Breaking Down Nas’ “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” | Large Professor

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  • Опубліковано 2 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 175

  • @diggingthegreats
    @diggingthegreats  6 місяців тому +25

    Watch the full, extended edit of this video by becoming a FREE DTG member at www.patreon.com/diggingthegreats
    That video is twice as long and has things that can't make this cut.

    • @Scoots1994
      @Scoots1994 6 місяців тому

      Have you listened to The Brand New Heavies album Heavy Rhyme Experience Vol 1? It's got Main Source, Gang Starr, Black Sheep, Pharcyde, and others.

    • @CantTellYou
      @CantTellYou 6 місяців тому +1

      I swear CHOPPED must be sponsored by jordan almonds, which is a shame because I thought reality TV was the most ethical genre

  • @Kanyewestbiggestfan123
    @Kanyewestbiggestfan123 6 місяців тому +249

    That Michael Jackson flip is one of my favorite sample flips of all time. Can’t believe this album is 30 and still sounds so fresh

    • @KtotheG
      @KtotheG 6 місяців тому +10

      The first time I heard "It Ain't Hard to Tell" was like the first time I heard "Sucker MCs" or "My Melody." It was one of those moments.

    • @waynemazique6556
      @waynemazique6556 6 місяців тому +8

      ​@@KtotheGListening to this album for the first time in 94 gave me goosebumps.

  • @artisans8521
    @artisans8521 6 місяців тому +72

    Human nature is written by Steve Porcaro, dug up by Quincy Jones and retexted by John Bettis and sung by Michael Jackson. Toto was the backing group. But that is just a detail.

  • @nicolesherman8974
    @nicolesherman8974 6 місяців тому +126

    East Coast hip hop hits different on cloudy days for some reason… ☁️🔥🔥🔥

    • @paperbagbrown1326
      @paperbagbrown1326 6 місяців тому +23

      You in a New York State of Mind.

    • @JDXTHEKID
      @JDXTHEKID 6 місяців тому

      😂😂​@@paperbagbrown1326

    • @darkdoc5643
      @darkdoc5643 6 місяців тому +7

      Frrr. Like as ur listening to a beat coming from the East Coast, its like ur in whole different zone. The Vibe and everything.

    • @JoeyGastonQB1
      @JoeyGastonQB1 6 місяців тому +3

      Facts...I always play the purple tape on rainy dayz

    • @joneseybaby8124
      @joneseybaby8124 6 місяців тому +2

      Dam I thought only I thought like that. Crazy.

  • @Jacqueal
    @Jacqueal 6 місяців тому +54

    "It Ain't Hard to Tell" was my first lesson in timing. I considered "Human Nature" a slow song because the kick and snare happen on the 1 and 3 respectively. Then Large Pro flips it and I'm like, "Oh, it's actually mid-tempo."

  • @aaronconner6562
    @aaronconner6562 6 місяців тому +15

    Dj premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, Large professor, and LES one hell of a production team for a debut album

    • @terrenceliburd8655
      @terrenceliburd8655 6 місяців тому +1

      @aaronconner6562: Some would say his album was the first that prioritized "super producers".

  • @MetalSonic420
    @MetalSonic420 6 місяців тому +61

    Happy 30 to Illmatic. The Hip-Hop Bible.

  • @undrgrouknight
    @undrgrouknight 6 місяців тому +29

    This is the song that made me fall in love with this album and ultimately call it the Greatest Album of All Times.

  • @CurtisBond
    @CurtisBond 6 місяців тому +20

    The perfect outro to the perfect album. I love the progression of this record: it goes from dark, dour, gritty (NY State of Mind) to light, playful, maybe even a little optimistic (It Ain’t Hard to Tell). I genuinely think it’s the best hip-hop album ever recorded and it actually gets *better* with time. 10/10

  • @nanner_B
    @nanner_B 6 місяців тому +16

    Large Pro is so underrated. Breaking Atoms is one of the best hip hop albums of all time. It’s aged so well over the years

    • @Mr.Dobalina113
      @Mr.Dobalina113 6 місяців тому

      When it came out, I couldn’t get any of my friends into that album. I don’t know what it was. But several years after it came out, I started to notice people listening to it. Maybe it was just ahead of its time or it took a bit to settle in with people or something.

    • @redsimmons6791
      @redsimmons6791 6 місяців тому +2

      @@Mr.Dobalina113it was Mature Grown Up East Coast Rap Music when it dropped. So Proud to Say I Loved and Respected. There Sound when Breaking Atoms Dropped.
      Looking At The Front 🚪 ✨…..is Crazy, and One of the Best Rap Songs ever Made✅

    • @simon9146
      @simon9146 6 місяців тому +2

      Large Professor is the foundation of the New York Boom Bap sound, you can hear it in his earlier production for Rakim, which sadly he was never officially credited for.

