| "Impeach the President" | |
|---|---|
| Single by The Honey Drippers | |
| B-side | "Roy C's Theme Song" |
| Released | June 1, 1973 [1] [2] |
| Genre | Funk |
| Length | 3:17 |
| Label | Alaga Records, Tuff City Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Roy Charles Hammond |
| Producer(s) | Roy C |
"Impeach the President" is a song by funk band the Honey Drippers, written and produced by Roy Charles Hammond, known as Roy C. It was first released as a single on Alaga Records in 1973, and was re-released to iTunes by Tuff City Records in 2017, after being sampled hundreds of times since the mid-1980s. [3] It is a protest song advocating the impeachment of then– U.S. President Richard Nixon. [4] In the chorus, the band chants the song's title while Roy persuades them to stop. The B-side is "Roy C's Theme". [5]
Significance
The song is famous for having its drum pattern being one of the most adapted beats in hip hop, R&B, jazz and even pop music. [6] [7] [8] The hi-hat is opened on the sixth note of the drum pattern, similar to " Hihache" by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band which does so on the 8th (which is hidden in several R&B songs) and this means that some songs which sample "Impeach" also interpolate "Hihache", e.g. Ronny Jordan's " Come with Me". Below is a rough list of songs which sample or interpolate the song and its drum intro:
Samples by others
1980s
- MC Shan – "The Bridge" (1986)
- Eric B & Rakim – " Eric B. Is President" (1986)
- BDP – " The Bridge Is Over" (1987)
- MC Shan – "Project Ho" (1987)
- Audio Two – " Top Billin'" (1988)
- N.W.A – " Gangsta Gangsta" (1988)
- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – “As We Go” (1988)
- Big Daddy Kane – " Smooth Operator" (1989)
- Cool C – "Juice Crew Dis" (1989)
- Nice & Smooth – "Funky for You" (1989)
1990s
- Public Enemy - "Anti-Nigger Machine" (1990)
- LL Cool J – " Around the Way Girl" (1990)
- LL Cool J – " 6 Minutes of Pleasure" (1990)
- De La Soul – " Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (1991)
- Small Change – "Why" (1991)
- EPMD – " Give the People" (1991)
- Naughty By Nature – " Ghetto Bastard" (1991)
- Ronny Jordan – "See the New" (1992)
- Ronny Jordan – "Summer Smile" (1992)
- Father MC – "Close to You" (1992)
- Digable Planets – " Rebirth of Slick" (1992)
- Joey Diggs – "Your Love Keeps Working on Me" (1992)
- The Emotions – "I Want to Thank You for Your Love" (1992)
- Bobby Brown – " That's the Way Love Is" (1992)
- Ice Cube – "Gangsta's Fairytale" (1992)
- Kris Kross – " Jump" (1992)
- Janet Jackson – " That's the Way Love Goes" (1993)
- 2Pac – " I Get Around" (1993)
- Biggie – "Unbelievable" (1994)
- Sounds of Blackness – "I'm Going All the Way" (1994)
- Tevin Campbell – " I'm Ready" (1994)
- Prince – " The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (1994)*
- Shabba Ranks – " Mr. Loverman" (1994)
- Ronny Jordan – "Shit Goes Down" (1994)
- Aaliyah – "No One Knows How To Love Me Quite Like You Do" (1994)
- Thug Life – "Pour Out a Little Liquor" (1994)
- Diana King – " Shy Guy" (1995)
- TLC – " Waterfalls" (1995)
- InI – "Fakin Jax'" (1995)
- Take That – " Never Forget" (1995)
- Kut Klose – "Like You've Never Been Done" (1995)
- Pete Rock – "A Little Soul"
- Barry White & Chris Rock – "Basketball Jones" (1996)
- Nas – "The Message" (1996)
- Alanis Morissette – " You Learn" (1996)
- George Benson – "The Thinker" (1996)
- Wu-Tang Clan – "As High As Wu Tang Get" (1997)
- Capone-N-Noreaga – "Bloody Money" (1997)
- Merideth Brooks - "B*tch (any other way)" (1997)
- Prince – " Love Sign" (Shocklee Remix) (1998)
- George Benson – "Cruise Control" (1998)
- Shaggy – " Luv Me, Luv Me" (1998)
*Note that the studio version is an interpolation and the live version on 3 Nites in Miami directly samples "Impeach the President".
2000s
- Fourplay – " Save Some Love for Me" (2000)
- Lazlo Bane – " Superman" (2000)
- Ulrich Schnauss – "Nobody's Home" (2001)
- Hefner – "Dive into You" (2001)
- Nas – " I Can" (2003)
- Amy Winehouse – " You Sent Me Flying" (2003)
- 50 Cent – "In My Hood" (2005)
- Kim Waters – " Midnight at the Oasis" (2006)
- Immortal Technique – "Impeach the President" (2006)
- The Cool Kids – "Catch of the Day" (2009)
- Stevie Wonder – "There's Nothing Greater Than the Love You Showed Me" (2009)
2010s
- Jazmine Sullivan – " Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)" (2010)
- NK-OK – "Summer Madness" (2011)
- Little Mix – " How Ya Doin'" (2013)
- Joey Badass – "Don't Quit Your Dayjob" (2013)
- Carl Lurid – "I.D." (2014)
- J. Cole – " Wet Dreamz" (2015)
- Flo Rida – " My House" (2015)
- Deeb – "Outskirts" (2016)
- Brock Berrigan – "So in Love" (2016)
- MR DM – "In My Time" (2017)
2020s
- Doja Cat – "Can't Wait" (2023)
See also
- " Let's Impeach the President", 2006 protest song advocating the impeachment of President George W. Bush by Neil Young
- " Synthetic Substitution", 1973 protest song by Melvin Bliss
References
- ^ "Impeach the President - Single by the Honey Drippers". June 1973.
- ^ "Impeach the President". Amazon.
- ^ Metcalf, Josephine (2015). African American Culture and Society After Rodney King: Provocations and Protests, Progression and Post-racialism. Ashgate Publishing. p. 182. ISBN 9781472455390.
- ^ Mlynar, Phillip. "Hive Five: Great Moments in Hip-Hop Inspired by Presidents". MTV. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ "Impeach the President / Roy C's Theme, by The Honey Drippers". Tuff City Records. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ Reiff, Corbin (26 August 2015). "These are the breaks: 10 of the most sampled drum beats in music history". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ Doran, John (28 October 2015). "James Brown – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ Markman, Rob. "Nas In 'Rare Form' On New Album, Salaam Remi Says". MTV. Retrieved 1 November 2017.