The Witzard

"I did this beat in my aunt's garage... before I gave the beat to Everlast ... I tried to give it to Ice Cube , B-Real , and Special Ed an' they all passed on it," DJ Muggs told Genius concerning his beat, which would ultimately, end up being House of Pain 's 1992 break-out hit, "Jump Around." House of Pain 's initial incarnation was active between 1991-96 and has re-formed a number of times over the past 26 years, both as part of 2004 est. Hip-Hop super-group La Coka Nostra and Cypress Hill -helmed music and graphic arts collective, Soul Assassins . As legend has it, DJ Muggs approached his Cypress Hill bandmates, who passed on his Bob & Earl 's "Harlem Shuffle" -flipping instrumental, but suggested he pitch it to their "brother band," House of Pain . "We were like, 'give it to the white boys,'" Cypress Hill emcee Sen Dog recounted to Mike "DJ" Pizzo during a 2016 interview for cue...

"[ "42" is] a song that's literally been in-the-making for over a decade. Wanted to flip this sample since '05 and I finally brought it to a producer and got the job done," Ukrainian-American rapper Your Old Droog , who was widely speculated to be Nas alias at first, recently told Complex upon the premier of his "42 (Forty Deuce)" music video. It was produced by Marco Polo and Droog himself, who together, somehow managed to expertly flip a sample of Nu Shooz 's 1984 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart No.1, "I Can't Wait." "42" was proceeded by its frenzied @CLEOFUS -designed single artwork about two weeks prior, which featured Your Old Droog front and center in an Elmo costume surrounded by a bunch of eclectic New Yorkers , but now, along with his Jonah Schwartz -directed video, makes a lot more sense in retrospect. "It's about a special place that I really used to frequent back in the days. The vi...

It's almost a little hard to believe that the same guys who produced Action Bronson 's hard-hitting Blue Chips 1-2 also make Electro-Dance inspired Soft Rock in their free time. But I guess you could kinda consider Party Supplies' Pop -influenced beats crafted for Bronson as that seemingly grey area-fusing vehicle; Justin Nealis & Sean Mahon somehow convinced him to ferociously rap over John Mellencamp , Phil Collins, Tracy Chapman , "Tequila," Peter Gabriel , Guns "N" Roses, and plenty more note-worthy cats. Nealis recently compiled a list of his 25 favorite aka most influential albums, which includes everyone from Paul Simon to Raekwon . While it's been rumored for quite some time now, it seems as though Fool's Gold is finally planning a proper CD/LP re-issue of Party Supplies critically-acclaimed debut full-length, Tough Love later this summer. Tough Love 2 (as we'll refer to it from here on out) will likely include rece...

While it kinda looks like it could've been made fro about $20-30, Action Bronson & Party Supplies' new VHS-indebted "Amadu Diablo" video is really nothing more than an endearing (albeit weed-fueled) tribute to the long-forgotten glory days of MTV ; Rik Cordero self-desribed it as "found footage from the 90's now playing @ComplexMag " aka Blue Chips 2 Unplugged aka MTV Unplugged . "Amadu Diablo" starts off with producer Party Supplies (Justin Nealis) wielding an acoustic guitar seated across from Bronson himself, long skinny joint in hand. Action Bronson 1/2 sings 1/2 raps "Amadu Diablo" while Nealis haphazardly strums along: "Every day I'm walking with my head up / Don't let up cause it's a set-up / Like Albanian marriage, from Haiti to Paris / The bath was 90 degrees / Tapping Heinies with ease (shit!)" The track slowly morphs into "Give Me One Reason," the 1990's era Tracy Chapma...

"Seems @theweeknd have said there is no sample used or enough likeness to "Machine Gun" to warrant any infringement... or credit," head Quaker and Portishead mastermind Geoff Barrow angerly Tweeted early Wednesday morning. It sounds like Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) initially asked Barrow and Portishead for permission to use said sample and upon being denied clearance, loosely re-created "Machine Gun"'s ferocious, almost Tribal -sounding drum pattern. But honestly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense... since The Weeknd and Portishead are both signed to Universal Records , plus Geoff Barrow and Beth Gibbons are self-admitted Hip-Hop supporters. "Belong to The World" is actually The Internet 's second taste of The Weeknd 's upcoming "sophomore" album, Kiss Land . In what seems like an effort to foster more of a prominent public image, Abel Tesfaye granted Complex his first full-fledged earlier in the we...