Al Green
Love And Happiness
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I’m Still In Love With You (1972)

Monty Alexander
Love And Happiness
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Rass (1974)

Jurassic 5
Baby Please
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Feedback (2006)

Al Green’s “Love And Happiness” is one of those tunes that’s loved by all. Enjoy the original, and consider adding a couple of clever reinterpretations to your MP3 collection.

Al owned the R&B charts in 1972, releasing two terrific LPs: I’m Still In Love With You and Let’s Stay Together. Al had so many hits in the early 70s that “Love And Happiness” wasn’t even released as a single. Bonkers.

Jamaican jazz organist Monty Alexander covered “Love And Happiness” a couple of years after its release. Ernest Ranglin’s rhythm guitar provides a subtle reggae backdrop for epic solos from Monty and guitarist “Trini” Clarence Wears.

“Love And Happiness” must have been massive in Jamaica; check out Al Brown’s full-on reggae version, also from 1974:

Jurassic 5 chopped up Al Green’s original “Love And Happiness” and reassembled it into an entirely different thing. The double-time rapping from MCs Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even, and Chali 2na complement Exile’s bouncy production and DJ Nu-Mark’s razor-sharp scratching.

“Love And Happiness” has been covered by everyone from pop-jazz sax player David Sanborn to disco queens First Choice to this pretty awful house version. There seems to be a version of “Love And Happiness” to satisfy any musical taste.

Wrektime
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Sound Bwoy Bureill
(w/Starang Wonduh, Top Dog)
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Home Sweet Home
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Album: Dah Shinin’ (1995)

I couldn’t decide if Smif-N-Wessun’s Dah Shinin’ should be categorized within LP Classics or Crate Diggin’.

One the one hand, Dah Shinin’ is a mid-90s banger, and was part of a wave of releases that brought some shine back to New York hip hop after years of West Coast dominance. So LP Classics seems like the right place for this post.

On the other hand, unless you were a serious connoisseur of rap, you’ve probably never heard of Smif-N-Wessun, its talented MCs Tek and Steele, or their underrated producers, Da Beatmizerz. The duo appears to identify itself with an underground aesthetic; so from that perspective, maybe Crate Diggin’ would be the more appropriate categorization.

It’s the rare record that can be both amazing and unknown, but Dah Shinin’ pulls it off. It’s not for everyone, though. The lyrics are raw, the beats are moody and ambient. And kids should definitely not attempt to learn spelling from the duo; everything in the Smif-N-Wessun universe uses ridiculous, phonetic spelling. (“Wipe Ya Mouf”?)

But for those who can hang with the realness, Da Shinin’ is one of hip hop’s most steady LPs; having a single producer oversee the record makes a huge difference to its flow.

Sorry about the skip that kicks off “Wrektime.” (When keeping it real goes wrong.) “Wrektime” is one of the LPs more upbeat cuts, though it conforms to the Smif-n-Wessun lyrical template of weed, guns, and getting into shit. I have no idea what Tek is trying to say with, “Mista Rippa slicker than your sista/Turn down the lights she got hit by the Vicksta,” but it is delivered with entertaining conviction.

“Sound Bwoy Bureill” is my favorite track on the record, and Da Beatminerz’s production is a masterful showcase for the art and power of minimalism. In addition to its memorable vocals, the track consists of a straightforward drum pattern, a driving bassline, some sparse keyboard flourishes, and a wind sound that subtly supports its ominous mood. Tek and Steele often employ Jamaican-style phrasing in their verses, most prominently on this classic joint.

I’ve been trying to track down the reggae toaster sampled at the beginning and end of “Sound Bwoy Bureill”. The Internet claims the obscure Super Beagle record below is the source, but it doesn’t quite match up with the badass toasting that appear on Smif-n-Wessun’s track (where is “LEAVE!”?).

Also, my guess is that the accapella intro part is not Super Beagle, but some Flavor Flav-ian hype man. Or is Super Beagle the name of the group and not the singer? I wish I knew that dude’s name.

The final selection, “Home Sweet Home” (they spelled that one right… why not “Hohm Suite Hohm?”) features a menacing excerpt from Roy Ayers’ oft-sampled classic, “We Live In Brooklyn Baby”. (Incidentally, the cover design for Dah Shinin’ also “samples” the cover design for He’s Coming, the Roy Ayers LP that includes “We Live In Brooklyn Baby”.) Tek and Steele each pull off some intricate rhymes: respectively, “What parts of no, do not you understand bro?” and “They was sent to represent and cause a ruckus amongst us.”

Unsurprisingly, Smif-n-Wessun were sued by Smith & Wesson after the release of Dah Shinin’, forcing them to change their name to Cocoa Brovaz. They must have worked something out with the gunmakers, because they changed their name back to Smif-n-Wessun in the mid-00s. They’re still recording and recently released a decent record with Pete Rock entitled Monumental. (The cover art is awesome.)

Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None)
Snoop Doggy Dogg w/Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Warren G
Released in 1993
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Oh No
Pharoahe Monch w/Nate Dogg, Mos Def
Released in 2000
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The Set Up (Remix)
Obie Trice w/Nate Dogg, Redman, Lloyd Banks, Jadakiss
Released in 2004
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Sad to hear of Nate Dogg’s recent passing. Nate wasn’t the first singer to provide R&B-style hooks on rap records (TJ Swan, perhaps?), but I can’t remember any R&B/hip hop hybrid prior to Nate’s 1992 appearances on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic that didn’t inflict collateral damage to anyone’s street cred.

Nate Dogg’s lyrics could be offensive to some, and his music isn’t for everybody. But even feminists like to get down to Snoop Dogg’s raunchy yet irresistible “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None).” Dr. Dre’s thumping, feel-good production provides a sneaky contrast to a bunch of really dirty verses from Kurupt, Snoop, and Warren G. But it’s Nate’s lengthy, sing-along vocal intro that lifts “Ain’t No Fun” to 5-star classic status.

Nate was clearly a product of Los Angeles’s G-funk scene, but he garnered respect from coast to coast. His chorus in the Rockwilder-produced “Oh No” (featuring fiery verses from Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch) says it all:

Look at who they let in the back door
From Long Beach to Brooklyn they know

Until I started working on this post, I didn’t realize Dr. Dre (along with Mike Elizondo) produced Obie Trice’s “The Set Up.” Not a surprise, though, considering how much this beat kills. Lyrically, there’s plenty of misogyny to go around from Obie Trice, Redman, Lloyd Banks, and Jadakiss, and though Nate is by no means soft, the fact that he’s singing takes some of the edge off.

Though his output dropped as he battled through multiple strokes, Nate contributed to dozens of hits through the 90s and into the aughts. Hope he’s ready for the next episode…

Workinonit
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Two Can Win
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Don’t Cry
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Album: Donuts (2006)

J Dilla’s Donuts isn’t for everyone. It has zero commercial aspirations, and would fairly be categorized as an experimental art project. But for those of us who like to deconstruct how producers dig for and manipulate samples, Donuts abounds with creativity and originality.

Donuts is sui generis: impossible to imagine anyone else creating it, and with no apparent influences. Sure, many others have started with the same set of tools — a diverse stack of vintage vinyl (most of it rare 45s), an MPC drum machine, a turntable, and a Mac — but no one synthesized these elements quite like Dilla.

Most of the time, sample-based productions extract a few seconds of a track, loop it, and layer a beat on top of it. But Dilla can chop up a track into precise chunks, then reform it into its hipper cousin.

Let’s compare a few tracks from Donuts with the original R&B records Dilla beatmined. (Sadly, I don’t have any of the original tracks to share, but YouTube was able to provide.)

“Workinonit” may be as close to a pop song as Donuts gets. At nearly three minutes, it’s the longest track on the record. I was surprised when I tracked down its source, the obscure 10cc track “The Worst Band in the World.”

Dilla magically wove together a bunch of elements from the record, sped them up, and added the occasional Beastie Boys chant. Even the percussion sounds appear to be mostly taken from this 10cc bit of weirdness. Hearing the original after getting to know Dilla’s version is a joyous, dissociative experience.

“Two Can Win” provides the most dramatic contrast from its predecessor, The Sylvers’ stealthily complex “Only One Can Win.”

I’ve heard a rapper or two attempt to rhyme on this, but I can’t imagine interfering with the interplay between the tight harmonies of the title phrase, the Michael Jackson-esque lead vocals, and those expressive, otherwordly howls.

P.S. Any idea why Dilla decided upon the title to “Two Can Win,” even though the vocals say “only one can win?”

As far as I can hear, “Don’t Cry” restricts its sounds to a drum machine and a 45 of The Escorts’ “I Can’t Stand (To See You Cry).

As the track starts, the vocal sample is straightforward and virtually unadulterated. But at the 40 second mark, Dilla starts messing with your head: see-sawing tempo changes, sung syllables emulating percussion, only to have it all dissolve as the song’s key phrase is delivered: “I can’t stand to see you cry.”

Tragically, Dilla passed away from a rare blood disease three days after Donuts was released. It’s impossible for me to listen to it and not think about how sick he was when he recorded it, how aware he was that he wasn’t gonna make it, and the urge for him to gift as many ideas from his soul as he could in the time he had left. Imagining his process deepens my appreciation for Donuts; I wonder if I would feel differently about this LP without its backstory?

The Phunky Feel One (Extended Version)
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How I Could Just Kill A Man (The Killer Mix)
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Released in 1991

Sometimes, I get mad. These tracks help get the aggression out.

There is no B-side on this 12″; both of these tracks are 5-star classics, and murder on the dancefloor.

‘Nuff said.