Kool and the Gang "Fruitman"

[geeman856]

I was 2 goin on 20 wen this classis came out. i still play it to this very day. wow my childhood was allllll dat lol.. my mom bless me with the realist music. i wish i can go back to 1974..

[Hallleberry]

dilla!

[mrpower328]

R.I.P. To Ricky West. He was a great talent for Kool & The Gang.

[wlltate]

This song brings back memories of being a teenager in San Diego, CA. Bell bottoms, tricked out vans,sunshine, pretty girls and Columbian Gold weed.

[SubliminalMinded2011]

interesting how we probably will not be able to sample ANYthing from today's music (quite simply, because today's music isn't sample-worthy).

We'd have to keep going back to the '60s, '70s and '80s to sample music.

[11kful]

U AND U WILL C THE DIFFERENCE...THINKIN BOUT SPRING & SUMMERS IN PHI & CMD WHEN FRUITMAN AND FISH TRUCKS WOULD SWING THRU AND OUR PARENTS WOULD OUT THERE, OR WOULD SEND US TO BUY UP HIS WHOLE TRUCK B4 THE NEIGHBROS GET THERE!! THRACK IS FIRE ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ADD THE AD-LIBBING GOING ON AT THE END OF THE SONG!

[11kful]

U AND U WILL C THE DIFFERENCE...THINKIN BOUT SPRING & SUMMERS IN PHI & CMD WHEN FRUITMAN AND FISH TRUCKS WOULD SWING THRU AND OUR PARENTS WOULD OUT THERE, OR WOULD SEND US TO BUY UP HIS WHOLE TRUCK B4 THE NEIGHBROS GET THERE!!

[jayceemedia]

Simply beautiful

[BeenaBee]

DILLLAAAAA...

[heathshoegaze]

j dilla shouldve of just put this whole song on his album

[odyssey2609]

probly Justin Bieber who clicked dislike

[glasscitadel12]

that one "Dislike" was probably born after 1990 something...

[MoNicholasLaird]

Thank you, Kool and the Gang. Same to you, Dilla.

[kinstube]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!! + 0 DISLIKES !!!!!!!

[Stonemichael2001]

Love To The World

In The Zone Of Lisa Marie Presley And Oprah Winfre For Michael Jackson

StoneMichaekNow Open Sesame

[Stonemichael2001]

Love To The World

In The Zone Of Lisa Marie Presley And Oprah Winfre For Michael Jackson

StoneMichaekNow Open Sesame

[Stonemichael2001]

From: Philadelphia USA StoneMichaelNow., WSKRWORLDWIDE,

Now Located In The Philippines Manila. With The Love Movement WorldWide

One Small Step For Man One Bigg Step For Mankind.

In The Middle Of The Making Of The Master Blaster Jammin

[bigboylikesalsa]

The diff'erence!

[glasscitadel12]

i love this. would you also post "HG Whiting"?

[lumbia33]

light of worlds is my favourite kool and the gang album of all times... and fruitman is my favourite ever song of theirs. when i first heard the song i was so happy, because it was like a vegan anthem... but yes, the song is indeed rooted in the teachings of 'eat to live'. they also performed at nation of islam benefits around this time, i believe.

[XYZslayer]

Legendary, Dillla.

[Sk8boixo]

iLove J Dilla For This One If U Guys Havent Heard It Go Check It Out J Dilla The Difference

[glasscitadel12]

@Sk8boixo why?

[glasscitadel12]

everytime i want to go back to the days of riding the big wheel in the basement; this cut does it. third grade 1974-75.

[bluezappy]

Reading some of the comments here makes me remember how life was back in the mid-1970's.

Peace.

[iamsolace]

AIRHORN!!!!!!!!

[October33rd]

I use to listen to this over and over as a child. My dad have the 45. I bought Dilla's Donuts the day that came out and when I heard this...well it was curtains.

[m7a7b725]

I dig this cut! I dig this album!! I dig Kool and the Gang!! And I dig you for uploading this jam!!

