It Takes Two (Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock song)
Encyclopedia
"It Takes Two" is a 1988 hip hop
song by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
and produced by Teddy Riley that was later certified platinum
. The song samples
heavily from Lyn Collins
' 1972 song "Think (About It)
", using multiple drum breaks
, the well known "Woo! Yeah!
" sample, as well as the lyric sung by Collins which gives It Takes Two its title. The famous introduction of the song is spoken over a sample of "Space Dust" by The Galactic Force Band (1978). The Music Video was Directed by Stu Sleppin and Produced by Bob Teeman. The first scene, where the DJ and little boy are talking, was not filmed in the USA, but in Niue, an island in the pacific.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
song by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock are a hip-hop duo from Harlem, New York who are best known for their hit "It Takes Two." The duo consists of Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock .- Career :Their first U.S...
and produced by Teddy Riley that was later certified platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
. The song samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
heavily from Lyn Collins
Lyn Collins
Lyn Collins was an African American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s. Contrary to some reports, she is not related to Bootsy Collins, nor Catfish Collins....
' 1972 song "Think (About It)
Think (About It)
"Think " is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown and featured instrumental backing from his band The J.B.'s...
", using multiple drum breaks
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
, the well known "Woo! Yeah!
Woo! Yeah!
Woo! Yeah! is a drum break which includes James Brown's voice which has been repeatedly used in popular music, often in the form of a loop. It originates from the 1972 Lyn Collins recording "Think ", a song written and produced by Brown, and is one of 5 breaks contained in the recording...
" sample, as well as the lyric sung by Collins which gives It Takes Two its title. The famous introduction of the song is spoken over a sample of "Space Dust" by The Galactic Force Band (1978). The Music Video was Directed by Stu Sleppin and Produced by Bob Teeman. The first scene, where the DJ and little boy are talking, was not filmed in the USA, but in Niue, an island in the pacific.
Sampling and covers
- Female dance trio SeductionSeduction (band)Seduction was a female dance-pop, urban contemporary, house music, and freestyle trio from New York assembled and produced by Robert Clivillés and David Cole , consisting of members April Harris , Michelle Visage , and Idalis DeLeon .Originally intended as a studio project, and prior to any...
used the chorus line in their single "Two to Make It RightTwo to Make It Right"Two to Make It Right" is the title of a popular song by the American girl group Seduction. It appears on the group's debut album Nothing Matters Without Love...
". - Belgian hip-house group TechnotronicTechnotronicTechnotronic is a Belgian studio-based music project formed in 1988 by Jo Bogaert , who had already made his musical mark in the beginning of the 1980s as a part of a cover band and as a solo artist under various New Beat projects, including The Acts of Madmen and Nux Nemo...
sampled the line "I wanna rock right now" in the last 40 seconds on the album versionPump Up the Jam: The AlbumPump Up the Jam: The Album is Technotronic's first album on a major label. It was released on November 28, 1989. When it was discovered that model Felly lip-synched to vocals actually performed by Belgian hip-house emcee Ya Kid K, the artwork was changed....
of their 1989/1990 single "Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)". - Prince (musician)Prince (musician)Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and Rosie GainesRosie GainesRosie Gaines is an American vocalist, musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer from Pittsburg, California. She released a number of dance hits, the most notable being "Closer Than Close".-Ensemble career:...
performed a short cover of the song during the Nude TourNude TourThe Nude Tour was a greatest hits concert tour by Prince. While the previous tour drew critical praise, the high cost of the concert tour production made it a financial disappointment, thus Prince eliminated much of the excessiveness of the previous tour to be more financially viable...
as part of an extended Alphabet St.Alphabet St."Alphabet St." was the first single from Prince's 1988 album, Lovesexy, and the album's only top 10 single, reaching the top-10 in both the UK and U.S.. The song includes a rap by Cat Glover and is full of samples, and generally repeats themes from Lovesexy...
jam. - The song was sampled by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh PrinceDJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh PrinceDJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince is a hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vocalist Will Smith met Jeff Townes while trying to make a name for himself in West Philadelphia's local hip hop scene. After joining forces with Clarence Holmes the team members became local celebrities...
in their song "I Wanna Rock" in their 1993 album Code Red. - Gang StarrGang StarrGang Starr was an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop.-Background:...
also sampled the song in "Suckas Need Bodyguards" from their 1994 album Hard to EarnHard to EarnHard to Earn is the fourth album from the hip hop duo Gang Starr. It was released in March of 1994 and featured the singles "Mass Appeal", "DWYCK" and "Code of the Streets." Musically the album is constructed around a harder, more stripped-down sound that is distinctively less melodic than the...
