Impeach the President

"Impeach the President" is a single by funk band The Honey Drippers, released on Alaga Records in 1973 and re-released to iTunes by Tuff City Records in 2017, after being sampled many times.^[1] It is a protest song advocating the impeachment of then president Richard Nixon.^[2] In the chorus the band chants the song's title while Roy persuades them to stop. The B-side was "Roy C's Theme".^[3]

Significance

The song is famous for having its drum pattern being one of the most adapted beats in hip hop, R&B and jazz music.^[4][5][6] The hi-hat is lifted on the sixth note of the drum pattern, similar to Hihache by The Lafayette Afro Rock Band which does so on the 8th (which is hidden in several R&B songs) and this means that some songs which sample "Impeach" also interpolate "Hihache" e.g. Ronny Jordan's Come With Me. The last 2 or 3 hits in the pattern are the exact section that became a cliche for 90s jazz music. Songs that sample Impeach The President tend to have very progressive intentions and lyrics. Below is a rough list of songs which sample or interpolate the song and its drum intro:

Samples by others

1980s

• MC Shan – "The Bridge" (1986)
• Eric B & Rakim – "Eric B. is President" (1986)
• BDP – "The Bridge Is Over" (1987)
• MC Shan – "Project Ho" (1987)
• Audio Two – "Top Billin'" (1988)
• N.W.A - "Gangsta Gangsta" (1988)
• Big Daddy Kane – "Smooth Operator" (1989)
• Cool C – "Juice Crew Dis" (1989)
• Nice & Smooth – "Funky For You" (1989)

1990s

• LL Cool J – "Around The Way Girl" (1990)
• LL Cool J - 6 Minutes of Pleasure (1990)
• De La Soul – "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (1991)
• EPMD - Give The People (1991)
• Naughty By Nature – "Ghetto Bastard" (1991)
• Ronny Jordan – "See The New" (1992)
• Ronny Jordan – "Summer Smile" (1992)
• Digable Planets – "Rebirth Of Slick" (1992)
• Joey Diggs – "Your Love Keeps Working On Me" (1992)
• The Emotions – "I Want To Thank You For Your Love" (1992)
• Bobby Brown - That's The Way Love Is (1992)
• Ice Cube - Gangsta's Fairytale (1992)
• Janet Jackson – "That's The Way Love Goes" (1993)
• Kris Kross – "Jump" (1993)
• 2pac – "I Get Around" (1993)
• Biggie – "Unbelievable" (1994)
• Sounds of Blackness – "I'm Going All The Way" (1994)
• Tevin Campbell - I'm Ready (1994)
• Prince – "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" (1994)*
• Shabba Ranks – "Mr Loverman" (1994)
• Ronny Jordan - Shit Goes Down (1994)
• Thug Life – "Pour Out A Little Liquor" (1994)
• Diana King - Shy Guy (1995)
• InI – "Fakin Jax'" (1995)
• Take That - Never Forget (1995)
• Kut Klose - Like You've Never Been Done(1995)
• Pete Rock - A Little Soul
• Barry White & Chris Rock – "Basketball Jones" (1996)
• Nas – "The Message" (1996)
• Alanis Morissette - You Learn (1996)
• George Benson – "The Thinker" (1996)
• Wu-Tang Clan – "As High As Wu Tang Get" (1997)
• Capone-N-Noreaga – "Bloody Money" (1997)
• Prince – "Love Sign" (Shocklee Remix) (1998)
• George Benson - Cruise Control (1998)
• Shaggy - Luv Me,Luv Me (1998)

2000s

• Fourplay – "Save Some Love For Me" (2000)
• Lazlo Bane – "Superman" (2000)
• Ulrich Schnauss – "Nobody's Home" (2001)
• Hefner - Dive Into You (2001)
• Nas – "I Can" (2003)
• Amy Winehouse – "You Sent Me Flying" (2003)
• 50 Cent – "In My Hood" (2005)
• Kim Waters - Midnight At The Oasis (2006)
• Immortal Technique – "Impeach The President" (2006)
• The Cool Kids – "Catch of The Day" (2009)
• Stevie Wonder – "There's Nothing Greater Than The Love You Showed Me" (2009)

2010s

• NK-OK - Summer Madness (2011)
• Flo-Rida – "My House" (2012)
• Little Mix – "How Ya Doin'" (2013)
• Joey Badass – "Don't Quit Your Dayjob" (2013)
• Carl Lurid – "I.D." (2014)
• J. Cole – "Wet Dreamz" (2015)
• Deeb – "Outskirts" (2016)
• Brock Berrigan – "So In Love" (2016)
• MR DM – "In My Time" (2017)

• Note that the studio version is an interpolation and the live version on 3 Nites In Miami is a real sample.

See also

• Synthetic Substitution

References