one of hip hops biggest beat mysteries solved.. :)

[springwater]

You are right, sir. Some of these young cats couldnt even breathe some of the words that came out of his mouth. When you first heard him, you knew you were listening to an intelligent rapper with something to say and a very descriptive lyrics that could paint pictures.
I gotta go DL that album and Gza liquid swords. For some reason, its been on my mind lately.

[MechaLove]

As far as havoc-as classic of an album as "infamous" was...he never really matched the dopeness of his beats from that era again

Definitely. I got Murda Muzik from a friend and I just hung on to it because of "The Realness" which was Alchemist anyway. Hell on Earth was good but it was a little bit...stiffer if that makes sense. Cleaner..I dunno the word but I'm sure you know what I mean.

I just can never forget the first time I heard "You Are My Starship". I heard the Mobb joint first so I was all like ooh wow. He didn't do much to it in terms of chopping or whatever, like it stayed pretty true to the original song, but it just fit the vibe so well. My other homie hooked me up with one of those original sample packs from the Infamous a few years ago (I totally never realized Shook Ones Pt 2 was only halfway in that set. I think they had Kitty With The Bent Frame, Thackery Meets Faculty and Dirty Feet down for it) and to just see where his head was at in terms of digging was interesting.

[springwater]

yeah, you are my starship is the Isley Brothers track. Is that the name of the Mobb Track. Hold up, I remember the word "voyage" in there. Sometimes i forget i have the internet right at my fingertips, the information is only a search away.

[a.D.]

Idk..i have a feeling that q tip actually had a lot more to do with the production than we've ben put on to,most likely with the record selection too,'cause tip is one of those master diggger cats,knows everything about everything..and for real,you can hear his influence all through the infamous-from the low end filtering,to the drums,and even just the swing of them.Tip had a special swing to his drums that not many had back then.... I don't think it's coincidence that everything after infamous was pretty dramatically different. Not trying to take anything away from Hav....well,then again i guess i probably am, 'cause i think he's way overrated as a producer.

[BARRY LURKIN]

FUCCEN HELL.

[a.D.]

No-I'm fuccen serious.
Anyway....Don't know how well known/common knowledge this song is,or if it is at all- but this is a joint prodigy did for tony touch's album "peacemaker" produced by alchemist,shortly before murda muzik came out.If you haven't heard this,you need to,lol-one of my favorite early 00's beats for sure-in case you're listening to this on some weak computer speakers or some half ass earbuds,keep in mind you gotta hear the bass knock to completely appreciate it.This is a good example of the prodigy/alchemist duo being way supperior to havoc/prodigy...The lyrics aren't all super thugged out either..."Basics"-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL6aWzSWbJk

[Cornelius The Third]

Biggie really said "you look so good i'd suck on your daddy's dick"? Wow-that was stretching it a little too far in the trying to be clever department...& more weight for my arguement that he was no way as good or important of an m.c. as pac...as far as souls-yea,it was a huge disapointment to me when the whole crew pretty much abandoned the sample based production,when it was the albums from the early nineties that made heiro legendary, i never got that. Recently they've been back on that shit though,del did a dope album with one of the cats from artifacts-i think el the sinsei-& souls recent album "montezumas revenge".Anyway-think i'll go find the link for memory lane & post it up here...

tame one and del. parallel uni-verse shit

lol beat me to it. . .BOOM SKWAD!

[a.D.]

oh yea,check this-people sleep on prodigy himself as a producer-& actually,originally he was on the beats before havoc was. But this is a joint self produced by prodigy off the 2000 soundtrack for "black and white"-i never saw the movie,but i got this soundtrack on wax...but to me,this song alone is better than any havoc produced mobb deep joint from the 2000's. Fuck i gotta get off here and work on something,lol.Wasted half my day on the forums & watching goth girl porn.

"don't be a follower"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA5yj3Zb-fY

[in haze]

wowww, thank you for that link!!! ive wondered that for years!!! this is soooo dope!!!!!

also for got to add, best video on youtube, hands down

great find

[nnato]

Biggie really said "you look so good i'd suck on your daddy's dick"? Wow-that was stretching it a little too far in the trying to be clever department...& more weight for my arguement that he was no way as good or important of an m.c. as pac...as far as souls-yea,it was a huge disapointment to me when the whole crew pretty much abandoned the sample based production,when it was the albums from the early nineties that made heiro legendary, i never got that. Recently they've been back on that shit though,del did a dope album with one of the cats from artifacts-i think el the sinsei-& souls recent album "montezumas revenge".Anyway-think i'll go find the link for memory lane & post it up here...

tame one and del. parallel uni-verse shit

lol beat me to it. . .BOOM SKWAD!

thats my shit. tame is by far my favorite mc. too dope to die keep rockin

[Cornelius The Third]

yea tamer is the shit. . .del just fuckin rants when he raps but whatever, artifacts are back together sen!

[MechaLove]

yeah, you are my starship is the Isley Brothers track. Is that the name of the Mobb Track. Hold up, I remember the word "voyage" in there. Sometimes i forget i have the internet right at my fingertips, the information is only a search away.

Naw, Norman Connors. I forget the name of the Mobb Track. I think it was Trife Life though. I'm hearing bits of the verse and it sounds like Trife Life. That beat is like the musical form of a summer night in the city, I love it so much. I gotta find the instrumental so I can play it when I'm driving around this summer.

If you didn't google it already anyway.

Haha a.D. you're probably right because the album transitions into Drink Away The Pain real easy and Tip made that if I'm not mistaken. I remember Hav saying he unsuccessfully tried to learn off of Large Pro so I can imagine he watched and listened real close whenever he was around the rest of those queens cats and picked up a lot of his style from them. Specifically Q Tip.

[boombapp28]

Havoc is very ill behind the boards. He's one of the reasons I copped an ASR-10. He has a nice ear for the dramatic string/piano sample and his drums knock.

His solo album "The Kush" is not as solid, but the production is bananas. A lot more synth oriented but still minimalist and gutter. The drum kits on that album are so airy yet pack a punch.

[a.D.]

Not saying he isn't a dope producer, doesn't have talent or hold his place in hip hop history-he just doesn't begin to stand up to the greats imo-and a lot of people put him in that category based strictly on the infamous. For example--speaking of dramatic strings/piano & the asr 10-alchemist has made much doper beats in that area than havoc for prodigy alone,let alone all the joints like that he's done for a crazy ammount of other m.c.'s. And I don't consider alchemist to be amongst the greatest either..