I knew it was a serious situation when Hype Machine and elbo.ws had no Chill Rob G tracks! Get this man some props already!
Chill Rob G’s career began in his home Jersey City, New Jersey when met the established Mark The 45 King and the pair began recording. At about the same time, the duo helped found Flavor Unit. The material they produced received radio love from DJ Red Alert which peaked the interest of (ill-fated) Wild Pitch Records. Chill Rob G was quickly signed and the first 12″ single, ‘Dope Rhymes’ (b/w ‘Chillin”) was released:
MP3: Chill Rob G - Dope Rhymes (1988)
This first single gave way to a second single, ‘The Court is Now in Session’ with ‘Let The Words Flow’ on the B-side. And here’s the flip:
MP3: Chill Rob G - Let the Words Flow (1989)
Now here’s where it gets complicated, and I hope that I’m getting the story straight! The second 12″ release made it into the hands of two then-off-the-radar German dance music producers by the name of Snap! who decided to sample (steal?) the lyrics from Chill Rob G’s ‘Let the Words Flow’ (from the single’s a cappella) and put them over their own beat with another R&B sample and call it their own creation titled, ‘The Power’ which became a hit in their native Germany. When the labels of Snap! and Chill Rob G got together they concocted some possibly shady deal whereby Chill Rob G was to record a new verses over the Snap! production for international release of ‘The Power’. But the version Chill Rob G recorded was never pushed or supported, and another version with new vocalists was created. New jack rapper Turbo B. also recorded a version of ‘The Power’ with his new lyrics for the international release, and it was the Turbo B. version that was ultimately used and promoted as Snap!’s official version. This is sad for two reasons, one because Chill Rob G’s version gloriously trumps the official Snap! release, and two, because Turbo B. was just some schmuck the label (Arista in Germany) plucked almost at random to to mimic Chill Rob G’s sound and record without a contract and probably received very little compensation, if any.
Here is the superior Chill Rob G version of ‘The Power’ and the international hit (#1 UK, #2 Ger, #2 US) version with vocals by Turbo B:
MP3: Chill Rob G - The Power (1990)
MP3: Snap! - The Power (1990)
Not to say Snap! is bad. ‘The Power’ is a seminal dance track and rather amusing music video—All I’m saying is that it is inferior to Chill Rob G’s version. …And we can’t front on ‘Rhythm is a Dancer’ either. Hah.
‘The Power’ does appear on Chill Rob G’s first LP, ‘Ride the Rhythm’ and did reach the ears of the underground. It was rumored that this discounted dance anthem damaged his street reputation and that is why after his debut album he virtually disappeared (for over a decade), however I disagree. I think his MC reputation was always solid. Chill Rob G cites in this interview that it was primarily stress within his personal life (and hints at frustration with his label, Wild Pitch) that caused his recessing into obscurity at the peak of his career.
Every track on the first album is golden, but here’s a more favoritest favorite:
MP3: Chill Rob G - Future Shock (1990)
Here’s another ‘Ride the Rhythm’ favorite titled, ‘Bad Dreams’ and a lovely Trip-Hop cover version of it by Tricky with raps by Martina Topley-Bird from Tricky’s sophomore ‘Pre-Millenium Tension’ album (also another mix appears on Tricky’s debut record ‘Maxinquaye’ titled ‘Black Steel’):
MP3: Chill Rob G - Bad Dreams (1990)
MP3: Tricky - Bad Dream (1996)
Chill Rob G stayed off the radar until the early 2000s, when he resurfaced, only slightly, to release an underground album in 2000 titled, ‘Black Gold’, which includes truly random tracks from the previous decade. I’m not fond of it, and on the whole, it wasn’t very well received. Even Chill Rob G thinks it isn’t very good, as it was a disjointed collection of scraps with only a bit of really good. He also recorded two tracks with Ninja Tune artist, DSP in 2002 that weren’t too amazing either. That said, here’s the cream from the The Chill One’s return, a 45 King remix off ‘Black Gold’:
MP3: Chill Rob G - Let Me Know Something (45 King Remix) (2000)
Yet, Chill Rob G is on the up and up again, with plans to come back with a full-fledged LP. Here is a recent song he’s done that I snagged off his MySpace. It sounds way more promising and is on heavy rotation at my house. He’s speaking on his life and doing it rather well—and I’m never mad at that. What y’all think?
