SAMPLE SUNDAY------EPISODE 1

HELLO BLOGGER WORLD!!!  SUNDAY, MAY 2ND IS GOING TO BE THE INAUGURAL INSTALLMENT OF SAMPLE SUNDAY.  THIS WEEKLY POSTING IS GOING TO  SHOW LOVE FOR THE ART OF SAMPLING.  BECAUSE THIS A WORK IN PROGRESS, THINGS MAY NOT STAY CONSTANT FROM WEEK TO WEEK OR MONTH TO MONTH.  THE CONSTANT WILL BE ME SHINING SOME LIGHT ON ARTISTS, BOTH OLDER AND NEWER, THAT MAY NOT GET THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE.  THIS WEEKLY BLOG SERIES WILL ALLOW ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COVER SOME OBSCURE RECORDS AND ARTISTS.  I HOPE THIS WILL EDUCATE AND SPARK CONVERSATION, AS WELL AS SHOW LOVE FOR A PART OF HIP HOP CULTURE THAT IS SOMETIMES IGNORED, DERIDED, OR CAST TO THE WAYSIDE. 

IN MY OPINION, SAMPLING IS NOT JUST STEALING SOMEONE'S MUSIC AND CALLING IT YOUR OWN.  ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA, "IN MUSIC, SAMPLING IS THE ACT OF TAKING A PORTION, OR SAMPLE, OF ONE SOUND RECORDING AND REUSING IT AS AN INSTRUMENT OR A DIFFERENT SOUND RECORDING OF A SONG".  BECAUSE I'VE BEEN INVOLVED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, WITH HIP HOP CULTURE, PRODUCTION, DJ'ING, ETC. FOR THE BETTER PART OF 30 YEARS, I'VE WITNESSED MANY FACETS OF HIP HOP AS AN ARTFORM.  SAMPLING IS AN ARTFORM, BECAUSE MANIPULATION OF A COLLAGE OF SOUNDS INTO SOMETHING DOPE TAKES A CREATIVE MIND AND DISCERNING EAR, WHEN DONE WITH INTEGRITY.  NOW, I'M NOT GOING TO GET ON MY "TRUE HIP HOP" SOAPBOX AND PREACH PREACH PREACH!!!  I AM, HOWEVER, GOING TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS AND OPEN DIALOGUE ABOUT SAMPLING AS A WHOLE.

FOR TODAY'S INSTALLMENT,  I AM GOING TO SHED LIGHT ON THE PAST AND PRESENT, COURTESY OF THE SYLVERS AND 9TH WONDER.  FOR STARTERS, THE SYLVERS WERE A VERY FUNKY AND DOPE FAMILY, IN THE MOLD OF THE JACKSON 5.  MANY CONSIDERED THE SYLVERS TO BE A COPY OF THE JACKSONS FORMULA.  THIS FAMILY GROUP, CONSISTING OF 9 MEMBERS AT ITS HEIGHT, WERE BASED OUT OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, A HOTBED FOR SOULFUL, FUNKY MUSICIANS.  THE SYLVERS DISCOGRAPHY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THE SONIC BACKDROP FOR A MULTITUDE OF HIP HOP JOINTS.  TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON TWO WORDS:  "SO CLOSE".  "SO CLOSE" IS THE SHARED TITLE BETWEEN THE SYLVERS COMPOSITION FROM THEIR DEBUT SELF-TITLED ALBUM THE SYLVERS, AND THE DOPE COLLABO BETWEEN SKYZOO AND 9TH WONDER.  9TH IS A FAVORITE PRODUCER OF MINE, BECAUSE I SEE AND HEAR SIMILARITIES IN HIS SOULFUL APPROACH TO PRODUCTION.  THIS JOINT IS SPECIAL BECAUSE OF THE WAY 9TH WONDER FLIPS THE SYLVERS SAMPLE, TURNING IT INTO AN AURAL COLLAGE, IN THE SAME WAY SOMEONE WOULD CONSIDER ANDY WARHOL AN ARTISTIC GENIUS.  9TH HAS A WAY OF MAKING THE FAMILIAR HIS OWN.  YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION AND HEAR THE FUNK, THE SOUL, THE FEELING BEHIND THE VOCAL ARRANGEMENTS.  9TH CREATED A SONIC BED TO ALLOW BROOKLYN-BRED LYRICIST SKYZOO, WHO I FEEL IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED EMCEES IN THE INDUSTRY, THE SPACE TO SPIT INTELLECTUAL, DOPE, BRAGGADOCIOUS LYRICS.

HERE IS THE ORIGINAL BY THE SYLVERS:



I'M FEELING THE PIANO AND VOCAL HARMONIZING IN THIS SYLVERS SONG.  9TH DID A NICE JOB OF FINDING VARIOUS PORTIONS OF THIS SONG TO SAMPLE AND CHOP.  FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE SYLVERS LOOK LIKE, "HEERRRRREEEE WE GOOOO" (SHAMELESS SHOUT-OUT TO SLICK RICK)...

I SEE WHY THERE WERE COMPARISONS WITH THE JACKSON 5 AND DEBARGE!!!

NOW HERE IS THE UNRELEASED SKYZOO/9TH WONDER SONG "SO CLOSE":

CHECK OUT THE SYLVERS DISCOGRAPHY, BECAUSE IT RUNS PRETTY DEEP.  THE CLASSIC "MISDEMEANOR" JOINT FROM FOSTER SYLVERS SERVES AS THE BACKDROP FOR THE D.O.C. DOPENESS "IT'S FUNKY ENOUGH".  JUST LISTENING TO "MISDEMEANOR" TODAY TAKES ME BACK TO A PLACE OF INNOCENCE BACK IN THE 70'S, THE DECADE THAT NURTURED AND MOLDED ME INTO THE PERSON I AM TODAY (FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE).  I ALSO WANT YOU TO SEE THE POTENTIAL AND LYRICISM IN SKYZOO.  OF COURSE, 9TH WONDER GETS NOTHING BUT LOVE FROM ME.  9TH WONDER HAS NOT ONLY BEEN A DRIVING FORCE BEHIND NC CREW LITTLE BROTHER, BUT HE HAS ALSO BRANCHED OUT TO PRODUCE MUSIC FOR VARIOUS ARTISTS SUCH AS JAY-Z, DESTINY'S CHILD, ERYKAH BADU, BUCKSHOT, MURS, AND EVEN "STRINGER BELL" HIMSELF IDRIS ELBA!  BELOW I AM GOING TO INCLUDE LINKS TO VIEW THE ARTISTS FROM EPISODE 1.

www.soulwalking.co.uk/The%20Sylvers.html

www.myspace.com/skyzoo

www.9thwonderpresents.com/

I HOPE THIS FIRST INSTALLMENT WAS INFORMATIVE AND ENLIGHTENING.  ONCE I GET INTO THE FLOW OF THINGS, I BELIEVE THIS SERIES WILL BE A COOL LOOK IN THE BLOGOSPHERE.  I APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK, SUGGESTIONS, COMMENTS, CRITICISMS, PRAISE, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.  I'M LOOKING FOR THIS FORUM TO BE OPEN, IN ORDER TO HAVE CONSTRUCTIVE GROWTH FOR WHAT I'M TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.  UNTIL NEXT SUNDAY...

KEEP CHOPPING, KEEP SAMPLING!!!

                                                       ONE LOVE---WISDOM