QUESTLOVE'S MUSIC IS HISTORY: THE ALBUM VERSION

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: 1988 Recorded: 1987-1988 Label: Jive Records Side A 1. Skinny (They Can't Get Enough) 2. Mystery 3. Stylin' 4. Free Your Mind 5. Set the Pace (Say Yeah) 6. Straight to the Dome 7. Skinny Groove Side B 1. Get Pepped* 2. Cause We're Getting Ours 3. Stop Crying 4. I Think It's Time 5. On 6. Every Kid's Dream *-Questlove: "Another underrated 1988 track that demonstrates the influence of Public Enemy from 1987: the shrill noises, sirens of various types.  The Skinny Boys modeled themselves after the Fat Boys, especially in early beatbox songs like "Get Funky" and "Jock Box" (which was later used as the theme song of the Comedy Central series Workaholics ).

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: June 16, 1989 Recorded: 1988-1989 Label: Ruthless/Atlantic Records Side 1 1. It's Funky Enough 2. Mind Blowin' 3. Lend Me An Ear 4. Comm. Blues 5. Let the Bass Go 6. Beautiful But Deadly Side 2 1. The D.O.C. & The Doctor 2. No One Can Do It Better 3. Whirlwind Pyramid* 4. Comm. 2 5. The Formula 6. Portrait of a Masterpiece 7. The Grand Finale *-Questlove: "Dr. Dre's most traditional hip-hop production.  "Whirlwind Pyramid" was the B side to "The Formula," which was released as the third single from the album.  And then after "The Formula comes "Portrait of a Masterpiece," which also deserves a round of applause.  Toward the end, the D.O.C. pulls Dre short.  "Hold on, Dre," he says.  "Stop the beat.  Let me catch my breath."  Dre's nonplussed: "Ai-yo, man, why ya stopping? That was funky."  The D.O.C. reiterates: "To catch my breath." Now Dre gets

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: June 15, 1981 Label: Mercury Records Side 1 1. The Deuce 2. It's Getting Hot 3. Getaway Side 2 1. Starline 2. Take It to the Bridge 3. Do The Do* 4. Rockin' *-Questlove: "Kurtis had a big hit with "The Breaks" on his first album.  The follow-up didn't get as much love commercially, but it's a strong record with lots of the five-minute-plus rap songs that were the going rate in 1981 and a few shorter tracks, including this one.  I want to make a plea for Universal to remaster all these records.  I've heard a version straight from iTunes that sounds like it's 72-bit: so much digital distortion."

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: June 15, 1988 Label: Soo Deff/Warlock Records Side A 1. Smooth Momentum 2. Let It Rip 3. Feels So Good 4. Deuce Ace Housin' 5. My Part of Town* Side B 1. It's Mad 2. Bound To Ike 3. Open Field Attack 4. North Side 5. Detonator *-Questlove: "Another Philly classic: respect to Ice Dog, L.A. Kid, Tone Love and DJ Too Tuff.  The sample in the song is by the Blackbyrds: "Street Games," from their 1977 album Action .  When Ray Parker, Jr., was on Questlove Supreme , he told me that he played the guitar on that entire record.  He also told me that Stevie Wonder could drive.  (Though to be fair, he didn't say that Stevie could drive well.  "He didn't care about hitting the cars," Ray said.)

Photos courtesy of Discogs & Twitter Released: 1989 Label: Sure Delight Records Side A 1. To Be Real 2. Act Like You Know 3. Skrum, And Then Some 4. Small Time Hustler* 5. Act Like You Know (Dub) Side B 1. Keisha 2. Black and Proud 3. You Must Be Crazy (Brutus) 4. Keisha (Dub) 5. Brutapella *-Questlove: "Here's another hidden gem that should have made it.  Shortly after "Rebel Without a Pause" by Public Enemy came out, there was a slew of records with these shrill noises.  This was the second one I ever heard.  When I DJed it live online, Dante Ross told me that people used to get their chains snatched to this joint in the Latin Quarter.  "Small Time Hustler" has a section where the Dismasters rhyme triple-style, like they're Migos' fathers or something."

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: June 19, 1990 Recorded: 1989-1990 Label: MCA Records Side 1 1. Let the Rhytm Hit 'Em 2. No Omega* 3. In the Ghetto 4. Step Back 5. Eric B. Made My Day Side 2 1. Run For Cover 2. Untouchables 3. Mahogany 4. Keep 'Em Eager to Listen 5. Set 'Em Straight *-Questlove: "This is my favorite Rakim joint.  This is why you know that every hip-hop head subscribes to the Rakim-as-god-MC theory.  He bobs and weaves through all the verses, has little iambic pentameter moves, gets into his lines and out of them with speed and elegance.  "Next episode be smooth as a Persian"?  It already is."

