Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Band: The Fitz & The Tantrums Edition Posted by Lucas Garrison on 03/07/13 | Filed under Opinion, Favorite Rappers Favorite Band

A Note From Nathan S.: No genre has borrowed, sampled and been influenced by other genres more than hip-hop, yet hip-hop heads often ironically refuse to listen to anything outside or rap. So the homie Lucas and I have created the "Your Favorite Rapper's Favorite Band" series as a way of highlighting how connected some pretty distinctly non-hip-hop bands are to some of your favorite rap.

For the latest edition, Lucas takes a look at Fitz & The Tantrums. Enjoy...

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With summer right around the corner, announcements of the big summer albums are starting to be made. Obviously J. Cole’s "Born Sinner" has to be at the top of the list, but other releases from the likes of Bone Thugz or French Montana are sure to garner some attention. Need something else to look forward too? Allow me to introduce you to retro sounds of Fitz And The Tantrums.

In anticipation of their second album, "More Than Just A Dream", set to drop on May 7, Fitz And The Tantrums, out of L.A, recently released “Out Of My League”, a breezy cut that, while not their strongest, still gives you a sense of their sound.



Led by frontman Michael Fitzpatrick, who started the band after an ex-girlfriend tipped him off to a organ for sale (he wrote “Breakin’ The Chains of Love” that night), FATT has a vibrant, energetic sound that is fusion of music from all genres and generations. They have elements of everything from soul to 80’s new wave. One of the things I think makes this group stand out also makes me respect them immensely; they are able to create a energetic sound without using a guitar. The band’s unique, diverse style is formed from the vocals of Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs, as well as a saxophone, keyboard, bass, and drummer. On the subject, Fitzpatrick said, “for me, I just feel like in any music that has a band, the guitar is always there, it’s always featured, it’s always prevalent. I’m just sick of hearing it”.

FATT’s lack of guitar, and the bands willingness to accept the challenge of forming a cohesive sound with out the trademark instrument, gives them a distinct, vintage sound. It also helps the other instrumentals stand out, allowing other aspects like the saxophone or keyboard to play a bigger role in shaping the insanely danceable and catchy vibe. Just take a listen to “Moneygrabber”, one of my favorite cuts off their debut album, Pickin’ Up The Pieces to get sense of how they create a bubbly cut sans a guitar. The lack of guitar allows for the band to have more freedom, both with the vocals and the instrumentals, like a slick little breakdown towards the end of the song.


How great are these visuals?

Of course not hurting things are the vocals from Noelle Scaggs, who has a large influence on the bands vintage sound yet does it from a largely supporting. Her smooth backup vocals definitely give them the vintage, eclectic sound they have refined to a fine science. Fitzpatrick’s energetic vibrant vocals are captivating, but Scaggs support is a lot like the offensive line on a football team. While largely unheralded the line is responsible for the dirty work. They are not featured like the quarterback, but their job is crucial to the success of the team. With out his offensive lineman (Scaggs), Fitzpatrick just would not sound as good and the band would definitely lose a crucial aspect of their vintage, soul inspired sound. Scaggs’ power can be seen on, “Pickin’ Up The Pieces”, one of the few cuts where she grabs the spotlight, showcasing her straight outta the Motown sound



Want more vintage stylings, well look no further than “We Don’t Need Love Songs”.



While they are heavily based on a vintage sound, they have a slight pop component to them. I love the way they can keep the soul and power that comes from an old-school soul song, but their ability to put a fresh, new age spin on it, makes their songs very potent and listenable to a generation unaware of the old-school greats like the Supremes or Martha & The Vandellas.

No matter where your preferences lie, FATT grabs you with their intoxicating style and does not let go. Seriously, good luck not tapping your toes when “Winds Of Change” comes on (another cut that shows Scaggs importance).



This is one of my favorites from "Pickin’ Up The Pieces" because of the awesome keyboard section from Jeremy Ruzumna (who also co-wrote Macy Grays “I Try”). In fact, the keyboard driven cut is so bubbly, it has been used as a hip-hop sample…several times.

