Released 1989 Recorded 1989 Length 4:58 | Format 12" single Genre Canadian hip hop Label Attic/LMR | |
"Let Your Backbone Slide" is the debut single of Maestro Fresh-Wes, released in 1989, from his debut album Symphony in Effect. In Canada, over 50,000 copies of the single were sold, making Maestro the first Canadian rapper to have a gold single. It also reached #1 on The Record Singles Chart, in April 1990. In the United States, 25,000 copies were sold in its first few weeks of release. As of early 2008, it remained the best-selling Canadian hip hop single of all time.
Contents
The song contains samples of "The Champ" by The Mohawks, "Funky Drummer" by James Brown, "Set It Off" by Strafe, "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, "One, Two, Three" by The B-Boys, and "Rebel Without a Pause" by Public Enemy.
Music video
The music video, directed by Joel Goldberg was shot in Toronto, with most of it taking place in a club. In the video's first few seconds, current CBC News anchor Dwight Drummond plays the role of a cameraman. It also received rotation on MTV.
12" single
A-side
- "Let Your Backbone Slide" (Power Mix)
- "Let Your Backbone Slide" (Bonus Beat)
- "Let Your Backbone Slide" (A cappella version)
B-side
- "Let Your Backbone Slide" (Radio Edit)
- "Let Your Backbone Slide" (Club Mix)