I ran across this classic by Rita Wright "Touch Me Take Me", I know I have heard the intro sample before I can't seem to put a finger on where I heard it, To my diggers,producers,beatsmiths,hip hop heads and djs if you know who sampled this record feel free to leave info in comment section. posted by Ghost Dogg
These bean town emcees G. Dot & Born dropped this video a couple days ago,this track also features the beantown OG wordsmith EdoG lays down his verse very eloquently over the grimey beat. posted by Ghost Dogg
Arasia: I’m a bit ignorant to this so why don’t you tell me about how you came into this game?
Boog Brown: In 2004, I graduated from college and I was in this group called the Poetry Society at Eastern Michigan University. And a part of that group was [some of my guys] and a couple of my homegirls. I’d always be at my house cooking and having drinks and they’d come through and smoke, chill out, and you know, get into a cipher or a freestyle session. I wanted to be a part of my home boys’ crew so I made myself a part of that. From there, we would cipher up all the time. I enjoyed listening but I was always scared to jump in. And around the poetry circuit, we would go around…there was a poetry group at U of M when I was around that area and we would all link up. My homegirl, Lauren Whitehead, was [is] an ill writer and ill poet. She would freestyle and I always thought that it was ill so I wanted to try so I would jump in. A lot of times, I was wack so I kind of honed my skills and craft and once I started to get really involved in it, I hollered at my girl Invincible and she put some tips out there for me. She’d throw me words and I would freestyle those words. We went on a trip to NY…I was driving and she kept throwing me words and I kept speeding because I was so excited. I felt like I was killing that shit. In hindsight, I probably wasn’t but you know, whatever. But it just started on some freestyle ciphers…wanting to be a part of the cipher. From there I was like, I could do this. I had a lot of friends that were in the music industry so when I wrote my first rap, I shared it with them and they were like you got it. You just gotta know you got it. You gotta really believe you got it and if you don’t believe it, no one will ever believe it. So I put out a mixtape called Extended Play. The rhymes were probably dope but no one ever heard this. (Laughing) Well, I can’t say no one heard it. Maybe a couple of people. In fact, KT, 14 KT recorded most of that project if not all. And I had beats on there from Houseshoes, Marv Won, Ta’Raach...I had these ill producers that believed in me.
Arasia: Whoa…that’s a dope lineup.
Boog Brown: I know right. It was pretty dope. I had Majestik Legend too. He gave me a beat on there too.
Arasia: So what happened with that?
Boog Brown: Well, if only I had the skills to hold up to the beats. (Laughing). You know what I mean? The beats were good. The skill, not so much. I was, still really fresh…wet behind the ears so when I moved to Atlanta, I wasn’t thinking about rapping. I enjoyed freestyling but I was really trying to find a job. So one day I was like maybe I should take this shit seriously. And fast forward to me meetingIllastrate. I heard his joints on MySpace and I was like damn, I want to work with you so when I started to work with him, I would get in the studio and I was still scared to record and not confident behind the microphone…still not confident with having somebody in the room when I recorded. He would always be like nah that’s cool but you can do better. So he would delete it [and say] do that over. Helping me to get my chops up. That’s basically how it started. Very humble beginnings.
Arasia: So with the EP, they just sent you the beats and you rhymed over them compared to Illastrate, who actually coached you?
Boog Brown: Yeah, that’s exactly what it was. With the first one, it was like training. It was like conditioning myself to get there. And then when I got with Illastrate, it was more focused training. This is the pre-race. Now I’m in the race
Arasia: So with you having such an impressive lineup with your first EP, have you thought about revisiting that old project now that your chops are up?
Boog Brown: Yeah definitely. It’s just getting those files back. (Laughing). KT actually did a joint, which is now “Growth.” I wrote that verse to a KT beat and then I put them over a Illastrate beat and then they ended up being on an Apollo beat and then back over a KT beat for the remix album. I want to say that is how it went down. Crazy… [but] I’ve taken some of those verses from that Extended Play project and used them on different projects.
Arasia: Really? So we just didn’t know?
Boog Brown: Oh yeah. (Laughing). Yeah, I knew.
Arasia: So how did you connect with Mello Music Group?
