Tuesday, June 7 2011

Breakbeat Tuesday – Special Guest Oliver O-Dub Wang

Whattup, world? Been a minute since I’ve brought the breaks on the second day of the week (third if you’re a tribes member) but this week I’m happy to bring in a very special guest, my dude Oliver Wang BKA O-Dub from the almighty Soul-Sides.com. For those that don’t know, Soul-Sides has been one of the preeminent sources and most comprehensive places on the web for all things soul, funk, jazz, latin, hip-hop, you name it. If it’s got soul, it’s on this site. O-Dub go way back many years ago after linking up with him via The Strut, and I started to spend a lot more time in The Bay. Ever the scholar, he has a true gift of breaking down the stories behind the music in a very academic manner (he is an assistant professor at CSU-Long Beach for crying out loud) but with never removing the humanity within the grooves. Truly “Doing The Knowledge.” So it’s my sincere pleasure to bring to you this week’s BBT with my man O-Dub at the helm. Take it away, my man…

Like the rest of the world, I probably first heard the the “Cussin, Cryin’ and Carryin’ On” break (“CCCO” for short) on 45 King’s instant classic of a remix for Take 6’s accapella jam, “Spread Love.”

Even among the pantheon of great 45 King beats, this one stood out for any number of reasons. For one, the kick drum has that incredible bottom boom; it literally sounds like a “fat beat.” However, by itself, it wouldn’t be anywhere as potent if not for the syncopation of that kick with the hi-hat and snare. Any number of images come to mind when I hear how the pattern lines up – it’s like someone rattling and throwing dice, it’s like whipping a rattlesnake by its head, it’s like down-shifting a race car and flooring it. You get the idea.

The brilliance of how the “CCCO” break comes together owes partially to its source:

Ike Turner (or more accurately, his drummer), should get proper credit for dreaming up that particular pattern but notice that the “break” here is basically a one bar intro; the rest of the song doesn’t keep that particular cadence. The “CCCO” break, as we know it, wouldn’t be what it is without 45 King recognizing the potential of looping that up and creating something far greater than its original source. Hell, even “Put Your Hand In the Hand” lasts for two bars.

Befitting the royalty of 45 King’s creation, the “CCCO” break recurs prominently in some major ways, especially as a track to kick a freestyle over. Arguably the most famous examples – twice over – lies with Biggie. You’ve probably seen this video:

There’s the young B.I.G., apparently rocking a street corner over the “CCCO” break. And then later, the same beat appears again in one of the greatest “what could have been?” moments in rap history:

Yup, ‘Pac and Biggie rapping over the “CCCO” break (along with Big Scoob, Kane and Shyheim), live at Madison Square Garden in ’95. But to give credit where it’s due, a year before that, you hear the “CCCO” break powering another live session but this time, it’s taking MCs to war:

During the infamous Hiero vs. Hobo battle in 1994, DJ Joe Quixxx used the “CCCO break” (using doubles of “Spread Love”) during the first couple of rounds between Casual and Saafir.

Indeed, the “CCCO” break had a real heyday in the early 1990s, showing up on records by everyone from Das Efx to the Pharcyde to Towa Tei but my absolute favorite (on griminess alone) is from Madman Shawn:

Camy wear? Check. Black hoodie? Check. Timbos? Check. The fact that the video is hella low-budget only enhances its mad-wreck-realness. Rip it up, son, rip it up.

Ike & Tina Turner “Cussin’, Cryin’ & Carryin’ On” (Pompei, 1969)