"Let the Beat Hit 'Em" is a song by American

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

band

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam were a United States urban contemporary band and one of the first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of vocalist Lisa Lisa, born Lisa Velez, guitarist/ bassist Alex "Sp ...

, released as the first single from their fourth and final studio album, ''

Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen ''Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen'' is a 1991 album by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, as well as their final studio album. It is best known for the lead track " Let the Beat Hit 'Em" which reached #1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B and Dance charts. The only ...

'' (1991). The song spent one week at number-one on the US

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

in the week of September 14, 1991, and also reached No. 37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On the US dance charts, it was the third and final number-one for the group. It also peaked at number-one on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' dance chart.

Samples

On "Let the Beat Hit 'Em", Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam sampled " Ghetto Heaven" by

The Family Stand The Family Stand is an American soul and R&B group based in New York City, active since the late 1980s, consisting of Sandra St. Victor, Peter Lord Moreland, and Vernon Jeffrey Smith. Early career ''Chain'' brought them their international h ...

The Emotions The Emotions are an American soul/ R&B vocal group from Chicago. The group started out in gospel music but transitioned into R&B and disco music. The Emotions were named by VH1 as one of the 18 most influential girl groups of all time. Hist ...

' 1977 single " Best of My Love" and "Set It Off" by

Strafe Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such a ...

. and Donald Byrd Think Twice. "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" was sampled by

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

on the track "Too Much of a Good Thing" off her 1991 album ''

Let's Get To It ''Let's Get to It'' is the fourth studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was the final studio album with Pete Waterman Entertainment, Pete Waterman Limited (PWL), being released by the record label in the United Kingdom ...

''.

Critical reception

Jose F. Promis from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

viewed "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" as a "surprise 1991

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

smash". J.D. Considine from ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' felt the music is "relentlessly danceable", describing the song as "insistent".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote that here, the

trio Trio may refer to: Music Groups * Trio (music), an ensemble of three performers, or a composition for such an ensemble ** Jazz trio, pianist, double bassist, drummer ** Minuet and trio, a form in classical music ** String trio, a group of three ...

"ends a two-year recording silence with an insinuating pop/hip-hopper. Trademark production style of David Cole and Robert Clivillés is a fine complement to

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...

's appealing vocals. Pumped house version has already begun to jam in the clubs, while

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

and

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

radio should be joining the party any second now." He added that the track "sported a deliciously contagious groove and Lisa's most spirited vocal in eons." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' stated that it's produced by the "hottest team around lately", "for whom nothing can stop these beats anymore." They also noted that "just like on C&C's records, the main line of the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

will remain in the listener's head for weeks." A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...

'' felt the song "reflect the producers' trademark '90s

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

sound, minus the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

muscle that makes the Music Factory hum". Al Walentis from ''

Reading Eagle The ''Reading Eagle'' is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania. A family-owned newspaper until the spring of 2019, its reported circulation is 37,000 (daily) and 50,000 (Sundays). It serves the Reading and Berks County region of P ...

'' said the song "serves up the trio's most irresistible hook" since their 1987 hit "

Head to Toe Head to Toe may refer to: * ''Head to Toe'' (EP), a 1994 EP by the Breeders * "Head to Toe" (Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam song), 1987 * "Head to Toe" (Bill Anderson song), 1977 {{dab ...

". Stewart Walker from ''

Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issu ...

'' remarked that "Let The Beat Hit 'Em" exemplified the "high-energy club feel" of the first half of the ''

'' album".

Music video

A black-and-white

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was made to accompany the song, directed by German director

Marcus Nispel Marcus Nispel (born 26 May 1963) is a German film director and Film producer, producer, best known for several high-profile American remakes such as ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 film), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2003). He has also di ...

Impact and legacy

In 1995, British DJ

Pete Tong Peter Michael Tong (born 30 July 1960) is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as '' Essential Mix'' and '' Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for ...

picked "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" as one of his "classic cuts", adding, "One of Clivilles & Cole's best remixes. You often find if you go into the studio where people are remixing there are loads of 12 inches lying on the floor because people are constantly inspired by what others are doing. In '91/'92 it was the perfect execution of what was going on in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

." In 1996, British DJ and presenter

Trevor Nelson Trevor Ricardo Nelson, MBE (born 7 January 1964) is an English DJ and radio presenter. He is best known for presenting a range of shows across BBC Radio. Early life Born in Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, Nelson attended Centra ...

chose the song as one of his favourites, "I chose this because C&C Music Factory wanted to make the perfect commercial dance record and, out of all the competition, this is the one, C&C is the best producer of dance records. Even though it's faster than most stuff I play now, it's always worked on the dance floor. It's not the coolest record I've ever bought but it's the most fun." In 1997 dance vocalist

Shèna Tracey Elizabeth McSween, better known by her stage names Shèna and Shèna Winchester, (born 1977) is an English disco and house singer, known for featuring on Michael Gray's song " The Weekend". Early years Tracey Elizabeth McSween was bor ...

did a cover of "Let The Beat Hit Em" based on Clivilles' "Part Two" remix from 1991 and charted at number 28 in the UK Chart. This version was then used by Dutch DJ duo Sound De-Zign for their 2001 track "Happiness", which reached number 19 in the UK charts. In 2012, Polish ''Porcys'' ranked "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" number 68 in their list of "100 Singles 1990–1999". In 2022, the track "

B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All) "B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)" is a song by British DJs Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal. Written and performed by Rose, it includes a sample of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's 1991 song "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (LL W:Love RC Mix). "B.O.T.A. (Badde ...

" by

Eliza Rose Eliza Rose (born 28 November 1991) is a British DJ, music producer and singer. Born in the East End of London, Rose grew up in Dalston and began working at the Flashback Records shop when she was 14 years old. A fan of soul and jazz music, she ...

and Interplanetary Criminal sampled the LL w/Love RC Mix and reached Number 1 on the singles chart in both the UK and Ireland.

Track listings

* 7" single # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (radio mix 1) – 4:38 # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (5 minute house version) – 5:02 * US 12" Original Release (656950-5) # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (The Brand New Super Pumped-Up C&C Vocal Club Mix) – 7:28 # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (Radio Mix 1) – 4:38 # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (5 Minute House Version) – 5:02 * US 12" #2 (657393-6) # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (Paradise Garage Club Mix) – 7:03 # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (5 Minute House Mix) – 5:02 # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (The Pop Radio Edit) – 4:00 * US 12" #3 (44 73923) # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (LL w/Love RC Mix) – 8:24 # "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" (Clivilles/Cole Club/Dub Mix) – 8:48

Charts

References

{{authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam songs Songs written by Robert Clivillés Song recordings produced by Robert Clivillés Music videos directed by Marcus Nispel Black-and-white music videos Songs about music