[Odawg96]

While I've always figured that this album was definitely filled NOI messages, I never have felt the impact of this particular song. I guess it's one of those "You had to be there" types of things. I was born in '74, so in this case, I've completely missed the context of the song. To me, this always sounded like something that would've been in a SESAME STREET clip from back in the day. Not tryin' to dis the song. It's cool, but I guess I would have to have been there.

[Boopey61]

Actually this song would have been great on Sesame street in my opinion. Cause its theme is try to tell everyone including our children to eat right. And Sesame Street promoted that kind of positive message 4 our youth. Peace.

[rickydfcc77]

@Odawg96 I bought this LP as a 10th-grader in Philadelphia; "Fruitman" wasn't the party song on the album (Street Corner Symphony, Rhyme Tyme People, Higher Plane were), but if you had the album, you would dig deeper into it and every song was worth listening to. Remember, it was the fall of 1974 and everything you can recall since that time hadn't happened yet so it was the very latest thing. The anticipation of Kool & The Gang's fans waiting for this LP was remarkable at the time.

[blqceaser]

This is Kool & the Gang's musical contribution during their sojourn within the Nation of Islam.

9 songs - all classics. By far their most spiritual work to date.

[rayjr62]

I agree. This was long before their "Deodato" phase. And personally, I liked this music alot better than their late 70s / early 80s stuff.

[glasscitadel12]

This song takes me back to third grade, riding my big wheel in the basement.

[Boopey61]

So true.

[GreenWeedz69]

J Dilla sampled this check "The Diff'rence" ;D R.I.P. Jay Dee

[blackout2240]

yeah he did. i noticed that to. Great guy. i know very much about this man. he was great. But he never sampled this. it is noticed that little difference can be even chosen by the single record

[mrpower328]

How To Eat To Live

[garyn1953]

Eat rite

Do rite

[duhjuce]

Eat to live Mumz alwayz telin me to EAT GREEN veggiez ..peace

[Boopey61]

Kool and the Gang Pre Ladies Nights was the original group that i really liked 2 listen 2. After they added an R&B singer the content of their music changed. It was`nt that Jazz, and Soul fusion anymore. Anyway i like this song its really about where their heads were at as far as Islam and eating right and they put it into a musical perspective. Peace.

[rosaeliasmass]

bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cameronsearcy]

GOOD MUSIC

[corona0707]

this song is about gay fags fucking one another

[dizyootum]

You degenerate fool this song is inspired by the teaching of The Honorable Elijah Muhammed who taught us to eat to live.Homosexuality is an abomination and Hell is the destination for its practitioners.

[SabbraCadabra]

lol, you're an ignoramus.

[Boopey61]

Word is Bond.

[dizyootum]

dont be stupid

[Mahareshi]

If you think about it, this song here sounds sampled already. Still a beautiful sound though. R.I.P Dilla.

[LeSexisme]

DILLA LIVES!

[leecool1956]

I first heard this album in 1974 to this day it still inspires me.

[LamontCJ]

Me too! A great great lp that totally changed what music meant to me. I was a teenager in the 70's amid gang warring and this lp spoke truth with love and self respect which did it for me and alot of brothers finding their way. LOL

[2DopeBoyz]

ya'll are getting mad defensive, but he did just loop a couple parts. it's hardly "chopped to bits." he was still the man. but don't like his balls just b/c he's dead.

[BLINGINLIKE3PO]

if you listen to both of the songs and still think that it is just looped, you know very little about music.

[BLINGINLIKE3PO]

listen again and "you will see the diff'rence"

haha, had to say it

[jeffreybiderpdee]

@BLINGINLIKE3PO It's pretty much looped man don't kid yourself.

Looping is ok. I don't see anything wrong with it to me it's like remixing. We all know Dilla had serious skills but c'mon he would even admit he just looped this shit and filtered it a bit.

