JOE BELL and CRUMBLIN' ERB

Listen to JOE BELL by Isaac Hayes.
Listen to CRUMBLIN' ERB by OutKast

This week we're going to do it a little different since I don't have the mindspace to dig deep for tunes this time around. So this week I bring you some of my favorite OutKast tracks, along with the songs they sample.

I realize this is more like party tricks than blogging, but it's easy, and besides, I think it might be popular! First out of the gate is Joe Bell by Isaac Hayes. This instrumental was part of the "Three Tough Guys" soundtrack, which was one of Hayes's last Stax releases (Stax went belly up not too long afterwards, in no small part because of the company's obligations to Hayes himself).

As soundtrack music, it's not really that interesting, but it makes a fantastic sample. Crumblin' Erb is one of the most characteristic of OutKast's style on the first album that Big Boi and Dre...not grew out of...but grew away from. On its own terms, it's totally harmless fun.

Photo: Bystanders (1).