Can I Kick It?

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"Can I Kick It?"
Can I Kick.jpg
Single by A Tribe Called Quest
from the album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
B-side"If the Papes Come"
ReleasedOctober 29, 1990
Recorded1989
GenreHip hop
Length4:12 (album version)
4:24 (The Anthology version)
6:39 (boilerhouse mix)
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)Lou Reed, Ali Muhammad, J. Davis (uncredited)
Producer(s)A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology
"Bonita Applebum"
(1990) 		"Can I Kick It?"
(1990) 		"Check the Rhime"
(1991)

"Can I Kick It?" is the third single from A Tribe Called Quest's debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.[1] The song, which has a call and response chorus, was recorded in 1989, when the band members were aged 18-19.[2]

The song contains samples of "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed,[3] "What a Waste" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, "Spinning Wheel" by Dr. Lonnie Smith, "Dance of the Knights" by Sergei Prokofiev and "Sunshower" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. Phife Dawg has stated that, because of the use of the "Walk on the Wild Side" sample, the group did not receive any money from the single, with Lou Reed instead claiming the profits.[3]

"Can I Kick It?" appears on the band's 1999 compilation album The Anthology, with the outro of "Bonita Applebum" added to the beginning of the song. In 2012, NME listed the song at number 90 in their ranking of the "100 Best Songs of the 1990s".[4]

Critical reception[]

Larry Flick from Billboard stated that "inspired use of samples from Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side" nicely complements tribe's relaxed and confident rhyming."[5] Music & Media noted that "the New York rap crew proves their music can be 'double -streetwise'" and described the song as "two-dimensional rap".[6] NME called it a "laidback chant-a-long".[4] Gary Crossing from Record Mirror wrote, "You can't go far wrong with this groovy little shanty. Take a dash of Lou Reed's 'Walk On The Wild Side', a splash of Ian Dury's 'What A Waste', a sprinkling of rap and a pinch of Seventies funk to create this masterpiece of contemporary popular music."[7] Caroline Sullivan from Smash Hits said that "they've had the sense to nick the bassline from the elderly rock hit "Walk On The Wild Side", and it gives their effort a bit of slinky class."[8]

Music video[]

The music video for the song, directed by Jim Swaffield, features A Tribe Called Quest and various others, including members of De La Soul, literally kicking the word "it" while rapping on a film set, a park (located under the Williamsburg Bridge in New York’s Lower East Side), and a construction site. On the film set, they are seen playing with the tittle of the "i" in "it". In the park, they are walking around and are flipping on top of the "it". The video also features the participants throwing drumsticks around and landing them on drums. A "flying record player" is featured, to play the Lou Reed sample. Additionally, there is a slightly different beat in the video, but the same lyrics from the album are used.

Track listing[]

12" and cassette single, US (1990)
No.TitleLength
1."Can I Kick It?" (Spirit Mix)4:11
2."Can I Kick It?" (Radio Edit)3:23
3."Can I Kick It?" (Phase 5 Mix)4:33
4."Can I Kick It?" (Spirits)2:02
5."If The Papes Come"5:46
6."If The Papes Come" (Remix)4:14
7."Can I Kick It?" (LP Version)4:11
12" single, UK (1990)
No.TitleLength
1."Can I Kick It?" (Extended Boilerhouse Mix)6:40
2."Can I Kick It?" (Phase 5 Mix)4:33
3."Can I Kick It?" (LP Version)4:11
4."If The Papes Come" (Remix)4:14
7" and cassette single, UK (1990)
No.TitleLength
1."Can I Kick It?" (Boilerhouse Mix)3:54
2."Can I Kick It?" (7" Radio Edit)3:26
CD single, UK (1990)
No.TitleLength
1."Can I Kick It?" (7" Radio Edit)3:26
2."Can I Kick It?" (Extended Boilerhouse Mix)6:40
3."Can I Kick It?" (Phase 5 Mix)4:33
4."If The Papes Come" (Remix)4:14
Six Wicked Mixes, Germany (1991)
No.TitleLength
1."Can I Kick It?" (Boilerhouse Mix)4:18
2."Can I Kick It?" (Extended Boilerhouse Mix)6:40
3."Can I Kick It?" (U.S. Spirit Mix)4:14
4."Can I Kick It?" (Album Version)4:14
5."Can I Kick It?" (Phase 5 Mix)4:21
6."Can I Kick It?" (U.S. Edit)3:23
CD single, UK (1992 reissue)
No.TitleLength
1."Can I Kick It?" (Extended Boilerhouse Mix)6:40
2."Can I Kick It?" (Phase 5 Mix)4:33
3."Hot Sex" (Album Version)2:45
4."Hot Sex" (Instrumental Version)2:45
12" single, UK (1992 reissue)
No.TitleLength
1."Can I Kick It?" (7" Radio Edit)3:26
2."Hot Sex" (Radio Version)2:48
3."Can I Kick It?" (Extended Boilerhouse Mix)6:40
4."Can I Kick It?" (Instrumental)4:11