Boog Brown: Mike from MMG reached out to me about just liking the music I was doing with Illastrate. From there, he said he wanted to do a project with me and Apollo Brown. So I met Apollo on Twitter and it just kind of went from there.
Arasia: Oh wow, so you met Apollo on Twitter?
Boog Brown: Yeah.
Arasia: So that’s how the whole idea of the Brown Study came to be.
Boog Brown: Yeah, I want to say so because initially, I thought it was going to be me, Kev Brown, and Apollo. That’s what was talked about and what was said. So I thought it would be dope. It was initially like UPS like, “What can brown do for you?” kind of thing. The lawsuits that could have been inferred from that. (Laughing). But that is how the whole song “UPS” came to be. I was like, what could UPS stand for…it could stand for so many things so I was like, let me put it in a rhyme.
Arasia: Let’s talk about the lyrics on Brown Study. We’ve spoken about this before but it is extremely personal lyrically. Was this your most personal project and if so, was it difficult for you to speak about those moments on wax?
Boog Brown: Well, it definitely speaks to who I was at the time I was writing and working on that album. That was late 2009 early 2010. It was very, very personal at the time. I was still trying to find myself as an emcee. Still trying to find myself as a person down here in Atlanta. Kind of establishing my place as an artist. There were still a lot of personal demons I had to deal with so it wasn’t difficult for me to write this. It was just more of my own personal diary or journal so I could just get a lot of personal shit off my chest. And that’s what music is or even just writing period since writing was a way for me to express myself without having to feel the recourse of my words. So it wasn’t difficult. For me, it seemed kind of redundant. So I was glad I was able to do it and get it off. A lot of the songs have very similar themes and that was the one thing that was a little, I don’t know for me.
Arasia: And that leads me to my next question. Unfortunately, we live in an era now where any little thing you say…almost like the Hip Hop court of law where anything you say or do will be used against you. So how do know where to draw that line?
Boog Brown: I don’t really concern myself with that. I can’t focus on the parameters that other people put on me. Or put on the work that I do. You know if someone wants to flip it and use it against me then okay. That’s what it is but I’m a human being and before I’m a machine or whatever to whomever [that] wants to put me in a box, I have to be true to myself and truly feel what I’m going to say. So I can’t really concern myself with somebody wanting to flip something and use it against me. I don’t really think about it like that.
Arasia: Is that what you were referencing when you said in “Play The Game,” “Save your scrutiny, I’m a human being.” Actually that’s an interesting song to me so can you talk about that a little more in depth?
Boog Brown: Sure. I dated a few artists because you know when you are in an industry like [this] and you are around people that you work with or want to work with, all this brilliance, it’s natural for a person to be attracted to different people. So in Detroit and Atlanta, I had relationships with some of the people I worked with so people would…I would hear the, “Oh, she’s just messing with so and so for beats or he is just messing with her because she raps or it was that level of is that a using relationship?” Are they using each other kind of thing. And it’s like, that’s fine for you to naturally come to that conclusion [but] you will see our relationship was more than that. We learned from each other, we built each other up, and that was beneficial for both of us. And when we were done, we were done. It wasn’t like I was using you for this that and the third. So when you are a woman and make music and someone says, “Let’s work, let’s get together and let’s do this,” it’s masked in lets work but it’s really let me get you to the studio and get you high and [get] some drinks so maybe I can make a move kind of thing. So a lot of guys are like well she messed with so and so, so maybe she will mess with me instead of on some real genuine I really appreciate what you do, let’s work. So that’s what I was referencing. The fact that people will make up whatever they want in their mind to justify why they think something is happening.
Arasia: That is what I thought you were speaking about. Often times, when a woman comes into this game no matter if she is a journalist, a rapper, a producer, whatever, there is so much invested in what she does in her outside life away from her art and craft. We look at it with men too but with women, it’s on a greater scale. But they forget that when you are an artist coming up, creative people attract each other so we all are hanging amongst one another and shit happens.
Boog Brown: Yeah!
Arasia: You can be in the studio for 12-13 hours at a time and something can come out of that. I dated a guy in this industry also so I understand. There is a certain lifestyle that comes with this game and people don’t understand that. Your phone ringing at two in the morning or you having to be away for a while, some people don’t get that so you often times look for someone that understands and can adapt to that life.
