We remember all the hits, but what about the fan favorite street singles?
Irv Gotti participates in Bet Networks 2016 in advance in Rose Hall at Jazz at the Lincoln Center on April 20, 2016 in New York City.
D DIPASUPIL/BET/GETTY -Pictures to Bet -Network
Irv Gotti died earlier this week at the age of 54.
While most people remember him as leader of Murder Inc. -The record company and their massive hits, Gotti got his start as a producer, Talent Scout and an A&R before talking Russell Simmons and Def Jam to give him his own label. The Queens product had famous foresight to introduce both Jay-Z and DMX to the established label where the two MCs helped Def Jam reach out to the unprecedented mainstream success at the time. Instead of focusing on the hugely successful singles he produced as Ashanti’s “Foolish” or J.Lo’s “I’m Real”, I decided to reset on his non-hit B-pages as some have grown older and have become Underrded Fan-Favorites.
Now I couldn’t include songs like Mic Geronimo’s “S – T’s Real” or DMX’s “What’s My Name” because these items had different degrees of short success when released. The same goes for songs like Jay-Z’s “Can I get a …” with Amil and YES Rule, “Grand Final” with NAS, Method Man, Rule and X and Jas Sang “Holla, Holla”. Except for “Can I get a …” that introduced most of the world to YES RULE and was a club singer at the time – the other served served as “street singles” as a way of placing rap fans who didn’t care for radio -legislic rap -Singler when they went to buy certain albums from certain artists.
IRV has proven to be versatile when it came to the art of making beats, and the list below illustrates further versatility. Check out my choices for the 11 best B-sites produced by the late record director.
May he rest in peace.
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“4 my click”
Artist: CA $ H MONEY CLICK FEAT. MIC GERONIMO
Album: Reach
Co-producer: ReachBefore Yes Rule was at Murder Inc. And before cash records took over for 9-9, he was in a rap group with Chris Black and O-1, and their group was named after Cash Money Brothers from the 1991 movie New Jack City. Although they never got their debut album released, they have songs like “4 My Click” that made some noise. Beat tests Maynard Ferguson’s “Mister Mellow” and it reminds me of the music you belong to a Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Loading screen. West Coast Funk influence was strong during this time thanks to Dre’s game change Chronic album.
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“Time to build”
Artist: Mic geronimo feat. Yes Rule, DMX and Jay-Z
Album: The natural (1995)
Co-producer: ReachYes, that’s yes, X and Jay on the same track back in 1995 (which feels like ages ago these days). Around this time, Irv was behind Queens Mc Mic Geronimo and had the foresight to put them all on the same song together. He knew when he heard greatness and tried to put a focus on it. Rappers have to make posse -cuts again. Just four wordsmiths on the same song trying to outdo each other.
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“We don’t give off – K”
Artist: DMX feat. Jadakiss & Styles P
Album: Flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood (1998)
Co-producer: Dat n – a ropeThe words, “used to be my dawg, you were in my left titty/ scream, ‘ryde or die !,’ I thought you would die with ‘me/ found out you ab – ch, you can’t even ryde wit’ Me/ now it is a war and you are not on the side with me ‘, ”is etched in my brain, and I will rap to this song when it turns on. A time in rap, as album cuts were almost always better than the main singles.
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“See me”
Artist: Jay-Z feat. Dr. Dre
Album: Vol. 3… Life and times of S. Carter (1999)
Co-producer: Lil RobEasily one of my favorite tracks of what has probably become Jay’s most underrated album, I went through a good part of my life thinking that Dre produced this because he is on the hook. Bounce on this joint is nuts and you will feel more when you have given it the car test when you find yourself rapping, “Gun Too Brocky behaves, Big Shot/ Plus, I feel like Rocky these days.”
