Top Billin'

"Top Billin'"
Single by Audio Two
from the album What More Can I Say?
A-side	Make It Funky
Released	October 1987
Format	12 inch single
Recorded	1987
Genre	Hip hop
Length	2:56
Label	First Priority Music
Writer(s)	Kirk 'Milk Dee' Robinson, Nat 'Gizmo' Robinson
Producer	Daddy-O, Audio Two
Certification	Platinum
Audio Two singles chronology
Top Billin (1987) What More Can I Say? (1988)

"Top Billin" was the breakout hit for American hip-hop duo Audio Two, although it was released as the B-side to "Make It Funky" in 1987, from the album What More Can I Say?. The song made a deep cultural impact on hip hop. The song was voted #8 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs.^[1] It was also selected as one of many songs you must hear & download in the musical reference book, 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download.

A remake of "Top Billin'" was released in 1998, this time a duet between Milk Dee and younger sister MC Lyte, and her album Seven & Seven.

Contents 1 Composition 2 Single track listing 2.1 "Make It Funky"/"Top Billin'" 2.2 "Top Billin' (Remix)" 3 Notable references 4 References

Composition

The beat samples the drumbreak from The Honey Drippers' "Impeach the President", but rearranged in a very unexpected fashion. Daddy-O did this mistakenly when he hit the wrong keys on his sampler's keyboard, but recognized the funkiness of the resulting pattern. Rapped to a beat by Stetsasonic's Daddy-O, Milk Dee's lyrics continue to be referenced and sampled to this day.^[2]

Single track listing

"Make It Funky"/"Top Billin'"

A-side

1. "Make It Funky" - 4:56

B-Side

1. "Make It Funky (DUB)" - 4:05
2. "Top Billin'" - 2:50

"Top Billin' (Remix)"

A-side

1. "Top Billin (More Bass)" - 4:00
2. "Top Billin (Teddy Ted Mix) (No Half Steppin)" - 5:44
3. "Top Billin (808 Style)" - 3:09

B-side

1. "Top Billin (Original)" - 2:50
2. "Top Billin (Acapella)" - 2:48
3. "The Freshest Slowest Jam" - 5:09^[3]

