The Impact of David Axelrod in Hip-Hop

David Axelrod is one of America’s most influential composers, arrangers and producers whose work in the mid-to-late 1960s criss-crossed musical genres and made him one of the most in-demand figures in the music industry. Born in Hollywood in 1933 and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Axelrod’s break came when he was appointed in-house producer at Capitol Records in 1964, where he stayed for seven years.

The cream of his output – a brace of outstanding, unique solo albums for Capitol preceding a fruitful period at Fantasy in the 1970s – is characterized by his trademark blend of R&B, jazz, rock and soul, its hard-knocking grooves pleasingly rediscovered years later by the sample-hungry hip hop generation. His personal life may have been turbulent, strewn with episodes of homelessness, drug abuse and family tragedy, but Axelrod’s timeless music is what continues to define him. Here is a medley from his wild and wonderful body of work.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER HIP-HOP ARTIST'S WHO HAVE SAMPLED AXELROD!

Songs of Innocence: (Capitol 1968) * "Urizen" Jurassic 5 ft Percee P & Big Daddy Kane - "A Day at the Races" * "Song of Innocence" Problemz - "Around the Clock" Sadat X - "Petty People" * "Merlin's Prophecy" 50 Cent's "I Got Hoes" - "50 Cent's" Killah Priest - "Fate or Destiny" Lootpack - "New Years Resolution" No ID - "Fate or Destiny" * "The Mental Traveler" Eminem - "Any Man" Ras Kass - "Soul on Ice" * "Holy Thursday" Apache - "Tonto" Artifacts - "C'mon wit Da Git Down" Beatnuts - "Hit Me with That" Black Sheep - "Without a Doubt" Deda - "Nasty Scene" Fat Joe - "Bronx Keeps Creating It" InI - "Think Twice" Mix Master Mike - "Black Level Clearance" Nas - "If I Ruled the World" Quasimoto - "Return of the Loop Digga" Red Hot Lover Tone - "Bust tha Maneuva" UNKLE - "Rabbit in your Headlights" * "Smile" Lord Finesse - "Actual Facts" Pete Rock - "Strange Fruit" Songs of Experience: (Capitol 1969) * "Sick Rose" Chino XL - "Ghetto Vampire" Ultra - "Industry is Wack" * "The School Boy" Diamond D ft Cru - "Hiatus" J-88 - "Get it Together" No ID - "State to State" Nobody - "Green Means" Original Flavor - "What's a Bro' to Do" * "The Human Abstract" Brother Ali - "Music in My Head" DJ Shadow - "Midnight in a Perfect World" * "A Divine Image" Black Moon - "One-Two" Cypress Hill - "16 Men 'till There's No Men Left" Godfather Don - "Seeds of Hate" Hive and Troublemaker - "NuPlanet" Kool G Rap - "Take 'em to War" Lord Finesse - "No Gimmicks" Wiseguys - "Face the Flames" Earth Rot: (Capitol 1970) * "The Warning Pt I" Diamond D - "MC Iz My Ambition" DJ Krush - "Duality" X-Ecutioners - "Word Play" * "The Warning Pt II" Mos Def - "Hip Hop" * "The Signs pt II" Common - "Resurrection" Quasimoto - "The Unseen" The Auction: (Decca 1972) * "The Auction" Aceyalone - "The Guidelines" Seriously Deep: (Polydor 1975) * "1000 Rads" Aceyalone - "The Walls and Windows" Strange Ladies: (MCA 1977) * "Terri's Tune" Black Rob - "Lookin at Us" Ghostface Killah - "Stay True" Inspectah Deck - "Elevation" Mikah 9 - "American Nightmare" Outsidaz - "Brick City" Real Live - "Trilogy of Error" ShowBiz & A.G. - "Check it Out" * "Aunt Charlotte" Peanut Butter Wolf - "A Tale of Five Cities" * "Tony Poem" Lauryn Hill - "Every Ghetto, Every City"