Jazz rap is a fusion of jazz and hip hop music, as well as an alternative hip hop subgenre, that developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. AllMusic writes that the genre "was an attempt to fuse African-American music of the past with a newly dominant form of the present, paying tribute to and reinvigorating the former while expanding the horizons of the latter." The rhythm was rooted in hip hop over which were placed repetitive phrases of jazz instrumentation: trumpet, double bass, etc. Groups involved in the formation of jazz rap included A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, De La Soul, Gang Starr, The Roots, Jungle Brothers, and Dream Warriors.
The Dazz Band is an American R&B/funk band most popular in the early 1980s. Emerging from Cleveland, Ohio, the group's biggest hit songs include "Let It Whip" (1982), "Joystick" (1983), and "Let It All Blow" (1984). The name of the band is a portmanteau of the description "danceable jazz".
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper is the second studio album by American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. It was the first double album in hip hop music, and was the eighth rap album to become a platinum album.
"Midnight at the Oasis" is a song by the American singer Maria Muldaur from her debut album, Maria Muldaur (1973). Written by David Nichtern, it is her best-known recording.
"Funky President (People It's Bad)" is a funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1974, it charted No. 4 R&B. It also appeared on the album Reality. According to Brown the "funky president" of the song's title was meant to refer to U.S. President Gerald Ford, who had succeeded Richard Nixon in the White House shortly before it was recorded.
Soul Vaccination: Tower of Power Live is the second live album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power. It was recorded live in California during their 1998 world tour at two venues: The Fillmore in San Francisco and the Fox Theatre in Stockton.
Groove Collective is an American band. In 2007 they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year for the release People People Music Music on the Savoy Jazz label.
Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee is the eleventh studio album by the Ohio Players. It was the 8th and last album they would record for Mercury. The title is a unique spelling of the term "jazzy lady." Unlike their last two efforts, the group remained with the nine-man roster that they had with Mr. Mean.
New Funky Nation is the debut studio album by the Samoan-American hip hop band Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. It was released in 1990 via 4th & B'way Records/Island Records. Recording sessions took place at Image Recording Studios and Paramount Studios in Hollywood from 1989 to 1990. Production was handled by the Dust Brothers, John O'Brien, Joe Nicolo of the Butcher Bros., Tony G., Suga Pop and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. The album peaked at #33 in New Zealand, #74 in the UK and #117 in the United States.
"Funky Worm" is a song by American funk group the Ohio Players, from their album Pleasure. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1973 and also peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard ranked it as the No. 84 song for 1973.
Survival of the Fittest is the debut album by jazz/funk quintet the Headhunters, released in 1975 on Arista Records. It features the track "God Make Me Funky", from which its drum break has been sampled numerous times by prominent rappers. The album was re-issued on compact disc by BMG France in 2001, which was digitally remastered from the original master tapes in 24-bit by Jean-Pierre Chalbos.
Pure is the ninth album by jazz saxophonist Boney James, released in 2004.
Pleasure is an American band from Portland, Oregon, United States. Blending soul, funk and jazz with a street edge, they became a cult group on the underground black music scene of the late 1970s. Their song "Glide", from the album Future Now, went to #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in 1979; it was their biggest hit. The band broke up in 1982.
Gravity is the 53rd studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released on September 15, 1986, by Scotti Bros. Records. It was largely written and produced by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight, the authors of the album's previously released hit single "Living in America", which had reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was prominently featured in the film Rocky IV. It was Brown's first album for the Scotti Brothers record label.
Water Sign is the third album by keyboardist Jeff Lorber as leader of his band "The Jeff Lorber Fusion". Released in 1979, this was Lorber's first album on Arista Records.
Accept No Substitutes is the second album by Portland, Oregon-based R&B group Pleasure. It was released in 1976 and produced by jazz trombonist Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders.
Joyous is the third album by Portland, Oregon-based R&B group Pleasure. It was released in 1977 and produced by jazz legend Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders.
Get to the Feeling is the fourth album by Portland, Oregon-based R&B group Pleasure, released in 1978. It was produced by jazz legend Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders.
"Ballad of a Menace" is a single by American hip hop group Capital Punishment Organization, released in 1990 as the lead single from their debut studio album To Hell and Black, by Capitol Records. The song later appeared in the Grand Theft Auto V in-game radio station West Coast Classics.
Future Now is the fifth album by Portland, Oregon-based R&B group Pleasure, released in 1979. It includes the top-ten R&B hit "Glide".
