It’s just a kick, a snare, and a rimshot. That’s it. Yet, if you’ve spent more than five minutes listening to hip-hop in the last four decades, you’ve heard it. We’re talking about Audio Two Top Billin, a track that basically rewrote the rules of what a "hit" sounded like back in 1987. It shouldn't have worked. The beat is famously "thin." It sounds like it’s missing a bassline because, well, it kind of is. But that skeletal structure is exactly why Milk Dee and Gizmo created a blueprint that everyone from 50 Cent to Mary J. Blige ended up copying.
Milk Dee was only 16 when he recorded those vocals. Think about that for a second. A teenager from Brooklyn gets in the booth, drops a few lines about "top billin," and accidentally creates the most recycled piece of audio in music history. It wasn't planned. It wasn't a corporate strategy. It was just a B-side.
The "Accident" That Changed Everything
Most people don't realize that "Top Billin" was actually the B-side to "Make It Funky." In the 80s, the B-side was where you put the experimental stuff or the filler. But when New York DJs got their hands on it, the script flipped immediately.
The story goes that the beat—produced by Daddy-O from Stetsasonic—was actually a mistake. They were trying to program a different rhythm into the Akai MPC, and the sequencer tripped up. Instead of fixing it, they realized the "stutter" in the drums felt more hypnotic than the original plan. It’s a bit of a legend in hip-hop circles, but it explains why the beat feels so off-kilter and raw.
If you listen closely to Audio Two Top Billin, the drums aren't perfectly quantized. They breathe. There’s a slight delay between the snare and the hi-hat that gives it a human swing. You can't fake that with modern AI tools. It has to come from that specific era of early digital sampling where the machines were still a little bit "buggy."
Why Producers Keep Coming Back to the Milk Dee Flow
It isn't just the beat. It’s the "Milk Dee flow."
"I get money, money I get."
It’s simple. It’s arrogant. It’s perfect. When Milk Dee uttered those words, he wasn't just rapping; he was providing a lyrical template. If you look at the DNA of 90s Bad Boy Records, it’s everywhere. Sean "Puffy" Combs basically built an empire on the sonic aesthetic of Audio Two.
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Take a look at "Real Love" by Mary J. Blige. Hear those drums? That’s Top Billin.
Look at "I Get Money" by 50 Cent. The entire hook is a direct homage.
Why does it work? Because the original track leaves so much "negative space." In music production, negative space is the silence between the notes. Because the original Audio Two Top Billin beat is so sparse, you can layer almost anything on top of it. You can put a heavy synth lead over it, a soulful R&B vocal, or a gritty Grimy-era verse, and it still holds up. It’s the ultimate "blank canvas" for producers.
The technical breakdown of the 12-inch single
Back in '87, you bought this on a 12-inch vinyl. The First Priority Music label wasn't a massive powerhouse yet, but they had vision. The record featured:
- The Original Vocal version
- The Instrumental (which is where most of the samples come from)
- The "Acapella," which allowed DJs to scratch Milk Dee’s voice into other songs
Honestly, without that acapella, half of the songs in the 90s wouldn't have had a chorus. When a DJ needed a "hype" vocal to transition between tracks, they reached for Milk Dee. His voice had this nasal, piercing quality that cut through the loudest club speakers. It was unmistakable.
The First Priority Connection and the Brooklyn Sound
Brooklyn in the late 80s was a pressure cooker of creativity. You had Big Daddy Kane, you had MC Lyte (who is actually Milk Dee and Gizmo’s sister), and you had Audio Two. It was a family business.
MC Lyte’s involvement is a huge part of this story. People often forget that Audio Two were her brothers and they were all part of the First Priority crew. This wasn't some manufactured boy band. They were kids in a basement in Milk Basin, Brooklyn, messing around with gear they barely knew how to use.
There’s a specific grit to the Audio Two Top Billin recording. It doesn't sound "clean." If you play it next to a modern Drake track, it sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. But that’s the charm. The lo-fi nature of the 12-bit samplers used at the time (likely the E-mu SP-1200) gave the drums a "crunch." That crunch is what hip-hop purists chase to this day. You can't get that sound from a software plugin. Not really. You need the actual circuitry of the 1980s to make those drums knock that way.