[ElBoogieAmworld]

just listening to dilla will get u into this great classic music

[blqceaser]

Mr. Muhammad's influence and the-then culture of NOI is all up and through this 9-cut album. I recall the days of Brother Malcolm (with his high water pants :-) coming down my street in the Bronx, the FOI on both sides of the street in uniform and the fruit and vegetable truck rolling down the street! Gone forever are those days but the 'light of the worlds', the teachings of Mr. Muhammad remain.

[munoz387]

tell me it ain't so! j dilla sampled this!

[LamontCJ]

I guess it's so if you say so. I don't lnow much about contemporary hip hop artists though I heard about J Dilla. He certainly picked a great sample from this cut.

[vidastarradio]

@LamontCJ J Dilla (R.I.P.) always picked great songs to sample from. His beats are classic.

[DNotes06]

James Yancy, aka Jay Dee or J Dilla did sampole this on the song "The Difference", from his album "Donuts". Basically, he just looped the bassline and the chorus "you'll see the difference".

Either way, I like it and I'm glad I got both this album from Kool & the Gang and J Dilla's Donuts...good music always last forever!!!

[applefresh83]

please dont insult a legend he didnt loop nothin its chopped to pieces. please learn about wot u listen 2.

[DNotes06]

I didn't mean to insult Dilla..I was just trying to explain his style. I'm not sure if he looped or chopped up stuff. either way, he was dope doin' what he did, and I love this song and the way Dilla used it. No disrespect intended...

[liquidswords1988]

the donuts beats are very very misleading...when you hear them you say oh all he did is loop them...a couple like Gobstopper are loops (amazing find) but then there are some where you go to remake them and you're wtf...he did alot more than what I thought

[TheReason77]

That my friend, is what made the legend of J-Dilla.  The master of perception vs. deception...

[ManUpNow]

The fruit of Cocaine and Heroin was spoiled to the point where it caused death and incarceration to so so man BLACK MEN. Can you imagine if we...few men here commenting about this song....revitalized the song...brought the song back.......YOU WILL SEE THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE FRUIT MAN/......RIP honorable ELIJAH MUHAMMAD

[LamontCJ]

Consider the possibilities! My concern is who becomes the Messenger of Truth after Farrakhan? There is no one who has the depth of his knowledge of all religions with the foresight to be a prophet.

[leecool1956]

Lamont we all become messengers of the truth. Understand what you just said Messenger in the word messanger is the message. Once the message is heard then internalized then you become a reflection of that truth. Minister Farrakhan went thru the same process as did many of the student Minsters of Elijah Muhammad. The music that we are speaking about is a result of those that heard a message internalized it and sent it back to us in musical form. It can and must be done again. Im ready are you?

[LamontCJ]

You Know, that is very very true! Thank You brother. It's people like you that gives me hope that the light CAN'T be blown out!

[leecool1956]

Brother Lamont I will promise you this the light will not Ever go out Thank you again for positing this one particular recording It will serve to inspire thought provoking conversations. and then inspire more of us to "Do Something for Self" We need that message now more than ever with the current economic situation.

[leecool1956]

To brother lamont, thank you for posting this particular song. It is bringing about a much needed conversation. I really want to see us make this a reality again. back in 74-75 when you first heard this cut how did you feel? I felt whole complete because it spoke to something I could identify with. It left an impression over 33 years later. Im a saxophonist and I will tell you I was inspired by this as a means of delivering a message to our people. I did make a difference.

[leecool1956]

To brother lamont, thank you for posting this particular song. It is bringing about a much needed conversation. I really want to see us make this a reality again. back in 74-75 when you first heard this cut how did you feel? I felt whole complete because it spoke to something I could identify with. It left an impression over 33 years later. Im a saxophonist and I will tell you I was inspired by this as a means of delivering a message to our people. I did make a difference.

[leecool1956]

The physical presence of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad is no longer with us but the idea that he carried and left us keeps him alive. I want all of us to really think about this. the economic situation is just as he told us it would be. whether or not we are christian or muslims or whatever. The economic blueprint that he left us will make us all sucessful our children and their children will be the proud benificiaries of this. Come on lets do this.