Charts and certifications[]

Other samples[]

The quotes "Err, you can?" and "th-then do so, at once" are sampled from the UK children's TV series SuperTed, from the character Spotty voiced by Jon Pertwee.[citation needed] The intro of the album version also contains a sample of "Jagger the Dagger" by Gene McDaniels. The video uses a non-album version of the song, titled "Can I Kick It? (Spirit Mix)" which uses additional samples, such as Baby Huey's "Hard Times". The "Boilerhouse Mix" contains samples of "Don't Let Love Get You Down" by Archie Bell & the Drells, "What a Waste" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Sergei Prokofiev's "Montagues and Capulets".

Popular culture[]

Covers[]

  • Rapper Sage Francis covered this song on his album Sick of Waging War. Francis' version contained changes in some of the lyrics. The song is sampled in the 2006 Black Eyed Peas single, Like That.
  • Rapper Jay-Z uses the chorus in the track, "22 Twos" on his debut album, Reasonable Doubt.
  • Rapper Jay Electronica incorporates the “Can I Kick It?” line into all of his live shows; it has become a tradition at shows for Jay to call out “Can I Kick It?” at which point his audience replies “Yes You Can!”, emulating the famous chorus.
  • Rapper Drake mentions the song in his song "Show Me a Good Time" when he raps, "tell me can we kick it like Ali Shaheed and Phife Dawg/people really hate when a backpack rapper get rich/and start livin' that life dawg".
  • Daniel Dumile (otherwise known as MF Doom) mentions the song during the Gorillaz song "November Has Come" from the album Demon Days.
  • Pop star Robbie Williams mentions the song in the track, Rock DJ on his album Sing When You're Winning.
  • Icelandic rap duo Bent and 7Berg made a version of the song in the Icelandic language called "Má Ég Sparka?".
  • Josh Martinez references this in the chorus of his song "Underground Pop" featuring Moka Only.
  • Australian hip-hop duo Horrorshow covered the song as well as a heavy infusion of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" on Australian radio station Triple J
  • John Cena has mentioned the song in several of his songs.
  • In Da Ali G Show a similar beat is played and fictional character Ali G raps 'Can I nick it?' to Mohamed Al-Fayed
  • The Popguns covered this song. It appears on their albums Love Junky (1995) and A Plus De Cent (1996).
  • Peter Sonnega was voted as the number one cover musician of the song in 2009 by MTV.[18]
  • Chuck D. is quoted as quoting, "'Can I kick it?' Who the hell is on the radio?" on the Public Enemy track 'How To Kill A Radio Consultant' from the album 'Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Back'.
  • Rapper Nero quotes "Before this did you really know what live was?" in song "Alive & Vibrant"
  • Da Lench Mob refer to "Can I Kick It?" on their song "Buck tha Devil".
  • Rapper Danny! (Danny Swain) refers to the call and response chorus and reinterpolates it at the end of his song "Yoko Ono"
  • Swedish pop singer Lykke Li has been known to end her shows with it.
  • Dave Chappelle ended his comedy special The Age of Spin at the Hollywood Palladium in 2016 with the track, dedicating it to Phife Dawg - who had died shortly before the show.
  • New Zealand singer Lorde references the song on her 2021 single "Solar Power," changing the lyric to: "Can I kick it?/Yes, I can."

References[]

  1. ^ "Today in Hip Hop History: A Tribe Called Quest Releases Debut Album". The Source. April 17, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  2. ^ Trendell, Andrew (July 3, 2015). "10 Brilliant Songs Written By Stars in Their Teens". Gigwise. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lou Reed dead: Tribe Called Quest sampled late legend's 'Walk on the Wild Side'". The Grio. October 28, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "100 Best Songs Of The 1990s". NME. May 8, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  5. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. November 3, 1990. p. 83. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  6. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. January 26, 1991. p. 16. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Crossing, Gary (January 5, 1991). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 11. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  8. ^ "Review: Singles". Smash Hits. No. 316. January 9, 1991. p. 49. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – A Tribe Called Quest" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick It?" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "A TRIBE CALLED QUEST". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. January 19, 1991. p. xii. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  13. ^ "British single certifications – A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick It". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "25 Years Later: A Tribe Called Quest's "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" Album Still Holds Weight". The Boombox. April 17, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  15. ^ "What Is The Song In The Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl 2021 Commercial? - Looper.com". looper.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  16. ^ Video on YouTube
  17. ^ "Movie Review: Tom and Jerry on HBO Max - Vulture". vulture.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  18. ^ "The Popguns Discography". popguns.net. 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
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