365 Days of Song Recommendations: April 23 (Shock G Edition)

Same Song—Digital Undergound

RIP, Shock G.

Some of us know him best for his alter ego, Humpty Hump, and for getting busy in a Burger King bathroom, but those who truly understand his influence know that he and Digital Underground were the bridge between genres. Was it funk? Was it hip-hop? It was both. Sample-heavy songs, rooted in Parliament-Funkadelic influence. They didn’t take themselves too seriously, and as a result it’s flat out fun, enjoyable, accessible music.

Same Song introduced Tupac to the world, both in song and in the extraordinarily bizarre film, Nothing But Trouble. If you don’t know that movie, stop everything and go watch it. Not because it’s good, but because it’s a goddamn right of passage to watch a film that awful. That scene with Shock G and Tupac makes it all worth it. Just trust me on that, ok? And don’t blame me for the rest of the film.

I can’t add much more than that, a true appreciation for an innovative artist who altered music history in extraordinarily positive ways.

“Same Song” is the 113th song on the exclusive #365Songs Playlist!