Kanye, De La Soul, Tribe and the Man who Influenced it all 

Edwin Birdsong is and was my Uncle. On behalf of myself and the Birdsong Family we extend a sincere salute and thank you for this. WE KNOW, and now you helped the world know. 🙌🏽🙏🏽💯

Edwin Birdsong was my grandfather. Watching this video made my heart smile. Thank you!

Fun fact: Kanye was such a Tribe fan that he once went by A Guy Called West

I met Edwin Birdsong back in the mid 2000s in SC of all places. He walked into the guitar store I worked at. He was in his mid 60's dressed like a baller and had a young girl on his arm. I worked in the guitar dept so he heard me playing guitar and struck up a conversation with me. He was very curious about how I learned to play what I was playing. I had no clue who he was. I asked him where he was from he told me he lived in NY and he was here visiting his girlfriend's hometown. He told me he was a professional musician. He casually mentioned that Eddie Kramer produced his first record. That floored me because I knew who Eddie Kramer was. He walked me over to a Yamaha Motif and started playing Stevie Wonder tunes and said he worked with Stevie. Then he played Cola Bottle Baby which I recognized as Daft Punk. It was apparent he had made good money from sample royalties. He was actually a really nice guy and a beast of a musician. He came in the store a few times that summer. You could tell he loved music and was a very educated musician (he graduated from Juilliard). It was only later that I learned his tunes were kind of a hotbed for hip hop samples. I haven't thought about my random encounter with Edwin in years but I came across your channel (which i love BTW). I immediately recognized the picture of Edwin. Great video detailing Edwin's influence on some of the all time greats.

I'm just gonna say it; if you were black and listening to "urban" music back in the 80's, you knew Edwin Birdsong, he was no mystery to us. 'Rapper Dapper Snapper' got much airplay on urban radio stations (like WDAS in Philly), and if you were in the party scene, you know that the dance floor would fill up when that song came on! I have that record somewhere in box of vinyl. I recognized that beat as soon as I heard 'Me Myself and I' the first time! BUT... I watch every documentary about hip hop music, and this is the first time I've seen someone give this artist and this song it's props! So, kudos to you for this!

He passed 4 years ago today. Coincidence I found this video. Rest in peace and much respect to this huge contribution to music!

I don’t know how this channel hasn’t blown up yet. I’m loving the content keep it up my man!

My favorite cousin Edwin Birdsong 🥹 He wrote for Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson… and our other cousin is one of the Supremes. Forever Legendary 🤲🏾 #birdsongfamily

Nice one. You didn't mention that Birdsong has been a key collaborators of Stevie Wonder for long time. He is a in the shadow Godfather, of limited notoriety but great influence.

As a hip hop head since 1981, I have to say your content is great. Love the history, and helps with my sample history game. 👍

This really is shaping up to be one of the best channels on youtube. Amazingly presented, interesting and deep diving takes, solid and recognizable graphical/visual profile, good editing and with a focus on bringing light to less sung heroes. To paraphrase Goldlink: It was perfect, you should never change, you should get more dat.

Been loving your videos man! Music history, production, and DJing 👏🏾👏🏾 I love the combination of all your talents. Beautiful🔥

This video and the other 8 I have watched on this channel have been soooooo helpful. I have been playing jazz for about 50 yrs and always loved the hip hop grooves played on a jazz drumset- research for an upcoming project brought me here and a lot of the holes in my memory have been filled . Subscribed..!!

I miss my good friend Edwin Birdsong. He would have loved this video! Thanks for your great work!

The way that you edit your videos is absurd dude. Always so impressed

This is excellent and much deserved speaking on Birdsong’s influence. I’ve been a fan of Rapper Dapper Snapper but didn’t connect those OTHER dots you gave us here. Thanks for yet another marvelous video!

This is one of the greatest videos I’ve ever seen on YT. Big respect to you.