  • @GregPopabich
    @GregPopabich 6 місяців тому +47

    The remix has the greatest vocal sample of ALL TIME! Extra P made Biz Markie saying "recognized" sound like he's saying "Nas"!

    • @IAuMatu
      @IAuMatu 6 місяців тому +10

      That was DJ Premier scratching that into Nas is Like, right

    • @rustymixer2886
      @rustymixer2886 6 місяців тому +5

      ​@IAuMatu there is 4 versions, demo, rough, lp, remix

  • @steve.santiago
    @steve.santiago 6 місяців тому +21

    Gotta give a shout out to the Large Professor. Thought I lost his number but I left it on my dresser.

  • @MugenBoy
    @MugenBoy 6 місяців тому +13

    When I first heard this I was 16 painting fences outside. It was middle of the whole pandemic and I make it sound like a long time ago but to me listening to this with sweat off my back in a really bad neighborhood it felt like the music was speaking to me. Forever grateful for Illmatic and ofc Digging The Greats 🙏🏼

  • @Scuba_steve0487
    @Scuba_steve0487 6 місяців тому +10

    The way Large Pro flipped that MJ beat… maaaannnnnn!! He was definitely on another level when he made that beat 🙌🏼🙌🏼

  • @123theprodigy5
    @123theprodigy5 6 місяців тому +28

    Man, I just finished listening to the album, and I can’t believe it’s 30 years old today.

  • @theonlycaamz
    @theonlycaamz 6 місяців тому +34

    common digging the greats w

  • @BENWORKIN89
    @BENWORKIN89 6 місяців тому +19

    Large Professor was definitely inspired by Grandmaster Vic (veteran and creator of the blend tape) when he made this beat.

  • @beatsbybigjoe6222
    @beatsbybigjoe6222 6 місяців тому +10

    Been in my Nas bag all day, you're right on time! 30 year anniversary + a new Nas and Preemo track today + a digging the greats Nas drop?! LFG!

  • @KevoLoso
    @KevoLoso 6 місяців тому +10

    Happy 30th Illmatic 💐

  • @zshakur
    @zshakur 6 місяців тому +7

    Kool G Rap also has that horn break sample in his song "Truly Yours".

  • @ENDORSHORES
    @ENDORSHORES 6 місяців тому +6

    Just got my Illmatic Cd in the mail. Gonna watch this and bump it. Happy 30th🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

  • @EaseVision
    @EaseVision 6 місяців тому +3

    FYI Nas & Michael Jackson weren't labelmates they were on 2 different labels under Sony music & still it was easy to make it possible to clear the sample.

  • @edwinruiz7569
    @edwinruiz7569 6 місяців тому +23

    Best rap album ever. Period

  • @hustlehustlehustle
    @hustlehustlehustle 6 місяців тому +1

    "Human Nature" was produced by Quincy Jones, who produced the albums "Off the Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad". "Right Here" was produced by Teddy Riley, who was one of the main producers on "Dangerous".

  • @JayFingers
    @JayFingers 6 місяців тому +4

    I love videos like this. 😅 Like, I know all the trivia, all the samples and everything. But the way you tie it all together - the “Chopped” analogy is brilliant! Dare I say, it’s “chef’s kiss!”👨🏾‍🍳🤌🏾 Great video. Thanks for sharing!

  • @jashanestone
    @jashanestone 6 місяців тому +5

    *"When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus"* was one of the most epic lyrics in Hip-Hop history. It had everyone in NYC, hearing it for the first time, slapping, then holding thier cheeks like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. 😂😂😂😂

    • @Gamecenter456
      @Gamecenter456 6 місяців тому +3

      I said the same thing for years on end. Nas delivering lines like that and “my thoughts react like Stephen Spielberg” in 1990-91 was a staple in Hip Hop. The God was always Bold and confident.

    • @andrewkeller2842
      @andrewkeller2842 6 місяців тому +1

      I was always partial to “…slamming MCs on cement… ‘cause verbally, I'm iller than a AIDS patient”. It was like, ‘daaaaaamn! No he didn’t!’. Nas’s whole part in Live at the Barbecue is just untouchable. Listening to it back in the day with my boy’s was like receiving sacrament to us… it was a religious experience!

  • @steve.santiago
    @steve.santiago 6 місяців тому +9

    Shout out to everyone who had the cassette single like I did.

