"It's a Demo" is the 1986 debut single by American hip hop duo Kool G Rap &

DJ Polo The Juice Crew was an American hip hop collective made up largely of Queensbridge, New York-based artists in the mid-to-late 1980s. Founded by radio DJ Mr. Magic, and housed by Tyrone Williams' record label Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice Cre ...

. Originally a non-album single with "I'm Fly" as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

, a remix of the track was featured on the duo's 1989 album '' Road to the Riches'' and later on the compilation albums ''

Killer Kuts A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a murderer or a serial killer. Killer may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away'' * Killer Kan ...

'' (1994), '' The Best of Cold Chillin''' (2000), '' Greatest Hits'' (2002) and '' Street Stories: The Best of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo'' (2013).

Background

The song was recorded at Marley Marl's home studio in Queensbridge, Queens, New York City and was originally indented to be a demo track. It proved to be popular, however, and became Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's first single, premiered by DJ Mr. Magic on WBLS days after it was recorded. In a 2011 interview, Kool G Rap recalled:

Samples

"It's a Demo" samples the following songs:It's a Demo at Who Sampled
/ref> *" Funky Drummer" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

*"Singers" by

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

And was later sampled on: *"Mister Cee's Master Plan" by

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...

featuring

Mister Cee Calvin LeBrun (born August 17, 1966), better known as Mister Cee or DJ Mister Cee, is an American DJ, broadcaster, record executive and radio personality on New York's RADIO 103.9. He was the DJ behind rapper Big Daddy Kane's debut in 1988. H ...

*"Butcher Shop" by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo *"

First Nigga First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

" by Kool G Rap *"Nostalgia" by

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

featuring

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut " The Symphony". He is noted for his distinct voice ...

Track listing

;A-side # "It's a Demo" (3:59) # "It's a Demo" (Dub) ;B-side # "I'm Fly" (5:43) # "I'm Fly" (Dub) (5:32)

References

External links

*
It's a Demo
at Discogs {{authority control 1986 debut singles Kool G Rap songs Songs written by Marley Marl Songs written by Kool G Rap Song recordings produced by Marley Marl 1986 songs Cold Chillin' Records singles