This track is off the Isley Brothers' 1977 double-platinum album, Go For Your Guns. Go For Your Guns was released in the "3+3" period, as the Isley's reformed their group, settling on 6 members: 5 Isley brothers (Ron, O'Kelly, Rudolph, Ernie, Marvin) and brother-in-law Chris Jasper. Like the other Isley albums released in this period, Go For Your Guns was a departure from their early gospel roots and brief experiments with rock-n-roll and doo-wop, and is characterized by its soul and funk sound.
The song is most recognizable as a sample for Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day". It has also been sampled on lesser known tracks including "Won't Do" (produced by J-Dilla, off The Shining) and "One Day You'll Be Mine" (off Usher's debut album, My Way). A beautiful track.
This album is off the Isley Brothers' 1983 album Between the Sheets. It was their last recording made in the "3+3" period, as Eric and Marvin Isley, along with Chris Jasper left to form their own group, Isley-Jasper-Isley. The remaining 3 Isley brothers continued on as trio.
"Between the Sheets" has been sampled over 27 times!! What is dope about this song is how it can be broken down into two different tracks. The majority of the song is a laid-back groove that you will recognize as a sample on "Big Poppa" by Notorious B.I.G. and "Breaker 1/9" by Common. However, as the song enters the final third, it climaxes with a syntheziser break down that is essentially a different track. You will hear that portion of the song being sampled by Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, and Drake for "Ignorant Shit", and 2pac for his joint "Comin' On Strong".
[On a personal note, I love how the second part of that song is becoming a hip hop standard which has been used frequently as of late. I think the hip hop game can take a lot of lessons from jazz (article to come), and so I always like to see a fresh song being reinvented by different artists, who each put their own individual touch on it. "Between the Sheets" has a melody that lends itself well to being a fresh hip hop beat. Indeed, some of the illest verses have been spit on it by a collection of hip hop's finest - Jay-Z, Weezy, Drake, Lupe (in that order) all KILL it.
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