. - The song has been sampled on a The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
single "Rock That BodyRock That Body-Personnel:*Songwriting — William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gómez, Stacy Ferguson, David Guetta, Mark Knight, Adam Walder, Jean Baptiste, Jamie Munson, Robert Ginyard*Production — David Guetta, will.i.am, Mark Knight, Funkagenda*Keyboards — Mark Night, Adam Walder...
" from their 5th studio album The E.N.D.The E.N.D.According to review aggregator Metacritic, The E.N.D. received an average of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on fifteen critiques, higher than their 2005 album Monkey Business but lower than their 2003 breakout Elephunk, with critics agreeing that the... - Filipino rapper Francis MagalonaFrancis MagalonaFrancis Michael Durango Magalona , also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, MC The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over to the mainstream...
covered this song in his 1990 debut album YoYoYo is an English slang interjection, commonly associated with American English. It was highly popularized after being used commonly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since the 1970s.-Common usage:...
. - The song is also sampled in the techno song "The Question Is What Is The Question" by Scooter.
- CiaraCiaraCiara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
's "Make It Last Forever" sampled the song on her 2006 second album Ciara: The EvolutionCiara: The EvolutionCiara: The Evolution is the second studio album by American recording artist Ciara. It was released on December 5, 2006, by LaFace Records. The album is separated into five sections, with each showcasing a different side of Ciara's artistry...
. - In 2008, French DJDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and producer Mr. OizoMr. OizoMr. Oizo is the stage name of French electronic musician and film director Quentin Dupieux. His pseudonym is a corruption of the French , meaning "bird". He is currently signed to French electro record label, Ed Banger Records.-Beginning:...
released a track titled "Two Takes It", with vocals by Carmen Castro, which is a cover of the song with altered lyrics and beats. - Snoop DoggSnoop DoggCalvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
sampled the song on his song "I Wanna RockI Wanna Rock (Snoop Dogg song)"I Wanna Rock" is the third official single off American rapper, Snoop Dogg's tenth studio album, Malice n Wonderland. It was released digitally on iTunes on November 17, 2009, after the second single "That's Tha Homie". The song was produced by Scoop DeVille and mixed by Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg...
" on his 2009 album Malice n Wonderland. - In 2009, Korean artist BoABoABoa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
interpolated the song on her single "Bump Bump!Bump Bump!"Bump Bump!" is BoA's twenty-eighth Japanese single. It was produced by Verbal from M-Flo, who wrote both songs and featured as a rapper on both tracks. The single was released on October 28, 2009.-CD:# Bump Bump! feat. Verbal # IZM feat. Verbal...
" featuring Verbal of M-floM-flois a Japanese hip hop group consisting of producer and DJ Taku Takahashi and emcee Verbal.Former member Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career, and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists for each song over three albums, including the...
. - Girl TalkGirl Talk (musician)Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
samples the song for his song "Give and Go" on the album Night RipperNight RipperNight Ripper is the third album by Girl Talk. It was released on Illegal Art in 2006 and re-released as a pay-what-you-want download on Illegal Art's website in June 2009. It is composed almost entirely of samples taken from other artists' songs, with minor original material by Gillis...
. - British rapper SkeptaSkeptaJoseph Junior Adenuga , better known as Skepta, is an English rapper from London. Originally from and born to Nigerian parents he moved to London aged three....
references the lyrics in his song "Skepta". - The song was sampled in several video games - most notably the poorly-received unlicensed multicart game Action 52Action 52Action 52 is an unlicensed multicart consisting of 52 individual and original video games, released in September 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and in May 1993 for the Sega Genesis consoles by Active Enterprises...
for the NESNes-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
and the highly-acclaimed beat-em-up game Street Fighter III: New Generation (in Alex's theme "Jazzy NYC [Underground Edit]") for the Sega DreamcastSega DreamcastThe is a 128-bit video game console which was released by Sega in late 1998 in Japan and from September 1999 in other territories. It was the first entry in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Microsoft's Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube.Dreamcast sales were...
