Today I F wit the breakbeats that made hip hop what it is today. These are the best. Try to argue.
James Brown- Funky Drummer - To me this is the number one breakbeat of all time. Not that it is my favorite but this beat along with number 2 below helped shape the sound of hip hop from the past to the present. Thanks to Cylde "Funky Drummer" Stubbfield (who lived around my way). Hundreds of hip hop artists used this break. I could have picked other joints from JB but that would not have been fair to the rest of the great breaks that I listed here. Look I don't care what you say..this is the greatest break in hip hop.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/8v08xm
The Honey Drippers - Impeach the President - This could have been number one on the list. Roy C hammond and the Honey Drippers. Roy’s decided to make this song following the Watergate scandal. However, what the track would most become known for in the 35 years since its original release was neither melody nor message it was meant to convey. This song laid down one of the quintessential breaks in music history. Another long list of MC's who laid down verse after verse off of this beat.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/pjt7f7
Bob James - Nautilus
In general terms Jazz Musician Bob James might be most famous for composing the song "Angela" which is the theme song for the sitcom "Taxi", but in the world of hip hop Bob James is a legend. This break which was on the album "One" is one of the hottest not only break beats, but songs ever made. This beat has been freaked some many different ways by so many producers. It's been chopped, stretched, and looped to death. Hip Hop heads never grow tired of hearing this sample used.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/d0zuh8
The Incredible Bongo Band - Apache
If Hip Hop had a national anthem this is it!!! The real name of the "band" is Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo band,,however it was never really a band in the first place. Basically Viner used to basically get musicians together and jam in the MGM recoding studio's and all the dudes were uncredited. There is a rumor that Ringo Starr played in some of the sessions. Anyway you cannot make a list of greatest breakbeats without listing this one..If you do, YOU DO NOT KNOW YOUR HIP HOP.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/t5fsip
Bob James - Take Me To The Mardi Gras
Of couse I could have included several other James Brown Breaks, dude has so many (honorable mention to Get up,Get into it, Get Invloved which was hard to omit) but I could do an entire blog on JB breaks, but this break COULD NOT be passed up. Paul Simon did the orginal and Bob expanded on it. This is one of the first breaks that I remember hearing back in the day. When I saw Flash cutting it up in the kitchen in WildStyle I found myself trying to do the same cuts on my cousin Buck's equipment. It is an urban ledgend that Biz Markie has a version on Mardi Gras without the bells in it. My neighbor named Marty named himself Marty Graw after this break. My brother Doug says this is his favorite break and he put me on to this hip hop stuff. This is HIP HOP.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ysxz0u
Melvin Bliss - Synthetic Substitution
That little Picture is a 45 of the record that had a lot to do with the sound of Hip Hop Music. This is one of the few breaks that has like at least 3 other used breaks within the song beside the opening drum break itself. Melvin's singing on this song is horrible and I have no clue what he is singing about but the song is funky and the beat is mean. I think Melvin lives in St. Alban's Queens. Wherever you are you need to know that this break had a lot to do with many great hip hop songs.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/jc9tfq
The Mohawks - The Champ
Another "band" formed from session artists lead by Alan Hawkshaw, this band never toured or anything like that but their songs got released on the strength of thier straight up funk sounds. I think of ZULU when I hear this beat,or being in those dark community center parties smelling that aroma of "burt leaves" in the air. Even the melody of the sample was used (see ONYX, "SLAM").
http://www.sendspace.com/file/c3p637
Cerrone - Rocket In The Pocket
All I know is Cerrone was obsessed with soul music and his pops tried to discourage him from his obsession. He did his work out of Paris France and was a composer producer and perfomer. Here is a quiz for all the young hip hop heads..did you have to speed up or slow down this break to make it sound like the break that we all know and love? If you don't know,,don't feel like a sucka if you have to ask the old head in the neighborhood. (hint, it's how you get the "chipmunk" sound on wax)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/h3e7wa
ESG - UFO
What is crazy about this break is that it was created by four women, the Scroggins Sisters. What is crazier is that the album is "A South Bronx Story". How fitting is that? One of the dopest breaks made with an album title that pinpoints where all this hip hop stuff began!!! And it wasn't even intentional. For that reason alone I had to inlcude this break. This is one of Hip Hop's building blocks. Quiz two,,you did the opposite to the break of what you did to Rocket in The Pocket to get the B-Boy sound. Ok, young cats that never owned an actual record,,,you can go ask the old head down the block now.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/h3e7wa
The Winstons - Amen Brother
You are now about to witness the strenth of......ooops wrong song,well not really. Anyway some say that this break is THE MOST SAMPLES BREAK EVER...However, if someone said that it was Impeach the Pres,,or Funky Drummer,,I find that it would be hard to argue. Look I personally think this break is kinda overrated but until someone out there proves that this is not the most used break in hip hop history I will put it on my list just for that alone. I listened to this song the other day and when that break comes in, it hit me like, DAMN!!!!! The short but powerful drum break is pretty hard..."straight outta compton, crazy mother'fer named Ice Cube..... enjoy.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/fsl329
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