Born in Sunflower, Mississippi in 1939, Jerry Butler had an incredibly difficult childhood, growing up within the slums of a racially segregated society. He found solace in church and music, thus he was actively involved with choirs and gospel groups in his early years. Jerry sang in a choir with Curtis Mayfield, whom he became close with, subsequently leading to the creation of their new group The Impressions. Including members such as  Leroy Hutson, Ralph Johnson, Reggie Torian and Curtis Mayfield himself, musically they dabbled with doo-wop, gospel, soul, and R&B. The success of The Impressions led Jerry to write songs for other artists such as Otis Redding, and gave him the opportunity to work on solo projects.

Released in 1973, Power of Love was a standout album of his, with highlights including the title track, “What Do You Do On A Sunday Afternoon” and “Whatever’s Fair.” It was the track “Whatever Goes Around” however, that Madlib decided to sample for a bonus beat off Deeper EP, one of the many EP’s with Freddie Gibbs in the build up to their critically acclaimed and dare I say it? CLASSIC album Piñata, released in 2014. The slow ballad of the original is smooth, with slow drum patterns and gorgeous keys that ooze soul and class. Madlib sped the sample up for “Ups and Downs (Bonus Beat),” and added extra layers of synth and drum to the track in his usual fashion. It was the way he chopped the beat effortlessly however that makes it such a joy to listen to. The switch up is beautiful and once again shows why Madlib is one of the greatest to ever do it.

Listen to Jerry Butler’s “Whatever Goes Around” below from Power of Love, released on Mercury Records in 1973.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpcYKk-VjY4

Listen to Madlib’s “Ups and Downs (Bonus Beat)” below from Deeper EP, released on Madlib Invazion in 2013.

You can find more information for these records over at discogs.com.