About

Although largely considered a West Coast phenomenon, the OG Kush strain contains the musical DNA of many additional sub-strains popularized by hip-hop legends of both coasts from the golden era and beyond. A generally euphoric and enlightening experience.

You might recognize: the opening notes of Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew" should conjure memories of the early 90s for any fan of classic hip hop – A Tribe Called Quest took it and flipped it into "Electric Relaxation" for their classic album, Midnight Marauders (1993). Isaac Hayes' "Hung Up on My Baby" became "My Mind Playing Tricks On Me" by the Geto Boys, a classic track from their Platinum album, We Can't Be Stopped. Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth turned Ernie Hines' "Our Generation" into "Straighten It Out" from Mecca And The Soul Brother (1992). Rounding out Side A is "Free Angela" by Bayeté which was used by De La Soul for "Sunshine" off of Stakes Is High (1996) and most recently by Kendrick Lamar on "Little Johnny" for his mixtape Compton State of Mind (2011).

Side B opens with Moog-prodigy Jean-Jacques Perrey's "E.V.A." from his album Moog Indigo – fans of Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon project will immediately recognize its bubbling synths as the source of "3000." Others who have used this holy grail of sampleable sounds include Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest, and DJ Shadow. A legendary record among producers for its classic Mizell Brothers sound, Johnny "Hammond" Smith's Gears (1975) boasts the track "Can't We Smile," which Erikah Badu revisited for "Time's A Wastin" (2000). Kendrick Lamar used it as the main source for "Today" from the Kendrick Lamar EP (2009). Rounding out the disc are the Blackbyrds, Gary Bartz, and Paulinho Da Costa whose "Happy People" was used for Black Eyed Peas hit "Joints and Jam" (1998). - Fantasy