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"Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" | ||||
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Single by The Dramatics | ||||
from the album Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get | ||||
B-side | "Thank You For Your Love" | |||
Released | June 1971 | |||
Genre | R&B, soul | |||
Length | 3:57 (album version) 3:34 (single version) | |||
Label | Volt/Stax | |||
Songwriter(s) | Tony Hester | |||
The Dramatics singles chronology | ||||
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"Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" is a 1971 single written and produced by Tony Hester and performed by The Dramatics.
The song is noted for its scatting by the lead singer Ron Banks, and for the bass singer, Willie Ford, [1] saying "Look at me." The song was co-led by William "Wee Gee" Howard and Banks, with other lead parts shared by the other members, Larry "Squirrel" Demps and Elbert Wilkins.
The song was a #3 hit on the Billboard R&B charts, and broke into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9. [2] In Canada, it reached #44. [3]
It was sampled by hip-hop trio Injury Reserve on "Yo", the opening track of their 2015 album Live from the Dentist Office . [4] The intro was also sampled on "Big Daddy Kane vs. Dolemite" (1990) by rapper Big Daddy Kane, featuring comedian Rudy Ray Moore, from Kane's album Taste of Chocolate .
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Wattstax was a benefit concert organized by Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the 1965 riots in the African-American community of Watts, Los Angeles. The concert took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20, 1972. The concert's performers included all of Stax's prominent artists at the time. The genres of the songs performed included soul, gospel, R&B, blues, funk, and jazz. Months after the festival, Stax released a double LP of the concert's highlights, Wattstax: The Living Word. The concert was filmed by David L. Wolper's film crew and was made into the 1973 film titled Wattstax. The film was directed by Mel Stuart and nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974.
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The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs "In the Rain" and "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their later 1993 collaboration "Doggy Dogg World" with Snoop Dogg, a top 20 hit on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40.
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Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get is the debut studio album by American R&B group The Dramatics, released in 1971 via Volt Records and Stax Records. It peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on the Billboard R&B chart.
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