Sampling Samples!

Wassup world?! I must admit, I've been itching to blog this entry...so it deserves the background story. Bear with me, won't take long at all...

So I'm riding with L a few weeks back and I hear the new Jazmine Sullivan single and in my mind I'm like "Ok, this is some DJ blending, right?!" WRONG! That dope ass beat is the actual track! Its a mix of "Affirmative action" by The Firm, "Impeach the President" by the Honeydrippers (The first group is a gimme, the second one...not so much), and a few others I'm not too familiar with. The song is old news sure...HOWEVER it prompted a very interesting thought...

Here's the track btw...

...ok now back to the blog

Ever wonder why some hip-hop tracks are almost nostalgic from the very first time you hear them??? There are some tracks that just "get you" and then some that are "....meh" Well I've had an epiphany of sorts...Alot of these tracks stick to us immediately simply because its NOT the first time we've heard them. In fact, we probably heard them years ago as fetuses in our mom's wombs. Hip-hop is the perfect blend of samples of multiple genres; namely jazz, blues, funk, and of course, rock-n-roll. You name the track, no matter what genre: It's been sampled. "Top Billin'" for instance, a personal favorite, is a drum beat sample from a popular rock song that was accidentally recorded backwards, thus that particularly unique and distinguishable arrangement. So in all likelihood, I heard that track, as a rock song, multiple times while just chillin in my moms stomach and ultimately when I heard it as a young boy in its alternate and re-arranged form (aka a hip-hop track) it struck me like lightning. Simple.

But hey...dont take my word for it. I've spent X amount of hours just googling away every hit/classic hip-hop song I could think of and checking for the samples, if any. And boy oh boy....this list.....this list is LONG! Enjoy the music!

Boadicea - Enya => Ready or Not - The Fugees

Fun - Brick => Put it in your mouth - Akinyele; Video - India Arie (Props to Ms. Arie for tryin to 'clean up' that track lol)

Innocent 'til Proven Guilty - Honey Cone => Testify - Common

You Can't Turn Me Away - Sylvia Striplin => Get Money - Junior M.A.F.I.A.

There's Nothing in This World That Can Stop Me From Loving You - Tom Brock => Girls Girls Girls - Jay-Z

Through The Fire - Chaka Khan => Through The Wire - Kanye West

I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over - David Porter (4:45) => Who Shot Ya? - Notorious B.I.G.

The Edge - David McCallum => Next Episode - Dr Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Kurrupt, and Nate Dogg

Darkest Light - Lafayette Afro Rock Band => Show me what you got - Jay-Z

In The Space - Janko Nilovic & Dave Sucky => D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune) - Jay-Z

Spirit in the Dark - Aretha Franklin => School Spirit - Kanye West

Mother Nature - Albert Jones => Be (Intro) - Common

Distant Lover (live) - Marvin Gaye => Spaceship - Kanye West

Why You Treat Me So Bad - Club Nouveau => I Got 5 On It - Luniz; Satisfy You - Puffy feat R. Kelly (The intro to this track is SOOOO familiar...can't remember where I've heard it though...smh)

Never Gonna Stop - Linda Clifford => Street Dreams - Nas; All Eyez On Me - 2Pac

Space Dust - The Galactic Force Band => I wanna Rock - Snoop Dogg

Inside You - Eddie Henderson => Coming of Age - Jay-Z feat. Memph Bleek

Love On a Two Way Street - The Moments => Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys

Holy Thursday - David Axelrod => Dr. Carter - Lil' Wayne

Pigs Go Home - Ronald Stein => Guilty Conscience - Eminem ft. Dr. Dre

We're in love - Ruben Wilson => Memory Lane (Sittin in da park) - Nas

Excerpt from 'Smilin' Billy Suite' - The Heath Bros => One Love - Nas

Islands in the Stream - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton => Ghetto Superstar - Pras ft. Mya and O.D.B.

Footsteps in the dark - Iseley Bros => It was a good day - Ice Cube

I want do something freaky to you - Leon Haywood => Nothin But a G Thang - Dr Dre

Rise - Herb Alpert => Hypnotize - Notorious B.I.G.

I Cant Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles => Can't Stand the Rain - Missy Elliot

Sweet Green Fields - Seals and Crofts => Put Your Hands where my Eyes can see - Busta Rhymes

Daydreaming in blue - I Monster => Daydream - Lupe Fiasco ft. Jill Scott

Are You My Woman - The Chi-lites => Crazy in Love - Beyonce ft. Jay-Z

Ready or Not - Delphonics => Ready or Not - The Fugees (the other song used to sample at top of page)

Today - Tom Scott (1:39) => T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You) - Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Summer Madness - Kool and the Gang => Summer Time - DJ Jazzy Jeff ft. Will Smith

Aint no love in the heart of the city - Bobby Bland => Aint no love - Jay-Z

A Little Bit of Love - Brenda Russell => Still not a Playa - Big Pun ft. Joe

Memory Band - Rotary Connection => Killin Me Softly - The Fugees; Benita Applebum - A Tribe Called Quest

Talkin Heads - Sugar on My Tongue (3:15 mark forward) => Sugar Gimme Some - Trick Daddy ft. Ludacris, Ceelo, and Lil Kim

Prove My Love to You - Main Ingredient => You Dont Know my Name - Alicia Keys

Open Your Eyes - Bobby Caldwell => The Light - Common

Bolero Medley - Celeste Legaspi => Kick, Push - Lupe Fiasco

I'm Glad You're Mine - Al Green => Dead Wrong - Notorious B.I.G. ft. Eminem

A House is Not a Home - Luther Vandross => Slow Jamz - Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx

Khusara Khusara - Hossam Ramzy & His Egyptian Ensemble => Big Pimpin' - Jay-Z ft. UGK

Impeach The President - Roy C & The Honey Drippers => Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes; LL Cool J - Around The Way Girl; Nas - I Can; Audio Two - Top Billin'; Big Daddy Kane - Smooth Operator; Shabba Ranks - Mr. Loverman

Ooh Boy - Rose Royce => Luv Me, Luv Me - Shaggy ft Janet Jackson (Note: the beat above is ALSO sampled in..crazy)

I'm Not to Blame - Bobby Byrd => You Don't Know - Jay-Z

I Get High - Freda Payne => Good Times (I get high) - Styles P

Straight to Hell - The Clash => Paper Planes - M.I.A.; Swagger like us - T.I. ft. Kanye West and Jay-Z (A sample within a sample...Inception for music!)

I Can't See Myself Without You - Creative Source(check the hook)=> What We Do - Freeway ft. Beanie Sigel & Jay-Z

Sinnerman - Nina Simone (4:48 mark forward) => Get by - Talib Kwali

Shape of My Heart - Sting => The Message - Nas; Break You Off - The Roots ft. Musiq

And SSSOOOOOO much more...I may add a few here and there. I'm done for now though...whew