"Can I Kick It?" | ||||
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Single by A Tribe Called Quest | ||||
from the album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm | ||||
B-side | "If the Papes Come" | |||
Released | October 29, 1990 | |||
Format | 12" maxi single | |||
Recorded | 1989 | |||
Genre | Hip hop, alternative hip hop, jazz rap | |||
Length |
4:11 (album version) 4:24 (The Anthology version) 6:39 (boilerhouse mix) |
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Label | Jive | |||
Songwriter(s) | L. Reed , A. Muhammad, J. Davis (uncredited) | |||
Producer(s) | A Tribe Called Quest | |||
A Tribe Called Quest singles chronology | ||||
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"Can I Kick It?" is the third single from A Tribe Called Quest's debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. The song was recorded in 1989, when the band members were aged 19.
It contains samples of "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed, "What a Waste" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, "Spinning Wheel" by Dr. Lonnie Smith, "Dance of the Knights" by Sergei Prokofiev and "Sunshower" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. Band rapper Phife Dawg has stated that, because of the use of the "Walk on the Wild Side" sample, the group didn't receive any money from the single, with Lou Reed instead claiming the profits.
"Can I Kick It?" appears on The Anthology, where the outro of "Bonita Applebaum" is added to the beginning of the song.
The music video, directed by Jim Swaffield, features A Tribe Called Quest and various others, including members of De La Soul, literally kicking the word "it" while rapping in a film set, an alley, and a construction site. On the film set, they are seen playing with the tittle of the "i" in "it". In the alley, they are walking around and are flipping on top of the "it". Other things, such as throwing drumsticks around and landing them on drums, are also seen in the video. A "flying record player" is featured, to play the Lou Reed sample. Also, there is a slightly different beat in the video, but the same lyrics from the album are used.
The quotes "Err, you can?" and "th-then do so, at once" are sampled from the UK children's TV series SuperTed, from the character Spotty voiced by Jon Pertwee. The intro of the album version also contains a sample of "Jagger the Dagger" by Gene McDaniels. The video uses a non-album version of the song, titled "Can I Kick It? (Spirit Mix)" which uses additional samples, such as Baby Huey's "Hard Times," and the "Boilerhouse Mix" contains samples of "Don't Let Love Get You Down" by Archie Bell & the Drells, "What a Waste" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads and the orchestral samples come from Sergei Prokofiev and his most famous classical piece "Montagues and Capulets" aka "Dance of the Knights."