Quannum Ritz

The Writz - Gift Of Gab
from 12" and also Fourth Dimensional Rocketships Going Up on Quannum Projects (2003)

HelloHiHey! - Lifesavas
from 12" and also Spirit In Stone on Quannum Projects (2002)

While GIO147 and Junior have been bringing it from deep with their Grand Daddy IU/Bizzie Boyz posts, I'm coming from the shallow end of the crates today with two recent Quannum Projects records. Both of these tracks feature prominent use of that most thuggish of musical inspirations - Irving Berlin's "Putting On The Ritz."

Gift of Gab teamed up with producer Vitamin D multiple times on his solo debut, the ponderously title Fourth Dimensional Rocketships Going Up, including today's first track "The Writz." I've always enjoyed Vitamin D's strictly sample based production techniques, but this slowed down, minimal track did not hit it off with me. Mostly i think it was the molasses beat was too simple and a poor match for Gift's high-pitched and high-speed vocals.

It doesn't help that Lifesavas put out at almost the same time the single "HelloHiHey!" from their debut album Spirit In Stone. Produced by Jumbo the Garbageman & Vursatyl, "Hello" leads off with a hot guitar lick and snappy boom-bap drums and then completely hooks me with the sung chorus which is where Vursatyl starts "putting on the ritz." I'm usually not a big follower lf lyrics in hip hop being far more interested in the beats/music, I think the multiple personalities all played by Vursatyl is pretty dexterous and definitely very funny. As a topper the M. Night reveal is that these voices were the rappers of Christmas past, present, and future for Vursatyl. Deep? It isn't Kierkegaard, but it is a long way from snowman thuggery also.