Ms. Lauryn Hill Doo Wop (That Thing) – Gordon’s Dub (1998)
Iconic 1980s rap albums—Radio by LL Cool J, Raising Hell by Run-DMC, Licensed to Ill by the Beastie Boys and It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy—all came out of the same legendary place: Chung King Studios in New York.
Originally known as the Secret Society Studio, the place was nicknamed “Chung King House of Metal” by Rick Rubin, —a blend of the Chinese restaurant downstairs (Chung), the founder’s name (John King) and the hard rock legacy of the space, which preceded its transformation into the “Abbey Road” of hip-hop.
One of the engineers at Chung King was Gordon “Commissioner Gordon” Williams, whose work spans artists like Santana, Bob Marley, KRS-ONE and Ms. Lauryn Hill. Despite his extensive résumé, his name has rarely appeared in the spotlight—one notable exception being Lauryn Hill’s hit “Doo Wop (That Thing),” for which he mixed a dub version titled “Gordon’s Dub.” Our song of the day.
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