DiggingTheGreats

Record Shopping at A1 for National Record Store Day

I got to meet Questlove at A1 Records Shop and bought some great records. I also answer a common question I get -  "where did this guy come from?"

Jay-Z and Rick Rubin’s Victory Lap Through Hip Hop

Today we’re diving into this classic Jay-Z song, breaking down the lyrical references, the samples, and seeing how with this song, Jay Z is paying tribute to the art form, and the pioneers who came before him.

STREAM THE SPOTIFY LISTENING GUIDE 2023-11-29 08:10:47 +0000 UTC View Post

Stevie Wonder's UNIVERSAL Groove

Stevie Wonder’s song “Superstition” has one of the best grooves ever recorded, and today I’m going to show you that it’s SO good, Stevie is the universal groove donor. You can put this drum groove on ANYTHING and instantly make it better. And when I say anything, I mean ANYTHING.

SOURCES
2023-11-29 08:06:34 +0000 UTC View Post

The Roots, Explained with a Single Chord

The Roots album “Things Fall Apart” from 1999 is a great album, and there’s one song in particular, one CHORD especially that feels so good. In trying to understand why, I kept going, kept analyzing, looking at the larger context of this chord, this album, and The Roots as a band - and then I figured it out. This one ch...

9 KILLER Guitar Parts to IMPRESS Everyone at Soundcheck

Yes, this is a ridiculous premise, but we’ve done one of these for bass, and for keys, and today, I’ve brought it my friend David Brunelle to help show you 9 killer guitar parts that will impress everyone on stage while you’re soundchecking. 

STREAM THE SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: 2023-11-29 07:57:34 +0000 UTC View Post

Wu Tang’s PLAN Ain’t Nuthin to F With

The story of Wu Tang Clan is a continual story of flipping the norm, doing it your own way, and thinking long term.  Wu Tang Clan's debut album, Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers) is like STARTING at the end and working backwards.

SOURCES
"Check the Technique Vol 1" by Brian Coleman: 2023-11-29 07:36:26 +0000 UTC View Post

Why are SO MANY Funk songs in E minor? - AN INVESTIGATION

STREAM THE SPOTIFY LISTENING GUIDE: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45vbMIDwjYfS2cczsJt5kg?si=93a1bc732c08441a And yeah... Hollywood Swinin' is in E Major 🤦‍♂️

SOURCES
The inciti...

Tragedy of a Landmark Album: 3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul’s debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising is a landmark album for multiple reasons. But one of the elements that is so groundbreaking is also the thing that nearly erased De La Soul from music history entirely.   

GO STREAM DE LA SOUL: 2023-11-29 06:55:07 +0000 UTC View Post

How Nas Redefined the "NY State of Mind"

Nas’ debut album, 1994’s “Illmatic” is a masterpiece, and the song “N.Y. State of Mind” has become iconic. And, in typical DJ Premier fashion, the music matches the lyrics perfectly, so much so that we HAVE to talk about it. Today we’re going to break this song all the way down, get into the samples, that iconic...

A Tribe Called Quest’s “Sgt Pepper of Hip Hop”

The album “The Low End Theory” by A Tribe Called Quest from 1991 is, for multiple reasons, the Sgt Pepper of Hip Hop. On BOTH albums you’ve got the exploration and expansion of new production techniques, both reintroducing their respective groups in a new form, and there are even some direct Beatles crossovers on The Lo...

How J Dilla’s Timefeel ACTUALLY Works

J Dilla’s music has an incredibly unique feel to it. The most commonly talked about aspect of J Dilla’s production is his drums, BUT there’s a big misconception about Dilla’s drums that we need to talk about. Today we’re diving all the way into Dilla’s time feel, going through the entire history of recorded music,...

The Light X Found My Smile

From the video on Common's "The Light" - here's The Light blended with "I Found My Smile Again" by D'Angelo, with live bass. 

Funky Keyboard Soundcheck Lines to Impress Everyone on Stage

Is the idea of playing a funky, slightly deeper cut keyboard part for soundcheck specifically to impress everyone on stage a ridiculously vain idea? Yes, but I KNOW keyboard players do it too! It’s not just bass players. I see you guys over there. You want to play something to let everyone know it’s gonna be a good gig. I...

De La Soul, Tribe & Jungle Bros Changed Hip Hop

The Native Tongues represent an expansion within hip hop - a new musical sub-genre with a new focus. It’s an incredibly influential period of music history. It's also some of best music ever made.    

