Q-Tip’s contributions to Mobb Deep’s seminal sophomore LP are without a shadow of a doubt some of the very best examples of his work behind the boards. Nestled in amongst the dark and grimy soundscapes created almost exclusively by Havoc, The Abstract’s three additions to The Infamous are priceless, aptly providing the listener with moments of melodic respite in the midst of a collection of songs that are otherwise deeply shrouded in the shadows of the Queensbridge housing projects. With ‘Give Up The Goods (Just Step)’, ‘Temperature’s Rising’ and ‘Drink Away The Pain (Situations)’, Tip not only provides the LP with a depth that it would otherwise have lacked but also solidifies his status as a producer who was able to effortlessly switch his game up when the opportunity arose during the heady days that were the mid-‘90s.

For this special edition of the Q-Tip Beat Series I present to you all three Abstract-produced cuts from The Infamous with key sample sources and discussion for your listening and reading pleasure. Let the deconstructing begin…

‘Give Up The Goods (Just Step)’

Mobb Deep - ‘Give Up The Goods (Just Step)’ ft. Big Noyd
taken from The Infamous (Loud, 1995)

Esther Phillips - ‘That’s Alright With Me’
taken from From A Whisper To A Scream (Kudu, 1971)

Esther Phillips, born Esther Mae Jones, lived a turbulent life that was ultimately cut short by a long-term heroin dependency and a substantial dose of heavy drinking on the side that caused her liver and kidney to fail in 1984. Having been discovered by legendary musician and bandleader Johnny Otis in the late ‘40s, Phillips progressed through a range of styles that saw her release numerous albums over a career that spanned 30 years. Amongst her most successful was From A Whisper To A Scream, an album that received a Grammy nomination and which acts as home to ‘That’s Alright With Me’, the inspiration for the first of Tip’s Queensbridge flavoured beats, ‘Give Up the Goods (Just Step)’.

As is the case with all three of these selections (and indeed his back catalogue in general), Tip holds back from rearranging the sample too heavily, jacking a couple of bars from the opening section of the Phillips’s original. It’s interesting to note that the bass also makes its way into the Mobb Deep cut, although its depth suggests that there is either some heavy EQ-ing going on or that The Abstract simply followed the pattern with a beefier sound that he sourced elsewhere.

In terms of its context within the album as a whole, ‘Give Up The Goods (Just Step)’ is the song that seems to bridge the gap between Havoc and Tip’s production style most obviously, with both the sample and ridiculously crispy snare hit smoothly fitting into the Queensbridge aesthetic. It’s a clear demonstration of Tip consciously adopting a slightly different approach for the project in which he realises a grittier style with devastating effect.

‘Temperature’s Rising’

Mobb Deep - ‘Temperature’s Rising’
taken from The Infamous (Loud, 1995)

Mobb Deep - ‘Temperature’s Rising’ (Remix)
taken from ‘Temperature’s Rising’/'Give Up The Goods (Just Step)’ 12” (Loud, 1995)

Patrice Rushen - ‘Where There Is Love’
taken from Straight From The Heart (Elektra, 1982)

Quincy Jones - ‘Body Heat’
taken from Body Heat (A&M, 1974)

ESG - UFO (33rpm edit)
taken from A South Bronx Story (Universal Sounds, 2000)

Although the sung chorus hook may have inevitably alienated the more steadfastly hardcore heads, ‘Temperature’s Rising’ endures as my favourite Tip produced cut on the album. The soulful melody of the sample and chorus are underpinned by a neck-snappingly fierce drum track, and the result is a musical backdrop that perfectly suits Havoc and Prodigy’s no frills account of trife life in the city.

The source material comes care of Patrice Rushen, a Grammy award-winning musician who is probably best known for her hit ‘Forget Me Nots’ (as sampled by Poke & Tone for Will Smith on the Men In Black soundtrack). ‘Where There Is Love’ is lifted from the same LP as the aforementioned track, entitled Straight From The Heart, and constitutes an enjoyable slice of ‘80s R & B flavoured pop that holds value beyond just sample-spotting geekery. It’s the first couple of bars after the initial drum fill that are of note, another straight loop that is masterfully dropped into the mix at the 0.39 mark of ‘Temperature’s Rising’ by The Abstract.

