Wax Only

Monday, October 23, 2017

The Samples Behind Kendrick Lamar’s ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’

Kendrick Lamar‘s breakthrough 2012 album good kid, m.A.A.d. city is arguably one of the most influential hip-hop albums. To honor its fifth anniversary, Power 106 has examined the album’s samples on its Wax Only series.

good kid, m.A.A.d city, which tells the story of K.Dot’s teenage experiences growing up in Compton, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. The album contains production by top hip-hop producers such as Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Scoop DeVille, Jack Splash and T-Minus, among others.

The 12-track project features singles “The Recipe” featuring Dr. Dre, “Swimming Pools (Drank),” “Backseat Freestyle,” “Poetic Justice” featuring Drake, and “B#tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe.”

Watch Wax Only above.

Related: The Samples Behind Outkast’s ‘Aquemini’

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Friday, September 29, 2017

The Samples Behind Outkast’s ‘Aquemini’

Power 106‘s Wax Only series is back to examine Outkast’s classic, third studio album, Aquemini. The album title is a portmanteau of Big Boi and André 3000’s zodiac signs: Aquarius and Gemini.

The project was released on September 29, 1998, and features singles “Skew It on the Bar-B,” “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1),” and “Rosa Parks.” The latter became the album’s most successful single.

Produced by Organized Noize, Mr. DJ, and Outkast themselves, Aquemini was certified platinum two months after its release and certified double platinum in 1999. The album peaked at number two on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts.

Watch Wax Only above.

Related: The Samples Behind Souls of Mischief’s ’93 ‘Til Infinity’

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Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The Samples Behind Souls of Mischief’s ’93 ‘Til Infinity’

Souls of Mischief

The mid-90s saw the release of many influential hip-hop albums — Souls of Mischief’s debut 93 ‘Til Infinity was one of them.

Released on Sept. 3, 1993, the album featured the following singles: “That’s When Ya Lost,” “Never No More,” and its title track. The latter, which peaked at No. 72 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, remains a staple in classic hip-hop sets.

The album was produced by four members of the Oakland, California crew Hieroglyphics, including Del Funky Homosapien.

Power 106’s Wax Only series has examined the samples used on the project in honor of its 24-year anniversary.

Watch above.

Related: The Samples Behind Raekwon’s ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’

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Thursday, August 3, 2017

The Samples Behind Raekwon’s ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’

Wax Only

In 1993, the Wu-Tang Clan released their influential debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). It was followed by successful solo projects from three of its members, one of which was Raekwon‘s highly-anticipated Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.

The album, which dropped in 1995, was produced by RZA and featured appearances from every Wu-Tang member except Ol’ Dirty Bastard. It followed a cinematic storyline based on the rappers’ lives in New York City.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx lived up to the hype, debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and achieving gold certification within two months. It is now widely considered as one of the best hip-hop albums of the ‘90s.

In celebration of the album’s 22-year anniversary, Power 106 has re-examined the album’s samples on its Wax Only series. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was first featured on the show back in 2015, but host Vin Rican wanted to revisit it in honor of the series’ two-year anniversary.

Watch above.

Related: The Samples Used on Classic Prodigy Tracks

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Friday, July 14, 2017

The Samples Used on Classic Prodigy Tracks

Prodigy

Power 106’s Vin Rican has celebrated the life of Mobb Deep‘s Prodigy with a new episode of Wax Only. The video looks at the samples behind Mobb Deep classics, along with solo tracks and songs that he was featured on.

Born Albert Johnson in Long Island, New York, Prodigy rose to fame in the ’90s as one-half of Mobb Deep. He also had a prolific career outside of the group, releasing 13 solo projects and five collaborative projects between 2000 and 2017. He passed way on June 20, 2017 from complications caused by sickle cell anemia.

Watch Wax Only above.

Related: The Samples Behind Capone-N-Noreaga’s ‘The War Report’

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Monday, June 19, 2017

The Samples Behind Capone-N-Noreaga’s ‘The War Report’

The War Report

Power 106‘s Wax Only series is back to examine Capone-N-Noreaga’s gritty debut album, The War Report. The project, which was released 20 years ago on Saturday, is considered an East Coast hip-hop classic.

The War Report included production from legends like Marley Marl, Lord Finesse, Buckwild, and DJ Clark Kent. It contained the singles “L.A. L.A.,” “T.O.N.Y. (Top of New York),” “Illegal Life,” and “Closer.” (“L.A., L.A.” was in response to Tha Dogg Pound’s 1995 track, “New York, New York.”)

Despite not having a hit single, The War Report was a commercial success. It peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on their Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it the pair’s highest-charting album to date.

Watch above to see Vin Rican go through the samples.

Related: The Samples Behind Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Wu-Tang Forever’

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