About Amsterjam
NY Daily News's Jim Farber previews tomorrow's live mash-up fest Amsterjam at Randall's Island.
Headlining the event this year will be two rock acts, Tom Petty and The Foo Fighters, joined by rappers Busta Rhymes and LL Cool J, plus reggaetone's Tego Calderon and the Latin polyglot band Yerba Buena.The "Dangerous" mention got me thinking (again) how funny it is that Busta unwittingly stole the song's chorus from a 1983 Long Island Regional Poison Control Council PSA. I can't believe it's not on YouTube! So I put it up for ya:Last year's inaugural version of "Amsterjam" lacked a musical director - and it showed. The headliners, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg, didn't really mash at all. They just played together in old-fashioned medleys or jams. The only two that really balanced their songs with equality and invention were Garbage and Peaches.
To prevent that from happening this time, [this year's musical director] Jermaine Dupri has made "guide" mashup records that match LL with Calderon, and Rhymes with Yerba Buena. Live, those performers will mimic what Dupri created in the studio.
The producer says the through line on the pairing of Rhymes and Buena will be the beat from the rapper's cut "Dangerous." Holding to just one beat helps define a mashup. "If you switch the beat, then it's a medley," he says.
Petty and the Foos will decide on their own mashup, much to Dupri's chagrin. He feels they'll have their work cut out for them.
Good luck tomorrow Petty/Foos. Anyone going?
Posted at 2:44 PM
Tags: Foo Fighters | Tom Petty
man, that makes me miss good 'ol busta videos. the one with the neon tribe people was great.
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i petty da foo!
(sorry, couldn't resist)
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Yeah ... "unwittingly" ...
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Busta grew up on Long Island - and as someone from Long Island, that commercial was EVERYWHERE growing up. As a kid i thought it was a national spot - but then I got to college and i referenced it and everyone thought i was on crack
I thought it was brilliant that he sampled this commercial from our hood
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Jro, agree completely. I didn't realize it was Long Island regional until I grew up.
But I truly believe Busta internalized it. I don't think he thought 'I'm gonna sample that poison control PSA jingle.' It was just in his head and he couldn't place it.
Also, the LIPA couldn't track don't who wrote the damn thing in '83 so they never sued or anything.
So everyone wins. Busta gets a hit single, and the world gets reminded not to eat giant, fuzzy pills mommy and daddy leave around.
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Just so I'm POSITIVE - that's David Johannsen in the Busta video, right?
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