Boog Brown: Exactly. You are totally not even looking at it in that way but it kind of sometimes develops like that and it’s not fair for people to put it in a box and just scrutinize it.
Arasia: People put things in boxes to help them understand it better. That box gives it a limit so the mind doesn’t have to expand outside of what is in that box.
Boog Brown: Yeah, oh yeah, it’s like, let me break this down [and] make it easier to swallow and easier to rip apart instead of giving it what it deserves.
Arasia: Yeah girl, we will have to talk more about that later! (Laughing).
Boog Brown: (Laughing) Oh yeah cause a lot of people thought I was referencing Apollo in that song but I met Apollo on Twitter and have met him in person like maybe twice. It’s crazy. It didn’t even have anything to do with Apollo; he just made the beat. The beat was made before I even thought about getting on it.
Arasia: Speaking of beats, their was a lot of emphasis put on the production, which was some of Apollo’s greatest work in my opinion. And I hear a lot of people focus on the production more so than the lyrics. Do you feel that the lyrics and the stories got lost within the production?
Boog Brown: No, not really. I felt like and this may be disputed but I felt like I was able to match the lyrics with the beats pretty well so I don’t feel like the lyrics were lost. I think a lot of people, when they hear a female emcee, they just listen to the beat. They don’t give it the opportunity to listen to the lyrics because they are thinking it’s going to be another female talking some ole female shit. So I feel like a lot of people dismiss it but once they get beyond that listening for the beat and listening to the lyrics, I think they understand the lyrics. They get it and I think they get what I was trying to do with it. What we were trying to do with it. I think it was a very well put together album and I think I held my own along with Apollo’s production.
Arasia: You definitely did that! So what made you decide to do a remix album?
Boog Brown: Cause everyone put so much emphasis on the production so it was like maybe we should change the production up a little bit so you could catch the lyrics a little bit more. It was [revisiting] a project I thought was dope that maybe needed a little more light to get a little more exposure. It was to help to promote the original, the remix, and me as an artist. I don’t want to just be a local artist. I want to tour, so if this is going to help put the project out in a different light and to also make people curious about the original, this is what we need to do so we all win on this accord.
Arasia: And that’s usually how it is too. Some fans may hear the remix album first and be inclined to go back and check for the original. Now, I want you to name a song from your mixtape Grind Season and Brown Study that both truly summed up where you were and speak on how you’ve changed since their recording.
Boog Brown: For Brown Study, I’ll say “Friends Like These.”
Arasia: I love that song by the way.
Boog Brown: Thank you…that’s me being angry. Angry, angry, angry!
Arasia: And it’s real as fuck.
Boog Brown: And you feel me too?!
Arasia: YES!
Boog Brown: I was just talking to a good friend of mine and you know, people can’t do anything to you that you don’t allow them to do to you so anything I allow somebody to do to me and get me all worked up and riled up, that’s my bad. That’s on me. So instead of lashing out at these people, I should be lashing out at what I’ve allowed someone to do to me. Or what I allowed someone to take from me. So, just growing up and seeing. A person can only change on their own and you can’t be mad at a person for being who they are. If you accept it, you are responsible for removing yourself. My boyfriend told me the other day, I was going through some stuff, and he was like maybe you need to let it go [because] you go through this all the time. So it’s been a lesson I‘ve been learning the last couple of days because shit, I was totally involved and angry, still angry. I’m not saying I learned it and I’m miraculously different but it’s definitely something worth learning and recognizing. I hope to not foresee ever having to write a song like that again.
Arasia: That’s the beautiful part of life. We were given a choice. And it’s a hard thing to learn because naturally, we are much more inclined to forgive than we think we are but it’s kind of like, if you go to Burger King and get mad that they don’t have a Big Mac, well then guess what…
(Both laughing)
Arasia: Why the hell are you going to Burger King looking for a Big Mac? So if you know someone is an asshole, you have to look at yourself and say am I going to keep dealing with this? Wasn’t it Albert Einstein who said, “If you keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, it’s a sign of insanity.”
Boog Brown: Yup, that’s exactly who said that! So you are like nope, I’m not doing this any more. I was just feeling like a lot of my friends were on some, “You aren’t around…where you at? You think this music shit is going to work for you?” I haven’t spoken to you in a minute.” A lot of people were on that. A lot of them were like, “I don’t want you to get caught up in this and lose sight of reality. I don’t want you to set yourself up for failure and be hurt.”