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: 1980 Label: Ware Records Side A 1. This is a Party Side B 1. The "Micstro" * *-Questlove: Even though the MC RC La Rock (not to be confused with T LaRock or Scott LaRock) came from Brooklyn, this song is a Philly classic.  In my opinion, it's one of the greatest of the first wave of old school rhymes that came out between 1979 and 1982.  This was before hip-hop songs were treated as pop songs.  At first hip-hop was filled with these long songs, six or seven minutes at least, and as long as fifteen.  There were no breaks.  You had to keep the party going.  Full Force the moved toward the "Hip-Pop" format with the UTFO ("Roxanne, Roxanne," which was also the first time we heard a breakbeat sampled in hip-hop (Billy Squier's "The Big Beat").  Compact, catchy rap songs?  That was unthinkable just a few years earlier.  If you look on the credits of LL Cool J's debut album, Radio , back in 1985, it say

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: 1989 Label: Mercury Records Side 1 1. Rhythm is the Master 2. No D.J. Like Chuck 3. Gimme Minze 4. Roll Call: Bronxwood Productions 5. The Mic I Grip Side 2 1. I'm Large* 2. That's Life 3. No Holding Back 4. Time to Rhyme 5. Son of a Gun 6. Chuck Is Chillin' *-Questlove: "Any list of hip-hop deep cuts needs to include a shout-out to Salaam Remi, who produced this when he was still a teenager.  Like me, Salaam was a second-generation music-business kid--his father was Van Gibbs, who started as a musician, worked at various record labels, and produced artists like The Fat Boys and Kurtis Blow--in fact, years before Salaam produced this record, he was playing keyboards on Kurtis's Kingdom Blow album.  If you're old enough, like me, to remember when cable was still a new concept, you'll remember Video Jukebox , which aired on HBO from 1981 to 1986 or so.  It was a half-hour showcase of videos that was more eclectic and in

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: September 14, 1990 Recorded: 1989-1990 Label: Def Jam Recordings/Columbia Records Side 1 1. The Boomin' System 2. Around The Way Girl 3. Eat 'Em Up, L Chill 4. Mr. Goodbar 5. Murdergram (Live at Rapmania) * 6. Cheesy Rat Blues 7. Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem) Side 2 1. Mama Said Knock You Out 2. Milky Cereal 3. Jingling Baby (Remixed But Still Jingling) 4. To Da Break Of Dawn 5. 6 Minutes Of Pleasure 6. Illegal Search 7. The Power Of God *-Questlove: "I loved the album before this one, Walking With a Panther , though I can understand why people believed that it wasn't up to his standards.  When he came back, he came back hungry.  For some reason, it sends me back to "You Can't Dance," from his debut album in 1985.  That's my favorite corny LL joint, and maybe my favorite all-time LL joint.  Sue me:  I loved it when it came out.  In fact, I loved it so much that it's the source of a forthcoming humblebrag.  Befor

Photos courtesy of Discogs Released: September 8, 1992 Recorded: 1971-1989 Label: ARC/Legacy/Columbia Records/Kalimba Productions Volume 1 (1971-1975) 1. Fan the Fire 2. Love is Life 3. I Think About Lovin' You 4. Interlude (Previously Unreleased) 5. Time Is On Your Side 6. Where Have All the Flowers Gone 7. Power 8. Keep Your Head to the Sky 9. Evil 10. Mighty Mighty 11. Feelin' Blue 12. Hey Girl (Interlude) (Previously Unreleased) * 13. Open Our Eyes 14. Shining Star (Previously Unreleased Alternate Version) 15. Happy Feelin' 16. Reasons 17. Shining Star 18. That's the Way of the World Volume 2 (1975-1977) 1. Kalimba Story/Sing a Message to You (Live) (Previously Unreleased) 2. Head to the Sky/Devotion (Live) (Previously Unreleased) 3. Sun Goddess (Live) 4. Mighty Mighty (Live) (Previously Unreleased) 5. Interlude 6. Can't Hide Love 7. Sing a Song 8. Sunshine 9. Getaway 10. Saturday Nite 11. Spirit 12. Ponta De Areia- "Brazilian Rhyme" (Interlude) (Pre