Brooklyn duo Audio Two are this week’s pick for Throwback Thursday with their infamous 1987 hit “Top Billin’“.
“Top Billin’” was originally a B-Side to “Make It Funky“, a single from the 1988 album “What More Can I Say?” which this week’s song-in-question also appears on.
The beat samples the drumbreak from The Honey Drippers‘ “Impeach the President” but producer, Daddy-O mistakenly hit the wrong keys on his sampler’s keyboard, but the result ended up being one of the most recognisable drum patterns in Hip-Hop history!
Audio Two (comprised of MC Milk Dee and DJ Gizmo) are both brothers and MC Lyte is also their little sister who remade “Top Billin’” with Milk Dee in 1998.
“Top Billin’” is their most known song and is widely regarded as one of the most sampled Hip-Hop songs in the history if the genre. Incase you are unaware, here are just some of the list of people/songs which have sampled Audio Two for their own songs.
- “I Got 5 on It” by The Luniz samples the line, “Got it? Good“
- “Bitch Niggaz” from Dr. Dre‘s album “2001” samples a line, “stop scheming, and looking hard“.
- 2Pac sampled this track in his 1996 song “Only God Can Judge Me“.
- “Top Billin’” is sampled in the chorus of 50 Cent‘s single “I Get Money“.
- The song “Smilin’ Faces” from KRS-One‘s “D.I.G.I.T.A.L.” uses the line, “Kris is chillin, Shock G’s chillin, what more can we say about the villains“
- The intro to The Notorious B.I.G.‘s debut album “Ready to Die” samples “Top Billin’” behind a skit of a train robbery.
- In 112‘s song “Only You“, The Notorious B.I.G. says the line, “We just chillin, Milk’em ‘Top Billin’“.
- Lyrics from “Top Billin’” are used in Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s 2011 song “Otis“.
…and that’s the list with me just cherry-picking the most prominent artists!
Video games aren’t exempt from using Audio Two‘s hit either with Grand Theft Auto IV‘s “The Classics 104.1” radio station and also Tony Hawk’s Underground 2.
“What More Can I Say?” is available on Amazon
