Not too many artists or producers can say they were part of Prince‘s entourage, got fired, and went on to do better things in their careers. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are two of the very few. After being ousted from The Time in ’83, they went on about their business and ended up being one of the greatest production teams in R&B & Pop music. They’re largely credited with popularizing the use of the 808 (which is still used by producers today), and they’re also notable for changing the sound of ’80s R&B not once, but twice during their run.
Even if you don’t recognize their names, either you or your moms loves something they did. Whether it’s New Edition‘s “If It Isn’t Love”, Mary J. Blige‘s “Everything”, Human League‘s “Human”, Cherrelle‘s “Saturday Love”, Jordan Knight‘s “Give It To You”, or damn near all of Janet Jackson‘s hits- you’ve heard a Jam & Lewis track before. As fate would have it, so did a lot of hip-hop artists and producers. Despite having to cough up a GRIP to use the samples, a lot of ‘em just couldn’t help themselves. Here’s a few:
Bone Thugs N Harmony “Dayz Of Our Livez” (1996) sampled Force MD’s “Tender Love” (1985) AND Herb Alpert feat. Janet Jackson & Lisa Keith “Making Love In The Rain” (1987): I don’t know if this was some kinda “two for the price of one” deal or they just said “fukkit, what’s another $12,000?” but BTNH and their producer DJ U-Neek went mega-hard and sampled TWO of (in my opinion) Jam & Lewis’ best. The result was one of the best and most loved songs in the Thugs’ own catalog, so all was not lost.
The Firm “Hardcore” (1997) sampled Cheryl Lynn “Encore” (1984): If there was ever an album that looked good on paper, but was “blah” in stereo… but that’s a story for another day. Here, one of ’84′s most memorable gets lifted for one of ’97′s most forgettable, as Nas & Foxy Brown trade verses over Cheryl Lynn’s Jam & Lewis-produced hit. Meanwhile, AZ and Nature twiddle their thumbs, wondering why this Firm album is turnin’ out to be so half-assed.
Camp Lo “Coolie High” (1995) sampled Janet Jackson “Funny How Time Flies” (1986): Camp Lo, enthusiasts of all things ’70s, still took time out of their days to listen to some ’80s music. Case in point: Janet Jackson’s Control album, the one that made it happen for her. Producer Ski aspires to make it happen for the Lo by sampling the album’s closer, “Funny How Time Flies”. I still don’t really know what this song is about, but hell if it ain’t somethin’ kinda slick anyway.
Maxwell “Ascension (Remix)” (1996) sampled S.O.S. Band “No One’s Gonna Love You” (1984): Back in ’96, I thought I was diggin’ Maxwell’s “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” already… but I hadn’t heard shit yet. With the late J Dilla on the track, Max remixes it with a sample of one of my favorite Jam & Lewis productions, “No One’s Gonna Love You”. Actually, “No One’s…” had been used a few times prior (Foxy, Spice 1, Dru Down, etc.), but this was really the only song that did it justice.
NEXT MONTH: I know I said this last time, right… but next time, The ’90s Loved The ’80s will cover all the “Between The Sheets” madness of the early-’90s.
-D!
Posted by Danj! 
