Nothing Sounds Quite Like An 808

Gucci Crew: Sally, That Girl
from So Def, So Fresh, So Stupid (Gucci Crew 1988)

D.O.C.: Let The Bass Go
from No One Can Do It Better (Atlantic 1989)

Original Concept: Pump That Bass
from Straight From The Basement Of Kooley High (Def Jam 1988)


One of the greatest advents of 80's Hip Hop has to be the the use of the kick drum on the Roland TR-808 drum machine, first made famous by Rick Rubin and Jazzy Jay on T La Rock's cut It's Yours. This simple move shifted the dynamics of Hip Hop from the tinny sounds of the cheap drum machines to the kind of bass that could punch a hole in your chest if you weren't careful. The use of one kick drum also gave rise to a lot of careers that never would have flourished had the 808 never caught on.

Case in point, The Gucci Crew II. Probably best known for Sally and their seminal hit Gucci Bass, the crew will never be mistaken for great lyricists but that can be forgiven considering that their one great redeeming value is the window rattling bass that laced all of their songs. And speaking of "great" lyricists, is it any surprise that B.E.P. in their new song Don't Phunk With My Heart lift a vocal sample from the song Sally-a nostalgic nod or a self-effacing shout out to just how weak the group is lyrically, but that's neither here nor there. The reason I chose this song over Gucci Bass, The Cabbage Patch, or another favorite of mine Truz n Vogues is that this song has a lot of sentimental value for me. The song brings to mind my days as a youngsta: my friend Mel pounding out the beat on the lunch table and us freestyling the song only replacing Sally with the flavor of the week. Also the then titillating lyrics were the equivalent to a Penthouse Letter to my no-game-having, no-pussy-getting 15 year old self (sadly, little has changed). The Gucci Crew would later try to recreate the success of this song with the originally titled Shirley, but it's Sally with it's purile, sing song, easy to recite lyrics and it's copious amount of 808 that takes the cake.

The second cut Let The Bass Go shows that not all 808 songs were just about the bass at the expense of lyrics. The Dr. Dre produced song absolutely bumps, particularly when the breakdown comes towards the end of the fourth verse and with the D.O.C. dropping his smooth delivery the song works in a way that Hip Hop songs always should, as a marriage of beat and lyric.

Original Concept's Pump That Bass came out around the time when Hip Hop truly embraced 808. 1986 brought out cuts like Shy D's Gotta Be Tough, 2 Live Crew's Get It Girl, and Rodney O & Joe Cooley's Everlasting Bass. Made up of Dr. Dre and T-Money (both of Yo Mtv Raps fame) this song also brings back fond memories of homemade mixtapes where this song would be mixed with Gigolo Tony's song Fat Rome or Hokey Pokey (note to self, post those mixes up here someday) and of shitty corollas and dropped Nissan pickups that used to drive by the Junior High I went to bumping this song from generic brand 15" subwoofers, and how I longed to one day own my own shitty car with a booming system. At the risk of sounding like an old codger, they just don't make songs like this anymore.

808 is still around in the form of booty music and that slow southern-fried chopped and screwed type song and if you listen to it now, not much has changed. It's still the same easy lyrics with an over-emphasis on production but the genre has definitely become more exclusive and the appreciation has become less pronounced by the Hip Hop community. For a really good overview of the genre peep out PappaWheelie's History of Bass. It's really informative and tracks the genre from it's birth up to the ass clapping sound of the new wave of bass artists.