Production Breakdown: Where Did Freddie GIbbs’ “The Ghetto” Beat Really Come From?

Time for a riddle: what has two 'i's and leaves yours truly totally baffled? If you guessed “Miilkbone,” you win a free trip to the Bahamas (offer void in all 50 of the United States, along with every other country besides the Bahamas). And, on second thought, that riddle sounded a lot better in my head than it does in text form. But yeah, the point is, if you're trying to do a Google search on the emcee who went by that stage name, don't forget the extra vowel (presumably added to avoid a lawsuit from the dog biscuit company?), or you'll just end up wasting your time.

But I digress. The reason I was a researching the slept-on Jersey rapper can be found in “The Ghetto” – not the place, but the latest Booth feature from rising rap star, Freddie Gibbs (you can listen to the track at the bottom of the page). Newly-selected as lead single off his forthcoming Str8 Killa No Filla street album, the track finds Gibbs flowing over a beat originally crafted for the Jersey native's '95 debut single “Keep It Real”



While the beat is attributed to Melvin L. Dinkins on Gibbs' track and elsewhere on the 'net, other sources, including the original single's label, credit a beatsmith named Mufi.Still others seem to think Naughty by Nature's DJ Kay Gee (who did contribute production to Miilk's debut set) was responsible

In any case, Miilk and Gibbs (along with Booth favorite Beyond Belief, on this reader-acclaimed freestyle) weren't the only emcees to see this instrumental's potential – none other than East Coast legends Jay-Z and Big L flowed over the beat in question for seven straight minutes on this classic '90s freestyle:



So, where did the samples that make up this slice of boom-bap-informed freshness originate? While it's known that the hook on Miilkbone's original joint is spliced together from three separate lines from AZ 's guest verse on Nas' classic cut, “Life's a B*tch” (“Most of us were beginners... and my mentality is... keepin' it real, packin' steel, gettin' high.) The central piano loop, however is a bit more of a mystery – while this page, cited on Wikipedia, suggests that it was lifted from soul singer/spoken-word artist Gil Scott-Heron's "Peace Go With You Brother," the connection seems unclear to me. Judge for yourself:



While it seems that very little is certain about this timeless beat, it's undeniable that the beat's grimy yet smooth retro groove sounds just as good today, backing Freddie Gibbs' stories of street survival, as it did back in '95. Got any more info on the instrumental's origin? Leave a comment and let me know, or hit me at richard(at)djbooth.net.