Don’t Get Sentimental

So here it is. The long awaited return of the greatest/only feature on this blog. I have at least one loyal fan, who has expressed his feelings about my posting (or lack thereof) through IMs demanding that I post, looks of displeasure with my lack of work, or pretty much directly saying “Come onnnnnn,” although I feel that’s more of a Dave-ism but I may be mistaken. Feel free to debate the origins of “Come onnnn” in the comments section. Anyways, this post goes out to Greg, and by his request, here is “Big Poppa,” his favorite song of all time.

“Big Poppa,” is clearly one of the standout tracks on Biggie’s 1994 debut album, “Ready to Die,” and has one of the nicest/smoothest sounding beats you’ll ever hear, with lyrics and flow to match. I remember first hearing the song in 6th grade or so, and trying to learn all the lyrics to the song back when “Say What?” was still being aired on MTV.

“Big Poppa” was Biggie’s first Top 10 hit, with production credited to Sean “Puffy” Combs. Although “Puffy” (Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, etc.) leaves something to be desired in terms of complex production, he sure knows how to pick a nice sample. And once Biggie was done rapping over the track, nobody could fuck with it (for lack of better phrasing).

The sample to “Big Poppa” comes from The Isley Brothers track, “Between the Sheets,” which has been heavily sampled by other artists, most recently on the Jay-Z song “Ignorant Shit.” The song “Between the Sheets” was an important track for The Isley Brothers, as the track helped the group bounce back in popularity, reaching number three on the Billboard Top R&B Singles chart in 1983.

So here they are, “Big Poppa,” and ” Between the Sheets,” side by side so you can listen to where the sample used in the Biggie classic came from. And now I pose the eternal question to you, loyal fans of Don’t Get Sentimental, “How you livin’ Biggie Smalls?”

The Notorious B.I.G. - Big Poppa

The Isley Brothers - Between the Sheets

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An instant classic upon its release, “Juicy” was the debut single from Ready to Die, Biggie’s debut solo album. It introduced the world to one of the greatest rappers of all time. Granted everyone says that about him, but if you take into consideration the way he writes, his flow, his content, and his style, it’s hard to deny that he is in fact the greatest.

Part of the success of “Juicy” is rooted in the fact that it tells Biggie’s life story up until that point. It discusses his struggle growing up and throughout his life, and then reflects back on that struggle from the point of view of having made it. The song also gives insight into his early influences in terms of hip-hop, a clear nod to his predecessors, and something you don’t see enough of nowadays.

The sample that makes up the beat to “Juicy” was taken directly from Mtume’s 1983 song, “Juicy Fruit.” This is perhaps the funk/soul group’s most well known song, having reached number one on the R&B chart when it was released.

The beat to “Juicy” has been a point of contention for quite some time. Although the version we all know was produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, producer Pete Rock claims that he created the original beat, and that Puffy heard it while at Rock’s house, and went home and reproduced the beat on his own. Pete Rock was paid to do a remix of “Juicy,” which can be heard below. The remix uses the same sample from Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit.”

Although Pete Rock is no longer upset about the situation, he still wishes to be acknowledged as the original producer of “Juicy.” You can hear “Juicy” and “Juicy Fruit,” below.

The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy

Mtume - Juicy Fruit

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