MJ and the SWIK

I can't walk two feet out of my apartment without hearing a Michael Jackson song. Is it like this everywhere or just New York? Of course, the death of the “King of Pop” is tragic, but I didn’t think that he was directly relevant to this blog. Particularly, since he hasn’t put out anything of note for more than 15 years. Personally, I became more more of a Janet fan in the early ’90’s. But after some consideration, I couldn’t deny his massive his influence on pop music and the many women who have sampled his music for songs of their own.

This realization hit me while cleaning my apartment and listening to Madonna. First, I should mention that I really HATE housecleaning. I prefer to hire someone for this. It is truly the LAST thing I want to do on a day off. Some say they find cleaning relaxing. Housework to me is just that, work, but without pay. Granted, one does prefer to live in a clean apartment. So if you can’t schedule a person who will do this work for a fee and guests are imminent, it’s unavoidable. In order to stay motivated when I must clean, I need good music. Dancing around the apartment with the vacuum cleaner seems to help. Dancing makes me happy, vacuuming does not.

Now that that you have the background, you understand why Madonna’s Confessions On A Dance Floor was playing while I washed the bathroom floor. One of my favorite songs on this album, “Sorry,” samples the Jackson 5’s “Can You Feel It”. The song, like the whole album is very disco, but “Sorry” has a hint of anger. A few key lines include “I’ve heard it all before” and “I can’t take it any more.” Perfect. I can be angry about cleaning while feeling like I want to spin around with the mop.

So onto the kitchen and Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music,” an excellent dance song, also good for running, and apparently cleaning the stove. You can’t miss the “Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa” sample. Brilliant the first time around, this catchy phrase seems to be meaningless. Yet, the first time around was not Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” from Thriller. Manu DiBango, an African pop artist released a song called “Soul Makossa” in 1972. Makossa is a popular genre of music from Cameroon. The remix of "Soul Makossa" was a hit and considered one of the first disco records. Jackson neglected to credit DiBango his album, but the two eventually worked a financial agreement. Unfortunately, Rihanna forgot to credit DiBango on her album Good Girl Gone Bad and another lawsuit is in progress.

As I moved on to conquer the dust bunnies, I turned to Mary J. Blige. A SWIK in every sense, she is a powerhouse R&B (Rhythm & Blues) singer. Her 1999 album Mary didn’t have a lot of hits, but I like the laid back sound. The song “Sexy” samples Jackson’s “I can’t Help It” from Off The Wall. It’s a great song and captures Blige’s smooth vocals. Listening to “Sexy” reminded me of the song “Right Here” by SWV, which sampled “Human Nature” from Thriller. SWV (Sisters With Voices) was a R&B band from the ’90’s. They do have great voices and are worth a listen.

After discovering a few more songs on my own, I decided to do some research and see who else has sampled the King of Pop. I found a Michael Jackson sample map that shows all the hip-hop artists who have sampled his songs. Buried among the hip-hop was Bjork’s “I Go Humble,” which has a subtle sample of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'.” The song was a bonus track on the Japanese issue of her album Post. Those of us not in Japan can find it on her box set, Family Tree, which includes not only her songs but also music that has influenced her. I really like Bjork, and even saw her former band, the Sugarcubes, in concert many years ago. She is an amazing and unique artist, a definite SWIK. I’m not sure that I need a six CD box set?

In conclusion, it seems that you can start the day with a messy apartment and Madonna then end it slightly cleaner with Bjork, arriving there via Michael Jackson. It’s interesting to note that Bjork wrote “Bedtime Story,” the trancey title song on Madonna’s 1994 album, Bedtime Stories. But I digress, back to Michael Jackson. I’ll end with a comment on the only thing he’s done since Thriller that was interesting to me, “Scream,” a duet with Janet. It's a great dance tune and epitomizes my feelings about housecleaning; “I just can’t take it. Stop pressuring me. Just stop pressurin' me. Stop fuckin' with me. Make me wanna scream!”

Thanks Michael.


I created a mix with these songs as well as a few other SWIK tunes. You can listen to MJ and the SWIK on Grooveshark. Below is the song list with the samples.

"Sorry" by Madonna samples "Can you Feel It" ( Jackson 5)
"Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna samples "Wanna be Startin' Somethin'"
"Sexy" by Mary J. Blige feat. Jadakiss samples "I Can't Help It"
"Right Here" by SWV samples "Human Nature"
"Honey" by Mariah Carey samples "It's Great to Be Here" (Jackson 5)
"All Eyez On Me" by Monica samples "P.Y.T."
"Poor Georgie" by MC Lyte samples "I Wanna Be Where You Are'"
"Got To Give It Up" by Aaliyah feat. Slick Rick Orginally a Marvin Gaye song, this version samples "Billie Jean"
"I Go Humble" by Bjork samples "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"


See and Hear Music in This Blog
Sorry by Madonna
Don't Stop the Music by Rihanna
Soul Makossa by Manu DiBango
Right Here by SWV
I Go Humble by Bjork
Scream by Michael and Janet Jackson

More Info
Michael Jackson Sample Map