Go-Go Music

Go-Go Music is a sub-genre of funk that is extreamly popular in the DMV (DC, Maryland Virginia) area. This form of music has always been in my life and it shows in my films. So what kind of person would I be if I left the world out on what made me who I am? This is what wikipedia had to say about it…

Go-go is a subgenre of funk that originated in the Washington, D.C., area during the mid- to late-1970s. A handful of bands contributed to the early evolution of the genre, but singer-guitarist Chuck Brown is credited with having developed most of the hallmarks of the style.[1]In technical terms, “Go-go’s essential beat is characterized by a syncopated, dotted rhythm that consists of a series of quarter and eighth notes (quarter, eighth, quarter, (space/held briefly), quarter, eighth, quarter)… which is underscored most dramatically by the bass drum and snare drum, and the hi-hat… [and] is ornamented by the otherpercussion instruments, especially by the conga drums, timbale, and hand-held cowbells.”^[2]

Unique to Go-Go is an instrumentation with 2 standard Congas and 2 “Junior Congas”, 8″ and 9″ wide and about half as tall as the standard Congas, a size rare outside of Go-Go. They were introduced to Rare Essence by Tyrone Williams -aka- Jungle Boogie in the early days when they couldn’t afford enough full sized Congas, and are ubiquitous ever since.^[3] A swing rhythm is often implied (if not explicitly stated).

Another important attribute in go-go is call-and-response vocals with the crowd in concert.

There is generally little familiarity with go-go music outside of the D.C. Metro area, which includes the District of Columbia and the city’s outlying Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs. Consequently, the relatively little commercial success (by industry standards) go-go bands have enjoyed has largely been a product of the genre’s following in this geographic region. Nevertheless, the style continues to evolve.

Smooth Go-Go Music?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vdypbk

TCB?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/nxg52f

Reaction?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ms5ss5

New Impressionz?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/u0yuip

UCB & CCB?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/shtuu0

ABM Music

http://www.sendspace.com/file/lsdycl

Backyard Band Music

http://www.sendspace.com/file/2qfccj

Need Some GoGo For A Party? [Cranks!] **warning, alot of vulgar language is in this**

http://www.sendspace.com/file/cay5v6

Go-go samples

There have been a number of artists who have sampled from existing go-go records or put out records with a go-go beat.

• Kurtis Blow had E.U. play on “Party Time” (1983, Mercury).
• Grace Jones‘ “Slave to the Rhythm” (1985, ZTT) includes E.U.’s Ju Ju House on drums and percussion.
• Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five released a cover of Trouble Funk’s “Pump Me Up” (1985, Sugar Hill).
• LL Cool J‘s “Rock the Bells” (1985, Def Jam) samples Trouble Funk’s “Double Trouble”
• Doug E. Fresh‘s “All the Way to Heaven” (1986, Reality) has a go-go beat, sampled rototom fills, and call-and-response vocals with a live audience.
• The Beastie Boys‘ “Hold It, Now Hit It” on Licensed to Ill (1986, Def Jam) samples a drum fill from “Drop the Bomb” by Trouble Funk.
• Run-D.M.C.‘s “Is It Live” on Raising Hell (1986, Profile) has a go-go rhythm track (approximated on a drum machine) and samples a go-go drum fill.
• The Real Roxanne With Hitman Howie Tee’s “(Bang Zoom) Let’s Go Go!” (1986, Select) has a stripped-down go-go beat.
• Double Dee and Steinski‘s “Jazz” samples Trouble Funk’s “Pump Me Up”.
• Double Dee and Steinski‘s “Voice Mail (The Sugar Hill Suite)” samples Trouble Funk’s “Drop the Bomb”.
• Heavy D & the Boyz‘s “Mr. Big Stuff” (1986, MCA) has a go-go beat.
• The title track from Boogie Down Productions‘s Criminal Minded (1987, B-Boy) samples Trouble Funk’s “Let’s Get Small”.
• M/A/R/R/S‘s “Pump Up the Volume” (1987, 4AD) includes a vocal sample from Trouble Funk’s “Pump Me Up.”
• Salt-N-Pepa‘s “My Mic Sounds Nice” (1987, Next Plateau) has a go-go sample.
• Salt-N-Pepa recorded “Shake Your Thing” (1988, Next Plateau) with E.U.
• Kid n’ Play‘s “Rollin’ With Kid n’ Play” (1989, Select) has a go-go sample.
• 2 Live Crew recorded a version of “Drop the Bomb” with Trouble Funk called “The Bomb Has Dropped” (1989, Luke Skyywalker)
• Doug E. Fresh had Rare Essence play on the remix of “I’m Getting Ready” on his “D.E.F.=Doug E. Fresh” 12-inch (1989, Reality)
• Salt-N-Pepa’s “Expression” (1989, Next Plateau) has a go-go break (with samples) in the middle that includes the lyrics “At my door they’re bum-rushin’ / To hear the percussion / Sound of my go-go band.”
• Jesse Jaymes covered E.U.’s “Shake It Like a White Girl” (1991, Delicious Vinyl).
• Company Flow‘s “Population Control” from Funcrusher Plus (1997, Rawkus) has a go-go beat.
• Jay-Z was sued by Rare Essence over the track “Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)” from Life and Times of S. Carter Vol.3 (1999, Roc-A-Fella), which apparently “borrowed” liberally from RE’s “Overnight Scenario”.^[22]
• Jill Scott‘s “It’s Love” on her album Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (2000, Hidden Beach/Epic) has a go-go beat.
• In April 2002, Ludacris performed “Roll Out” on The Tonight Show, backed by Rare Essence.
• Nelly‘s “Hot in Herre” (2002, Universal) is based on a sample from Chuck Brown’s “Bustin’ Loose.”
• Producer Rich Harrison (who hails from the D.C. area) has produced a number of hit songs—including Beyoncé Knowles‘ “Crazy in Love” (2003, Columbia) and Amerie’s “1 Thing” (2005, Columbia)—that, while not explicitly go-go, have a definite go-go feel to them (strong, funky drums with added percussion).
• Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz’s “Aww Skeet Skeet” with D.C.’s DJ Flexx, from the album Crunk Juice (2004, TVT) has a go-go beat.
• At the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Ludacris performed his song “Pimpin’ All Over the World” backed by Rare Essence.
• At a 2006 show, Justin Timberlake performed a go-go version of his song “SexyBack“.^[23]
• In 2007, Jim Jones performed “We Fly High” with TCB.^[24]
• Chris Brown mentions go-go in the spoken intro of his song “Throwed” from his album Exclusive (2007, Jive).
• The Roots feat. Chrisette Michele and Wale, “Rising Up” (2008, Def Jam) has a go-go break.
• Gym Class Heroes‘ “Guilty as Charged” (2008, Decaydance) has go-go percussion throughout the song.
• Wale‘s “Pretty Girls” from Attention Deficit (2009, Allido) samples Backyard Band.^[25]