It Takes Two (Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock song)
"It Takes Two" is a song by New York hip hop duo Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock that became a Top 40 hit single and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Since its release in 1988, the song has been covered and sampled by several recording artists.[1] "There are many critics and listeners who claim that Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock's 'It Takes Two' is the greatest hip-hop single ever cut," noted Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide. "It's hard to disagree with them."[2]
"It Takes Two" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock | ||||
from the album It Takes Two | ||||
Released | February 1, 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1988 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Profile | |||
Songwriter(s) | James Brown, Robert Ginyard | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock singles chronology | ||||
|
Composition and background
The song was produced by Rob Base, DJ E-Z Rock, and William Hamilton and built around the "Woo! Yeah!" sample from Lyn Collins' 1972 song "Think (About It)."[3][4]
Charts
Chart (1988) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 24 |
US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 36 |
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[6] | 3 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[7] | 17 |
In popular culture
- The song was used in the films Iron Man 2, Bumblebee, The Proposal, Sisters, The Disaster Artist, Love & Basketball, and Spies in Disguise.[8]
- It was sampled by the Black Eyed Peas in the song "Rock that body", released as part of their album The E.N.D. in 2009. The song was co-produced by David Guetta.
- The song’s lines «Right about now» and «I wanna rock right now» as well as the beat are used in the Snoop Dogg‘s 2009 song "I Wanna Rock".
- It was also used in the video games Action 52 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It can be heard on Playback FM in the latter.
- Google used it in its "Year in Search 2020" video (00:25-00:58 and 2:03-2:52) under Covid-19, RBG and BLM video segments.[9]
- It appears in multiple episodes of the sitcom My Name Is Earl.
- It replaced "20th Century Boy" as the theme song for Lip Sync Battle in the fifth season.
- It was used in the second trailer for the 2018 film Ant-Man and the Wasp.
See also
References
- Jason Newman (2014-04-27). "DJ E-Z Rock of 'It Takes Two' Fame Dead at 46 | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock: It Takes Two: Composed by Robert Ginyard: Song Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- "Best of '88: How Rob Base and D.J. E-Z Rock's 'It Takes Two' Became an Overnight Smash". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- Lester, Paul (11 July 2012). "New band of the week Maxsta (No 1,306)". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- "Rob Base - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
- "Rob Base DJ E-Z Rock Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- "Rob Base DJ E-Z Rock Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- "Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock: It Takes Two in Sisters Movie". InSoundtrack.com. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- "Google — Year in Search 2020 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.