Back in the 1997 when Eminem was first introduced to Royce da 5'9 Slim Shady decided this was a lyricist with who he could make some serious Hip-Hop and he was right. He went onto work with Eminem on The Slim Shady LP but what most hardcore hip hop fans were waiting for was Royce to step to the mic on his own. We heard him on the Grand Theft Auto III soundtrack on the track "I'm the King" which was produced by The Alchemist and it was a dope track. A nice beat which allowed Royce to show off his skills. However its impact was small when you compare it to his next single "Boom". This 12" was released in 2000 and was destined to be a big club banger. DJ Premier produced it and he did a superb job. The track starts off with a clock ticking and then jumps into a fantastic strings sample before being joined by some signature Premier drums. Royce kills it lyrically just check out this first verse
I'm the verbal-spit Smith Wesson
I unload with sick spit the quick wick could split a split-second
Bomb with a lit wick expression
You here a tick tick then you testin..
My saliva and spit can split thread into fiber and bits
So trust me, I'm as live as it gets
Everybody claimin they the best and head the throne
Since B.I.G is gone, if you ask me, they +Dead Wrong+
My flow is hotter than the flash from the click
When the hammer slaps the bullet on the ass from the clip
You wind up in a room full of my dawgs
I'll have you feeling like a fire hydrant in a room full of dogs
So come, come now, get pissed on, shitted on
Tough talk turns to, "Can't we all just get along"
You get blazed when the mic's off, shot when it's on
You probably ducked when they laid the gun shot in your song
My gun strrr-utters when it speaks to you
Utter shit to repeat to you
Nothing the clip, then give a speech to you
Me and Premier, we kind of the same in ways
We both speak with our hands in dangerous ways
Rap now is a circus of clowns
A whole lot of lip from cliques I'd probably rap circles around
I'm the next best to reach a peak formerly known
as the best keep secret, I guess that I just leaked it
Royce was hungry on this track eager to earn the hype he was receiving at the time and Premier provided him with the perfect beat to do so. The beat itself is made up of four main samples (not including the drums); The Kay Gees "Anthology", Marc Hannibal's "Forever is a long time", The Lady ofRage' "Afro Puffs" and Gangstarr's own "You know my steez". The last two were used for the vocal samples that Premier chops up throughout the track.
The clock ticking sample at the beginning comes from a track by the Kay Gee's called "Anthology". If you don't know the Kay Gees were the protege's of Kool and the Gang and featured Kevin Bell, younger brother to Kool & the Gang's Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell. The track "Anthology" was from their 1974 album "Keep On Bumpin' & Masterplan" which was released on Gang Records.
However the main sample on "Boom" comes from a track by Marc Hannibal called "Forever". Marc Hannibal, was an actor, singer and sportsman who sadly passed away in 2011. Marc had a varied career which included playing and touring with theHarlem Globetrotters, he had appearances in a number of television series including Dragnet 1967, Marcus Welby, M.D., Columbo, a number of Adam 12 episodes and in Mission Impossible, McCloud, Kojak. He produced and starred in the Las Vegas variety show On the Strip. He also appeared in long feature films most notably in Airport and starred as a gladiator superhero in 1975 in the Italian cult film Superuomini, superdonne, superbotte (English title Three Fantastic Supermen).
He sang throughout the 1960s and early 1970s in various venues. He recorded two albums: the first, self-titled Marc Hannibal for Philips label, the second entitled Night Times for First American independent label. The sample Premier used was taken from his self titled debut album (with a lovely cover) and was called "Forever is a long time". The tracks starts off with the lovely strings sample Premier used for Boom before going into a somewhat strange tale of his love of someone substantially younger than him. Marc's voice is decent enough and the track would sit comfortably in the Easy Listening genre. It is thoroughly cheesy but there is something I find quite endearing about the song and can't help but like it. Check out the link below for "Boom" and the Samples behind it. I have also included the original version which is slightly different, and RJD2 blend version and the 9th Wonder remix of it too.
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