This special release is brought to you by none other than Fat Beats Records and available on vinyl here at their website in 2 different pressings. European Hip Hop heads: you can also get your copy here at Juno.
Mastermind Street Jam comes live and direct from the tape deck with an episode from way back: Raekwon drops by for an interview in '96.
Take a trip down memory lane with a couple of early architects of Hip Hop sound as Marley Marl & Arthur Baker reminisce. Arthur interviews his long-time friend Marley as they both share memories of what is was like just before Hip Hop began and it's infancy. In this chat, we discover numerous anecdotes of life that resulted in classic music based on relationships, ingenuity, location and dedication.
Below is a list of the groundbreaking interconnected events in the careers of Marley Marl and Arthur Baker. This highlights how their professional relationship and shared studio environments birthed technical innovations like sampling and the use of the 808. Above, is one of the best episodes of Future Flavas I've had the fortune of experiencing: The ATCQ & The Roots episode where Tribe & Black Thought dropped freestyled over Ummah beats.
| Source Event | Resulting Connection / Event | Significance in Early Career & Influence |
|---|---|---|
| Andre Booth's band plugs into Marley Marl’s DJ set in a Queensbridge park. | Marley Marl becomes the band's engineer. | This was the "organic" start where Marley Marl learned the fundamentals of engineering and production. |
| T Scott introduces Arthur Baker to keyboardist Andre Booth during the "Happy Days" session. | Arthur Baker uses Andre Booth for the "Jazzy Sensation" session. | This session was a turning point; it was Arthur's last rap record using live musicians before moving to the 808. |
| Marley Marl engineers for Andre Booth’s band and attends the "Jazzy Sensation" session. | Marley Marl meets Arthur Baker and Jazzy Jay. | Establishes the professional network between Marley and Arthur at Unique Recording Studio. |
| Marley Marl becomes an intern at Unique Recording Studio. | Marley watches engineers (like Chris and Tom Lodgie) use the Emulator and AMS delay units. | Marley discovers sampling by observing engineers "catch" kicks and snares to trigger them. |
| Marley Marl and Andre Booth play a demo for Arthur Baker at Unique. | Arthur Baker hears a one-second snippet and signs Dimples D ("Sucker DJ"). | This was the official start of Marley Marl's Hip Hop career. |
| Arthur Baker pays Marley Marl a $5,000 check for the Dimples D record. | Marley Marl goes to Sam Ash and buys a Roland TR-808. | This specific 808 was used to create all of Biz Markie’s records and became a staple of Marley’s sound. |
| Marley Marl uses the 808 to trigger a one-shot guitar sampler. | Marley Marl decides to "put Hip Hop in that shit". | This connects his observations at Unique to his own production, effectively bringing sampling into Hip Hop. |
| Roxanne Shanté freestyles over a UTFO instrumental on a cassette in Marley's apartment. | Marley Marl plays the air check on Mr. Magic’s WBLS radio show. | The immediate response leads to "Roxanne’s Revenge" and the formation of the Juice Crew as "ammunition" for the radio. |
| Eric B hangs out at Marley Marl’s house to watch him work. | Eric B brings Rakim to Marley Marl’s house. | This leads to the recording of the "Paid in Full" sessions, though Marley notes he was never paid for the initial house session. |
| LL Cool J visits Marley Marl at WBLS to discuss his album Walking with a Panther. | Marley Marl remixes "Jingling Baby" and later produces Mama Said Knock You Out. | Marley uses his "street" sound and radio influence to restore LL's credibility, eventually winning a Grammy. |
In general, you can view Unique Recording Studio as a high-tech workshop: Marley Marl entered as an apprentice, watching master craftsmen use new tools (the samplers and abundance of gear). When Arthur Baker provided the "seed money" (the first check), Marley bought his own tools (the 808) and used the techniques he had witnessed to build an entirely new architectural style for music.
Below, a DJ shows us what it would've sounded like if the great Marley Marl produced on the debut album of Onyx. Here's another remix of "Shiftee" I blogged awhile back and an original 1993 promotional poster here at eBay.
Below, DJ M-TRAXXX provides a gem from his personal tape collection with an '84 episode of Marley Marl on WBLS radio.
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