I don’t make many comments, but this video is SO WORTHY of a Salute! I just had to something! I remember walking from my high school to a place called Nick’s Disco Shack (where I ended up working for a short stent) to buy Dela’s first GROUND BREAKING album which changed my life! All I can say is that precision applied to this presentation is STELLAR! Again, Salute and MUCH APPRECIATED! Peace!

Love this. I was listening to Rapper, Snapper, Dapper today (on repeat for the last couple of weeks)and searched to see what else was available on RU-vid and stumbled upon your channel. I really appreciate the time/research you put into this video. Always been a fan since hearing his music as a young girl/teen in the 70s. I’ve never met anyone personally who knew his music, but I have turned quite a few people on to his treasures.

I am so excited that someone made this video. I used to play Edwin Birdsong's S/T LP at the cafe I worked at, and was always shocked at how low the playcounts were. Lollipop is an amazing track

I was waiting for Graduation to make this channel! So many good memories come up when I hear that album. Learned lots of backstory!

Man, thank God for RU-vid suggestion because I’m so glad I found your channel. The Soulaquarians video brought me here. Outstanding content and I’m sharing your channel with all my hip hop head friends lol

Love your videos man. Keep them coming. Just waiting on you to get your own Netlix series💎

I actually learned about Edwin Birdsong while researching Daft Punk Samplings. Him and Contininent No 6 whos also sampled in Kanyes song I learned about while looking up samplings from Skindred lol. It's insane how connected the musical world is.

I have yet to see someone putting out videos as well-researched and coherent as these on hip hop history. Good stuff.

just came across your page and I’m BLOWN AWAY .. subscribed 👍🏽

You need to do a part two on Edwin Birdsong. If you did a part 2, then you need to do a part 3. If you did that, then just keep going. I went and looked up every song you were talking about and some took me down memory lane, some shocked the hell out of my mind and blew it up like I was a debutante in the first Kingsmen movie. I am gonna need to study your whole dang catalog, you, you damn hip hop historian, because (sounding like Anakin Skywalker), I want more.

This video is absolutely beautiful and you are a great historian and lover of hip hop! This is greatness bro

The song you play when talking about Edwin Birdsong's songs' influence on songs we all love to sing and have sung with a songo groove on top 👌

And this is why I love hip hop. Thank you for this!

Amazing video! I owe Mr. Birdsong big. Thank you!

Yo man, I love your channel, the content, the way you put together your videos. This is all 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Your content is detailed and enlightening - love of sharing music and hiphop education. Keep pushing it

Funny how almost everytime A song is referenced as a sample I already had it saved , went to look up ramp on Spotify and gomas some saved. Thanks for the video I’m loving them , gonna have fun bragging about how I been here since 30k when u hit 100k

Man, after while i'm back on youtube. Find your channel and for the last couple of days i junked in to yours vid! So fresh and absolut brilliant! Thanks for that! Cheerio from switzerland! Btw...put some names in of your backgroud songs! Raffau

Greetings from Colombia, great content and it has helped my students to gain more knowledge for sampling's origin! Thank you! Respect!

I love your videos! This is my new favorite channel.

Can’t believe you don’t have millions of subs!! Great stuff, keep it up!

Dawg ive been binging all your videos, and just now found out how underrated your chanel is! Just keep it up, cant wait for you to be one of the biggest music youtubers ;)

Yo Brad! Appreciate what you are doing!💿

I'm Marty Birdsong / Edwin Birdsong was my first cousin. He wood love to have been here to see and feel the love and have such a impack on mighty Hip-Hop music groups it self ! I know of Edwin writing and playing with Steve Wonder...very proud to no of this history of my cousin.miss him dearly ! Thank you ! Appreciate the Love...!

Love your channel brother big props breaking down my favorite music

Dope video, I love this kind of deep dive into hip hop culture and just wish this could have gone on longer!

i am mesmerised. This is my new favourite channel!

Realizing you have my favorite album behind you,(still bill) makes me love this channel so much more

Phenomenal work. Just found this channel and have been hooked. Excellent job sir!

Fantastic! Well done video my man!