[ManUpNow]

I am sitting here thinking of this song and the power that it had over us young men back in the hood. It made us question something within us as far as what we were being fed. Not only what the food we ate, but also the spiritula food that we were being fed. This thought process was especially important when you consider that the fruit in a lot of big cites that was being consumed was drug.

[LamontCJ]

Yes, there were drugs and pacification devises set upon unknowing people but there was plenty to be joyful about. There is no such thing as paradise but the journey to get there is what it is all about.

[ManUpNow]

I am a christian. But growin up in the hood of North Jersey, we went to Nation of Islam events. This song was played at a Savoiurs day in Paterson, NJ. It brings back the daysof the Shabazz steak and take...Fish sandwiches and Bean Pies....... I looked for this song for over 30 Years... Thanks for posting it. The words Never left my mind

[LamontCJ]

Peace Unto You! I too, am a Christian with great respect for others theology. This LP respresented a time in the early 70's that many of us lived through. I just try to pass on what I've experienced and is still surprised at what I thought was common knowlege really is not with the young people. There's yet plenty of work to be done. Many people relate to these songs as just samples of a beat. We actually listend to the messages behind the great music. I long for those days.

[leecool1956]

This does remind me of those days. I really dosent matter what religion we follow the message is just as important then as it is now. We need messages like that more than ever today.i heard this song back in 74-75 and it really did help me put thing in perspective. I still go to NOI events very uplifting experience.

[LamontCJ]

Right On Brother! Peace Be Unto You.

[aqemeneye]

I love this song. I'm don't follow Islam, but the message and the addition of the children at the end of the song is excellent.

[DukeMinusDaGroove]

Rick Rest the Keyboard player sings lead on this tune....i pulled an ex-girlfriend with this tune 20 years ago in my bedroom....Watermelons, Red ripe tomatoes, Apples & Oranges...Idaho Potatoes!! This guy is DOPE!!!

[LamontCJ]

Ok, first, that's Rick WEST on keyboards and lead vocals. "Pulling" girls is something we all have done at one time or another but nothing to brag about. Tell me about your triumphs in life that matter. Someone could benefit.

[RapaTerntSanga]

haha pwn'd!!

good job on da asshole, guess if someone "pulled" his sister!!

[docbattle07]

rip dilla

[nyatlorl]

I remember this oh my gosh... here comes the fruit man he brings the vegetables from the land.

[LamontCJ]

I remember too!

[DNotes06]

FYI: This tune was later sampled and chopped by famed Hip-Hop producer James Yancey, aka Jay Dee or J Dilla (RIP).

He used tis tune in a cut called "The Difference" from his album "Donuts".

It's a good tune, makes you think and definitely I understand why Dilla used it!!

[bellydancer1970]

Thanks again Lamont, you know where its at!

[LamontCJ]

Hi, BellyD,

thanks for the compliment. I love Kool and the Gang and I also have fond memories of their music. To me they came with a message of love and respect during a turbulent time. LOL

[RapaTerntSanga]

aw yea? tell us more about it man, we wana know!!

[LamontCJ]

Kool and the Gang was into Islam, "Fruitman" is the message of FIO, or Fruit Of Islam. It was needed during the times in the late 60's and 70's when gangs was prevelent in the urban centers, especially east coast cities(Newark, Philly,ex). Islam was the message many brothers "who went up" used to get back on track. Ronald and Robert Bell, the Kaygees (nephews of the Bell brothers) were into the sprituality of Islam and put it on wax. "Light Of Worlds" entire LP is based on the spirit of people.

[RapaTerntSanga]

aw what? do you know it's you slapped me in my face?..

i always felt something about peace within their tunes which comes near my belief & way of thinking; Islam..

i'd never guess that by myself anyways!i;,

[lumbia33]

@LamontCJ it's such a beautiful thing.