The narrator discusses the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, tracing its origins to August 1973 when DJ Cool Herc began spinning records at a back-to-school party in the Bronx, New York. He also mentions the development of the dance floor impact by Herc and the influence of a future hip-hop legend in Mount Vernon, New York.
The narrator then moves on to the history of Bad Boy Records, founded in 1993 by Sean Combs (also known as Puff Daddy or Diddy). The label was known for its multi-platinum releases, including those from The Notorious B.I.G. The label's trademark was its dance floor-friendly sound, often sampling rock, pop, and even disco classics.
The narrator explains that sampling is a music production technique that involves reusing and re-contextualizing sections of existing songs in a new song. This technique is foundational to hip-hop and became a signature of the Bad Boy Records sound.
The narrator then discusses five of the most iconic samples in Bad Boy Records history:
1. "I Get Lifted" by Casey and the Sunshine Band: This song was sampled twice by Bad Boy Records. The first time was in 1994 for The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Respect" from his debut album "Ready to Die". The second time was in 1996 for the club mix of "Only You" by Bad Boy Soul quartet 112.
2. "More Bounce to the Ounce" by Zach: This song was sampled 760 times, including in Biggie's hit "Going Back to Cali" from his 1997 album "Life After Death". The song was also sampled in the 1999 posthumous Bad Boy family Posse cut "Notorious BIG" featuring Lil Kim and Puff Daddy.
3. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police: This song was sampled in Bad Boy founder Puff Daddy's debut album "No Way Out" in 1997. The second single from the album, "I'll Be Missing You", features the instrumental from "Every Breath You Take" and interpolates the vocal melody into a new chorus.
4. "Notorious" by Duran Duran: This song was sampled in the 1999 Bad Boy family Posse cut "Notorious BIG" featuring Lil Kim and Puff Daddy.
5. "Let's Dance" by David Bowie: This song was sampled in the 1999 Bad Boy family Posse cut "Notorious BIG" featuring Lil Kim and Puff Daddy.
The narrator concludes by encouraging listeners to share their favorite samples using a hip-hop track in the comments.
1. This year marks the 50th year of hip-hop.
2. The legend says that DJ Cool Herc gave birth to hip-hop in August 1973.
3. Herc spun records at his sister's back-to-school party at Cedar Park in the Bronx, New York.
4. Herc used two turntables to extend instrumental breaks and popular records to maximize dance floor impact.
5. Bad Boy Records was officially founded in 1993 by Sean Combs, also known as Puff Daddy, Puffy, or Diddy.
6. The label was known for its multi-platinum releases, including those from the Notorious B.I.G.
7. Bad Boy Records was the hottest label in the world at a time and was distinguished by their trademark dance floor-friendly sound.
8. The label often sampled rock, pop, and even disco classics.
9. Sampling is a music production technique that takes sections of existing songs and reuses and re-contextualizes them in a new song.
10. Sampling is foundational to hip-hop and became a signature of the Bad Boy Records sound.
11. The five most iconic samples in Bad Boy Records history include "I Get Lifted" by Casey and the Sunshine Band, "More Bounce to the Ounce" by Zach, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "Notorious" by Duran Duran, and "Let's Dance" by David Bowie.
12. The tragic murder of the Notorious B.I.G. in March 1997 led to the release of Bad Boy founder Puff Daddy's debut album "No Way Out".
13. The second single from "No Way Out" is "I'll Be Missing You", which features the instrumental track from "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.
14. The hook from "Notorious" found itself on the charts again in the 1999 Notorious B.I.G. posthumous Bad Boy family Posse cut featuring Lil Kim and Puff Daddy.
15. The track "Fun Center" from the song's Hood was a figure that overseas sailing to number four on the UK hip-hop r&b chart and number one with David Bowie's "Let's Dance".
16. In 1997, Puff Daddy and producers Ron Amanra Lawrence and DDOT reworked "Let's Dance" into a hit for a new generation of music lovers with the smash single "Been Around the World".