Great videos man I have been on a binge the last hour 🙏🏾

Dude…the way you break this stuff down is remarkable. I love your content bro!! I call myself a music lover and didn’t know most of this stuff….I guess I have to re-evaluate my self-claimed “music lover”😂! Seriously Brandon - your content is dope!!

Just found this channel and I've been binging on your vids, love it! So many musical discoveries, I may have Cola Bottle Baby on repeat for a while.

Man, always a joy to stop, look and listen to your videos (and yes that was a track by MC Lyte) ;-)

I'm loving it man! I-am-loving-it! Keep it up!

Dude! I’ve been going on a full dive into your videos; you’re doing most excellent and quite rad work! (And I can very relate, I love playing intense games of six degrees) I’m still working my way through, but just curious: have you covered Last Poets yet?

pumped on your content bruh!

Yo fantastic content man, I've been really enjoying your channel lately. Would love to see a video on Digable Planets at some point!

I love the visual representations of music in your videos!

RZA pioneered the sped up soul sample long before Kanye.

Thanks for doing this, Bro. Fdwin Birdsong is one of my favorite musicians. Its about time somebody talks about his influence. Thanks again. BTW, Love your channel.

Oh man this channel is about to blow up. With the recent events in hiphop another change is on the way as well. I believe the recent wave of drill and gangsta rap is about to fade because Atlanta is in a rough spot. We’ll see what happens

Love the breakdowns ! Keep up the great content sir !

The level of research you did for this is amazing!! Bravo sir!!

How do you only have a quarter of a million subs?!? Awesome vid!!!

Love to be here before the surely-to-come million subs. These videos are amazing!!

Dope channel, glad I stumbled upon it…

You are so underrated, I'm so glad kenny beats shouted you out in his stream yesterday!

This was great! YOu always come through with something worth thinking about.

What a fun video I loved this..great channel ❤❤❤ ..the native tongues video brought me here cuz I’m a tribe head for life and this video made me subscribe ..happy to see a fellow music nerd making dope content

Some of the best music history videos I’ve ever seen💯

Loving your content, hip hop Gandolfini!🙌🙌🙌

Dude. This is your job!! How cool! Thank you. 🙏

This video is so good I tried to sobscribe again 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Rapper dapper snapper was THE CUT growing up! Love this channel.

You literally was born for this, content is genius

Hey! Literally just found your channel today and I’m subbed and three videos in haha. Do you have a playlist on Spotify or somewhere that’d have a bunch of these tracks you mention? Id love to just hear a playlist and feel the influences, and discover some new stuff. Keep it up!!

Your vids are great bruh

This was a great video . I always enjoy your content , and you break everything down in a way that's understandable and easy to digest as fans of both hip hop and r&b . Thank you !!!!!! . You are important to the culture .

Lovin' the uploads man!

This was really well produced, good stuff!

My hip-hop and general music nerd brain LOVES your content soooo much.

I love your channel man

So good dude! ❤

That was dope! As always

This one needs more likes. Brilliant bro

These videos are so informative 👏🏾

You did a good job on this Will Sasso

I love this channel ❤

These videos are so much fun. Thank you.

Good content bro for real!

Man! Big up for the thing what you doing! Greetings from Poland !!!

This was such a crazy breakdown! Love it man you got my subscription

This channel is way too underrated!

Love these videos

That was fun. Keep up the good work!

Me,myself, and , I just left my wallet as I wondered and found your channel. Great connection, with Birdsong song.

craaaaaazyyy knowledge man god damn can't wait for your next vid.

I stumbled across your breakdown of the Black Star album, and have been on a deep dive on your videos that requires a climbing helmet and canyoneering rope. I'm really loving the insight.

LOVE THIS!! I just found out Harder Better Faster Stronger samples Cola Bottle Baby two days ago so crazy to find this now

Thank you for showing me Edwin Birdsong who I loved musically all along but never knew.

Keep up the great work Brandon.. This channel is going to be huge if you continue releasing such amazing content.

These videos are amazing! Great research !!!!