Inspiration for the chorus hook comes from Quincy Jones and his song ‘Body Heat’ from the album of the same name released in 1974 on A&M. It always amazes me how prolific and adaptable Jones has been during a lifetime in the music industry: from humble beginnings playing trumpet in Dizzy Gillespie’s band to the release of his own material and onto work with powerhouses of popular music, the man’s status is nothing short of legendary. As with ‘Where There Is Love’ the song is enjoyable in its own right, but pay particular attention at the 0.25 mark to hear the vocal hook in its original incarnation.

The remix of the song uses the same key sample source, and although not drastically different, it’s a pleasing rendition of the track with a more overtly radio friendly twist. With the drums toned down somewhat and lyrics cleaned up and re-recorded it manages to hold its own against the LP version and the incorporation of the ubiquitous ‘UFO’ sample provides it with an added depth. All in it acts as gratefully received supplementary material to what I believe is one of, if not the, greatest Q-Tip produced joints of all time.

‘Drink Away The Pain (Situations)’

Mobb Deep - ‘Drink Away The Pain (Situations)
taken from The Infamous (Loud, 1995)

The Headhunters - ‘I Remember I Made You Cry’
taken from Straight from The Gate (Arista, 1977)

And so we make our way to the final instalment of The Abstract’s Infamous odyssey. ‘Drink Away The Pain (Situations)’ once again falls in line with the Queensbridge formula, although the heavy drum track is backed up by an uncharacteristically funky break that sets it apart from the other songs that can be found on the LP.

The groove is snatched from a song by The Headhunters called ‘I Remember I Made You Cry’ which appeared on the group’s sophomore release Straight From The Gate. Essentially a loose conglomeration of constantly changing musicians who had worked with Herbie Hancock during the early ‘70s, this album saw the band further step out of his shadow and continue their experimentations into jazz-funk fusion, although the group disbanded after this release only to reform in 1998 with the triumphantly titled Return Of The Headhunters!.

The break can be found at the very beginning of the track and is particularly notable as a result of its three bar structure. It’s a technique that I’ve discussed as a feature of Tip’s production work before over at Oh Word, and it works just as well here as it does in the Tribe joints. The effect of it is difficult to define, but it gives the cut a distinctive and captivating vibe that once again demonstrates The Abstract’s ability to create beats with a subtle complexity that is masked by superficial simplicity. Although there are few changes to the groove throughout its five minute duration, the use of filters that originally appear at the 0.30 mark and a dope verse from Tip himself make this one of the standouts from an LP that is almost impossible to falter: ‘classic material’ doesn’t even begin to do it justice.

Nas - ‘The World Is Yours’ (Q-Tip Remix)
taken from The World Is Yours VLS (Columbia, 1994)

An uncharacteristically short post from me today party people. I’m off to London in the very near future (i.e. the next ten minutes) and in truth, I’m not sure how much I have to say of genuine substance about Q-Tip’s momentous remix of ‘The World Is Yours’ beyond what you probably already know. Remixing a track of such magnitude in its original form is a task in itself, and although Tip’s reinterpretation falls short of the Pete Rock version (but then, what wouldn’t?) it is still an excellent song that deserves a place in your digital crates.

The beat reminds me of Tip’s contributions to The Infamous, which makes sense given the fact that his work on Mobb Deep’s seminal LP would arrive only a year later. All the hallmarks of those later productions are here, with melodic samples given a darker twist by way of heavy hitting snares. Plenty of manipulations throughout keep the beat moving, and I’m particularly fond of the ‘lah, lah, lah’ vocals that creep into the composition during the chorus sections. Nas’ lyrics feel remarkably at home as well, and to my mind this is the true triumph of the remix. Despite being removed from their more familiar sonic backing, his expertly constructed rhymes sit comfortably over one of The Abstract’s darker beats and the end product feels beautifully homogeneous.

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was going to be brief: I’m outta here.

Monty Alexander - ‘Love & Happiness’
taken from Rass! (MPS, 1974)

Lonnie Smith - ‘Spinning Wheel’
taken from Drives (Blue Note, 1970)

[Note: Thanks to reader 'jaycee' it is clear that my ears did not deceive me. The drum loop in question is Little Feat's 'Fool Yourself' as made famous by 'Bonita Applebum', although it remains a possibility that the sax sample comes from 'Spinning Wheel'. If you know, I'd appreciate the info.]

