Source: Anthony Devlin – PA Images / Getty
The bittersweet life of British soul icon Amy Winehouse came to a horrible end 12 years ago today on July 23, 2011. Not a day has gone by where her death at the young age of 27 isn’t felt in the industry, from the rise of similar UK acts like Adele and Sam Smith to the work that Amy’s musical peers continue to produce that would’ve fit perfectly into her classic doo-wop-inspired sound. It goes without saying, but the world at large still very much feels the breadth of her premature passing.
One of those peers happens to be Salaam Remi, longtime hip-hop producer for the likes of Nas, Wyclef Jean, Jazmine Sullivan and solo work for the late Left Eye of TLC to name a few. He and Winehouse worked extensively on both of her studio albums, 2003’s
Frank and the 2006 magnum opus
Back To Black, in addition to the posthumously-released
Lioness: Hidden Treasures back in 2011. During our recent interview with him as he
stepped into the art world with a limited run multimedia pop-up in NYC, we figured it was the perfect time to ask Salaam for a memory about his late friend and collaborator.
What he shared was brief, but will surely bring a smile to the faces of many still-mourning fans out there like it did for us.
RELATED: Exclusive: Salaam Remi Talks Curating Art With MuseZeum And Why Slick Rick Is His Favorite Rapper
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Take a look below to see what Salaam Remi had to say about the biggest thing he’ll remember about working with Amy, which might make you want to go back and do another listen:
“I just think [Amy Winehouse] was an absolute joker and comedian — full of jokes! If you listen to the songs on all her albums, from Frank to Back To Black to even Lioness, she was always cracking jokes. Off the top of my heads, that what I want people to remember [from her].”
— Salaam Remi on greatest memories of working with Amy Winehouse
Salaam makes a great point, especially with songs where she compares toxic exes to bottles of liquor like “Me & Mr. Jones,” the way she lyrically chin-checked a lazy lover on “Help Yourself” and the full-on hilarity that is “Fuck Me Pumps.” Overall, we’re just glad the lady knew how to laugh before her time here came to an end.
Amy, Amy Amy….we’ll miss you forever.
Source: Ian West – PA Images / Getty
See below for some of our favorite collaborative tracks between Amy Winehouse and Salaam Remi:
