This time, I decided to change it up a little bit and mesh the so-called Gangsta Rap subgenre with a more ‘Backpacker’ style beat. To accomplish this feat, I choose Juice Crew veteran, the Dynamic Emcee Kool G. Rap. The song: For the For Da Brothaz off the 4, 5, 6 LP released in 1995 was G. Rap’s first solo LP, no DJ Polo. A groundbreaking release for the time it came out. G. Rap was one of the timeless emcees that no matter how much the styles changed in Hip Hop, his voice remained true, relevant, original and fresh. Simply put, he doesn’t sound like an ‘old school’ emcee, definitely a dope emcee.
For Da Brothaz was produced by T-Ray. He did tracks for Artifacts (Wrong Side of Da Tracks), Double XX Posse (Not Gonna Be Able to Do It), & Cypress Hill (I ain’t Going out Like That) to name a few. He used some horns from another song, The Power of Soul by Idris Muhammad, which compliment the original sample nicely. Adds a bridge/chorus feel if you will. A nice drum sequence was properly laid behind the main melody. Definitely a cognac & smoking room track.
Can you name all of the members and the crew's name pictured below? Leave it in the comments section from L to R. I'll get you started Masta Ace...
The sample: Kool G Rap’s For Da Brothaz main theme comes from the Jazz Trumpeter Art Farmer’s Gentle Eyes LP released in 1972 on the Mainstream imprint (full legal name: Arthur Stewart Farmer). The track titled Soulsides was the major sample used on G. Rap’s For Da Brothaz track. It’s a little over 4 minutes, all of which is funky and laid back. It serves as a great example of the heavy funk being produced by Jazz artists during the ‘Fusion’ movement (electrifying Jazz-Late ‘60’s to early 80’s). Farmer was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa and eventually moved to Europe and later New York to pursue his ambitions to be a Jazz Trumpeter. He’s played session work for many, and worked with renowned artists like Ron Carter, Lionel Hampton, Benny Golson & Horace Silver. S.O. to Art Farmer for laying this one down.