Prometheus Brown and Bambu used Fatgums’ “Winds Of Change” based beat on “Lookin Up”.



DJ Black Diamond sampled the cut as well, lending the beat to Uno Hype and Hassani Kwess for “We Were Kings”.



Last but not least (actually his was released first) Bei Maejor, now Maejor Ali, chopped “Winds Of Change” on the self-produced “They Call Me” Ft. Mike Posner.



Now, no disrespect to any of these guys, they all were good (my personal favorite was Uno Hype), but the production bodied them all. It’s funny that even in a sampled context, FATT still take over the track.

“Winds Of Change” is not the only cut from them that has served as a vibrant sample. "Don’t Gotta Work It Out", also off Pickin’ Up The Pieces, was sampled on Hoodie Allen’s “Song For An Actress”:



Sampling is not the only hip-hop connection this group has. Noelle Scaggs has lend her soulful voice to a laundry list of projects, including two Black Eyed Peas albums (including the ever-played “Let’s Get It Started”), one will.i.am album, and Dilated Peoples’ Expansion Team. She also contributed background vocals on two cuts from Nas and Damian Marley, “Strong Will Continue” and “Nah Mean”, both off of the Distant Relatives album. Below are three cuts, in which her dynamic vocals serve as a subtle yet essential piece of the puzzle.

These cuts are particularly for those who prefer more authentic hip-hop than that of The Black Eyed Peas. They also show her range; she can run with the likes of Evidence, Guilty Simpson, and MED as well as more mainstream artists like will.i.am and Fergie.

MED “Special”


Guilty Simpson “I Must Love You”


Evidence “I Know”


Scaggs is also connected to Kanye, only its not through music. Kanye used Scaggs as a model for one of his art pieces. Sadly, I could not locate the art piece but to supplement enjoy It’s Love, produced by DJ Tonk, on which Scaggs is the only artist gracing the beat.



It’s not just Scaggs with a hip-hop background either. A few of her band mates have ventured in to the hip-hop bubble as well. FATT’s drummer John Wicks has worked with Cee Lo on his Lady Killer album and N.A.S.A on "Spirit Of Apollo", which featured RZA, Chali 2na, Kanye, Method Man and many more notable hip-hop artists. Wicks has also worked extensively with Bruno Mars, specifically on the eclectic cut, “The Other Side”. He co-wrote and provided the drums on the jam, which also features Cee Lo and B.o.B.



John actually seems like quite the hip-hop head too. He shared his love of hip-hop with Modern Drummer magazine:

“My obsessive research began back in the early ’90s with hip-hop records and finding the origin of the drum breaks that they contained. Records like De La Soul’s "Three Feet High And Rising", the Beastie Boys’ "Paul’s Boutique", and Public Enemy’s "Nation Of Millions" were completely sample laden and kept me busy and broke for years trying to find out where each sample was from. Around this time I was also gigging several nights a week with one of the best Hammond organ players in the world, Joe Doria, up in Seattle. Joe turned me on to a ton of great organ records; I found out later that hip-hop artists sampled a lot of them.”

Not to be outdone, James King, the saxophonist, has been on stage with the likes of Rakim, Brother Ali and Ghostface Killa. King was also featured on the Pharcyde’s UK Edition of "Humboldt Beginnings". He even has a credit on Dre’s "Detox", which I hear is dropping any day now…

Check out this live rendition of “MoneyGrabber” in which he steals the show



As if their albums weren’t enough, Fitz And The Tantrums are also known for putting on a killer live show. You can catch them on tour now with Bruno Mars. Be sure to put "More Than Just A Dream" on your radar, and I also recommend going back and listening to "Pickin’ Up The Pieces". It is one of the more complete albums I can remember; every song is worth a listen.

See Also:  Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Band: The Mars Volta Edition
See Also:  Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Band: The Fall Out Boy Edition