Stop Looking At Every Sports Station

Some great comments of late. Please keep 'em coming. I can really talk about rap all day.

Beez: "You Made Me" is that joint. I have some pain from the album though as my Mom is actually named Ucla.
JCruelty: Thanks for that info. Some may know that I was once a member of Radio's finest Caucasian/Indian radio hosting team. The info was passed along to the proper folks.
Jaybles: Thanks for clearing that up. Ben informed me that they once tried to use the name Dust Brothers UK when confronted by the originals. That, to me, is riduculous.

Part IV from Ben's fine Beatles retrospective. I have heard Phife's album and it's not good. I actually interviewed him when that came out via phone. It was very odd to be speaking to someone who's albums you've worn out. He did not speak highly of Tip. I really wish I could find that Minidisc.


Being bigger then Jesus eventually takes it's toll on almost anyone. [Kevduce excluded] After an amazing 8 year run, the Beatles as a group ceased to exist in 1970. Unlike other great groups who can never recapture the magic [Did anyone ever actually hear the entire Phife Dog album?] each of the Beatles went on to achieve an amount of success ranging from fair to tremendous with their solo projects. Ringo put out numerous albums, with notable contributions from the other three bandmates [go find Lennon's tongue-in-cheek 'I'm the Greatest'] as well as working with other heavyweight greats; Quincy Jones, Eric Clapton [In the running as honorary 5th Beatle, more on that tomorrow], Bob Dylan, and Elton John. He also was the original Conductor on the hit kids show Shining Time Station. A role later taken over by George Carlin (ed: Rufus from Bill N Ted!). [wtf?!] George Harrison finally garnered some well deserved credit for his song writing abilities, and delving ever deeper into his spiritual/karmic side, organized the first major benefit concert, 1971's Concert for Bangladesh at MSG, the precursor to such mega events as Live Aid and We are the World.

Predictably though it was John and Paul who found the biggest success after the group. Aside from putting out great music including amazing songs like 'Jealous Guy' and 'Instant Karma,' Lennon's assassination in 1980 solidified his position as spiritual icon, even having a song which may or may not have been blacklisted after 9/11. Paul went on to form the band Wings with his
wife [Who the hell takes their wife on a rock and roll tour?], provided a great theme song to a 007 movie and gave us 80's duets with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. To top it all off, the fab Three who managed to make it to the 1990's received possibly the highest honor available in post-modern pop culture, a guest spot on The Simpsons. Today we've highlighted a few
tracks that take their cues from the post-Beatles catalogue of Lennon and McCartney.

In what may or may not be a duet created with some studio magic, Nas appears with Florida MC Pitbull on an introspective track that popped up last summer on the mixtape circuit. With rhymes that seem to fall in around the time of Stillmatic, Mr. Jones returns to his utopia, continuing to paint the picture he left us on It Was Written's ‘If I Ruled the World.’ Pitbull admirably holds his own. While the same Lennon track has been covered numerous times
by other artists, we here at The Rap Nerd give you a jazzed up instrumental version courtesy of DJ Nu-Mark & Pomo (the former of Jurassic fame) off of their instrumental disc 'Blend Crafters.'

Diggin into the Wings catalogue, specifically 1980's 'Back to the Egg,' Dr. Dre protégé Knoc'turnal's 'Muzik' has the distinction of containing the only Beatle sample ever to officially receive clearance (although technically it is a McCartney/Wings sample.) Not one's to shy away from the sample, Stay Wile'n Long Island's own De La Soul tapped another McCartney song released as a holiday single to support 'Back to the Egg.' [Good call, Matt]

Nas & Pitbull: Imagine (MP3)
DJ Numark & Pomo (Blend Crafters): Imagine (MP3) (Buy It)
Knoc'turnal: Musik (MP3) (Buy It)
De La Soul: Simply Havin (MP3) (Buy It)