While looking up Joe Farrell’s Upon this Rock with my dad, one of the first entires that popped up included Kanye, ATCQ, Common, Pete Rock, Method Man, & Redman. Turns out that earlier this year they and their record labels were sued by his daughter for using Farrell’s song without proper clearance.

The songs in question are: “Gone” by Kanye West, “Verses From The Abstract” by ATCQ, “Chi City” by Common, “Take You There” by Pete Rock & CL Smooth and “Run For Cover” by Method Man & Redman. All of these songs use at least the drums from “Upon This Rock.”

My dad said he used to throw this joint on halfway through a party to give people a chance to grab something to drink and cool out for a minute. Clocking in around 13 minutes going back and forth between Rock, Jazz, & R&B influences throughout it’s easy to see why this song is ripe for picking. The drums are the only constant and their extended intro almost begs for sampling. It’s funny when you really get into it how connected the music of our parents and grandparents is to what we listen to today.

Farrell was a jazz saxophonist and flutist who was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1937. He collaborated with many artists throughout his career ranging from Charles Mingus to Hall & Oates.


Joe Farrell – Upon This Rock