Arasia: Wowzers.
Boog Brown: Some were even like,” You are straight but do you really think you are about to be Lil Kimor be on MTV or BET?” And I’m like maybe those aren’t my goals [and] maybe I just want to make dope music and tour and eat. And be able to do the things I want to do and have a healthy and happy life off the music I make. I know it can be done. I look at J-Live and he has all this stuff happening for him but he is in and out of town, every couple of months, and handling his business and taking care of his responsibilities and still making music and enjoying the fruits of his labor and I’m proud. I don’t want much more than that. Interview by Arasia Magnetic Posted by Ghost Dogg
What is the meaning of your name?
Well, it’s a name that was given to me. In college my best friend Kamilah Holder started to call me L-Boogie and soon it was just shortened to Boog. I added the Brown after another friend D “Wood” Barnes said Boog Brown would be a dope stage name. I agreed and so, here I am.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit Michigan. I was raised in Highland Park, Detroit and Oak Park MI so I was able to see the good the bad and the ugly parts of the area. When I was very young, Highland Park and Detroit had some of the most beautiful houses and structures I’d ever seen. The neighbors still cared a little and would tell your mother if you were actin an ass. It was beautiful to me, still is in some areas and sometimes I can still feel that loving spirit.
When and how did you become involved in Hip hop culture?
I became involved with Hip Hop seriously after purchasing ATLiens (outKast), Only Built for Cuban Links (Raekwon), and It Was Written (Nas) from then on I was a fan. I see hip hop as poetry. A way and voice when there is only darkness. Its a bright light.
What brought you to Atlanta?
Honestly?? The lack of money and jobs in Detroit brought me to ATL. I needed something new to feel, look at and do. Something fresh, a rebirth of sorts. ATL was the perfect canvas to paint this new chapter in my life.
What are your goals and what affect do you hope to have with your role as an Emcee?
Well, as an Emcee I want to create dope music. Timeless music. Be honest enough and open enough to touch and change peoples lives and minds. I really just want to stimulate growth on all levels.
We conducted your photo shoot and pre-interview in your lovely and very urban home, can you tell us why this is the best place to make a portrait of BoogBrown?
Its the place I feel the most comfortable. With all of the extra things I’m doing these days, being at home is a blessing. Its my sanctuary. There are no restrictions or barriers.
You expressed a strong feeling of freedom and chose intimate and raw shots for yourself, can you speak on this freedom?
I think once you decide to become a performer, an element of your freedom is automatically forfeited if you allow it to be. I am not willing to submit to that concept. I am a walking contradiction, a multi deminsional being who changes and grows everyday.Once we remove that type of freedom from our thought process and everyday life we suffer on so many levels. This is why its so important to remain honest, and free.
I couldn’t help but notice a list of Ancient Egyptian Scriptures hung on your wall, explain how these are helpful words of guidance….
The 42 Laws of Maat hold the wisdom of living a powerful and fufilled life. I am striving to stay on the path, I have them on my wall as a constant reminder to check myself. No one else should have to.
Can you share with us some of your spirituality and where you are on your path?
I believe that God resides in all things good, bad and ugly. I am on the path to be the best person I can be and be of good service. Live in the light of love and grow, nurturing those around me.
You are currently working on a mixtape, can you tell us about your inspirations, who you are working with and when we might expect this work of art to be available?
Im working with a lot of mega talented artists and producers but I’ll let it be a suprise! Should be available soon, very soon…
Feel free to share with us any additional thoughts, feelings and philosophies, bestow upon us some of your wisdom….
I am still growing so the wisdom I present is to keep yourself open to change and if you dont already know the power of love, learn about it!! Peace
In 1986, Mantronix's debut full-length The Album was released. Two new singles, "Needle to the Groove" and "Bassline," became big street hits in New York and, amazingly, even crossed over to join the first wave of hip-hop chart-makers in Britain. By that time, Mantronik had also begun working as an A&R representative at Sleeping Bag, where he signed EPMD, produced KRS-One's first credit ("Success Is the Word" by 12:41), and helmed other intense tracks by Tricky Tee, Just-Ice, and T La Rock.
