Big Big Love
Oi Oi
of a week off work. It’s been good to know what morning lie ins and al fresco drinking are like again. We’re off to Alton Towers tomorrow with all the Leeds & Preston crew then I’m out with the Bolton boys in Manchester. It should be good.
Martins Top Ten Hip Hop Tunes..
Hi Everyone – Martin here. Last week Simon gave us his top ten Hip Hop tunes, and although i have to admire his taste my selection would be slightly different. So here goes.. In no particular order. First off i would definitly have to agree with Simon that Dead Prez’s Hip Hop is a great tune and should feature in any Top Ten i won’t be including this as it would be a cop out. Please be aware most of these tunes contain swears, as is often the case with Hippity Hoppings
Jurassic 5 - Jayou
Back in those hazy college days i got into Hip Hop proper via the mighty Jurrasic Five and their first album the Jurrasic 5 LP (or J5 as its known in some circles). Every track on this is brilliant and a real tour de force of mid nineties alternative Hip Hop but for me the stand out track has got to be Jayou. We used to go to the Unit in Sheffield for the NY Sushi Bike Shed every Tuesday with Shaun and Kev (word) and we were known (to each other) as the Sheffield B Boys (ahem). £1 bottles of Stella and a packed dance floor in the sweatiest club known to South Yorkshire made for a great night out. Jurassic 5, as im sure you are aware consisted of 4 MC’s and two of the best DJ’s in the world (Cut Chemist & DJ Nu-Mark). Chali 2na (great name) has one of the most distinctive vocal styles in Hip Hop to date.
Pharoahe Monch – Simon Says
Another song from the Ny Sushi days is this monster of a tune. Using a sample of the Godzilla theme tune that has been re-used by loads of tunes since it never failed to get everyone in the club jumping up and down. It really gave people something to do when dancing - particularly pointing at the girls dancing on the stage during the rude bits.. I think it’s meant to be taken with a pinch of salt and quite sarcastic in its lyric content.
Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
Mos Def is by far one of the coolest people in Hip Hop circles. he has managed to cross the genres of soul, Hip Hop and Rock many times and sometimes all at the same tune. His first album, Black On Both Sides is a great album and if you havent heard it you really are missing out. you may recognise him from other media too, he is out spoken on many issues and has appeared in numerous films. Have a listen to this tune and try to not listen to again immediately afterwards. This is Real Hip Hop.
De La Soul feat. Redman – Oooh!
De la Soul invented flower power Hip Hop way back in the day and are still going to this day. They recently collaborated with Gorillas on a couple of albums and really gave those albums the edge. After a few years away from the scene in the late 90′s they returned with this tune that somehow missed out on becoming as renowned and recognised at it should have been at the time. Check out ‘Oooh’ and its crazy ass video…
Busta Rhymes - Turn It Up, fire It Up Remix
The Hardest man in Hip Hop according to ‘Shauny Shaun Shaun’ (Triple S) released a remix of one of his album tracks that far surpasses the original. With a brilliant sample from the Night Rider Theme written by Stu Phillips it really compliments Busta Rhymes’ fast lyrical style. It was all over the radio at the time and still sounds great today.
Jay-Z - Girls, Girls, Girls
I don’t really rate the Jigger Man, i think he thinks he’s a lot coller than he actually is and most of his music is wack (ahem) but this little beauty, the second single from his album The Blueprint is, in my opinion the greatest song he has done. A very simple song with a very simple chorus it stands apart for having a fantastic sample from ‘There’s nothing in this world that can stop me from loving you’by Tom brock that never gets dull. This song was originally produced for Ghostface Killah of the Wu Tang Clan believe it or not (according to Wikipedia)
RZA - My Lovin’ Is Digi
RZA (‘short’ for Razor or Ruler Zig-Zag Ziggelar) is the brain of the mighty Wu-Tang Clan. He produce most of their work (if not all of it) and is also a fantastic rapper and often can be seen in bits parts in films where he usually plays very funny characters. In the late 90′s he released an album as his alter ego (!) Bobby Digital. This, for me, is the stand out tune and illustrates RZA’s unparalleled ear for a good sample. If i have one critiscism of this tune it is that is not long enough.
Crash Crew – High Power Rapp
A song from Detroit way back in the early eighties. You have definitely heard this tune in some form or another over the years.. Listen out for a line from another tune in this list, Girls Girls Girls by Jay Z (pretty much the entre chorus is lifted from this tune) and the Kazoo section from Jurrasic 5 – Concrete Schoolyard (which was in Simon’ Top Ten). A real originator of the Hip Hop genre with nods to this tune from everyone from Beastie Boys to more modern acts.
Doug E fresh ft. The Get Fresh Crew & Slick Rick - The Show
When i was 8 my sister gave me a CD she had got from Readers Digest or Britannia music club entitled ‘Hip Hop and Rapping in the House‘. Most of the songs on this compilation went over my head but this one stuck with me for ever. And i kept noticing things from it in songs over the years, especially the ‘Fresh’ scratch. I later read that Doug E Fresh has claimed to have invented Beat Boxing, although i have also heard differently. I also read that Debbie Harry claims to have popularised Rapping by ripping off Freddy Fresh on Rapture. She didn’t even bother to change his lyrics even when they included his name.
The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper’s Delight
The song that started it all. enough said..
One more….
This is one of the best songs ever recorded. Considering the Video is done in one take i think it’s unsurpassed in terms of technique. The Beastie Boys have kind of lost their edge over the years. I think the best album they did was Hello Nastyas its more random and Hip Hop influenced than the earlier stuff.. Anyway im going to leave you with this one..
