Much of my favourite hip-hop is sample-based and most of my favourite samples are from soul songs, so I thought why not put together an epic mega-post of some of my favourite soul tracks and their usage by my favourite rappers:
I'm starting with Sunrise by the originals, a group I don't know too much about, but who really brung it on this track. 70s soul compositions always seem to have the most amazing string arrangements and often some killer keys, which is the case here. KanYe jacked the opening bars of this for Guess Who's Back, a standout track on Scarface's excellent "The Fix". Great Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel features here; the Roc in its prime.
Another great 70s beatjack - again from Kanye - is from Gil-Scott Heron's We Almost Lost Detroit for Common's recent single, The People. 'Ye can't chop up a beat like Primo or Pete Rock, but his ear for a dope sample is something special. A little synth here, a little xylophone there, some of Gil-Scott's vocals and some kickass drums make for 1 of my '07 favourites.
Can't talk samples without showing some love to the godfather. My mate Imran reminded me of how well James Brown's The Big Payback complemented Big Poppa back in the 90s:
His Paid the Cost to be the Boss then made for a classic loop on Nas' "Get Down":
next up is an all time fave, The Stylistics' One Night Affair, looped up lovely by 9th Wonder on Little Brother's "Lovin' It", which Weezy F murdered on his Dedication 2 mixtape track This What I Call Her. In a good way.
Need to show some love to Marvelous Marvin Modern Marvel. Come Live With Me Angel comes from "I Want You", his seduction album which I believe conceptually, though not chronologically, precedes Let's Get It On (the consummation album) and Here My Dear (the "we want prenup!" album). The song's superpimping, so no surprise it was used on G-Unit and Joe's I Wanna Get To Know You. It's Curtis at his most cringeworthy, but the sample's so good I just can't hate (plus I've got a soft spot for I-wanna-know Joe).
More Marvin: from the same album, After The Dance was sampled by Scott Storch on Hip-hop is Dead's Play on Playa, the most un-Storchish Storch beat ever. In a refreshing way. Nas in philosopher mode while Snoop provides another dope feature doing what he do. Great beat, great rhymes...this rap shit really ain't all that hard.
Carmine Coppola - can't accuse Francis Ford of nepotism - scored the Godfather soundtracks and his Marcia Religiosa was used to great effect by Nas and Jay on Black Republicans. In a word: MAJESTIC. Some real royal shit.
I first became aware of "40 days" by Billy Brooks - which I can't find. - when it was sampled on ATCQ's debut album on the track Luck of Lucien. I then heard it on Styles P's Testify and more recently on Havoc's I'm The Boss. Having listened to them looped a 1000 times, it's funny how many songs I find I recognise in an instant, though I've never heard them before.
[edit: here's the Billy Brooks track, courtesy of mi amigo.]
"Got some soul on blast in tha cassette
Food for my brain
I haven't stopped learning yet" - Big Gipp, "Soul Food" (the Goodie Mobb)
More mp3-sized morsels on the morrow.
I'm starting with Sunrise by the originals, a group I don't know too much about, but who really brung it on this track. 70s soul compositions always seem to have the most amazing string arrangements and often some killer keys, which is the case here. KanYe jacked the opening bars of this for Guess Who's Back, a standout track on Scarface's excellent "The Fix". Great Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel features here; the Roc in its prime.
Another great 70s beatjack - again from Kanye - is from Gil-Scott Heron's We Almost Lost Detroit for Common's recent single, The People. 'Ye can't chop up a beat like Primo or Pete Rock, but his ear for a dope sample is something special. A little synth here, a little xylophone there, some of Gil-Scott's vocals and some kickass drums make for 1 of my '07 favourites.
Can't talk samples without showing some love to the godfather. My mate Imran reminded me of how well James Brown's The Big Payback complemented Big Poppa back in the 90s:
His Paid the Cost to be the Boss then made for a classic loop on Nas' "Get Down":
next up is an all time fave, The Stylistics' One Night Affair, looped up lovely by 9th Wonder on Little Brother's "Lovin' It", which Weezy F murdered on his Dedication 2 mixtape track This What I Call Her. In a good way.
Need to show some love to Marvelous Marvin Modern Marvel. Come Live With Me Angel comes from "I Want You", his seduction album which I believe conceptually, though not chronologically, precedes Let's Get It On (the consummation album) and Here My Dear (the "we want prenup!" album). The song's superpimping, so no surprise it was used on G-Unit and Joe's I Wanna Get To Know You. It's Curtis at his most cringeworthy, but the sample's so good I just can't hate (plus I've got a soft spot for I-wanna-know Joe).
More Marvin: from the same album, After The Dance was sampled by Scott Storch on Hip-hop is Dead's Play on Playa, the most un-Storchish Storch beat ever. In a refreshing way. Nas in philosopher mode while Snoop provides another dope feature doing what he do. Great beat, great rhymes...this rap shit really ain't all that hard.
Carmine Coppola - can't accuse Francis Ford of nepotism - scored the Godfather soundtracks and his Marcia Religiosa was used to great effect by Nas and Jay on Black Republicans. In a word: MAJESTIC. Some real royal shit.
I first became aware of "40 days" by Billy Brooks - which I can't find. - when it was sampled on ATCQ's debut album on the track Luck of Lucien. I then heard it on Styles P's Testify and more recently on Havoc's I'm The Boss. Having listened to them looped a 1000 times, it's funny how many songs I find I recognise in an instant, though I've never heard them before.
[edit: here's the Billy Brooks track, courtesy of mi amigo.]
"Got some soul on blast in tha cassette
Food for my brain
I haven't stopped learning yet" - Big Gipp, "Soul Food" (the Goodie Mobb)
More mp3-sized morsels on the morrow.
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1 comments:
nice as always man!
that billy brooks tune:
http://www.divshare.com/download/1427854-711
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