  • @davidriley1702
    @davidriley1702 6 місяців тому +3

    4:29 Teddy Riley did the remix, The actual producer is Brian Alexander Morgan

    • @diggingthegreats
      @diggingthegreats  6 місяців тому

      Yes, and actually, as someone corrected in another comment - Teddy Riley is credited, but he didn't actually do it!

  • @N-spireyourbeats
    @N-spireyourbeats 6 місяців тому +2

    The stories you tell are entertaining. Thanks for the work you do. ❤

  • @codsallbob
    @codsallbob 6 місяців тому +3

    30 years is crazy 😮

  • @babamolapisi5716
    @babamolapisi5716 6 місяців тому +1

    My favourite Nas song of All Time.

  • @mcallarse
    @mcallarse 6 місяців тому +1

    Always liked the SWV remix but didn’t realize it‘s role in this classic. Both beats ended up on the songs they belonged to. The It Ain’t Hard to Tell beat is timeless.

  • @XavierCoolDude
    @XavierCoolDude 6 місяців тому +1

    Incredible song-had both the original and the Biz Mark sample remix taped off radio early 94. Illmatic is timeless. Another great video

  • @edgar8316
    @edgar8316 6 місяців тому +1

    “Nas will prevail” is my favorite song of his

  • @DarkGloComics
    @DarkGloComics 4 місяці тому

    *For Millennials/Gen Z that are wondering:* The EQing to get single sounds out of a sample is called, "Multing". It's our version of stems before you could use AI to lift them cleaner. Which--isn't necessarily better. Multing gave you the extra seasoning with some leakage from the surrounding sounds/frequencies with the option to add a little more, paprika so to speak if you needed it.

  • @kirbyaugustine761
    @kirbyaugustine761 6 місяців тому

    Man I’ve always loved the creativity of real hip hop and this is why it’ll never die.

  • @crimson6323
    @crimson6323 6 місяців тому +2

    fav channel of all time

  • @Somnivore7
    @Somnivore7 6 місяців тому +1

    The first time I ever heard this beat was like a lightning bolt struck me. One of the best of all time

  • @morreddie717
    @morreddie717 6 місяців тому +7

    10/10 video! Q-tip also used N.T. on his remix of the world is yours

    • @diggingthegreats
      @diggingthegreats  6 місяців тому +6

      Another chef cooking 🔥

    • @deana3449
      @deana3449 6 місяців тому +1

      @@diggingthegreats And for Breath and Stop as well

  • @ossiejon-nwakalo8644
    @ossiejon-nwakalo8644 6 місяців тому +1

    I’m so happy you talk about how you used to freeze, that was so weird 😂. But, every UA-camr does something offbeat when they’re just starting.

  • @tahajfirst6836
    @tahajfirst6836 6 місяців тому +4

    Large pro also used that NT horn sample in "just hangin out"...I think..I'm pretty sure...I feel like it's in there somewhere

  • @Sinosure
    @Sinosure 6 місяців тому +1

    Much respect to your work bruh! You truly get it in!! I always look forward to your videos!! This was another solid upload!! This was one of MJ's hottest songs & my favorite Producer's have done it justice!! Incredible work!! We the hip hop, boom bap & beat maker sample heads truly enjoy it!
    🔥🔥🔥👊🏾💯

  • @BoofHoover
    @BoofHoover 6 місяців тому +2

    haven't finished the video yet but I know it's gonna be dope.

  • @JFAK1967
    @JFAK1967 6 місяців тому

    You’re the man! Thanks for sharing your insight on what these geniuses created. Really makes me appreciate the craft on a deeper level

  • @SalaahudDiyn
    @SalaahudDiyn 6 місяців тому

    I look forward to seeing your videos and I get hyped every time you drop a new one! I thought I was well informed about music but you always dig deep for real and I always learn something new from you. Even if I happen to know everything you’re talking about, your metaphors and analogies are top tier! I always use analogies when I talk to people about music to help streamline the information to them but your analogies make me go “WOW…..that summed it up perfectly!” And side note, I actually liked when you would freeze pose and point to another video. The way you would connect one topic to a previous video you did was a brilliant way to keep people engaged with your videos. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rewatched videos of yours just because it was connected to the latest upload you posted. You created a fun rabbit hole of binge watching your videos. Keep up the great work, you are hands down one of the best content creators on UA-cam!

  • @brooklyninja
    @brooklyninja 2 місяці тому

    It was great hearing the samples broken down, great job

  • @Fruitbearersforchrist24
    @Fruitbearersforchrist24 5 місяців тому +1

    Pac actually did a really good sample of Human Nature, which was supposed to be on his Makaveli album but I’m guessing they couldn’t clear it? Not sure. But it’s called “N*ggaz Nature”. Hits really hard. I love it.

