These Are the Breaks: Isaac Hayes.

(Our weekly look back at the original songs your favorite Hip-Hop records sampled)

I took last week off from this section of the blog because I was on vacation, but I'm making up for it with an extensive post this time around. And it's only right that this week were are looking at a musical legend, a soul pioneer, the Black Moses: Isaac Hayes. Hayes passed away this Sunday at the age of 65 from an apparent stroke, but his music will live on forever - especially in Hip-Hop. His soulful music music has laid the groundwork for countless hip-hop artist and legendary rap records.

Alongside his work in popular music, Hayes was a film score composer for motion pictures. He's best known for creating the illest theme music ever for the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft, which earned Hayes an Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first Academy Award received by an African-American in a non-acting category) and two Grammy Awards. Hayes also got his silver screen on and appeared in numerous movies and television shows. Most of you new jacks will know him as the voice of "Chef" on South Park.

Let's get into it the samples.

(1) Isaac Hayes - "Walk On By" [DOWNLOAD]

His first album, Hot Buttered Soul, is widely regarded as a landmark in soul music. Not only did it have one of the best album titles ever, but it broke away from the typical three-minute song format, but rather consisted of just four tracks ranging between 5 and 18 minutes long. The first song on the album is a Burt Bacharach cover and is titled "Walk On By." It's been sampled by Tupac, Compton's Most Wanted, and most notably The Notorious B.I.G.


Notorious B.I.G. - "Warning"




(2) Isaac Hayes - "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" [DOWNLOAD]

Next up, from the same album, Hot Buttered Soul, the second track on the record is "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic." Say that 3 times fast. The funky bass and wah wah guitar loop were used most notably by DJ Quik and Public Enemy.


DJ Quik - "Born and Raised in Compton"


Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos"




(3) Isaac Hayes - "The Look Of Love" [DOWNLOAD]

Hayes' released his fourth studio album, ...To Be Continued, in 1970. The album featured one of Isaac's most famous songs, "The Look of Love" which was another Burt Bacharach cover. It's one of the dopest instrumental intros of all time, and has been sampled by everybody: LL Cool L, Special Ed, Smif N Wessum, Snoop Dogg, and of course Jay-Z.


Jay-Z - "Can I Live?"




(4) Isaac Hayes - "Ike's Mood" [DOWNLOAD]

From the same album, comes "Ike's Mood" which was an instrumental track and a part of medley on the B-Side of "...To Be Continued." The song has multiple changes, and each intricate part has been used for classic song after classic song. It's the most sampled Issac song, flipped at least 20+ times from LL Cool J to Mary J. Blige, but most recognized as Biz Markie's "Make The Music." The loop Biz used starts at 1:45.

Ah, one-two, ah, one-two

Biz Markie - "Make The Music"




(5) Isaac Hayes - "Hung Up on My Baby" [DOWNLOAD]

In 1974, Hayes appeared in the blaxploitation flick, Three Tough Guys, and also recorded the soundtrack which was titled, Tough Guys. The soundtrack featured a song called, "Hung up on My Baby" which might be Hayes' most widely recognized hip-hop sample. The second you hear it, you know exactly where it's from...it drops in at 0:29 seconds.

Classic.

Geto Boys - "My Mind Is Playing Tricks On Me"

The intro from the song is also used in an obscure, but well known Cali song by Second II None...

Second II None - "If You Want It"




(6) Isaac Hayes - "A Few More Kisses To Go" [DOWNLOAD]

By 1979, the music landscape had changed. Soul music was starting to take a backseat to disco. Hayes adapted, and returned to the Top 40 with Don't Let Go and its disco-styled title track that became a hit single (U.S. #18), and also featured the classic "A Few More Kisses To Go" which was later turned into a one of my favorite Redman songs of all time.

I walk around town with the black tech nine by the waistline...

Redman - "Tonite's Da Night"