Friday Funk: Name That Beastie Boys Sample

Tonight’s Friday Funk installment is The Last Bongo In Belgium by The Incredible Bongo Band, which wasn’t so much a band as a random pairing of musicians rounded up by record exec Michael Viner to score a movie in 1972. They gained some cult cred then caught fire in late-70s hip hop culture when Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash latched onto Bongo Band breaks. The Last Bongo In Belgium has a break (beginning at 4:23) I loved for decades before I knew the true source because the Beastie Boys sampled it in Looking Down The Barrel of A Gun from their 1989 Paul’s Boutique album. Below are both songs. May they help you get your cool back for the weekend…

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Reference:
– The Last Bongo In Belgium – Incredible Bongo Band (youtube)

– Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun – Beastie Boys (youtube)

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