Credit: Alamy

Back in 2012, two now-deceased rappers sat down for a chat with each other: Mac Miller and Sean Price. Their conversation meandered here and there, but, along the way, they spoke about someone they both hugely admired: Redman.

The pair’s conversation was featured on the HipHopDX website, which, all those years ago, had decided to tap up Price to co-edit the publication for a week. As part of his temporary role, Price decided that he wanted to get Mac in for an interview—and that he should be the one to conduct it.

The pair got to talking about Redman after Price asked Mac if there were any misperceptions about him out there. “Yeah,” Mac wryly replied, “that I can’t rap.”

Price sympathised, given that he, too, found that his rapping, not to mention is general taste in hip-hop, was often called into question online. “You know how people is,” he said. “They just want me to like Redman albums and that’s it.”

Price believed that people online seemed to bear an expectation that he should only enjoy hip-hop music of a certain vintage. Specifically it should be of the same quality and character as Redman’s classic ‘Time 4 Sum Aksion.’ Anything less than that, from the perspective of these supposed rap purists, wasn’t good enough. Or, as Price put it, “If you like anything other than ‘Time 4 Sum Aksion,’ you a dick.”

The point here was to highlight how people online could be overly precious about hip-hop, refusing to appreciate forms of the genre that veered away from its golden age heyday. But, given that this conversation was quite loose and relaxed, it inadvertently led Price and Mac to straight-up discuss their admiration for Redman.

“My Redman jam,” Mac said in that spirit, “is ‘Tonight’s Da Night.’”

Selected as the third single from Redman’s debut record, Whut? Thee Album from 1992, ‘Tonight’s Da Night’ was produced by Red and Erick Sermon and featured samples from some legendary funk and soul artists. Tracks from James Brown, Mary Jane Girls, and Isaac Hayes all formed a part of the song’s DNA.

Redman begins ‘Tonight’s Da Night’ in a smooth, soulful manner himself, uttering, “I can get smooth to any groove / Relax the tongue, let my mic take a cruise.” It’s all very bright and easy-going, but Hurricane G then rudely interrupts and encourages Red to “get the fuck off that punk smooth shit.” He duly obliges, and the rest of the song is much more aggressive.

‘Tonight’s Da Night’ is a big song within the hip-hop community. It’s referenced in lots of other songs, including Common’s ‘Sum Shit I Wrote,’ Dilated Peoples’ ‘Clockwork,’ and Lords of the Underground’s ‘What I’m After,’ among others. The original track also features on several classic hip-hop compilations.

It’s clear that ‘Tonight’s Da Night’ hugely appeals to rappers themselves, and Mac Miller was among them. He loved the track, and he was all for its accompanying video, too. “I like the video,” he told Price. “When he pulls out the burner right in the camera, that shit’s so crazy.”