Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.
Song: Mya feat. Blackstreet, Mase and Blinky Blink – Take Me There
Year released: 1997
Year “discovered” by me: 1997
Reason discovered: This song has absolutely no right to be this great.
I was a Mya stan in 1997. I felt she was easily the world’s most attractive woman, and I was madly in love with her as well as Lauryn Hill. Somewhere between the two I felt was the recipe for the perfect woman in my life. As has been mentioned in this space before, I was a college radio DJ. The radio station at Providence College is right down the hall from the newspaper office and across from the non-cafeteria dining option at Slavin Center, so, it goes without saying that there were times where I would easily spend 24 straight hours between the three places. I used to love Tuesdays when the new tracks would come in. I’d scour through white label records and CD singles, often using our spare studio to pore through selections to have the most eclectic shows humanly possible. Seeing that there was a Mya and Blackstreet single featuring Maseand his little brother, I was sold. I was a big fan of all acts involved, and frankly didn’t care that the song took a sample of the Rugrats theme. It was three of the hottest acts in my hip hop and R & B universe at the time all on one track. A winner.
This may be the most confounding production choice of Teddy Riley’s career. I’m certain that given it is a soundtrack song he was paid handsomely for it, but it sounds like a Macguyver plot. Here’s the Rugrats theme song, Mya, Blackstreet, Mase and a VHS tape of the TV show. In an hour (minus commercials), make a convincing pop trending R & B song for a nine year old. Of course, the man who in the same lifetime produced both “Rumpshaker” and “Teddy’s Jam” has zero problem with this task, and cranks out a track that the Jackson 5 could have performed over in 1975. Mason Betha’s rhyme here isn’t exactly the best, but he wastes a bar to mention the names of Rugrats protagonists Phil and Lil in one of the most forced rhymes in quite some time. The xylophones on this track are wonderful, and begs the question why there aren’t more songs that have featured the instrument from this point forward.
A great producer can make chicken salad out of chicken shit. A hall of famer takes that chicken salad, eats it, finds more chicken shit and makes chicken cacciatore. Teddy Riley, ladies and gentlemen. A hall of famer.
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