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Is it the Most Sampled Song Ever?
It’s definitely in the top five. While "Amen Brother" by the Winstons holds the crown for the most sampled drum break (the Amen Break), Audio Two Top Billin is arguably more influential in the specific genre of hip-hop and R&B.
According to WhoSampled, the track has been sampled or interpolated over 300 times. But honestly? That number is probably low. It doesn't account for the thousands of mixtapes, live DJ sets, and unreleased demos that use that "I get money" line.
Let's talk about the competition for a second. You’ve got "La Di Da Di" by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh. You’ve got "Change the Beat" by Beside. But "Top Billin" is different because it’s not just a sound—it’s a vibe. It represents the transition from the "Old School" (Sugarhill Gang style) to the "Golden Era." It was tougher. It was less about party-rocking and more about asserting dominance.
Misconceptions about the lyrics
People always misquote the song.
"What is a stopette?"
Milk Dee famously says, "Stopette, take a break." For years, fans debated what a "stopette" was. Was it a brand? A slang term? Honestly, it was just Milk Dee being Milk Dee. He was inventing language on the fly. That’s the beauty of early rap—there were no editors. There were no focus groups telling him that "stopette" wasn't a word. He said it, it sounded cool, and it stayed on the record.
How to use the Top Billin influence in modern production
If you’re a producer today and you want that "Audio Two" feel, you have to resist the urge to overproduce. The biggest mistake people make is adding too much bass. The original song succeeds because the kick drum is "tight" and "punchy," not "boomy."
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- Find a dry drum kit. No reverb. No long tails.
- Offset the rhythm. Don't snap everything to the grid. Let the snare hit a millisecond early.
- Focus on the rimshot. The "clack" sound in Audio Two Top Billin is what defines it. It’s sharp. It should hurt a little bit if you turn it up too loud.
- Keep the vocals dry. Milk Dee’s voice wasn't drenched in effects. It was front and center.
The Business of the Beat
Interestingly, the success of this track didn't turn Audio Two into multi-platinum superstars in the way we think of rappers today. They had hits, sure. But their lasting legacy is in the publishing and the influence.
Milk Dee has stayed active in the industry, often popping up on tracks by artists like Janet Jackson or helping out with production for other New York acts. He’s the "your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper" type of figure. He doesn't need to be on the radio in 2026 because his voice is already on the radio every time a classic hip-hop station plays a 90s remix.
The Actionable Legacy of Top Billin
If you’re a fan of music history or a creator yourself, there are a few things you can actually do with this knowledge.
First, go back and listen to the original 12-inch version, not just the radio edit. Pay attention to the way the drums drop out and come back in. That "arrangement by subtraction" is a lost art.
Second, look into the First Priority Music catalog. Audio Two was just the tip of the iceberg. Understanding that label is key to understanding how independent hip-hop eventually took over the mainstream.
Lastly, if you’re a songwriter, study the economy of words in "Top Billin." Milk Dee doesn't waste syllables. Every line is a punch. Every phrase is a hook. It’s a masterclass in minimalist songwriting that still resonates because it never tries too hard.
The reality is that Audio Two Top Billin isn't just a song anymore. It’s a foundational element of the culture, like the 808 kick or the technics 1210 turntable. It’s part of the furniture. And as long as people are making beats in their bedrooms or in high-end studios, that "stuttering" Brooklyn rhythm isn't going anywhere.
To really appreciate it, you have to stop looking for what’s there and start listening to what isn't. The silence in that track is just as loud as the drums. That’s the secret. That’s why it’s Top Billin.
Next Steps for Music Enthusiasts:
Search for the "Top Billin" instrumental on a high-quality audio service. Listen to it through a pair of studio-grade headphones. Notice the "hiss" of the original sampler and the way the rimshot occupies a specific frequency that most modern drums miss. Then, compare it to 50 Cent’s "I Get Money" to see exactly how a 20-year-old beat was repurposed into a modern club anthem.