You Don't Know Jack About The Mack!

The next time you’re listening to “Superstar” by Usher or hear Andre 3000 describe the text he typed to a girl he used to see, you should consider a bizarre fact. They are two of many songs that contain music that was recorded for a film that was initially written on pieces of toilet paper.

Let me explain. Robert Poole wrote a film, The Mack, about an ex-con who, raised in poverty, leaves prison to discover his brother is a now a passionate black nationalist seeking to improve on the inner city. Goldie the Mack, played by actor Max Julien, returns to the streets with a different mission in mind. Goldie's goal is to become the biggest pimp in Oakland, CA.

The film's producer claims its budget was $200,000. The 1973 soundtrack by Motown Records' Willie Hutch was undoubtedly made for far less money than that if so.

Decades later, and thanks to sampling, three of the nine songs from the soundtrack have influenced and been propelled by the music of two generations of R&B, Hip Hop, Pop and Gospel artists and producers who have followed. The success of these songs reveal technology's ability to catapult lesser-known copyrights to broader audiences through sampling. Many of the lines, along with samples of these songs have touched the tens of millions in audience that were not available when the film was released in only 20 US cities. A factor which undoubtedly put a cap on the reach of the soundtrack and the film, but clearly not the seeds borne of both.

 

 

“I wanna be your brother. I wanna be your mother and your sister, too.”

 

Visit us at Ample Samples ™ for all your sample clearance needs. Here are just a few songs that sample the works of  Willie Hutch from The Mack.