Apache - ‘Gangsta Bitch’
taken from Apache Ain’t Shit (Tommy Boy, 1993)

Lack of inspiration and a heavy workload have kept me admirably occupied over the last week or so: apologies for the lack of activity here at FDB. I’ve had this post in the vault for a while, but it is the magnificent series of recent drops over at Soul-Sides that has finally lit a fire under my arse and inspired me to roll it out. If you’ve missed out on the ‘Who Flipped It Better?’ series that Oliver Wang has been churning out at a rate that puts this here blogspot to shame then make sure you check it out: O-Dub is indisputably one of the kings of the blog scene. Tuesday’s installment covered the Monty Alexander break ‘Love & Happiness’ and contrasted the way in which it had been used by both The Beatnuts and Q-Tip, and with my ongoing analysis of The Abstract’s deft production style, it feels fitting to finally get around to his work on the Apache track ‘Gangsta Bitch’. Let the proceedings commence…

Originally released as a 7 inch by Tommy Boy in 1992, ‘Gangsta Bitch’ eventually found its place on Apache’s release from ‘93, the humourously titled Apache Ain’t Shit. To be honest with you this particular album has always left me a little cold: all the ingredients seem to be in place for something of quality (decent production roster, Flavor Unit affiliations etc.), but as a whole it lacks something that means it has not received a massive amount of airplay from me. Of course, there are still some treats here to savour, no less so than with the aforementioned cut that features Tip on the boards. I believe that Ego Trip rates this song as one of the best single tracks of the year, and although I feel this is an over-exaggeration, it is without a doubt a solid jam whose success relies on the beat as opposed to Apache’s lyrical ode to the fly, street-savvy honeys of the ghetto which for me occupies the realms of the mediocre. It’s not that the rhymes are bad by any means, but the chorus hook in particular grates, and the result is a tarnishing of the track in its entirety that I struggle to get over.

Tip turns to Monty Alexander’s cover of ‘Love & Happiness’ for the main groove here, yet another example of an artist and song who I have only very recently stumbled across as a result of virtual digging and who I know very little about (oh, to be a genuine, dusty-fingered crate-digger!). The section of the song to focus on arrives at the 4.06 mark with a stripped-down two bars of percussion, electric piano and guitar tracks, although it is really only the electric piano part that survives Tip’s use of filters to draw out the main groove for ‘Gangsta Bitch’. The Breaks also notes the use of ‘Spinning Wheel’ by Lonnie Smith, a sample source that Tribe mined on two separate occasions with both ‘Can I Kick It?’ and ‘Buggin’ Out’ to great effect, but I can’t hear it myself: answers on a postcard folks.

There are other subtleties to the composition that fill the beat out, giving it a plush, melodic feel. The echoing horn stabs (perhaps taken from ‘Spinning Wheel’?) that appear intermittently throughout the cut provide an extra layer of sound that works very well nestled in between the other samples, and scratches at the chorus add a necessary interest to what is essentially a simplistic piece of production work. What particularly interests me about this song is that although it contains many trademark Q-Tip production touches, it is by no means instantly recognisable as a piece of his work, thereby serving as yet another demonstration of his ability to modify his production style in subtle ways that really affirms his skill and versatility behind the boards during his most prolific period of beat-making.

I’m going to try and sort my priorities out this week (read: I’m going to ignore the responsibilities of the rest of my life in favour of some committed internet time), so stay tuned this week for an increased frequency of posts (just don’t hold me to it). Sunday afternoon lazin’ awaits: I’ll catch you later.

Nas - ‘One Love (Instrumental)’
taken from Illmatic (Columbia, 1994)

[It seems pointless posting up the song with lyrics so here's the instrumental. Can't remember where I came across it exactly, but thanks to whoever may have posted it up in the past.]