MP3: Chill Rob G - Red-E or Not (2006)
And that’s the story up to now.
‘Ride the Rhythm’ is undoubtedly one of the best hip-hop albums ever and from what I can tell, it’s a pretty common opinion. This is essential material, so if you don’t have it in your stacks, you ought get right and find it! Despite being re-issued in 2001, it is now out of print again, but both the original and re-issue can still be purchased from Amazon affiliates. As always, original pressing, 12″ and other rarities can be found on eBay.
Visit Chill Rob G on MySpace. Visit The 45 King at MySpace, too.
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Nice article. I own copies of both versions of the The Power. Personally, I always thought the rapping was crap on both versions of the The Power. The lyrics suck and the voices and delivery of Chill Rob G and the other schmuck from Snap are weak. What make the tracks popular was the fresh sounding production. Props should be given to the production team who came up with the instrumental. ANY monkey could of rapped over it and it still would have been a hit.
1. If being “off the radar” means having had numerous top 10 hits in Europe before creating SNAP!, OK, I can accept this.
2. We did not “steal” Chill Rob G.`s rap.
We made a rough mix with his acapella and tested it in clubs to see whether a rap part would suit the song.
We then recorded a new rap with Turbo B.
Shortly after I broke my ankle while snowboarding and was hospitalized.
A Co-worker accidently sent in the wrong version to the pressing plant.
“The Power” was taking off, and it was too late to recall all units that were out in the shops, since most of them were already sold. (5000-8000 units)
The gentleman agreement, or “shady deal” as you call it, was that Chill Rob G. could use our rough master and sell it as its own production/version.
Both versions were made by us, and were in the top10 in the US.
This is the reason why we never were #1 in the US with “The Power”
3. Chill Rob G. was never in discussion to be part of our project.
4. Regarding the R&B sample, it is not a sample but the line “I`ve got the power” was taken from a Jocelyn Brown song and sung by Penny Ford. The original songwriter Toni C. was properly credited.
It was a part of a bridge which we turned into a World Hit.
I personally still find it quite ingenious.
The original song was nowhere as successful.
5. Turbo B had a contract, and did not complain about the revenue he received.
6. The label was our own label “Logic Records” and was distributed by BMG Ariola worldwide (Arista in UK & US)
7. How dare you to even think that we stole something?
Who is stealing here?
Take my music off this website!
John VIRGO Garrett III
@ DJ John
“ANY monkey could of rapped over it and it still would have been a hit.”
TOO right mate!!!
” What make the tracks popular was the fresh sounding production. Props should be given to the production team who came up with the instrumental.”
THREE right mate!!!
…and thank you for your compliment
John VIRGO Garrett III
EDIT after listening to Chill Rob G`s version you have put online, this is not the 12″ he/we originally released…
He obviously re-recorded the line “I`ve Got The Power” with a powerless vocalist…
ah well good for SNAP!….LOL
this is funny about the “power”.chill rob g hung at a club where i spun records and stole all my dope mixes all the time, like the break to Otis and Carla, to put on Salt and Peppa among others, but it was ok. I had a co-dj named Tom Finn and he was mixing the accapella of Jocelyn Brown over a beat track, and he was mixing “i got the power” that phrase all over nyc where he worked. Penny Ford resang a sample, but the original hit was made and still is with Jocelyn Brown.That is how he got that idea. Snap put the good chords under it and made it a hit.But i hate to tell you, Penny Ford stole her additional part “he will break your (my) heart” straight from Chaka kahn who she used to back up.can’t remember the song off hand. I hope snap didn’t pay her for that.the rap was hokey but nobody really cared about it. it was jocelyn brown and the cool arrangement.sadly Jocelyn has never been properly compensated due to Jellybean Benitez selling off her sound copyright. Toni C. songwriter
p.s. i shouldn’t say stole, was inspired is the right word, cause nobody owns those tunes but the original writers. Far as the word on the street, Chill Rob got worked over by his label, and believe me they tried to pull some fast stuff on me. I hope he makes a comeback, props to everyone that made that record happen. toni c.