The second Mantronix LP, Music Madness, continued to keep the duo fresh in the clubs. The increasing popularity of hip-hop gave Mantronix a chance at a major-label contract, and by 1987, the duo signed with Capitol/EMI, which created a legal battle between Sleeping Bag and the group—their old label claimed that they were owed two more albums.
In Full Effect was released in 1988, and it portrayed Mantronik jettisoning many his more hardcore inclinations in favor of a fusion of dance and R&B. The production excursion "Do You Like...Mantronik?" proved that Mantronik's ear for clever beats remained, however, and Mantronix's success in Britain prompted several of the first sampladelic hits, such "Pump up the Volume" by M/A/R/R/S and "Theme from S'Express" by S'Express.
Soon after its third album, MC Tee left to join the Air Force. Mantronik replaced him with Bryce Wilson aka Bryce Luvah (one half of the 90s group Groove Theory and cousin of LL Cool J) and DJ Dee (Mantronik's own cousin). With 1990's This Should Move Ya, Mantronik made the move from hip-hop into more straight-ahead dance music. With vocalist Wondress in tow, a pair of Mantronix singles stormed the British Top 20, including the top-five "Got to Have Your Love." Mantronik still used the MCs, he but continued to work in dance music with the group's last album, 1991's The Incredible Sound Machine. As a group entity, Mantronix disappeared at that point. Mantronik began producing other acts—mostly female vocalists or latin freestyle acts—and later exited music altogether, getting married and raising a family, eventually having a son nicknamed Boytronik.
Mantronik returned in the mid-1990s as a breakbeat elder statesman, recording as Kurtis Mantronik and providing remixes for EPMD, the Future Sound of London, and Violet. A Mantronix respective and several album reissues began filtering out in 1999, and Mantronik began recording a new solo album later that year.
* Flashback I can remember when Needle To The Groove first dropped I was living in Norfolk,Virginia, me and my dj crew use to go philly once or twice a week to get our dig on (crate diggin)pick up all the new joints(Needle To The Groove was a must have) everybody would buy doubles (2 copies thats what we did back then to beat juggle) we couldn't wait to get back to Norfolk/Va Beach to play them at all the clubs that friday & saturday nite. Here is the scenerio I waited until the club was super pack around 12:30 am I grab the mic and said I got something new for you to checkout when I played it the people went bananas so i played it again,it stayed in heavy rotation for about 6 months. posted by Ghost Dogg
"Needle To Groove" give it a listen see for yourself
Do you remember those thick, rectangular, plastic things that played music called 8 tracks? Or the horn shaped phonograph? If not, here’s a look at the gadgets that were used to play tunes before CDs, MP3s (and maybe you) were born.
Believe it or not, the first recorded sound was captured as early as the 9th century. It’s safe to say that a lot of practice has been put in for you to have the iPod that you listen to today. The first recordable devices were programmed music instruments, like those cool automatic piano players still seen today.
Then, along came the phonautograph, and the phonograph cylinder of the late 19thcentury, which you might recognize from history class. The phonograph, which recorded music on wax cylinders, was invented by Thomas Edison and became the first recording device to sell millions worldwide. Think of Edison’s viral sales success as a precursor to Michael Jackson’s success as the first artist to sell over one million downloads in a week.
Speaking of downloads, what was life like before being able to instantly save a song to a computer? Enter the LP, or vinyl microgroove album of the 1950s and ‘60s. Earlier versions of this album were made of plastics or shellac, but the vinyl was made up of—well, vinyl. Vinyl albums proved to be less fragile and had a better sound quality.
To spare you from the Music Composition 101 lesson, let’s just say that an album was recorded or “stamped” with tiny groves that would produce rhythmic sound when played back. Playback is created when a needle is placed on the rotating album’s surface. A needle scratching across the surface might make a cool sound, but it is about as damaging as a scratched CD or broken cassette tape.
The compact cassette premiered in the 1940, but didn’t become popular until a few decades later. Instead, 8-track tapes of the ‘70s dominated Trans Ams and El Dorados across the nation. Though portable and cheap, the 8-track was short-lived in comparison to most audio devices because of the low-quality sound and the mechanics of the tape, which caused it to easily overheat and get stuck inside the player.
Ten years later, cassette tapes became the standard device for listening music. Cassettes conveniently allowed for recording, and could also be erased and re-recorded. It was during this time that mixtapes became a popular way to create a personal playlist of songs. The double spools of metallic tape encased in a plastic cover were tough enough to endure dust, shocks and heat. The tape itself, however, wasn’t sturdy enough to withstand the emergence of digital recording.
MiniDiscs, and later compact discs, offered higher digital storage. For the first time, music owners could adjust the sound quality to their own personal tastes. Compared to Edison’s million, CD sales peaked in the hundreds of billions during the millennium, over one hundred years later. The plastic, aluminum-lined discs operate similar to vinyl albums, but with a faster rotation and with a laser instead of a needle. CD rot, or deterioration that causes the dreaded skip or an unreadable disc , made music listeners anxious for a more durable format.
Currently, digital audio players–better known as MP3 players–have eliminated the need to insert an outside playback device. Instead, music is downloaded directly from one device (usually a computer) into the player’s memory. The low price and ease of access of MP3s has caused such milestones for artists like Eminem, who was the first artist to sell over one-million digital copies of an album earlier this year.
Despite the ever-changing format of audio playback, one thing remains the same; it will always be referenced as an “album”. For years, artists and fans alike have called new music releases “albums”. Album will always be the globally-known word for music. If you have never seen a 8 track ask your pops or your cool uncle im sure they still have a couple. by Ghost Dogg
Classic Soul Album Spotlight: Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On?
One word describes Marvin Gaye’s classic album What’s Going On? : Genius.
Smokey Robinson hailed What’s Going On? as the greatest soul album of all time. Indeed, Gaye poured his whole soul into the making of this album. It is perhaps the most important album in soul music history.
“What’s Going On? was the quiet moment in the raging storm that swept through so much of Marvin’s life,” wrote David Ritz, author of the Marvin Gaye biography Divided Soul. Prior to the recording of the album, Gaye was in seclusion and despair. His brother, Frankie Gaye, was in the Vietnam War, the death of his duet partner Tammi Terrell affected him tremendously, and the state of the world at the time and his own personal demons from his past and present were weighing heavily on Gaye’s mind. What Gaye did was put all of his despair, emotions and confusion into his art, which resulted in What’s Going On?.
Recorded in only ten days in early 1971, Gaye collaborated with several co-writers–The Funk Brothers, who were the musicians responsible for the majority of most of Motown’s early hits, and one of the best musical arrangers of the time David Van De Pitte. In fact, Gaye’s album was the first time that the Funk Brothers and any musicians for that matter received credit on a Motown album, due to Gaye’s insistence.
Gaye told writer David Ritz: “I wanted to treat the album as an album, not as a string of small songs. So I found a theme and I tried to explore it from different angles. At first I was afraid, because I didn’t know whether this had ever been done before. But when I got started I actually found that the process came naturally; I was traveling down a path of the heart.”
The album begins with the title track, which was composed by Gaye, Al Cleveland, and Four Tops member Renaldo “Obie” Benson. The track begins with the sounds of a party atmosphere with people greeting one another (the dialogue was supplied by several of Marvin’s friends and members of the Detroit Tigers football team). The song segues into Gaye crying out to his mother, his brother (referring to his brother and the other men in Vietnam, acknowledging that there were “far too many of you dying”) and father, with whom he had very little communication (“father, father, there’s no need to escalate.”). Gaye cried out for the need of love among the human race and that “war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate.” It remains a relevant song 41 years later.
The album continues with “What’s Happening Brother,” which speaks to the returning Vietnam veterans who were wondering what was going on in the U.S. since they had been away fighting in the war, and the sad plight that many of them could not find work.
The next track was the haunting “Flyin’ High in the Friendly Skies,” which was Gaye’s commentary on his own drug use. This segued into the very touching and poignant “Save the Children,” which speaks to the plight of the children of the world, capped by the question “Who really cares?” This segued into “God Is Love,” which takes a look inside Gaye’s spirituality and adherence to God. A slower version of this song was recorded as the B-side to the “What’s Going On” single.
“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” was Gaye’s commentary on the dangers threatening planet earth, such as the oil spills in the oceans and radiation in the sky. In “Right On,” a title taken from a popular urban catchphrase of the time, Gaye sings about the enjoyment of his fame, a fame which he sings led him into “drowning in the sea of happiness.” The last track on the album was the dark, chilling “Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)” which takes a look at the harsh conditions of those living in the ghetto. This segues into a brief slower reprise of the title track, given a jazzy feel by its piano background. The album ends reminding the listener with the question “What’s Going On?”
Buy music from Marvin Gaye on iTunes
Due to Motown’s policy of releasing pop friendly sounding R&B, the label refused to release Gaye’s album with its dark, socially conscious songs. In an interview with David Ritz, Gaye said, “They (Motown) didn’t like it, didn’t understand it and didn’t trust it. Management said the songs were too long, too formless and would get lost on a public looking for easy three-minute stories. For months they wouldn’t release it. My attitude had to be firm. Basically I said, ‘Put it out or I’ll never record for you again.’” Against Motown’s wishes, the album was released, but in time the label would be glad it released the album after all.
The album was a commercial and critical success. Time magazine stated, “The LP laments war, pollution, heroin and the miseries of ghetto life. Musically it is a far cry from the gospel or blues a black singer-composer might normally apply to such subjects.” Indeed, the album is a combination of soul, blues, jazz and gospel and this mixing of musical genres forged a masterpiece.
The album, released May 21, 1971, reached number six on the pop charts and number one on the soul charts, where it stayed nine weeks at the top position. It was also the recipient of an NAACP Image Award and yielded three hit singles: the title track, reaching number two for three weeks on the pop charts and number two for five weeks on the Soul charts; “Mercy Mercy Me,” reaching number four on the pop charts and number one on the Soul charts for two weeks (its B-side contained a slow, jazzy reworking of “God Is Love” with a new title, “Sad Tomorrows”); and “Inner City Blues,” reaching number nine on the pop charts and number one on the Soul charts for three weeks.
One month after Gaye’s tragic death in April 1984, a reissue of What’s Going On?re-entered the charts, reaching number 49.
The album cover even showed a different side of Gaye. Whereas in the sixties Gaye was clean-shaven, for this album and for the rest of his career and life Gaye sported a beard. The album’s close up photo shows Gaye looking serious with light rain falling on him and its back cover shows a full body shot of Gaye standing in the rain in a long black coat with a serious expression on his face. The front and back cover of the album mirrors the dark and serious mood and tone of the music contained within the album.
Oddly enough, such a fine production received no Grammy Awards. But nevertheless, the album’s reward was its lasting appeal as a piece of musical artistry. Whereas some albums are only hits for the moment or for that time, Gaye’s What’s Going On? is a hit for all time. Every track on the album is relevant today as it was forty-one years ago, which makes it an important piece of not just music but art as a whole. Gaye was well ahead of his time when he created this work of genius. “What’s Going On” is a timeless masterpiece that will last for many years to come. * Marvin was composer/producer he produced a instrumental titled "T Plays It Cool" over the years alot hip hop artist have used the instrumental as a beat,some have used it as is, some may have added a extra snare to it,a real dope beat google it and check it out for yourself. by Ghost Dogg
Boog Brown: Sure. I dated a few artists because you know when you are in an industry like [this] and you are around people that you work with or want to work with, all this brilliance, it’s natural for a person to be attracted to different people. So in Detroit and Atlanta, I had relationships with some of the people I worked with so people would…I would hear the, “Oh, she’s just messing with so and so for beats or he is just messing with her because she raps or it was that level of is that a using relationship?” Are they using each other kind of thing. And it’s like, that’s fine for you to naturally come to that conclusion [but] you will see our relationship was more than that. We learned from each other, we built each other up, and that was beneficial for both of us. And when we were done, we were done. It wasn’t like I was using you for this that and the third. So when you are a woman and make music and someone says, “Let’s work, let’s get together and let’s do this,” it’s masked in lets work but it’s really let me get you to the studio and get you high and [get] some drinks so maybe I can make a move kind of thing. So a lot of guys are like well she messed with so and so, so maybe she will mess with me instead of on some real genuine I really appreciate what you do, let’s work. So that’s what I was referencing. The fact that people will make up whatever they want in their mind to justify why they think something is happening.
