Sample Flips: Three Times Dope – “Funky Dividends” (Prod. By Chuck Nice and Lawrence Goodman)

Three Times Dope was a hip hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who had a run in the late ’80s.  The group included rapper EST, producer Chuck Nice, and DJ Woody Wood.  They were apart of The Hilltop Hustlers, an infamous crew from Philly, which included Schooly D, Steady B, Cool C and others.  In 1988, Three Times Dope released their debut album, Original Stylin’.  While the album may have peaked at #122 on the Billboard chart, it was felt hard in the streets!  And Original Stylin’ has aged well over time.  One of the best songs on the album is “Funky Dividends.”  It features a dope beat and a rhyme story that’s cautionary tale for dating between men and women.

Editor’s Note: While James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” gets all of the attention — it’s often touted as the most sampled drum break in history — the Skull Snaps’ “It’s A New Day” (1973 ) is my favorite, oft-sampled drum break of all time.  And Three Times Dope’s “Funky Dividends” (1988) (prod. by Chuck Nice and Lawrence Goodman) is one of the best flips of the Skull Snaps’s “It’s A New Day” drum break.  The “Funky Dividends” beat is an excellent blend and a demonstration of how a blend isn’t supposed to be perfect, the timing is just supposed to feel right. –Said

The music and videos below are presented here for the purpose of scholarship.

Three Times Dope – “Funky Dividends”

Delegation – “Oh Honey”

Melvin Bliss – “Synthetic Substitution”