In 1983, Double Dee & Steinski (Douglas DiFranco and Steven Stein) entered a Tommy Boy competition officially titled ‘Hey Mr DJ Play That Beat Down By Law Switch The Licks Mastermix Contest’ to find new remixes of G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid’s classic track, Play That Beat which would hopefully boost sales. The prize was the complete Tommy Boy catalogue of releases to date, a t-shirt, $100 and the possibility of club distribution and entries were judged by Tom Silverman, Afrika Bambaataa, John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez, Arthur Baker, G.L.O.B.E., Shep Pettibone, Brian Chin, Barry Mayo, Raul Rodriquez, Stephanie Shepherd and Mike Wilkinson.

The production duo’s sampled-based Payoff Remix, utilizing elements from a wide variety of sources such as World’s Famous Supreme Team, Funky 4+1, Incredible Bongo Band, Culture Club, The Supremes, Humphrey Bogart, Little Richard, etc was an instant hit and they were awarded first prize. The track was sent out to various radio stations and gained more airplay than the original version. Surprised by the interest in the mix, Tommy Boy suggested a follow-up so the duo went back to work and followed this track with Lesson 2 (The James Brown Mix). Steven Hager then commissioned the duo to create Lesson 3 (The History Of Hip Hop Mix) in order to promote his book entitled ‘An Illustrated History Of Hip Hop, Breakdancing And Graffiti’.