The Breaks (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Breaks" is a critically acclaimed 1980
hit single by Kurtis Blow
from his self-titled debut album
. It was one of the earliest hip-hop
hits, peaking at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart.
, #4 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart
, and #9 on the U.S. Billboard dance chart
.
The background beat was used in Organized Rhyme
's song Check The O.R.
In 2008, this song was ranked #10 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs
The song has been featured in a few games: the 2002 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
, the 2005 game True Crime: New York City
, and the 2006 game Scarface: The World Is Yours
.
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
hit single by 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...
from his self-titled debut album
Kurtis Blow (album)
The album Kurtis Blow was rapper Kurtis Blow's self-titled debut, released in 1980. It includes the famous song "The Breaks", that was often sampled later in hip-hop records, mainly for its introduction made by Blow's a cappella vocal, and for the drum break, giving a wordplay dimension to the...
. It was one of the earliest 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...
hits, peaking at #87 on 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...
chart.
Remakes
- The female rap group Nadanuf remade the song alongside Kurtis Blow on their 1997 album Worldwide.
- Blow re-recorded the song on the album Tricka Technology by A SkillzA SkillzA.Skillz is an English breakbeat, big beat, and dance musician.He has worked across the UK at FabricLive, Spectrum, Chew The Fat, Supercharged, The Boutique and Sugarbeat as well as gigs around the world at major events, festivals and music industry parties such as The Hit Factory , WMC and Field...
and Krafty KutsKrafty KutsKrafty Kuts is an English electronic music, dance music and breakbeat producer and DJ.His Debut album - Freakshow was released in 2006 on his Against The Grain label and contains guest artists Tim Deluxe and Ashley Slater from the UK band Freak Power...
.
Lyrics and structure
- "The Breaks" repeats the word "breakBreakBreak may refer to:* Break * Recess , a general term for a period of time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties* Break , time off during a shift...
" (or any of its homophonesBrake (disambiguation)A brake is a device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch.Brake may also refer to one of the following:-Transportation:* Brake, a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a machine* Brake...
) eighty-four times over six and a half minutes. - There are six breakdownsBreak (music)In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
(seven including the outro) in "The Breaks". - There are no fewer than three definitions for "break," "to break" or "brakes" used in "The Breaks."
- Unlike most hip-hop songs which sample prerecorded funk, the funk beat in this song is original (contrary to some statements that believe it sampled Long Train Runnin' by The Doobie BrothersThe Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
). It has, in turn, been sampledSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
by many subsequent musicians. - The tune was sampled in the 2005 reggaetonReggaetonReggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
single, "Chacarron Macarron" by El ChomboEl ChomboEl Chombo, real name Rodney 'Dirty Sanchez' Clark is an American-born Panamanian producer and artist, known for his song "Chacarron Macarron"...
.
Charts and Recognition
The song hit #87 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
, #4 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, and #9 on the U.S. Billboard dance chart
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
.
The background beat was used in Organized Rhyme
Organized Rhyme
Organized Rhyme was a short-lived Canadian hip hop group based in Ottawa, known primarily for the fame later achieved by one of its members, comedian Tom Green....
's song Check The O.R.
In 2008, this song was ranked #10 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs
The song has been featured in a few games: the 2002 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
, the 2005 game True Crime: New York City
True Crime: New York City
True Crime: New York City is an urban sandbox-style action-adventure videogame published by Activision and developed by Luxoflux for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube consoles and Windows based computers. It is the second game of the True Crime series, released after True Crime: Streets of LA...
, and the 2006 game Scarface: The World Is Yours
Scarface: The World is Yours
Scarface: The World Is Yours is a video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games. The game is based on and is a quasi-sequel to the 1983 motion picture Scarface starring Al Pacino reprising his role as Tony Montana, with André Sogliuzzo providing Montana's...
.