Whether a casual hip-hop fan or more hardcore, there’s little doubt that Jay-Z’s “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)” has been on your radar at some point this year. Diddy’s suprisingly successful production mends an absolutely perfect horn sample with Hova’s indelible vocal skills for an undeniably epic single. For the curious, that sample comes from a track by Menahan Street Band called “Make the Road By Walking” and its worth tracking down. Menahan, like many Daptone projects features a number of members from related projects and is steeped in that classic soul sound, with an emphasis perhaps on more cinematic emotion. Look no further than today’s post, a truly awesome cover of Bill Conti’s classic “Going the Distance” from… well, after one listen, you should know. And if not, follow it up with James Brown’s “Living in America.”

PS: There’s a secret song embedded at the end of the mp3. Anyone who can identify it will win some sort of awesome prize.

RIYL: Budos Band, The Mighty Imperials, El Michaels Affair, Lefties Soul Connection, Breakestra, The Daktaris

Read:
http://www.myspace.com/dunhamrecords
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menahan_Street_Band
http://www.daptonerecords.com/pages/dap1029.html