"The Breaks" is a song by American rapper Kurtis Blow from his self-titled debut album. It was released as a single in June 1980 and peaked at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] It was the first certified gold rap song, and the second certified gold 12-inch single.[5][6] In 2008, the song ranked #10 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs.[7]
| "The Breaks" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 12" single cover | ||||
| Single by Kurtis Blow | ||||
| from the album Kurtis Blow | ||||
| B-side | "The Breaks" (Instrumental/Do It Yourself) | |||
| Released | June 14, 1980[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1980[2] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kurtis Blow, Robert Ford Jr., James B. Moore, Russell Simmons, Larry Smith | |||
| Producer(s) | J.B. Moore, Robert Ford Jr. | |||
| Kurtis Blow singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Lyrics and structure
edit"The Breaks" repeats the word "break" (or any of its homophones) 84 times over six and a half minutes. It features six breakdowns (seven including the outro) while there are three definitions for "break," "to break" or "brakes" used in the lyrics. Unlike most hip-hop songs which sample prerecorded funk, the funk beat in this song is original (contrary to suggestions that it sampled "Long Train Runnin'" by The Doobie Brothers).
Chart performance
editThe single hit No. 87 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, and No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard Dance chart.
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[8] | 47 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 87 |
| US Billboard National Disco Top 100[10] | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[11] | 4 |
Certifications
editIt sold over 500,000 copies, becoming the first rap song to earn a gold certification from the RIAA[5] and the second 12-inch single to earn a gold certification, following "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer.[6][12]
Media
editThe song has featured in several video games: the 2002 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the fictional in-game radio station "Wildstyle", the 2005 game True Crime: New York City, the 2006 game Scarface: The World Is Yours and the 2011 Kinect game Dance Central 2.
Samples
editIt has been sampled by others, including the background beat being used in Organized Rhyme's song "Check the O.R." and the 2005 reggaeton single, "Chacarron Macarron" by El Chombo.
Female rap group Nadanuf remade the song alongside Kurtis Blow on their 1997 album Worldwide.[13] Blow re-recorded the song on the album Tricka Technology by A Skillz and Krafty Kuts.
H.O.T's Tony Ahn rapped portions of "The Breaks" as an uncredited vocal for the intro of S.E.S.'s "I'm Your Girl".[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ Steve Sullivan (2017-05-17). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 3. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442254497. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ "Key Tracks: Kurtis Blow's Self-Titled Debut Album". Red Bull Music Academy. 2015-12-07. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ "40 Years of 'The Breaks': Kurtis Blow Remembers the 'Dream World' Surrounding Rap's First Gold Hit".
- ^ "Kurtis Blow - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
- ^ a b Zanfagna, Christina (2017). Holy Hip Hop in the City of Angels. University of California Press. p. 55. ISBN 9780520296206.
- ^ a b George, Nelson (1988). The Death of Rhythm & Blues. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. p. 191. ISBN 0142004081. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ "VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 93.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 37.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 67.
- ^ Grein, Paul (August 10, 1985). "Hot Madonna: July Fills Her Coffers With RIAA Metal". Billboard. 97 (32). Billboard Publications, Inc.: 1. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ "Answers.com - Worldwide". Answers.com. Retrieved 2007-07-11.