Philly producers Small Professor and Arcka release Herbie Hancock tribute

Philly producers Small Professor and Arcka have released a tribute to the legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock. Presented by The Find Magazine, Hancock features both producers on five songs each. Hancock fans will recognize samples from Hancock classics like “Watermelon Man,” and “Come Running To Me,” and Small Pro and Arcka manage to capture the warm soul and grooves of Hancock’s incredible work. Download the collection here, or listen to it below.

Here’s the story in the words of Small Professor:

“Hancock” was originally conceived by myself in 2009, a project inspired by rapper/producer Blueprint’s “Blueprint Vs. Funkadelic” album from 2008. Intended at first to be a solo offering, fellow Philly producer Y?Arcka (aka Arcka this time around) was asked to come on board. The idea was to showcase the contrasting styles between us; I’ve often joked about how I will use samples from 5 songs to make one beat, and Y? will sample 1 song and make 5 beats. Herbie Hancock’s vast discography was perfect for this exhibition, spanning many different style of music over the course of his career and already being a go-to source for samples for years. Personally, I’m partial to Arcka’s ‘side’ of this release, but there’s a little something for every beat lover on this short but sweet piece of instrumental hip-hop pie…enjoy.

Listen to Hancock below.