What is Second Time Round and why is it significant in hip-hop history?

Second Time Round is a London funk album that became a crucial source material for hip-hop producers and DJs before it gained mainstream recognition. The album's funk grooves and drum breaks made it a hidden gem that hip-hop artists discovered and sampled extensively, influencing the genre's sound long before the general public became aware of the record.

Why did hip-hop artists discover Second Time Round before other genres?

Hip-hop producers and DJs actively searched for rare funk and soul records to sample and build new tracks upon. Second Time Round's quality funk instrumentation and breakbeats made it an ideal source for sampling, allowing hip-hop artists to uncover and appreciate the album's value before mainstream audiences recognized its cultural importance.

How did Second Time Round influence modern hip-hop production?

Second Time Round provided essential samples and sonic inspiration that shaped hip-hop production techniques. The album's funk elements, rhythm patterns, and musical arrangements became foundational components in numerous hip-hop tracks, demonstrating how obscure funk records played a vital role in the development and evolution of hip-hop as a genre.

Liner Note · May 11, 2026

Second Time Round

Cymande · 1973 Spin it Again - Eleven Caribbean musicians in a London studio made something so self-contained it took twenty years and a thousand sample clearances for the rest of the world to catch up.

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