How much sample makes a cover? Some of the biggest selling rap songs do little more than add lyrics to great songs someone else has written. I don’t want to detract from the achievments of the superbly successful rap artists in this playlist, success is hard to argue with. On the contrary, it’s just interesting to hear the songs that they’ve given a second shot at the charts.
Godfather of Hip-Hop, civil rights protester, black icon – Gil Scott-Heron was instrumental in shaping the culture of New York in the 1970’s, but disappeared during the 80’s, only to surface amidst allegations of cocaine use in the early 00’s. He seems to have put this behind him though, and has been coaxed back into the studio to produce another album:
“Gil Scott-Heron was doing rhyming and spoken word over a back-beat as long ago as 1970,” Russell explains. “The music that became hip hop and rap – that’s what he was doing. He is undisputedly one of the people who invented that type of music. And it’s gone on to be incredibly important, and affect the culture in an enormous way.”
Rumours of a “new” Gil Scott-Heron album, like the reunion of the Friends cast, have circulated for as long as anyone can remember.
But Russell has guided the poet into the studio at last, and a long-player waggishly entitled I’m New Here will be released in February – Scott-Heron’s first for 15 years.
‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ – this was recorded when Barbara Streisand was singing ‘The Way We Were’ on the radio.
Waves continue their domination of digital music production releasing the first product for their ‘Signature Series’, The Tony Maserati Collection. 
For the amateur producers / engineers that haven’t heard the name, Maserati is the ‘genius’ behind hundreds of hip/hop, RnB, pop chart toppers that include Britney Spears, Beyonce, MJB, David Bowie and Jay-Z. Crap tracks? Maybe. But even the most of ‘anti commerce in music’ must appreaciate the level of quality in mix and production of modern pop music. Maserati is hailed as being the principal archetect of the modern New York pop sound and widely respected as one of the worlds most clinical mixing engineers.
Maserati has worked closely with the guys at Waves Audio to front this collection of plug-ins in an attempt replicate his personal engineering, mixing and production styles.
Maserati says “I’ve been using Waves from the beginning. From dynamics and EQs to special effects, most of the tracks I’ve mixed have Waves on them. Waves did an amazing job turning my personal processing chains into custom plug-ins.”
The Collection includes:
Maserati VX1 Vocal Enhancer
• Maserati B72 Bass Phattener
• Maserati ACG Acoustic Guitar Designer
• Maserati GTi Guitar Toner
• Maserati DRM Drum Slammer
• Maserati HMX Harmonics Generator
Each advertised with high status names, check the waves website for specifics.
Definately worth a look for all kinds of RnB, Hip/hop producers out there and any body else who wants to create a clean, powerful sound.
The Tony Maserati Collection RRPs at around $800 US, but im sure, just like anything else you can torrent the software for free… ooops, did I say that?
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