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Musical Masterpiece


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I've been listening to "Brand New Funk" and "Summertime" lately like crazy and these songs are just musical masterpieces. It's hard to explain, but these songs are just above everything I've ever heard in my mind. Both songs are so fun and great to listen to and clearly displays what rap and hip-hop is all about. That's what you get from a literary genius and superior beat creator. Only Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince can pull these songs off. It would be so great to see JJFP remake "Brand New Funk". That would be dope. I don't want another remake of "Summertime". That's an untouchable song, well both are but Summertime is just too smooth to remake. Edited by DevilsJim89
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[quote=DevilsJim89,Sep 5 2004, 10:09 PM]Both sound real great live...they gotta be close to the top rap songs of all-time.[/quote]
definitely :werd: and those traxs get respect from the whole hip hop community...

heres reviews of the traxs on AMG

Summertime

More than a decade before he was gettin' jiggy with it, Will Smith was the Fresh Prince, with help on production from his Philly friend DJ Jazzy Jeff. The duo hit the Top Ten in 1991 with the platinum single "Summertime," a laid-back trip through everyone's favorite season with help from a spacy sample originally found on Kool & the Gang's "Summer Madness." Listening to it now, it's a bit of a surprise — Smith's rapping style really hasn't changed in over a decade. That's hardly a bad thing, though, considering both his voice and rhymes are supremely danceable and tailored for crossover radio play.

brand new funk

A lot grit and infallible rhythmic sense went into this 1987 classic. As a duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince ( Will Smith and Jeffrey Townes) were often better known for their decidedly G- to PG-13-rated rhymes. While "Brand New Funk" doesn't have guns going off and mile-a-minute expletives, this is closer to the funky, hard-driving sound of late-'80s rap than most of the duo's work. With a looping Donald Byrd "Dominoes"-derived bass line, rhythm guitars, and deft edits, this track is incendiary from start to finish. Brown's voice is also used, shouting a "get down!" and "brand new funk." While it's no surprise a late-'80s rap act used James Brown, the tacit seal of approval it often elicited is more than deserved here. Lyrically, Smith played it smart here. Instead of cutesy observations he concentrates on the song itself, the beat, and how it all came together. Not only was that a very shrewd move, it played well against the rhythm and Townes' deft scratches and made the groove even more potent. For the expansive groove of this track, Smith offers one of his best rhymes and assured vocal cadences up to this point. Despite the brilliance of "Brand New Funk," it's not often mentioned in the same breath as the era's best tracks. This is indeed "raw, untouched, pure, hard, brand new funk" and one of the strongest songs in the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince catalog.
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  • 4 weeks later...
[quote=Jazzy Julie,Sep 6 2004, 02:13 PM]i never realised how good brand new funk was until i heard it live, it sounds better than in the studio, it must be sumthin to do with the energy. And summertime is just a classic and no more needs to be said.[/quote]
It's the energy and vibes Will and Jeff give off that make them what they are

:bowdown: I'm not worthy!
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