"Impeach the President" | |
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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]
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:
1980s
1990s
*Note that the studio version is an interpolation and the live version on 3 Nites in Miami directly samples "Impeach the President".
2000s
2010s
2020s