Notable references

• The song "Jealousy" by Bless, featuring Rah Digga, uses the line "stop scheming and looking hard" in its chorus.
• The song "10% Dis" by the duo's younger sister MC Lyte includes the "Top Billin'" break as part of its chorus.
• "Wreck Shop (Remix)" by Wreckx-N-Effect used the drum break from "Top Billin'".
• The beat for Mary J. Blige's 1992 hit single, "Real Love", comes from the beat for this song.
• The intro to The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album Ready to Die samples "Top Billin'" behind a skit of a train robbery.
• In 112's song "Only You", The Notorious B.I.G. says the line, ("We just chillin, Milk'em 'Top Billin'").
• "Hip Hop Quotable" by A.G., Top Billin' is one of the songs referenced.
• "I Got 5 on It" by The Luniz samples the line "Got it? Good" from "Top Billin'".
• "Shittin on the world" from Dr. Dre's compilation Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath where Mel-Man uses and adapts some words from "Top Billin'" ("Dre is chillin, Ruff is chillin, What more can I say?").
• "Bitch Niggaz" from Dr. Dre's album 2001 samples a line from "Top Billin'" ("stop scheming, and looking hard").
• The lines "Kwa is chillin', Tone is chillin', what more can I say, we stay building" on Talib Kweli's song "Too Late" are inspired by Audio Two's "Top Billin'".
• The lines Lord is killin', three 6 killin', what else will I say even children? said by Lord Infamous on Three 6 Mafia's song "Are U Ready 4 Us"" are inspired by Audio Two's "Top Billin'".
• "We Trying to Stay Alive" by Wyclef Jean samples "Top Billin'", and more prominently samples "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees.
• "I Get the Paper" by Stunna One takes its name from a line from "Top Billin'".
• Madlib also used a short break from the track on Quasimoto's "Basic Instinct".
• "What More Can I Say" by Jay-Z from The Black Album takes its name from a line from "Top Billin'".
• Danger Mouse samples the line "What more can I say" in his remix of the Jay-Z song "What More can I Say" on The Grey Album.
• The beginning of Da Bush Babees' "3 MC's" (on Gravity) is based on the beginning of Top Billin'.
• The same line is used in "Is He Ill" by MF Doom.
• The song "Smilin' Faces" from KRS-One's D.I.G.I.T.A.L. uses the line "Kris is chillin, Shock G's chillin, what more can we say about the villains"
• The song "Cyber Teeth Tigers" by Digital Underground also uses the line "Kris is chillin, Shock G's chillin, what more can we say.."
• Earatik Statik samples the line "on and on and on" from "Top Billin'" on their song "Evil is Timeless".
• The song "Chillin'" by Erick Sermon, Talib Kweli and Whip Montez is based on "Top Billin'".
• The song "React" by Erick Sermon featuring Redman, features a line where the two say, ("I'm Milk, I'm that kid Gizmo we 'Top Billin'").
• India.Arie's debut single Video features the drum beat prominently.
• The song 'Uh Huh" by Method Man uses frequent lines from "Top Billin'" in the chorus.
• AZ)'s song "AZ's Chillin'" from the 2005 album, A.W.O.L., has a chorus completely based from "Top Billin'".
• "SexyLove (Remix)" by Ne-Yo and Candace Jones features the "Top Billin'" drum break punctuating the end of each musical phrase.
• "Pop the Glock" by Uffie is in large-part based both lyrically and musically upon "Top Billin'".
• "Get To Poppin'" by Rich Boy
• Kanye West samples a line from "Top Billin'" and a portion of his verse is lyrically based on the song, in Jay-Z's "The Bounce" on his album The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse. West and Jay-Z also sampled a line from "Top Billin'" on "Otis," a track from their collaborative album, Watch The Throne.
• The track "Why Wout I" by Beanie Sigel that appears on the State Property mixtape "Out on Bail" uses a similar line to the chorus. Sigel rhymes "Sige is chillin', stackin' shit to the ceilin', what would I ever say about a killin'?"
• 2Pac sampled this track in his 1996 song "Only God Can Judge Me".
• "Top Billin'" appears on "The Classics 104.1" in Grand Theft Auto IV
• "Top Billin'" appears on Tony Hawk's Underground 2.
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in the chorus of 50 Cent's single "I Get Money".
• "Top Billin'" is sampled near the end of "Testimonial Year" by Hilltop Hoods.
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in the chorus of Lil' Flip's song "I Get Money" (featuring Jim Jones).
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in Apathy's song "The Buck Stops Here".
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in LL Cool J's song "Doin' It", sampling the crowd noise from the song played throughout ("Go Brooklyn"). The same crowd noise is also sampled by 9th Wonder on the track "Brooklyn In My Mind", featuring Mos Def, Memphis Bleek, and Jean Grae.
• "Top Billin'" is sampled near the end of Planet Soul's song "Set U Free".
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in the chorus of Styles P's song "Stop Scheming".
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in "Step Up" for Kutmasta Kurt's side project with the emcees Kool Keith and Motion Man, Masters of Illusion. Throughout the song is heard, "Step up if you wanna get hurt."
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in the chorus "" of Redman's I Don't Kare
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in a series of cuts mixed in Everlast's single, "The Rhythm" (using Milk's line, "What more can I say?), and sampled again in his House of Pain days in the song "Over There Shit (I Don't Care)" (using Milk's line, "I don't care") from their second album Same As It Ever Was, and a final time on the final track of House of Pain's final album, Truth Crushed To Earth Shall Rise Again, the track titled "While I'm Here". The latter samples Milk's line, "While I'm here, I'd like to thank" in between Everlast's own lines in the track. On the track "B-Boy Punk Rock 2001" by the X-Ecutioners with Everlast, Everlast raps "MC am I, People call me EV," which uses the opening lines of Top Billin'.
• On the remix for 50 Cent's "I Get Money", which samples Milk D's vocals, the drums are used for the bridge that 50 Cent sings before Jay-Z's verse.
• The Lines, "Jail for MC Assault" and "When I'm bussin' up a party I feel no guilt." are sampled in the song "MC Assault" by Godfather Don.
• "Top Billin" is sampled in Detroit acid rapper Esham's "Nervous" (Stop scheming and looking hard)
• Memphis Bleek also makes reference in a line biting the hook from "Top Billin'" for his track "Do My..." featuring Jay-Z ("Bleek is chillin', Murda's chillin', what more can I say, we still killin'")
• The line "Step up if you wanna get hurt" is used in the Lifeseeker song "Middle Earth".
• "Top Billin'" is sampled in "Paper Touchin'Remix" by Red Cafe the "Brooklyn" in the background.
• The song "Feel No Guilt" by Demastas ft. Nine samples the vocals "when I'm bustin up a party I feel no guilt" from "Top Billin" as its chorus
• The song "Duck Sick II" by Compton's Most Wanted samples "Top Billin" in its chorus, (You was jealous its all your fault, what more can I say?)
• The song "Chillin" by Wale ft Lady Gaga uses lyrics from "Top Billin"
• The song "Iron Galaxy" by Cannibal Ox, Vast Aire references the song by saying: "I'm Vast Aire, Kramer, Top Billin'"
• The song "I.B.'s", by MF Grimm, uses a sample of the line "I stole your girl while you were in prison", from the song.
• The song "Tolerance Level", by Non-Prophets, makes a reference to the song with the line "What more can I say? Bob Dylan".
• "Top Billin" was used in the 2010 movie "The Other Guys".
• A Hip-Hop night in the South West of the UK takes it name from "Top Billin'"
• Lyrics from "Top Billin'" are used in Jay-Z and Kanye West's new 2011 song "Otis".
• The song "Real Villains" by Celph Titled samples the song.

References