reason

BeatSession 01|31|11

Original Sample:

Everything Must Change by Billy Paul

When I first heard this week’s sample, I thought it was terribly depressing (other versions by Ighner and Nina are equally morbid). But then I took it back — the song is “…melancholy, maybe, but not sad. There’s a difference I think” (6:15). I admit, it is an undeniable truth and certainty — everything must [and certainly does] change. But thankfully, change can be just as many times for the better as it is for the worse. E.g. For an individual (or a nation) going through trying times, this song’s message can be viewed as a lament demand for change.

Billy Paul, best known for his extramarital affair with Mrs. Jones, is a Grammy Award winning singer who released 13 albums during the span of his career. There is one album in his catalog, however, which is the epitome of an album which has been slept on and is the vessel which contained this week’s sample. Enter Got My Head On Straight — an amazing concept album who’s release was wedged between his classic album, War of The Gods and When Love Is New. It is a musical masterpiece which has fallen through the cracks and into the proverbial dusty milk crates of obscurity. Proof: 1) Information about this album cannot be found here and 2) This album is not available on CD (only vinyl). How does an amazing album, like this, by a popular artist, like Billy Paul, get overlooked when choosing albums to convert to CD? Or put another way — why do classic albums become out-of-print much too soon ? I have no idea… Well, I guess some things actually do never change. – illa (@illa0804/@generationill)

Featured Beats and Producers:

Must Change by Agent Smith 78 (Chicago, IL)

Debut by Low Profile of Paro Paro Beats (Woodside, NY)

KATUBUSAN by Chrizo (Las Piñas, Philippines)

Everything Change by Defurious for Beatronix Production (Davao City, Philippines)

Batas Militar by D (Lipa, Batangas)

Nothing Is The Same by DJ Spinz (Makati City, Philippines)

Say It by C. Bran (Charlotte, NC)

‘Son Dance (Park City Part Three) by Sideways (Orlando, FL)

Scenes by LateNite (Antwerp, Belgium)

Embolism by Norman Beats (Gainesville, FL)

Vision is Seeing What’s Not There by PMBeatz (Washington, DC)

What They Need: Change (Kwelity of Life) by illa (Miami, FL)

Ghost Walk by Blackph03nix (London, England)

Nothing Stays The Same by Gee (Toronto, Canada)

BeatSession 05|09|10 *Cinco De Mayo Session*

In honor of Cinco De Mayo this past week, we sampled the Mexican singer Marco Antonio Muñiz and his song from 1983, “Por Amor”. In case you didn’t know, Cinco De Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

I found a video of a live performance of Mr. Muñiz singing this week’s sample. The quality of the video is almost as bad as the arrangement of the music in the video. And i’m not sure who the guy singing w/ Mr. Muñiz is… but the dude made me laugh.

Original Sample:

Por Amor by Marco Antonio Muñiz

Featured Beats and Producers:

The Arrival By PMbeatz (Washington DC)

Cinco’s Goof Liquid and Beef Slings by Sideways (Orlando, FL)

Ninetwo5ive and Puebla’s Revenge by illa (Miami, FL)

Another Song Which Uses This Sample:

Three by Prodigy (Produced by Alchemist)