ILLMATIC!

In the spring of 1994, April 19th to be the exact, hip-hop ushered in a new king to join the ranks of those like Afrika Bambaaataa, Rakim, KRS One, Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, and so forth. It was on this date that Queensbridge emcee Nas (aka Nasty Nas) dropped his seminal masterpiece Illmatic.

All ten tracks on Illmatic are bangers: laced with classic lyrics over flawless production from such greats as DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, and Q-Tip. On "It Aint Hard To Tell", which samples Michael Jackson's "Human Nature", Nas spits:

It ain't hard to tell, I excel, then prevail
The mic is contact that I attract clientele
My mic check is life or death, breathin' a sniper's breath
I exhale the yellow smoke of Buddha through righteous steps
Deep like The Shinin', sparkle like a diamond
Sneak a uzi on the island in my army jacket linin'
Hit the Earth like a comet, invasion
Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazin'
Cause in my physical, I can express through song
Delete stress like Motrin, then extend strong
I drank Moet with Medusa, give her shotguns in hell
From the spliff that I lift and inhale, it ain't hard to tell

NAS - IT AIN'T HARD TO TELL (1994)



MICHAEL JACKSON - HUMAN NATURE (1982)

KOOL & THE GANG - SUMMER MADNESS

Here is a classic and soulful 1975 cut from the Jazz/R&B/Soul/Funk group straight out of New Jersey. Can't put K&G in a box. They are responsible for cuts such as "Celebration," "Get Down On It," "Ladies Night," and countless other hits.

SUMMER MADNESS (1975)


Famously sampled by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

WILL SMITH & DJ JAZZY JEFF - SUMMERTIME (1991)

DIGGIN' IN THE CRATES

Bobby Caldwell - 'What You Won't Do For Love'




This 1978 hit originally released on the self-titled album Bobby Caldwell from the jazz singer/guitarist has was a big hit for Bobby. Most people remember Tupac Shakur's song 'Do For Love,' released posthumously in 1997, which took a vocal sample from the Caldwell classic.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who thought Bobby Caldwell was black. In fact, back in the day in order for Caldwell to get significant airplay on the black R&B stations early in his career, his management team portrayed him only in silhouette on the cover of albums and in advertisements in order to hide the fact that he was white.

On the flip side, back in the day in order for black artists to appeal to mainstream white audiences, white artists would record cover versions of these artist's music. For example, Pat Boone recorded cover versions of a lot of Little Richard's songs. Often these black artists saw the record companies profiting from their art instead of themselves.

See another classic Bobby Caldwell track below:

Bobby Caldwell - 'Open Your Eyes'