Nah this ain't a post about The Legion featuring Dres, duns. This is yet another homegrown T.R.O.Y. Forum treat, this time with a holiday twist, courtesy of Hullabaloo:
Sick of your 9-5's holiday carols? Try the Slayed Bells mix. I went through my library listening for that telltale jingle jangle to give you the perfect stocking stuffer and me a crazy migraine.
The sleigh bells have had a torrid history in hip hop production. Golden Age producers like Pete Rock, Buckwild, and Large Professor built careers off the sample, imbuing their beats with a soulful, whimsical, swinging groove, that often enticed some of the best performances out of an emcee's career. Sleigh bells can be the focal point of your track (Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend), relied on as a hi-hat stand-in (Big L - 8 iz Enuff), or lurk subtly deep within the mix (Lord Finesse - Flip da Style).
Picking tracks for Slayed Bells has changed the way I hear my music. I am now conscious of the sleigh bell presence on songs I had heard hundreds of times before. I now notice how Large Professor uses three different samples on Nas' Halftime. I now consider it a travesty when producers opt for a tambourine, xylophone, slide whistle, or salt shaker instead. I am now acutely aware of songs that SHOULD have had some bells in the background. Close your eyes and imagine the jingling on Big Daddy Kane's Aint No Half-Stepping, Large Pro's Ijuswannachill, or Jeru's Me or the Papes. Yes, infinitely better. Yet the sleigh bell seems to be losing favor with today's top beatmakers. While famed producer Bruce Dickinson recognized the need for more cowbell back in 1976, today our collective eardrums just can't get enough of Crank That's steel pan loop that spent seven weeks at number one. Would we still be watching the young maestro supermaning hoes if he'd thrown down some sleigh bells under his hi-hats? You're damn right.
This mix focuses on classic material to illustrate how sleigh bells have been championed by some of our all time favorites. As the cabbie from the original Die Hard says to a crusty John McClane; "This IS Christmas Music!"
The sleigh bells have had a torrid history in hip hop production. Golden Age producers like Pete Rock, Buckwild, and Large Professor built careers off the sample, imbuing their beats with a soulful, whimsical, swinging groove, that often enticed some of the best performances out of an emcee's career. Sleigh bells can be the focal point of your track (Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend), relied on as a hi-hat stand-in (Big L - 8 iz Enuff), or lurk subtly deep within the mix (Lord Finesse - Flip da Style).
Picking tracks for Slayed Bells has changed the way I hear my music. I am now conscious of the sleigh bell presence on songs I had heard hundreds of times before. I now notice how Large Professor uses three different samples on Nas' Halftime. I now consider it a travesty when producers opt for a tambourine, xylophone, slide whistle, or salt shaker instead. I am now acutely aware of songs that SHOULD have had some bells in the background. Close your eyes and imagine the jingling on Big Daddy Kane's Aint No Half-Stepping, Large Pro's Ijuswannachill, or Jeru's Me or the Papes. Yes, infinitely better. Yet the sleigh bell seems to be losing favor with today's top beatmakers. While famed producer Bruce Dickinson recognized the need for more cowbell back in 1976, today our collective eardrums just can't get enough of Crank That's steel pan loop that spent seven weeks at number one. Would we still be watching the young maestro supermaning hoes if he'd thrown down some sleigh bells under his hi-hats? You're damn right.
This mix focuses on classic material to illustrate how sleigh bells have been championed by some of our all time favorites. As the cabbie from the original Die Hard says to a crusty John McClane; "This IS Christmas Music!"
1. Pete Rock and CL Smooth - One in a Million
2. AZ - Your World Don't Stop (Buckwild remix)
3. Real Live - The Gimmicks
4. Nas - Halftime
5. Common - Watermelon
6. Alkaholiks - Daaam (Buckwild remix)
7. OC - Word....Life
8. Snoop - Tha Shiznit
9. Bahamadia - Rugged Ruff
10. Big L - Street Struck
11. Outkast - Player's Ball
12. Main Source - Peace is Not the Word to Play
13. Lord Finesse - Flip da Style
14. Organized Konfusion - Invetro
15. INI - Props
16. Artifacts - C'mon wit da git Down
17. Ras Kass - Soul on Ice
2. AZ - Your World Don't Stop (Buckwild remix)
3. Real Live - The Gimmicks
4. Nas - Halftime
5. Common - Watermelon
6. Alkaholiks - Daaam (Buckwild remix)
7. OC - Word....Life
8. Snoop - Tha Shiznit
9. Bahamadia - Rugged Ruff
10. Big L - Street Struck
11. Outkast - Player's Ball
12. Main Source - Peace is Not the Word to Play
13. Lord Finesse - Flip da Style
14. Organized Konfusion - Invetro
15. INI - Props
16. Artifacts - C'mon wit da git Down
17. Ras Kass - Soul on Ice
Merry Christmas to our readers from Amsterdam to Australia and everywhere in between!
-- Thun
between this and the Peanut Butter Wolf xmas mix i'm set for the holiday..
ReplyDeletepeace and merry christmas to all the hip-hop heads out there..
Where's "MY MELODY"- too old?
ReplyDeleteRegardless, the titles on this mix remind me of heading up to WKCR- waaaay uptown- on cold winter nights.
I know this post is mad old but considering christmas is coming up any chance we can get an updated link?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous- Link re-upped. Happy holidays!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.megaupload.com/?d=2UJHEQC9