8 Tracks: Of Jazz Inspired Hip Hop With Ty

Music

British hip hop is as relevant and important as ever, however beyond the glamour of the big stage and the shiny lights there remains a core undercurrent of rappers who continue to push things forwards as much as the prevalent names of the moment. Ty is a Brixton based artist who is set to release his fifth long form album on the 2nd of March. "A Work Of Heart" is a topical reflection which allows for Ty to wax lyrical on the likes of depression, poverty, racism, family, hip hop and the creative process. The album pays close reference to tone, mood and construct – as a result each guest, producer and verse is designed to contribute to the overall vision of the work rather than act as a stand-alone.

Some of the best hip hop has followed such thematic processes, jazz inspired breaks helped to form the basis behind many a rapper with a sense of self. The concept emerged and revolved around the musical style, the underlying themes and influences run deep throughout. Ty selects eight of the best below…

Buy the album HERE. Photo courtesy of Bunny Bread.

LISTEN

Gang Starr - Jazz Thing

You will be hardpressed to find a better ode to jazz music overall from another genre of music this song really stamped an appreciation of what jazz music is to many hip hop heads and others , it’s the beginning of some of our greatest moments and the grandfather /mother to our dance floor adventures when this record came out alongside the mo better blues film directed by spike lee….. it resonated with everybody…
Rest in peace to guru.

Gang Starr - Jazz Thing

You will be hardpressed to find a better ode to jazz music overall from another genre of music this song really stamped an appreciation of what jazz music is to many hip hop heads and others , it’s the beginning of some of our greatest moments and the grandfather /mother to our dance floor adventures when this record came out alongside the mo better blues film directed by spike lee….. it resonated with everybody…
Rest in peace to guru.
De La Soul - Stakes Is High (1996)

This record expertly J Dilla expertly samples Ahmad Jamal’s Swaziland is not timeless but just points towards the beauty of what hip hop and jazz can do ….. infectious piano loop and a sprinkling of other sound bites make this one of the most solid songs on this list.
Us3 - Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)

This song came out at the right time….. slipped into the pop market and was heard everywhere British / US collaboration … that stoked the jazz /hip hop and pop market into a frenzy … great record sampling cantaloupe island.
Digable Planets - Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)

:DIGABLE PLANETS (rebirth of slick )(cool like that) sampling art Blakey’s STRETCHING from the album reflections in blue …. this was was the sound of the year it came out 1993 ……. you heard it everywhere the video was cool as hell…. the group was perfect….. perfect… all very different all unique with different styles of rapping to wrap it up … this is a home run for jazz and hip hop honours … perfect execution.
Soul Of Mischief - 93 Til Infinity

Hailing from the west coast this group made a beautiful contribution to hip hop culture with the
93 till infinity song
This billy cobham “heather “ sampling gem Triggers something whenevers it’s played whether it’s the captivating loop or the staccato drum programming over the top…. this song never leaves the dance floor empty… never.
Dream Warriors - My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style

Dream warriors are for me a very important group … they really were different And every song screamed originality this one sampling bossa nova by Quincy jones was no different …. classic material classic group.
Dj Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime

DJ jazzy Jeff and fresh prince (summertime ) This song was so big….. was so summer orientated that sometimes we overlook the genius of using the Kool and the gang sample summer madness .. (I was tempted to throw in the gang Starr “DJ premier in deep concentration as one of my favourite uses of the sample but you can check that for yourself I only had eight songs to choose ) 8:Qtip (LETS RIDE ) Once again JDILLA makes the list as a producer who finds a way to use jazz so well in a hip hop setting… his usage of joe pass’s version of giant steps is a sublime piece of boom bap..
That overdubbed by Qtip’s unmistakeable voice … makes this a timeless piece of jazz inspired hip hop for you to enjoy …..