Zane Tate talks about the sound of sampled vinyl.

Fried chicken is one of my favorite parts of the Hip Hop tradition. The term isn’t a reference to cooked poultry though (I’m a vegetarian); it’s a way of describing that crackling sound that comes from turntable needles on dusty records. Many of the best Hip Hop songs embrace the warmth and texture that come along with the sound of sampling old vinyl. It’s the Hip Hop equivalent of Jazz music’s brushed snare.

Ice T defines the phrase in his song “Fried Chicken.”

Evil’s got the funky beat
A stupid dope loop
But the record’s kind of old
(What we gonna do troop?)
We gotta clean it up
Cause it’s so dope
Tried the rubbing alcohol
Even the Ivory soap
But no matter what we do
The record keeps clickin’
Fuck it.
Evil E, give me some of that damn fried chicken.

After that verse, the beat goes on for another twenty seconds or so – just drums and static from the record.

Of course Pete Rock perfected the sound. One of the best examples is “Fakin Jax” because of the snare that just crackles. Another great example comes from MF Doom with “Who You Think I Am?” from Operation Doomsday. And check out “Champion Sound” from the Jaylib (Jay Dilla and Madlib) album of the same name. You can hear some fried chicken if you listen closely to my song “Star Slide,” and you can hear a good bit in my remix of The Politik’s “Xtra Sensory” (which is unreleased at this point, although I may drop the track here if it doesn’t come out).

There are so many more. So what’s your favorite fried chicken song?