The O'Jays & Project Pat

This post will focus on one of my favorite rappers of all time, Project Pat. He sampled Listen to the Clock on the Wall by The O'Jays in his song Keep It Hood.

The O'Jays are an R&B group that were mostly popular in the 70s, but have released albums consistently since the 60s with their first album releasing in 1965 and their most recent coming out in 2019. They have multiple albums that are either RIAA certified gold AND platinum, and a handful of songs that ahem reached the top 10 on the Billboard Top 100 chart. Their most popular songs are Love Train, which peaked at #1 on Billboard Top 100, and Backstabbers which peaked at #3. They have also been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. 

Listen to the Clock on the Wall is a great song! I'm curious to hear what the rest of their discography is like. I like this song, but I feel like they'll probably have some that I am more a fan of just judging by the style of this one. I have heard their song Backstabbers, which has also been sampled by Project Pat on his song Stabbers, and I really love that tune. The sample that Project Pat used can be found at 0:25 in the song, and uses the horns that happen there, as well as the part that follows. 

Here is Listen to the Clock on the Wall:

 

Project Pat is a very well known southern rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He has been a huge influence to many rappers who came after him, and continues to be sampled today. He recently has held relevance on Tik-Tok-Tok for his songs Life We Live, and Take Da Charge, both of which are killer songs. On whosampled, Project Pat has been sampled over 550 times for his beats, lyrics, and even his flow. He has released 10 solo albums, but he gained fame through the group Three Six Mafia, which he founded with his brother Juicy J. Three Six Mafia is known for their explicit lyrics and graphic or violent thematic material, but they produced countless hits throughout their massive discography. I personally love the group, and their music is great to workout to. I'll admit, some of it is a little to harsh for my taste, but I also really like a lot of their music. Each member of Three Six Mafia has held their own solo career, but Project Pat has always stood out to me for a few reasons. His cadence and flow are just unlike any other. The way he raps is unmatched and so recognizable. His debut solo album Ghetty Green is one of my favorite albums of all time. However, his older music is definitely better than his new music. I liked the style of production he had towards the beginning of his career a lot more than his later albums. 

Keep It Hood is from his 2009 album Real Recognize Real, so it is later in his discography. Although this album isn't his best in my opinion, this song is really great. His flow is so great on this track, the beat keeps my head bobbing the whole time, and the sample is used really well. Like I said, this song is GREAT to workout to. It really gets me pumped up. The beat is just so relentless through the verses that you can't help but feel hyped up. The sample occurs throughout the song and starts right at the beginning. 

Here's a link Keep It Hood:

Keep It Hood