Beastie Boys - Three MC’s and One DJ
So.. What did we miss? What are your favourite Hip Hop tunes? Please leave us your comments below and let us know which top tens you want next..
Big Big Love Hip Hop Favourites
HiWelcome back to the big big blog. I’ve had a busy couple of weeks on the booking front. Can’t wait to get back djing soon. Please make sure you take full advantage of the Spotify playlist by updating it with your favourite tunes. It’s our best way of finding out how you want your night to go.I’m also hearing that my good friends John & Melanie are busy with bookings and orders. Check them out at Perfect Wedding Videos & Photo’s blog at http://www.perfectweddingvideos.co.uk/wedding-photography-cheshire/ and the Ivory Tuesday blog at http://www.ivorytuesday.com/.On the music front stuff thats caught my attention recently has been the new Usher tune produced by Diplo. One of my mates is giving me grief for getting into an RnB phase so this one’s for him.The last tune on Martin’s new mix is a fantastic tune. I can’t get it out of my head. It’s the Daphni mix of Modular Pursuits by No Boundries. If you don’t like it at first give it a few more chances. I love it!!This time around I thought I’d share a selection of my favourite hip hop tunes. This one is always likely to spark a fair bit of debate so let me know your thoughts.The first one is easy for me. Amazing album. Shame out his live performance at The Big Chill last year. Stick with the bad language as this tune is ACE!!!! Nicky Minaj’s rap. Nuff said.Again, the next one is easy to think of. Jurassic 5 first album is a true hip hop classic. Every tune a minter. This one sticks out though. Concrete Schoolyard.Moving into the true classic tunes now. 3 minutes 48 seconds in it cements itself as one of the greatest. Eric B & Rakim with Coldcut on the mix.I played David’s 40th back last year and hip hop was the only thing that would keep them all on the dancefloor. This one especially. LL Cool J with Mama said knock you out.Next up is Roots Manuva. These days there’s loads of UK hip hop around. This came out when there hardly wasn’t any. Rapping about pints of bitter and cheese on toast it’s Witness.And if I play that then I have to play this. Martin & John with their take on the same tune over Tinie Tempah. 3000 hits and rising. Booyaka Booyaka Booyaka!I don’t know if these next guys were one hit wonders. It may not even have been a hit but its a great tune. It is Hip Hop by Dead Prez. Please somebody ask me to play this. Its ace.I’m leaving myself open for this next one but I love it and it does generally get people on the dancefloor. Fatman Sccop with Be Faithful.Another great UK hip hop tune (to some) is Safe From Harm by Massive Attack, Enjoy.Last up is Mike (Keith) Skinner. Yes he’s garage but there aren’t many rappers better than this lad. An out and out musical genius.There you go. Let me know what you think,Massive shout outs to Mike & Jill and their engagement last weekend. Finally, another 6 day stag do is on the cards. Berlin anyone?Also, congratulations to one of my close mates who’s girlfriend is expecting later this year. I don’t know who he’s told yet so I’m keeping to schtum.Anyway much love and see you soon.Simonx
Big Big Blog – Top 10 Mixes
Hi All
Wedding DJs Leeds Manchester Sheffield York
Check out my Facebook Page & Twitter Page for more of what’s going on. Big Big Love offers an alternative Wedding DJ for your big day, whether its in Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, York, Yorkshire, Lancashire or beyond. Playing the very best in House, Electro, Indie and quality Pop music, our wedding DJ will ensure the only place to be on your wedding night is the dance floor.
Wedding DJ Leeds Manchester Sheffield York
Weddings Leeds Manchester York Sheffield Dj
Check out my Facebook Page & Twitter Page for more of what’s going on. Big Big Love offers an alternative Wedding DJ for your big day, whether its in Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, York, Yorkshire, Lancashire or beyond. Playing the very best in House, Electro, Indie and quality Pop music, our wedding DJ will ensure the only place to be on your wedding night is the dance floor.
See you soon
Simon
What to spend the party fund on!!
Hello everyone
The blog keeps on coming and so do the tunes.
I’ve just bought my new piece of dj equipment. My new kontrol s2 is amazing! No more purchasing for some time. I was doing my finances the other day and I’m effectively skint (fee skint) til September when I’m off to Ibiza. I’ve never been before so I can’t wait. I’m keeping my fingers crossed hoping that Aphex Twin plays the closing party again. We’re also having a script there as we’re hiring a massive villa. All are welcome (apart from sleeping as there’s no room).
Also on the subject of my finances one thing that will do it no good is going out. At the moment I’m torn between James Zabiela at Mint and Kink, Julio Bashmore & Joy Orbison at Sankeys (I prefer the latter). Any ideas? Check out Existence by Kink & The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow by Joy Orbison.
One of my favourite mix albums of last year was the Dave Clarke fabric cd. Typical Dave Clarke really. Hard as owt and great tune selection. Best tune on it is Aufstand by Gessafelstein. There’s absolutely no way I can play this at a party but it’s still a great tune.
Last thing. I’ve finally got round to pricing up a package for parties. It’s £245 for the soundsystem, lighting rig & me for 5 hours and a selection of requests. Let me know if you’re interested.
Check out my Facebook Page & Twitter Page for more of what’s going on. Big Big Love offers an alternative Wedding DJ for your big day, whether its in Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, York, Yorkshire, Lancashire or beyond. Playing the very best in House, Electro, Indie and quality Pop music, our wedding DJ will ensure the only place to be on your wedding night is the dance floor.
See you soon
Simon
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