Props Over Here
Encyclopedia
"Props Over Here" is the first single from The Beatnuts: Street Level
, a 1994 album by East Coast
hip hop
group The Beatnuts
. It was released by Relativity Records
as a single with "Yeah You Get Props" as its b-side
in 1994. The song is produced by The Beatnuts and features raps by Juju, Psycho Les and Fashion. The lyrics are not as boastful as other Beatnuts songs, but are instead a hopeful demand to be considered good. "Props Over Here" contains a slow upbeat jazz-inspired instrumental that samples "Wee Tina" by Donald Byrd
& Booker Little
and "The Bridge" by MC Shan
. Lenny Underwood
plays keyboards
on the song.
Matt Jost of RapReviews.com explains that the song is well-suited as a lead single because its "rich bassline" is made for "mass consumption. Despite these "props" and the song's Abraham L. Lim-directed music video, "Props Over Here" did not make it onto the Billboard Hot 100
, but instead reached #39 on the Hot Rap Singles
chart. The song is nonetheless one of The Beatnuts' best known songs. It is sampled on Don Scavone's song "The Force." It can be found on two Beatnuts hits compilations, World Famous Classics
and Classic Nuts, Vol. 1
. A remix can be found on The Spot
.
The Beatnuts: Street Level
The Beatnuts: Street Level is the full-length debut album by hip hop trio The Beatnuts. It was released on June 21, 1994 by Relativity Records just a year after their debut EP, Intoxicated Demons. "Psycho Dwarf" is the only song found on both the EP and the album. The album is produced by The...
, a 1994 album by East Coast
East Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group The Beatnuts
The Beatnuts
The Beatnuts are a New York-based hip hop group and production duo from Queens, New York City. Its current members are JuJu and Psycho Les. JuJu is Dominican American from Corona and Psycho Les is a Colombian American from Jackson Heights...
. It was released by Relativity Records
Relativity Records
Relativity Records, often branded just Relativity, is an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his company, Important Record Distribution in metro New York. Early on, as an indie label, Relativity released music in a variety of styles, including dance, jazz, punk, and...
as a single with "Yeah You Get Props" as its b-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
in 1994. The song is produced by The Beatnuts and features raps by Juju, Psycho Les and Fashion. The lyrics are not as boastful as other Beatnuts songs, but are instead a hopeful demand to be considered good. "Props Over Here" contains a slow upbeat jazz-inspired instrumental that samples "Wee Tina" by Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
& Booker Little
Booker Little
Booker Little, Jr was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.-Biography:Despite his premature death from kidney failure at the age of 23, Little made an important contribution to jazz. Stylistically, his sound is rooted in the playing of Clifford Brown, featuring crisp articulation, a burnished...
and "The Bridge" by MC Shan
MC Shan
MC Shan is an American rapper. He is perhaps best known for collaborating with Snow in "Informer", an international number one hit single.-Biography:...
. Lenny Underwood
Unlimited Touch
Unlimited Touch was a New York based post disco group who had some regional fame in the early eighties. The group consisted of Audrey Wheeler, Phil Hamilton, Tony Cintron, Sandy Anderson, Stephanie James and Lenny Underwood. Raymond Reid and William Anderson from New York-based band Crown Heights...
plays keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
on the song.
Matt Jost of RapReviews.com explains that the song is well-suited as a lead single because its "rich bassline" is made for "mass consumption. Despite these "props" and the song's Abraham L. Lim-directed music video, "Props Over Here" did not make it onto the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, but instead reached #39 on the Hot Rap Singles
Hot Rap Tracks
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
chart. The song is nonetheless one of The Beatnuts' best known songs. It is sampled on Don Scavone's song "The Force." It can be found on two Beatnuts hits compilations, World Famous Classics
World Famous Classics
World Famous Classics: 1993-1998 is the first of three greatest hits albums by hip hop group The Beatnuts. It was released by Sony BMG in 1999 two weeks after the release of The Beatnuts' most commercially successful album, A Musical Massacre. It contains songs from The Beatnuts' first three...
and Classic Nuts, Vol. 1
Classic Nuts, Vol. 1
Classic Nuts, Vol. 1 is the last of three greatest hits albums by hip hop group The Beatnuts. It was released by Loud Records during its merger with Relativity on February 19, 2002. Released prior to The Originators, another 2002 Beatnuts album, it only contains songs from The Beatnuts' first four...
. A remix can be found on The Spot
Remix EP: The Spot
Remix EP: The Spot is a 1998 EP by hip hop group The Beatnuts. It was released on February 10, 1998 by Relativity Records. As its full title suggests, The Spot is composed mainly of remixes: it also has three sequel songs and one new recording, "Treat$". The sequels features new vocals over the...
.
A-Side
- "Props Over Here (Clean Edit)" (4:04)
- "Props Over Here (PD/MD Edit)" (4:04)
- "Props Over Here (LP Version)" (4:04)
B-Side
- "Yeah You Get Props (Rough Mix)" (3:45)
- "Props Over Here (Instrumental)" (4:04)
- "Props Over Here (Acapella)" (3:45)