Stream the Spotify Listening Guide: 2023-11-29 06:28:09 +0000 UTC View Post

The INSANE Musical Math of DJ Premier and Mos Def

Diving into Mos Def's song "Mathematics" and seeing how DJ Premier perfectly balanced this song by making the music match the lyrics.   

Check out Tracklib's sample breakdown of "Mathematics": https://www.youtube.com/wat...

J Dilla's KICK DRUM FIST FIGHT - Deconstructing "Runnin' "

Have you ever heard a kick drum that’s so unique, so unpredictable, so… incredible, that you’ve wanted to fight someone? That might sound a little intense, but that’s exactly what happened when J Dilla was producing the song “Runnin’” by The Pharcyde in 1995.  

Stream the Spotify Listening Guide: 2023-11-29 06:16:49 +0000 UTC View Post

100k Livestream Audio Mix

Here's the mix of the 100k Subscriber Livestream, along with a setlist of every song played. 

100k YouTube Subscriber Livestream

This channel has reached 100,000 Subscribers, and that's amazing! Let's celebrate! Tune in to hear music you love, say what's up, and celebrate with other subscribers - LIVE!

Check the attached setlist for every song played, and download the audio only mix here: 2023-11-29 06:11:04 +0000 UTC View Post

The Story of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” (+Xmas Heist!)

Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" is an incredible song, and today we're breaking down the story behind it, what makes it so great, thanks to a special guest, and revealing my plan to send this song to the top of the Billboard Charts!

STREAM THIS SPOTIFY PLAYLIST ONCE THROUGH: 2023-11-29 06:05:08 +0000 UTC View Post

D’Angelo, J Dilla & the “Lauryn” Track that Never Was

Did Dilla produce "Feel Like Makin' Love"? What happened to Lauryn Hill's vocal? Let's talk about what happened, and attempt a remix to get close to the original "Lauryn Track"

Stream the Spotify Listening Guide - 2023-11-29 06:00:26 +0000 UTC View Post

Top 8 Funky Bass Lines to IMPRESS EVERYONE at Soundcheck

Give the sound engineer what they need, while also impressing everyone within earshot. Here are my Top 8 Funky Bass lines for soundcheck. Is this an incredibly vain idea for a video? Yes. Is this something we ALL subconsciously do? Come on, I can't be the only one who does this.   Let me know what your favorite soun...

How Mos Def and Talib Kweli made the album "Black Star"

In 1998, one album defied the popular, polished hip hop of the day, helped bring underground into the mainstream, and catapulted the careers of two MC’s. Let's break down the classic album "Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star" 

Stream the Spotify Listening Guide: 2023-11-29 05:53:27 +0000 UTC View Post

Breaking Down “Dynamite!” by The Roots | J Dilla Production

"Dynamite" by The Roots is a musical time capsule in a lot of ways. Let's break down the beat, the sample, and trace it all the way back through over 100 years of music history, sampling, and changing technology.

SOURCES ►Black Thought Interview 2023-11-29 05:48:01 +0000 UTC View Post

The MISTAKE in September - An Investigation

Is this a mistake or am I crazy? Investigating the intro of Earth, Wind & Fire's "September"

Thriller Mashup

Here's the final version of the Thriller Mashup, as seen in the Thriller Remix video

Remixing "Thriller" with Serato Stems 3.0

Let's see how well Serato Stems works: 5 Songs, Serato 3.0 Stems Beta, All original recordings - LET'S GO

J Dilla's Magic Trick - Recreating Erykah's "Didn't Cha Know"

Dilla said "Pick a record to sample, any record" and the result was Erykah Badu's "Didn't Cha Know" from 2000's Mama's Gun. Let's recreate this song and talk about the story behind it.   

(Also, at the end I said "The Common song Open Your Eyes" but obviously you know what I meant. Dilla sampled "Op...

The Greatest Filler Song of All Time | Earth Wind & Fire

September tells us a LOT about Earth, Wind & Fire - specifically, that they have the Midas Touch - Anything they touch turns to GOLD. Happy September Day to all who celebrate! 

STREAM THE SPOTIFY LISTENING GUIDE: 2023-11-29 05:33:45 +0000 UTC View Post

Kanye, De La Soul, Tribe and the Man who Influenced it all

This guy you've probably never heard of is connected to EVERYTHING - he was tied into the early hip hop scene, influenced several early hip hop groups, and directly and indirectly influenced Kanye on his third album Graduation. Today, I'm pulling out some red yarn to show you that if this guy didn't exist, neither would Kanye...

Fleetwood Mac is PROOF We're Living in a Simulation

Are you real? Am I real? Is any of this real? This week I'm going to prove to you we're living in a simulation using very simple evidence: the band "Fleetwood Mac"