I did this one back in 1996 for Mercury Records. The Fugees were signed to Sony Music, but had contributed a track to an upcoming Mercury Records film soundtrack called, "When We Were Kings". The film is about an historic boxing event in 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire, Africa. It pitted the undefeated world heavyweight champion George Foreman against challenger Muhammad Ali. This remix uses samples of Muhammad Ali quotes at the intro - I did another 'Extended Mix' that used more quotes throughout. When I find the DAT I will convert & upload it :).

The key to getting this one right is initial ARRANGEMENT. 
The Radio Promotions guy at Mercury Records came to me asking my advice about a Fugees track that was getting no love at radio (as a promotional/preview copy). It was too long (just over 5 minutes) and it didn't have a proper hook - like a 'pop' radio record usually does. Sony tried to block Mercury from releasing it as a single, as The Fugees had just blown up with their breakout cover of "Killing Me Softly". Since Sony had no rights to the track, Mercury were free to use however they wanted. The only trouble was that radio wasn't in love with it in its current form.... 

I went back to the vocals. Laid them out, edited verses from  the various featured rappers, clipped into a SONG FORMAT... i.e. Verse, Bridge, Chorus, Verse, Bridge, Chorus, MIddle 8 etc. I utilised a Lauryn HIll  sung line (Juice Newton's "Angel In The Morning") as the chorus hook - copied & pasted that. The music/bassline sample that creeps in and out of the track was lifted from ABBA's "The Name of the Game". I always thought it was odd that no-one had sampled the Swedish super group before. Turns out, there was a good reason... 

ABBA members/writers, Björn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson, flatly refuse clearance for samples, no matter who you are. In this rare case, they loved how the music was used and agreed worldwide clearance. This was a first back in 1996. It wasn't until 2005 that they allowed another ABBA sample to be used - "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for Madonna's "Hung Up". The producer and creator of that single is also (coincidentally) a British guy - Stuart Price aka Thin White Duke, Jacques Lu Cont, Les Rythmes Digitales. 

So, here's how it turned out... Ali intro/background chant/LH singing the build "blocks on fire".. C'mon! > kick straight in with the ABBA groove; cut straight to main chorus hook - Lauryn Hill singing "Angel In The Morning" - you have to grab radio DJs & show producers ears immediately; follow with clipped raps from Wyclef Jean, Q-Tip, Lauryn Hill; then into the "Blocks on fire" sung bridge; back into the "Angel In The Morning" sung chorus; Verse 2 is spliced from raps by Pras and (saving the maddest for last) Busta Rhymes; bridge, chorus/bridge to fade. DONE! Result: #.3 on the UK Singles Chart and minor, but significant, hit in the USA. The down side for me was that I didn't get a proper 'printed' credit on the retail CD. I've seen it labelled as UK Mix, European Remix, Radio Edit etc. I was gutted at the time, but I was just a kid and I wasn't as business savvy at that stage of my career.

When I listen to it now, I realise how brutal the vocal cuts were. Some not subtle at all. The audio quality sounds a bit rough N ready/wooly. I wouldn't do it in quite the same way now. But, that's the thing of it. You do what you think is right at the time. Shout out to the tracks' original producers - Lauryn Hill & Wyclef Jean. Mix engineer - Warren Riker and Executive Producer – David Sonenberg.

The Fugees ft. Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes - Rumble In The Jungle [Mendis Radio Mix]

This was previously only available for followers, but in the spirit of Christmas I thought I would share with the wider Soundcloud community (plus I will have something special for the followers soon)
Hope you enjoy!

GangStarr Love Sick Upbeat Remix DL Edit (WAV)

De La Soul - Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) [Original]

Out Now: "Yasiin Gaye: The Return (Side Two)"

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amerigogazaway
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amerigo615

Amerigo Gazaway’s *Soul Mates* series continues the theme of his previous work in creating collaborations that never were. On the series’ latest installment, Amerigo unites Brooklyn rapper Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) and soul legend Marvin Gaye for a dream collaboration aptly titled “Yasiin Gaye”. Building the album's foundation from deconstructed samples of Gaye’s Motown classics, Gazaway re-purposes the instrumentation into new productions within a similar framework. Carefully weaving Bey’s tangled raps and Gaye’s soulful vocals over his new arrangements, the producer delivers a quality much closer to an authentic collaboration than a lukewarm "mashup" album.

Yasiin Gaye - I Want You 'Til The Summertime

thanks to https://soundcloud.com/amerigomusic

Krs Fela Kuti Amerigo Gazaway (mashup)

Wu - Tang Clan - Daytona 500 (Phoniks Remix)

lyrics:

i want u in a frame 
ion rlly care, im pickin up ur last name 
everytime you smile, i forget about the pain 
ill be grindin on you until i got migraine 
ion wna get away 
ill beg u for every second u could stay 
long as you dont leave me, ill probably be ok 
ion rlly care bout anything dat they would say

Doin' Our Own Dang (Do It To The JB's Mix) Jungle Brothers

Lukas3t