. - Chris Brown recorded his version of this song entiltled "I Wanna Rock" on his 2010 rap mixtape In My Zone.
- The "Woo! Yeah!Woo! Yeah!Woo! Yeah! is a drum break which includes James Brown's voice which has been repeatedly used in popular music, often in the form of a loop. It originates from the 1972 Lyn Collins recording "Think ", a song written and produced by Brown, and is one of 5 breaks contained in the recording...
" vocals are sampled and heavily processed on ModeselektorModeselektorModeselektor is an electronic music band formed in Berlin, featuring Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary. The group draws heavily from IDM, glitch, Electro house and hip hop. In an interview the group said regarding their sound: "Happy metal, hard rap, country-ambient, Russian crunk. We don’t like...
's Death Medley 12" EP from 2002 - Korea's Girl Group 2NE12NE1Both the song and the group became popular online: Fire topped Mnet's online chart and 2NE1 became a popular search term. The group was awarded three Cyworld Digital Music Awards; "Lollipop" and "Fire" both won "Song of the Month" and the group won "Rookie of the Month" for May 2009...
's I Am The Best" ("내가 제일 잘 나가") from 2nd Mini Album2NE1 2nd Mini AlbumThe second mini-album of South Korean hip hop girl group 2NE1 was released on July 28, 2011, by YG Entertainment in distribution by KMP Holdings in South Korea. It contains six songs composed and produced by Korean producers Teddy Park and Kush....
samples the famous Woo! Yeah!Woo! Yeah!Woo! Yeah! is a drum break which includes James Brown's voice which has been repeatedly used in popular music, often in the form of a loop. It originates from the 1972 Lyn Collins recording "Think ", a song written and produced by Brown, and is one of 5 breaks contained in the recording...
loop. - The song has been sampled by Gigi Barocco with his remix for Breakdown's "Play With it"
In popular culture
- In David SimonDavid SimonDavid Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
's 1991 book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing StreetsHomicide: A Year on the Killing StreetsHomicide: A Year on the Killing Streets is a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon describing a year spent with detectives from the Baltimore Police Department homicide squad...
, which covers the Baltimore Police DepartmentBaltimore Police DepartmentThe Baltimore Police Department provides police services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and was officially established by the Maryland Legislature on March 16, 1853...
's Homicide Unit in 1988, Simon calls the song "the summer's hands-down winner for Sound of the GhettoGhettoA ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
" and uses its lyrics to frame a chapter summarizing murders and other senseless, violent acts that occur over the course of the summer.
- The track is featured on the soundtrackSoundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the 1991 video game Action 52Action 52Action 52 is an unlicensed multicart consisting of 52 individual and original video games, released in September 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and in May 1993 for the Sega Genesis consoles by Active Enterprises...
and the 2004 video game, Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
on the hip-hop radio station Playback FM.
- The track was heard in the American Dad!American Dad!American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
episodes Stan's Night OutStan's Night OutStan's Night Out is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the animated series American Dad! and the fourth season finale. The episode aired on May 17, 2009 on Fox.-Plot:...
, and G-String CircusG-String Circus"G-String Circus" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of American Dad!. It aired on November 29, 2009, on Fox. This episode mainly center around Stan, who is saddened by the fact that Hayley refuses to take any advice from him. Stan goes to a strip club with his CIA co-workers, where he meets...
.
- It is the "B-7" song, the favorite dance song of Randy in the TV show My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
. The song also appears in the 2000 movie Coyote UglyCoyote Ugly (film)Coyote Ugly is a 2000 romantic comedy/drama based on the actual Coyote Ugly Saloon, set in New York City. The film stars Piper Perabo and Adam Garcia...
as well as the 2009 movie The ProposalThe Proposal (film)The Proposal is a 2009 American romantic comedy film set in Sitka, Alaska. Directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli, the film features Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds as the leading roles, with Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, and Craig T. Nelson in supporting roles...
and the 2010 film Iron Man 2Iron Man 2Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...
.
- This song is ranked #18 on VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s, #37 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, and #80 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s.
- This song has been widely used in Breakdancing circles and has attracted a global following after being featured in numerous notable battles, including most recently, the final of the Bboy Park 2010 Team Battle in Tokyo, Japan.