🎷 What Is The Connection Between This Album And This UK Rapper?
Long before Us3’s “Cantaloop” became an international anthem and Ninja Tune evolved into one of the most respected underground labels in the world, there was a single that quietly lit the fuse – a record that bridged London’s street-level Hip-Hop energy with Blue Note’s Jazz legacy.
That record was “The Band Played The Boogie” – a groundbreaking collaboration between NW1 and Born 2 B.
💽 The Spark That Ignited Us3
In an interview with Innerviews.org, Us3’s Geoff Wilkinson revealed how the story unfolded:
“I had been struggling away with it for quite a while before I met the Blue Note people. I took cassettes of my early work to every A&R man in London without getting anywhere. So Ninja Tune offered me a deal. At that time it was a very small label. I think they gave me 200 pounds to record the single “The Band Played the Boogie,” released under the name NW1, which is the postcode for Camden Town in London, where I used to live.
I sampled Grant Green’s version of “Sookie, Sookie” for it. So I put an English rapper on top, Ed Jones played some blistering sax on it and Ninja Tune put it out. They managed to get it playlisted on Kiss FM, a pirate radio station in London that had just turned legal at the time, so it was blasting out everywhere and became a hit.
I soon got a call from an A&R guy at EMI named David Field. During that first meeting, he said he bought three copies of the single and sent one to Capitol Records’ A&R office in Los Angeles and another to Bruce Lundvall, the president of Blue Note, in New York. And he kept one for himself. And that got us a deal.”
🥁 The Moment Ninja Tune Made History
Matt Black, co-founder of Coldcut and Ninja Tune Records, explained how this one record became the bridge between London’s underground and a global movement:
“A Journalist called Geoff Wilkinson reviewed DJ Food and said that he loved all the Jazz breaks but suggested we put a Rap on it. We asked if he knew anyone suitable and he made a track – NW1 and Born 2 B’s “The Band Played The Boogie”. On the basis of that, they signed to Blue Note and became Us3.”
🎧 A Legacy That Still Echoes Today
Decades later, Born 2 B’s influence still resonates – through the revival of Jazz Hop, the ongoing legacy of Ninja Tune, and the continued love for Us3’s classic sound.
That original fusion of Jazz, Hip-Hop, and UK street rhythm laid the foundation for an entire movement – one that still inspires beatmakers, MCs, and fans around the world.
If you’ve ever vibed to “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” or dug through crates for 90’s UK Hip-Hop, this story is part of your musical DNA.
🎶 Explore the legacy. Hear the roots. Own the sound.
👉 Born 2 B on Bandcamp
🔖 Tags:
#Born2B #UKHipHop #NinjaTune #Us3 #TheBandPlayedTheBoogie #JazzHop #JazzRap #AcidJazz #JazzHipHop #BoomBap #BlueNoteRecords #DJFood #Coldcut #HipHopCollectors #JazzHopLegacy #VinylCulture
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