cast recording provided Jigga with his first international hit. After seeing a commercial for a new Broadway run of the musical, Mark realized that the theme song would sound dope with some drums, and bagged the LP for 25 cents when he next spotted it during a digging mission at the Salvation Army. Originally intended for his own album, Kid Capri began playing a test-pressing of the beat while on tour with Jay-Z, who promptly contacted Mark James and purchased the track. Hard drums and an infuriatingly catchy sample gave S.C. the platform he needed to unleash the next stage of his plan for world domination.
83. Brand Nubian "Slow Down" (1990)
In much the same way that Greg Nice used Tracey Chapman's "Fast Car" the following year, Brand Nubian took the unusual step of sampling the guitar and vocals from "What I Am" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (an "alternative rock jam band") for their cautionary tale of fast living. Offset by Funkadelic drums and some Kool and The Gang horns, Grand Puba and company carried on the eccentric Zulu Nation break tradition perfectly.
82. dead prez "Hip Hop" (1999)
There are plenty beats where you could describe a “sinister synth” but none quite matches the nerve grinding effect of dead prez’s anthem. Although this is the kind of beat we’d be happy to hear just about anyone rap on, it’s really the perfect beat for stic.man and M1, mostly because their music is all about revolution—a revolution that isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but sounds like it could happen at any moment when you’re blasting this song. Produced by the duo themselves, this beat sounds like the ruckus before the riot, a rebellious uprising ready to erupt at any moment. Ironically, the beats legacy actually doesn’t lie with civil unrest but instead in sketch comedy. On every episode of Chappelle's Show, Dave Chappelle was introduced while this song’s instrumental played.
81. Lords of the Underground "Chief Rocka" (1993)
Marley Marl protege K-Def graduated from the House of Hits when he laced Lords of the Underground with a string of popular singles. Blending sweet horns from Jack Bruce and John Coltrane with a 1963 chant from Alvin Cash & the Crawlers, K produced a bouncy head-cracker of a rhythm for this New Jersey trio. When he used another Jack Bruce horn section that had previously been flipped for Showbiz & A.G.'s "Hold Ya Head" for the "Chief Rocka" remix, he inadvertently added fuel to the feud between Lord Finesse and LOTUG's Mr. Funkee, which resulted in A.G. warning, "Fake lords get strangled with mic cords/Stealing beats from my LP sure ain't healthy," on "Next Level."
80. The Game f/ 50 Cent "Hate It or Love It" (2005)
By 2005, the West Coast was getting restless and was looking for a savior. It found one in the Dr. Dre approved Jayceon “Game” Taylor whose debut album The Documentary became a classic in large part to its astounding production. Legendary names like Buckwild, Timbaland, and of course Dr. Dre all contributed top-notch beats but it was relative newcomers Cool & Dre who stole the show with the 50-assisted single, “Hate It Or Love It.”
What made the beat so dope was the way they cleverly removed the drums at key intervals. It’s best heard in the opening seconds of the song as 50 starts flowing over what we imagine a peaceful Compton sounds like when it’s soaked in California sunshine. Then the drums kick in and the song takes off. For most songs that’s enough, but not “Hate It Or Love It,” which does the same trick for the opening of both of Game’s verses—giving this fairly subdued beat more ups and down than you’d expect.
But maybe what’s most interesting about this beat is trying to figure out which Dre deserves more credit for it. Everyone knows that 50 would later take credit for writing all of Game’s hits, but when Complex asked both Dre (of Cool & Dre) and Dr. Dre’s right-hand man Mike Lynn about the making of this beat, another dispute of ownership was revealed.
According to Dre (of Cool & Dre) he onced played the original version of the beat for Jimmy Iovine who wanted to hear what it sounded like prior to Dr. Dre’s magic touch. When Iovine heard the original he exclaimed, “It's the same damn beat.” However, Dre was willing to admit the Good Doc put his stamp on it. “Dr. Dre had put the most amazing mix on it,” he said. “A Dr. Dre mix is a co-production in our mind.”
Meanwhile, Mike Lynn had a very different take. “Dr. Dre completely re-produced that track,” he said. “’Hate It Or Love It’ sounded like a sample, Dre made it sound like a record. If they play you their version and his version, they’re night and day. He had to [get co-producer credit], he did all the work.”
Contact Complex TV
Website | Facebook | Google+ | Tumblr
Sources : HIP HOP Conglomerate Logo | Original Article
0 comments: