Larry Smith (producer)
Encyclopedia
Larry Smith is a pioneering African American musician and hip hop
record producer
. He is best known for his co-productions (with Russell Simmons
) of Run-DMC's Run-D.M.C.
(1984) and King of Rock
(1985) and his solo production of Whodini
's Escape (1984) and Back in Black (1986).
It is a measure of Smith's creative range that he could work simultaneously with the decidedly dissimilar Run-DMC and Whodini. The former was rock-oriented, the latter leaned towards R&B – or as the critic Tom Terrell suggested, "Smith envisioned Whodini as the luxe Cadillac Seville to Run-DMC's Electra 225 hooptie."
Smith's work has engendered not just critical esteem, but popular success. In the month ending February 23, 1985, both Run-DMC and Escape were certified gold by the RIAA, as was the Fat Boys
' eponymous debut album, on which Smith played bass and helped to compose the hit single, "Jail House Rap." These were among the very first rap albums to reach the gold sales plateau.
In 1987 Whodini's John "Ecstacy" Fletcher described Smith as "the Quincy Jones
of rap." In 2010 Run-DMC's Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels
claimed, "Larry Smith's musical arsenal equals Dr. Dre
's." In 2009, the producer DJ Premier
placed Smith first on his list of "Top 5 Dead or Alive Producers," ahead of Marley Marl
, Quincy Jones
, James Brown
, and Rick Rubin
.
and attended Andrew Jackson High School
. He taught himself to play bass by listening to James Brown's records. Eventually, Smith did all kinds of session work, played punk-rock, jazz, and, blues, then logged stints in the house band of more than one musical.
In 1979, Smith was recruited by his old friend Robert "Rocky" Ford, then an aspiring record producer, to play bass on Kurtis Blow
's "Christmas Rappin'." An underground sensation in America, the song was a chart hit in England. Two years later, the English rock band Queen
"sampled" Larry's bass line in "Another One Bites the Dust
."
Smith went on to co-write and to play bass on such other Blow recordings as "The Breaks
" (one of the first rap records to crack into Billboard
' s Hot 100 singles chart and achieve "gold" sales status), "Hard Times," "Tough," "Day Dreamin'," and "The Deuce."
It while working with Blow that Smith met Blow's manager, Russell Simmons. By 1982, the pair was producing records together, starting with a couple of singles for the rapper Jimmy Spicer
: "The Bubble Bunch" (1982) and "Money (Dollar Bill Y'all)" (1983). The latter track has been sampled no less than 15 times, including by De La Soul
("Bitties in the BK Lounge," 1991), Maino
("Hi Hater
," 2009), and Kanye West
("Eyes Closed," 2010). Retitled "Money Money," the song was covered in 1987 by the Jamaican toaster Reverend Badoo, who gave it a dancehall reggae treatment. (In 1985 Smith produced "Roots, Rap, Reggae" for Run-DMC and guest artist Yellowman
. It was one of the earliest rap-reggae collaborations.) It was also covered by Coolio
in 1997.
It was also in 1983 that Smith teamed up with guitarist/deejay Davy DMX
and drummer Trevor Gale in a group called Orange Krush. Their one single, "Action," was very influential, not least because of Gale's stark and funky drumbeat. Before the year was out, Smith had transferred the beat to a drum machine, added some handclaps, and bestowed a name on the result: Krush Groove. He proceeded to apply the Krush Groove as a foundation to four of Run-DMC's early singles: "Sucker MCs (Krush-Groove 1)," "Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)," "Darryl & Joe (Krush-Groove 3)," and "Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4)."
on "Super Rhyme Maker" (1990), by De La Soul on "Ego Trippin' (Part Two)" (1993), by Tupac
and Redman on "Got My Mind Made Up" (1996), and by Snoop Dogg
on "Hoop Dreams (He Got Game)" (1999) among many others.
When Run-DMC's eponymous first album was released in the spring of 1984, it was hailed by Robert Christgau
("the dean of American rock critics") as "easily the canniest and most formally sustained rap album ever." One of the album's standout tracks was "Rock Box
," a pioneering hybrid of rap and rock. According to Bill Adler in "Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC," the record came together when Run-DMC overheard a rock band named Riot recording in New York's Greene Street Studios. "They saw these loud guitars," remembers Simmons, "and they started screaming, 'We can do that! What the fuck – we're going to make loud shit, too!'"
Steve Loeb, Greene Street's owner, was frankly skeptical of the viability of a rock-rap crossover. "You're out of your mind," he told Smith.
"Niggas play rock'n'roll, too," Smith replied. He then recruited his old Hollis, Queens friend Eddie Martinez
– known to his friends as the Manic Hispanic—to lay in the guitar part for "Rock Box.
Named by The Source
magazine in 1998 as one of the 100 Best Rap Albums Ever and by Rolling Stone
as one of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s, Run-DMC is "the LP that forever tore rap away from disco and made it its own thing," according to critic Tom Breihan in 2005.
Smith and Simmons's second album for Run-DMC was King of Rock. The title track, which again featured Eddie Martinez on guitar, let Run-DMC "crunch and pop like some sort of hip-hop Black Sabbath
," in the words of Rolling Stone' s J.D. Considine. In recent years it's been featured on the soundtrack of the video games "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
" and "Thrasher: Skate and Destroy
." The album went platinum in 1987.
since 1982. Just as "It's Like That/Sucker MCs" anchored Run-DMC, so Smith's production of the single "Friends/Five Minutes of Funk" would anchor Whodini's Escape. Ultimately, it reached number four on Billboard
' s Hot R&B Singles chart.
In a 2009 interview with Jesse Serwer, Whodini's Jalil Hutchins recalled being introduced to Smith at Disco Fever in the Bronx: "Me and Larry became friends, and when we was going to record, we said, 'Lar, what you got?' He laid out his ideas real fast, and the first was 'Five Minutes of Funk.' When we caught that beat, we were like, 'Messing with you is gonna be fun.' We made that record in like a half hour."
In 1985, the reviewer Crispin Sartwell called "Five Minutes of Funk," "one of '84's most memorable singles. Memorable, in fact, is an understatement; trying to get that little three-note riff out of your head is like trying to bench press Milwaukee." "Five Minutes of Funk" has been sampled at least 16 times, most notably by Jayo Felony
(on "Nitty Gritty," 1998) and Snoop Dogg (on "Game of Life," 2004).
John "Ecstacy" Fletcher's memory of the making of "Friends" hinges on Whodini's goal of making "a song that people in the projects would play outside their window in the summertime. We knew from [Larry's] beat that that's what we had with 'Friends.'" "Friends" has been sampled at least 30 times, most notably by Nas
on "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)
," in 2004, but also by Dr. Dre, KRS-One
, 2Pac, and Will Smith
.
Escape' s other notable single was "Freaks Come Out at Night," about which the critic Greg Tate wrote: "[The track's] sybaritic verses would be just so much more overbaked hiphop toasting without Smith's sizzling contrapuntal eruptions arcing and looping in and out of the vocals. Smith and Whodini have laid the groundwork for a genus of hiphop as capable of personal revelation as the blues of Robert Johnson
and as worldly wise as the melodic muse of Wayne Shorter
." Certified platinum in 1987, Escape was named one of the 100 Best Rap Albums in The Source in 1998.
The critic Vince Aletti
, writing for Andy Warhol
's Interview
magazine in April 1986, summed up the impact of Smith's work for Whodini: "…a funky but melodic mix that gives the material the appeal of songs rather than bare-boned rap attacks, these songs have gone on to become hits that helped open ears and airwaves to rap."
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He is best known for his co-productions (with Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
) of Run-DMC's Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
(1984) and King of Rock
King of Rock
King of Rock is the second album by hip hop trio Run–D.M.C.. Produced in 1985, the album sees the group adopting a more rock-influenced sound, with several tracks prominently featuring heavy guitar riffs....
(1985) and his solo production of Whodini
Whodini
Whodini is a hip hop group that was formed in 1981. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, aka Ecstasy ; and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee.-Early years:Whodini was among the first hip-hop groups to...
's Escape (1984) and Back in Black (1986).
It is a measure of Smith's creative range that he could work simultaneously with the decidedly dissimilar Run-DMC and Whodini. The former was rock-oriented, the latter leaned towards R&B – or as the critic Tom Terrell suggested, "Smith envisioned Whodini as the luxe Cadillac Seville to Run-DMC's Electra 225 hooptie."
Smith's work has engendered not just critical esteem, but popular success. In the month ending February 23, 1985, both Run-DMC and Escape were certified gold by the RIAA, as was the Fat Boys
The Fat Boys
The Fat Boys are a successful African American hip-hop music trio from Brooklyn, New York City, that emerged in the early 1980s. Briefly, the group was known originally as the Disco 3.-Members:*Mark Morales a.k.a. "Prince Markie Dee"...
' eponymous debut album, on which Smith played bass and helped to compose the hit single, "Jail House Rap." These were among the very first rap albums to reach the gold sales plateau.
In 1987 Whodini's John "Ecstacy" Fletcher described Smith as "the Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
of rap." In 2010 Run-DMC's Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels
Darryl McDaniels
-Video game appearances:*The Warriors - Scopes*Guitar Hero: Aerosmith - Himself- External links :* * * * * http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/12/entertainment/la-et-people-speak12-2009dec12...
claimed, "Larry Smith's musical arsenal equals Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
's." In 2009, the producer DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
placed Smith first on his list of "Top 5 Dead or Alive Producers," ahead of Marley Marl
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams , better known as Marley Marl, is an American DJ and record producer, who is considered one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers in the history of hip hop.-Biography:...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, and Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
.
Early career
Larry Smith grew up in St. Albans, QueensSt. Albans, Queens
St. Albans is a middle class community in the New York City borough of Queens around the intersection of Linden Boulevard and Farmers Boulevard, about two miles north of JFK Airport. It is southeast of Jamaica, west of Cambria Heights and north of Springfield Gardens and Laurelton.The neighborhood...
and attended Andrew Jackson High School
Andrew Jackson High School (Queens, New York)
Andrew Jackson High School is a defunct comprehensive high school in the Cambria Heights section in southeastern Queens, New York. The school was opened in 1937. However, the city closed down the school in 1994...
. He taught himself to play bass by listening to James Brown's records. Eventually, Smith did all kinds of session work, played punk-rock, jazz, and, blues, then logged stints in the house band of more than one musical.
In 1979, Smith was recruited by his old friend Robert "Rocky" Ford, then an aspiring record producer, to play bass on Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow
Kurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label...
's "Christmas Rappin'." An underground sensation in America, the song was a chart hit in England. Two years later, the English rock band Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
"sampled" Larry's bass line in "Another One Bites the Dust
Another One Bites the Dust
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game . The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and...
."
Smith went on to co-write and to play bass on such other Blow recordings as "The Breaks
The Breaks
The Breaks is an American 1999 comedy film written by and starring Mitch Mullany and directed by Eric Meza. The plot involves a day in the life of Derrick King, an Irish kid raised by a black family in Los Angeles, as he is kicked out of his house and suffers various other mishaps before eventually...
" (one of the first rap records to crack into Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
It while working with Blow that Smith met Blow's manager, Russell Simmons. By 1982, the pair was producing records together, starting with a couple of singles for the rapper Jimmy Spicer
Jimmy Spicer
Jimmy Spicer is a rap musician who released a number of old school rap singles during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Spicer was managed by Russell Simmons' Rush Management...
: "The Bubble Bunch" (1982) and "Money (Dollar Bill Y'all)" (1983). The latter track has been sampled no less than 15 times, including by De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
("Bitties in the BK Lounge," 1991), Maino
Maino
Maino is an American rapper from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York.-Early life:...
("Hi Hater
Hi Hater
"Hi Hater" is the first single from Brooklyn rapper Maino's debut album If Tomorrow Comes.... It was featured in the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles.-Music video:...
," 2009), and Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
("Eyes Closed," 2010). Retitled "Money Money," the song was covered in 1987 by the Jamaican toaster Reverend Badoo, who gave it a dancehall reggae treatment. (In 1985 Smith produced "Roots, Rap, Reggae" for Run-DMC and guest artist Yellowman
Yellowman
Yellowman is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, widely known as King Yellowman...
. It was one of the earliest rap-reggae collaborations.) It was also covered by Coolio
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
in 1997.
It was also in 1983 that Smith teamed up with guitarist/deejay Davy DMX
Davy DMX
Davy DMX is the stage name of David Reeves, a figure in hip-hop music. His career began in his hometown of Queens, New York as a DJ in the late 1970s. He is mostly known for his popular single "One for the Treble" released in 1984...
and drummer Trevor Gale in a group called Orange Krush. Their one single, "Action," was very influential, not least because of Gale's stark and funky drumbeat. Before the year was out, Smith had transferred the beat to a drum machine, added some handclaps, and bestowed a name on the result: Krush Groove. He proceeded to apply the Krush Groove as a foundation to four of Run-DMC's early singles: "Sucker MCs (Krush-Groove 1)," "Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)," "Darryl & Joe (Krush-Groove 3)," and "Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4)."
Making Run-DMC and King of Rock
Although Smith was a trained musician, he chose not to employ live studio musicians to provide the music for Run-DMC. Aiming to reproduce on record the super-spare sound of hip-hop music as it was then being made in the city's parks and clubs, he relied instead on drum machines. The revolutionary result—embodied in Run-DMC's first single, "It's Like That/Sucker MCs" -- was little more than beats and rhymes. "With its lack of bass and emphasis on drum claps, 'Sucker MCs' provided the template for most rap records from '83 until '86/'87," according to critic Jesse Serwer. "[That single] completely changed hip-hop…rendering everything that preceded it distinctly old school with one fell swoop," wrote Peter Shapiro in "The Rough Guide to HipHop." "Sucker MCs" was sampled by Kid RockKid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
on "Super Rhyme Maker" (1990), by De La Soul on "Ego Trippin' (Part Two)" (1993), by Tupac
Tupac
Tupac is a relatively uncommon male name. Notable people with the name include:*Túpac Inca Yupanqui , tenth Sapa Inca of the Incan Empire*Túpac Amaru , last indigenous leader of the Inca people in Peru...
and Redman on "Got My Mind Made Up" (1996), and by Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
on "Hoop Dreams (He Got Game)" (1999) among many others.
When Run-DMC's eponymous first album was released in the spring of 1984, it was hailed by Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
("the dean of American rock critics") as "easily the canniest and most formally sustained rap album ever." One of the album's standout tracks was "Rock Box
Rock Box
"Rock Box" is a 1984 hit single by Run-D.M.C.. It is the third single from their self-titled debut album, originally released through Profile Records, Inc. The heavy rock guitar riff and solos are original compositions performed by Eddie Martinez, also seen playing the electric guitar in the music...
," a pioneering hybrid of rap and rock. According to Bill Adler in "Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC," the record came together when Run-DMC overheard a rock band named Riot recording in New York's Greene Street Studios. "They saw these loud guitars," remembers Simmons, "and they started screaming, 'We can do that! What the fuck – we're going to make loud shit, too!'"
Steve Loeb, Greene Street's owner, was frankly skeptical of the viability of a rock-rap crossover. "You're out of your mind," he told Smith.
"Niggas play rock'n'roll, too," Smith replied. He then recruited his old Hollis, Queens friend Eddie Martinez
Eddie Martinez
Eddie Martinez is an American guitarist, born and raised in New York City, who mainly functions as a session musician. He has worked with David Lee Roth , Run-D.M.C. , Robert Palmer , Meat Loaf , several Jim Steinman projects, and many others...
– known to his friends as the Manic Hispanic—to lay in the guitar part for "Rock Box.
Named by The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
magazine in 1998 as one of the 100 Best Rap Albums Ever and by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
as one of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s, Run-DMC is "the LP that forever tore rap away from disco and made it its own thing," according to critic Tom Breihan in 2005.
Smith and Simmons's second album for Run-DMC was King of Rock. The title track, which again featured Eddie Martinez on guitar, let Run-DMC "crunch and pop like some sort of hip-hop Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
," in the words of Rolling Stone
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is a music video game developed by Neversoft and distributed by Activision. It was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, with a Wii version developed by Vicarious Visions, a PlayStation 2 version by Budcat Creations and with a PC and Mac version by Aspyr Media...
" and "Thrasher: Skate and Destroy
Thrasher: Skate and Destroy
Thrasher Presents Skate and Destroy is a skateboarding video game developed by Z-Axis and released in 1999 for the Sony PlayStation. A Game Boy Color version was also developed, but was later cancelled...
." The album went platinum in 1987.
Making Escape
In the wake of the success of Run-DMC's first singles, Smith was engaged to produce a new album by Whodini, a Brooklyn rap trio which had been recording for then-London-based Jive RecordsJive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
since 1982. Just as "It's Like That/Sucker MCs" anchored Run-DMC, so Smith's production of the single "Friends/Five Minutes of Funk" would anchor Whodini's Escape. Ultimately, it reached number four on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
In a 2009 interview with Jesse Serwer, Whodini's Jalil Hutchins recalled being introduced to Smith at Disco Fever in the Bronx: "Me and Larry became friends, and when we was going to record, we said, 'Lar, what you got?' He laid out his ideas real fast, and the first was 'Five Minutes of Funk.' When we caught that beat, we were like, 'Messing with you is gonna be fun.' We made that record in like a half hour."
In 1985, the reviewer Crispin Sartwell called "Five Minutes of Funk," "one of '84's most memorable singles. Memorable, in fact, is an understatement; trying to get that little three-note riff out of your head is like trying to bench press Milwaukee." "Five Minutes of Funk" has been sampled at least 16 times, most notably by Jayo Felony
Jayo Felony
James Savage, better known by his stage name, Jayo Felony is a rapper from southeast San Diego, California. He is known for being the first San Diego rapper to be signed to a major label...
(on "Nitty Gritty," 1998) and Snoop Dogg (on "Game of Life," 2004).
John "Ecstacy" Fletcher's memory of the making of "Friends" hinges on Whodini's goal of making "a song that people in the projects would play outside their window in the summertime. We knew from [Larry's] beat that that's what we had with 'Friends.'" "Friends" has been sampled at least 30 times, most notably by Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
on "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)
If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)
"If I Ruled the World " is a 1996 hit hip hop single by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees. It is based on the 1985 hit of the same name by rapper Kurtis Blow and samples the beat of "Friends" by Whodini. The single was Nas's first Top 20 R&B hit, and was also nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award...
," in 2004, but also by Dr. Dre, KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
, 2Pac, and Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
.
Escape
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues singer and musician. His landmark recordings from 1936–37 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given...
and as worldly wise as the melodic muse of Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
." Certified platinum in 1987, Escape was named one of the 100 Best Rap Albums in The Source in 1998.
The critic Vince Aletti
Vince Aletti
Vince Aletti is an American music journalist and photography critic.Vince Aletti was the first person to write about disco , writing a weekly column about disco for the music trade magazine Record World and reporting about early clubs like David Mancuso's Loft for The Village Voice in the late...
, writing for Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
magazine in April 1986, summed up the impact of Smith's work for Whodini: "…a funky but melodic mix that gives the material the appeal of songs rather than bare-boned rap attacks, these songs have gone on to become hits that helped open ears and airwaves to rap."