Heath Brothers - ‘Smilin’ Billy Suite Pt. II’
taken from Marchin’ On (Strata East, 1975)

Parliament - ‘Come In Out The Rain’
taken from Osmium (Invictus, 1970) 

What I really dig about the Abstract’s production style on ‘One Love’ is that he resists the temptation to chop up samples too heavily, thereby keeping the sound fluid and warm. This cut is a case in point, with Tip jacking the first 23 seconds of the Heath Brothers’ ‘Smilin’ Billy Suite Part II’ from their 1975 release Marchin’ On and doing very little with it beyond the addition of drums and volume changes as the sample is introduced. This introductory section really is masterful, with Mtume Heath’s percussion part from the original source gradually building into the mix before its complete introduction after the initial eight bar sequence which brings with it the unveiling of double bass and piano tracks. From here on in there really are very few changes, the different musical elements of the track creating a mystical and hypnotic platform for Nas’s musings that simply doesn’t require too much fiddling around with. No extra loop at the chorus, no bridge section, only a handful of breakdowns: it’s a veritable lesson in measured, instinctive and thoroughly considered hip hop production techniques.

For the drum track Tip turns to Parliament’s song ‘Come In Out The Rain’ from their first official LP entitled Osmium, released on Invictus in 1970. The break crops up right at the beginning of the track, and although The Abstract’s skilfully executed chops disguise the original sample source, there’s no mistaking the kicks and snares that form the bangin’ percussion that drives ‘One Love’. Of course, Parliament themselves need little introduction in hip hop circles given that George Clinton’s legendary group are rightfully regarded amongst the godfathers of funk and have acted as a sample source for a list of acts that reads like a who’s who of golden era hip hop, particularly for artists based on the West Coast. Crazy hair and breaks: it’s a legacy made in heaven.

For me there is little doubt that ‘One Love’ represents one of Tip’s finest moments behind the boards, and just as with his contributions to The Infamous, it demonstrates his ability to switch up his production style when the opportunities presented themselves during the most successful and prolific period in his career. If you’re still sleepin’ on Q-Tip’s production stature then let’s strip it down to the bare essentials: the man posted a beat on Illmatic. Still need convincing?

Cypress Hill - Illusions (Q-Tip Remix)
taken from Unreleased & Revamped (Sony, 1996)

Having waxed lyrical about Q-Tip’s proficiency behind the boards in the first installment of this series, his work with Cypress Hill on the ‘Illusions’ remix actually comes as a slight disappointment. Trav of WYDU fame recently noted that if you’re going to remix a track then it better be as good, if not better, than the original, and in this case I am sad to say that The Abstract’s reinterpretation of Hill’s dark and moody classic falls short of the mark. Don’t fret though, there’s still a quality to this particular work that demands discussion, and despite its shortcomings, it displays another angle to Tip’s production style that is relatively unique amongst his wider body of work.

Let’s start with the good stuff. What I like about Tip’s production here is his incorporation of dub reggae influences that work well when teamed up with the heavy drum track, and in particular, the crunching snare hits that punctuate the groove. The main loop and its dose of reverb clearly nod to a dub aesthetic, as does the percussive track that replaces the traditional high hat. The last 30 seconds of the song are the most extreme point at which these influences come into fruition, with big slabs of reverb applied to some of the key elements of the cut, creating a whirlwind of sound that would perhaps be better suited to your local bredrens’ soundclash than a regular hip hop jam. The bouncy, open nature of the beat is enjoyable and original, and it clearly demonstrates Tip’s wide spectrum of musical influences as well as his ability to translate these into a different context.

However, the reason why I am not totally won over by this song is that the production seems to bear little regard for the vocal performance of B-Real, whose distinctive nasal delivery seems uncomfortable here. When paired up with the original beat, the rhymes feel dark and sinister, but Tip’s remix detracts from this quality and the impact of these verses is somewhat lost. A truly great remix avoids this fallacy, putting a different spin on existing rhymes and providing them with a new and complementary platform, but in this case, the beat and lyrics jar rather than mesh.

So it’s a thumbs up for the beat, but a thumbs down for the remix as a whole. If you’re in any doubt as to what I’m getting at, peep the video of ‘Illusions’ in its original incarnation: to my mind, there’s no contest between this and Tip’s version:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI87TtKJI00]

(As a brief aside, I love the Apocalypse Now reference in this video as it works incredibly well with the vibe of the song: it’s seriously dope.)

More Q-Tip beat-based goodness to come in the future: enjoy your Friday night folks.