  • @jamesosei6888
    @jamesosei6888 6 місяців тому

    My favorite channel for hip-hop songs breakdown

  • @EaseVision
    @EaseVision 6 місяців тому +1

    Nas got that title from a Main Source track off "Breaking Atoms". I forget what track but in it theres a part where LP says "it ain't hard to tell".

  • @cloudbloom
    @cloudbloom 6 місяців тому +1

    Good shit man! Always love what you're doing on the channel. Can't wait for some Outkast breakdowns😁

  • @Aus10sims
    @Aus10sims 6 місяців тому +2

    I don’t know Mayne,that 5 second freeze pose was kind of cool.
    Now if it went to a minute, now we’re entering Doctor Evil awkward villain laughing scene territory.☕️🤭

  • @c0mplex_Ale
    @c0mplex_Ale 4 місяці тому

    Illmatic is so good my man literally needs to make a whole video per song lmao

  • @broderickmayeux
    @broderickmayeux 5 місяців тому

    Excellent presentation. Guys like you are doing great work in the art.

  • @truestprophecy
    @truestprophecy 6 місяців тому +2

    coincidentally premo and nas just dropped a song to tease their new album today

  • @MortanAMrk
    @MortanAMrk 4 місяці тому

    Honestly as a massive Toto lover i always love anything that samples Human Nature

  • @SpiderDan2099
    @SpiderDan2099 6 місяців тому

    Definitely signing up for the Patreon asap, so tired of the UA-cam copyright nonsense. Kudos to you for trimming these videos just right to fly under the algorithms radar 😂
    Wow Illmatic was 30 years ago so crazy!
    I have a question on 'New York State of Mind' in one of the bars Nas has a line where he says 'I'm an addict for sneakers' ... I wondered if that was the lyric that spurned Raekwon's track 'Sneakers' from the 1999 'Immobilarity' album? Anyway these are just crazy curiosities that enter my brain sometimes years later. 😅 Guess we would have to ask the Chef ... in keeping with your cooking analogy 😊

  • @ADJNAMEDSLASH
    @ADJNAMEDSLASH 6 місяців тому

    SWV’s Right Here was produced by Brian Alexander Morgan and Allen Gordon Jr. AKA Allstar. Teddy Riley added additional Keys.

  • @codsallbob
    @codsallbob 6 місяців тому

    Another fantastic video as always, thanks!! 🎶🎹🥁🎷🎺🪇😊

  • @RexMundi_UTC
    @RexMundi_UTC 6 місяців тому

    Large Pro content, yes please ❤️❤️❤️

  • @Cicero82
    @Cicero82 6 місяців тому +2

    You gotta do a breakdown on ‘Memory Lane’. Now THAT track went hard!

  • @ryan_3113
    @ryan_3113 6 місяців тому

    THE GOAT HAS POSTED

  • @ManualsRBetter
    @ManualsRBetter 6 місяців тому +1

    Greatest album of all time.

  • @diamond_cutter
    @diamond_cutter 6 місяців тому +1

    Salute to you brother. You are literally breaking it down for real.
    Respectfully request a break down of song if possible?
    New York State of mind remix by Nas.

  • @engrademafias
    @engrademafias 6 місяців тому

    I noticed Chris Brown on "She ain't you" used this same sample. One of the most satisfying sounds to sample in music

  • @vWayvy
    @vWayvy 6 місяців тому

    Biggie‘s „Ready to Die“ is also celebrating it‘s 30th anniversary this year. I‘d love to see a video on one of it‘s songs, that would be awesome dude. Thanks for the great work!

  • @rustymixer2886
    @rustymixer2886 6 місяців тому +2

    Nas will prevail is great

  • @keiththomas111
    @keiththomas111 6 місяців тому

    The one version I got on a Columbia sampler cd it was sampling the Great Biz Markie from" Nobody beats the Biz" produced by the sampler master mind Marley Marl 🎤🎧💽💾🎹📀💿

  • @RobertLJ11
    @RobertLJ11 6 місяців тому

    Thanks for the Video and thanks for the link to the extended version! 👍👍🎁🎁

  • @loccaleus1
    @loccaleus1 6 місяців тому

    this is still my favorite Nas song of all time.

