Bra

The record

“Bra” comes from Cymande, the 1972 debut album by the London band of the same name, released in the United States on Janus Records. The album was produced by John Schroeder and recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London. Guitarist Patrick Patterson and bassist Steve Scipio wrote “Bra.” The band's lineup at the time included Ray King and Joey Dee on vocals and percussion, Peter Serreo, Michael “Bami” Rose and Derek Gibbs on saxophones, Pablo Gonsales on congas and Sam Kelly on drums. Issued as the album's second single, “Bra” reached No. 51 on Billboard's soul singles chart, and the album reached No. 85 on the Billboard 200.

The break

Cymande mixed funk with jazz, soul and Caribbean influences, and “Bra” shows that blend: a driving bass line, congas and hand percussion, guitar and horns. The groove, with its interlocking bass and percussion, is what DJs and producers have taken. Because the rhythm section holds a steady pattern with few interruptions, sections of the track can be looped or cut between two copies without losing momentum.

Into hip hop

Cymande's records were played by early Bronx DJs. Jazzy Jay, one of the original hip hop DJs from the Bronx, has described cutting a Cymande part back and forth between two copies, calling it “the beginning stages of what we know right now to be hip hop.” The Sugarhill Gang used “Bra” on “Work, Work the Body” in 1985. In 1989 it appeared on several records at once: De La Soul's “Change in Speak” on 3 Feet High and Rising, Gang Starr's “Movin' On” on No More Mr. Nice Guy, Def Jef's “Give It Here” on Just a Poet with a Soul and Arabian Prince's “Situation Critical” on Brother Arab.

Legacy

Cymande broke up in 1975. Scipio later said the split was meant to be a short break, so the members could step away and return later, but for years the group had little recognition in Britain, even as its records circulated in American hip hop. London DJ Norman Jay has called “Bra” “proto hip hop.” Interest in the band grew with sampling, and Cymande later reformed and toured internationally. Their story is told in the documentary Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande, directed by Tim Mackenzie-Smith. “Bra” remains one of the band's best known tracks and a link between British funk and the early sampling era of New York rap.