KLASSIC KUTS: The Disco Deep Cut That Became Hip-Hop Gold

There was a brief, beautiful window in the early ’80s when funk was refined, soul was effortless, and the groove was pure. One of those musical moments for me was Sylvia Striplin’s masterpieces, “Give Me Your Love” and “You Can’t Turn Me Away”, songs that never touched the charts or radio but became sacred ground for every crate-digger and hip-hop producer that followed.

This weeks Klassic Kuts, goes back to my childhood a song

I first stumbled back onto “Give Me Your Love” when a friend gave me the Old School Jams 5 compilation CD — mainly for “Body Mechanic” by Quadrant Six and Vaughn Mason’s “Jammin’ Big Guitar” — then this one track came on. But then, I read the CD and went to track 8 and there it was with a name and title I never knew…Give Me Your Love – Sylvia Striplin. The moment that drum roll hit, those smooth keyboard chords floated in, and that Bernard Edwards-style bassline started walking — I started crying. No reason. It just hit me. My co-hosts on The Madd Hatta Morning Show thought somebody had died. But that song felt like breath — like freedom. I heard it as a kid once and it moved me even then. Guess I was just a child needing love.

The early ‘80s had this sweet spot — when funk was refined, soul was effortless, and grooves were pure. That’s the world Sylvia Striplin came from. A Bronx-born vocalist who’d already made her mark with jazz-funk outfits like Aquarian Dream and the Eighties Ladies, she was a singer’s singer — smooth, disciplined, and drenched in feeling.

Her defining moment came through a partnership with vibraphonist and producer Roy Ayers, who signed her to his label Uno Melodic Records. In 1981, they released Give Me Your Love, her first and only solo album — a shimmering slice of what collectors now call “boogie” or “rare groove.” The title track, written by Jaymz Bedford and produced by Ayers, is the heart of the record: six minutes of unhurried, emotional soul over lush synths, velvet bass, and Striplin’s crystal-sweet vocals that seem to float just above the groove.

But its sister track, “You Can’t Turn Me Away,” became the sleeper classic. Over a decade later, The Notorious B.I.G. with his folks from the Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Lil’ Kim turned that same bassline and melody into the hip-hop anthem “Get Money.” Overnight, Sylvia Striplin went from forgotten to legendary — her record suddenly worth hundreds among crate diggers and DJs worldwide. Check it out here…and then come back for the main feature.

That’s the magic of the deep cuts. Sometimes, the songs that never charted are the ones that last forever. And for me, “Give Me Your Love” was the spark for Klassic Kuts — a space to celebrate the timeless grooves that remind us what real soul feels like.

Check out my Super Throwback Party every Sunday on Majic 102.1 from 6pm – 8pm where I bless you with some of these gems.

I introduce to you a Klassic Kut – Sylvia Striplin – Give Me Your Love. Check it out below. You’re Welcome.

Klassic Love,

Madd Hatta

KLASSIC KUTS: The Disco Deep Cut That Became Hip-Hop Gold  was originally published on myhoustonmajic.com