  • @MATALOMUSIC
    @MATALOMUSIC 6 місяців тому +1

    IT AIN'T HARD TO TELL
    that Digging the Greats is the GOAT

  • @boogiedownbronx73
    @boogiedownbronx73 6 місяців тому

    amazing dude

  • @iShredStreets
    @iShredStreets 6 місяців тому

    This song is crazy good! 🔥

  • @im_avg_joe
    @im_avg_joe 6 місяців тому

    Yoooooooo, you made me laugh at the very end. Props!

  • @WhangaFish
    @WhangaFish 6 місяців тому

    Do American'a call the main meal the entrée and the entrée the appetizer?
    Love the video man, just that appetizer entrée thing tripped me out

  • @hawk1392
    @hawk1392 6 місяців тому

    Happy 30th to Illmatic 🔥🔥

  • @MusicFromAnotherTime
    @MusicFromAnotherTime 6 місяців тому +2

    I can't say I expected a Chopped reference in an Illmatic video, but fuck me I guess.

  • @clanski
    @clanski 6 місяців тому

    30 Years Later !! #illmatic the best album in hip hop history !! No debate 📖

  • @antjblige_4744
    @antjblige_4744 6 місяців тому

    Love the metaphor 🔥

  • @raspa2
    @raspa2 4 місяці тому

    I love this channel

  • @chrismorale_
    @chrismorale_ 6 місяців тому

    I must have CTE because I also hear the drums from "Vibrant Thing" sampled from NT. I hear a lot of songs just buried in my mind from these samples mentioned 🥺

  • @KvngLxo
    @KvngLxo 6 місяців тому

    Theres actually another version of It Aint Hard To Tell from 1993 with different drums and slightly different verse/hook structure with a spoken outro too.

  • @DJMOS
    @DJMOS 6 місяців тому

    your youtube page is amazing brother.

  • @cmoulden78
    @cmoulden78 6 місяців тому

    I love this shit. Just found this channel. New subscriber indeed

  • @judoclawplays962
    @judoclawplays962 6 місяців тому

    "We're getting into the weeds of the show"
    A kitchen and 420 joke in the same line, you dog.

  • @adamalexander5634
    @adamalexander5634 6 місяців тому

    This 30th Anniversary celebration is a good time to shout out Elzhi’s tribute mixtape, Elmatic, released in 2011. Treat your sound holes!

  • @dominicanvic9
    @dominicanvic9 6 місяців тому

    This album defines hip hop in its natural form before she went corporate.(POP)

  • @lRlMlGl
    @lRlMlGl 6 місяців тому

    Yes, FINALLY!

  • @andremack1580
    @andremack1580 6 місяців тому

    Dude. I agree with you about how you end your videos. Walking off is so much better than you freezing waiting for us to click on the video. “Drop the mic” 🎤 😂

  • @anthonywalker4211
    @anthonywalker4211 6 місяців тому

    I used to hysterically laugh whenever you froze at the end of videos. It was a guilty pleasure. Simpler times lol

  • @pgc99
    @pgc99 6 місяців тому +5

    This style of sampling was so much better. Nowadays every song is just using the exact same beat as an old classic, but adding a bunch of awful autotune and actually making the song worse.

    • @gorkgang
      @gorkgang 5 місяців тому +1

      there's lots of amazing music that keeps the spirit, try The Alchemist 👍

  • @b0s0x4ever
    @b0s0x4ever 6 місяців тому

    It Ain’t Hard to Tell is also a song that belongs on any 420 playlists. Happy 4/20!

  • @sundamusik
    @sundamusik 6 місяців тому

    If im not mistaken the sample you had in purple, L.P. used for one of their own songs for main source.

  • @SuperSladjo
    @SuperSladjo 6 місяців тому

    Babe wake up dig dropped another banger

  • @super_slav91
    @super_slav91 3 місяці тому

    Best version of the song is (Nas - It Aint Hard To Tell (Original/Unreleased Version) (1993) (Complete/High Quality) Broadcasted November 19, 1993, more BASS and different fade out.

  • @WigleyClimbs
    @WigleyClimbs 6 місяців тому

    Great video

  • @lukasmaturana1946
    @lukasmaturana1946 6 місяців тому

    ITS ILLMATIC’S 30 YEARS BIRTHDAY TODAY

  • @haskeymorrison
    @haskeymorrison 6 місяців тому

    Hi! Fan of your channel!

  • @aaronquadsquad5
    @aaronquadsquad5 6 місяців тому

    4:23 to 4:29 Brandon the song was produced by Pharrell Williams here the four count at the beginning of the song.

  • @derekjordangregg7468
    @derekjordangregg7468 4 місяці тому

    From the… spliff that I lift and inhale

  • @regib1992
    @regib1992 6 місяців тому

    I love MF Doom’s remix of Ain’t Hard To Tell also