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“History to tell”
Artist: YES -REGISTER
Album: Stomach cheese (1998)
Co-producer: ReachThis one right here is a sleeping one of one of the best movies soundtracks of all time, as movie studies were interested in that kind. We really used to be a proper country let me tell you. BIG has a better song with essentially the same title, but this one nevertheless knocks. Yes Rule’s Street Raps has been underestimated over time and it’s a bit unfortunate. This track has always been my favorite when I have given BUG Soundtrack a spin.
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“You are only a customer”
Artist: Jay-Z
Album: Dangerous reason Cheese (1997)/Streets are looking at Cheese (1998)
Co-producer: ReachDo you hear that beat? The way Irv flipped that Mary J. Blige “Mary Jane (all night)” Remix was to be taught in hip-hop beatmaking 101. And when Jay rapped, “while thumbs through The sourceI read RobB report“It really opened up my brain because I had no idea what the Robb report was when this song fell. Jigga tried to put us on the finer things in life right from the beginning.
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“Kill them all”
Artist: Yes Rule feat. Jay-Z
Album: Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)
Co-producer: SelfI remember this track being teased at the end of the video for “It’s Murda” and then a little disappointed that Jay was only on the hook. However, the beat remained a favorite of both ways. This “Come and Dream Something Paradise” trial flip is just brilliant. I still want Jay to detach the verse he had on this. There is no way he did not put one down after hearing this blow.
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“It’s Murda”
Artist: Yes Rule Feat. DMX & Jay-Z
Album: Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)
Co-producer: Ty FyffeThis song, “Murder Gram”, and that XXL Cover had the streets of a madness – and it’s a damn shame that we never got that Jay, yes and DMX Murder Inc. -album. Shout Norman Whitfield and David Ruffin to create the masterpiece that is sometimes “smiling faces” so it could be sampled one day to create one of the most gangster rap songs that ever has to be put on wax. Someone to Jay to get the original Murder Inc. Spores the vault. They must exist somewhere. The streets need it!
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“Dial M for murder”
Artist: YES -REGISTER
Album: Pain is love (2001)
Co-producer: Ty FyffeI want to be honest here as this is a safe space and all: Now I wasn’t quite 50 Cent Fan, but even I was a little off to Jas Pivot for Mainstream R&B RAP, and wasn’t the biggest fan of this album . I say that to say: This beat is underestimated because of that. Everyone really remembers the big singles from this album, like “Livin ‘It Up” and “Always Two Time” – which were good records to listen to a party or on the radio but not really for when you’re on the block or hotboxin’ the Whip, as this one is. The “Dial M” version I remember most, however, is “Remix” from Diplomats Volume 1 Mixtape, where Cam’ron added a disgusting verse to the end.
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“Intro”
Artist: DMX
Album: It’s dark and hell is hot (1998)
Co-producer: Lil RobWhen we talk about the biggest rap album Intros, we have to talk about DMX’s debut. The only needle drop that can compare is when the arena lights get dark, and the Undertaker Gong hits the part of your soul that makes your hair stand up. What else should be said? This beat is threatening in every sense of the word. Every time X asks me, “What have you done now?” I feel that I was just mistakenly detached a demon on the streets of NYC.
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“Can I live”
Artist: Jay-Z
Album: Reasonable doubt (1996)
Co-producer: ReachOne of the most important songs in Jay’s catalog, “Can I Live” can serve as a dissertation for the way he chose to live his past life and how he has applied these experiences to his legitimate business enterprises. An essay can be written about what he says on the track’s introduction alone. “We pull out of a sense of hopelessness, a kind of desperation,” he begins, “through this desperation we become addicted, kinds like the enemies we used to serve. But we feel we haven’t lost, so we offer you, yes, we offer our lives, right? What do you bring to the table? ”
Then he spits out a few of the plane verses ever put on wax as he runs over Irv’s luxurious beat like a Lexus GS300 from 1996. These strings and horns are life -changing. There has been a clip that flows around Irv Gotti and Jigga sitting in a study talking about this specific clue as the IRV gene ridden beat. I suggest you see it.