"Nautilus"---Bob James
(Sampled on "Live At The BBQ" by Main Source, "Stray Bullet" by Organized Konfusion, "Daytona 500" by Ghostface Killah, "Take You There", "What's Next on the Menu?", and "The Sun Won't Come Out" by Pete Rock & CL Smooth, "Just Mary" by Mary J Blige, "Groove To the Sound" and "Beats to the Rhyme" by Run-DMC, "The Rhyme" by Keith Murray, "Children's Story" by Slick Rick, "Follow the Leader" and "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em" by Eric B & Rakim, "Black Nostaljack" by Camp Lo, "Daaam" by Alkaholiks, "Jazzy's Groove" by Dj Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, "Keep It Secret" by Chubb Rock, "Clap Your Hands" by ATCQ, "Throw Ya Gunz" by Onyx, "Double Trouble" by The Roots/Mos Def, "Raise It Up", "Moe Love on the One & Two", and "Ced Gee (Delta Force One)" by Ultramagnetic MCs, "Show Me a Hero" by Leaders of the New School, "The Rap World" by Large Professor/ Pete Rock, "Victory" by Puff Daddy/Notorious B.I.G./Busta Rhymes, "No Delayin" by Nice & Smooth, "Job Song" by Consequence, "Brothers On My Jock" by EPMD, "Book of Rhyme Pages" by Jungle Brothers, "Snitches" by The Geto Boys, "Word Is Bond" by Poor Righteous Teachers, etc...
Shoot me if I'm lyin'---that's still not even close to being an exhaustive list of all the sampling artists who've mined this fundamental recording. Feel free to drop some more examples in the comment box, but I think I've stated a pretty good case for this track's relevance either way.
"Blind Man Can See It"---James Brown
(Sampled on "They Want EFX" by Das EFX, "Funky Technician" by Lord Finesse, "I Will Always Love H.E.R." by Peanut Butter Wolf, "The Vapors" by Snoop Dogg, "Use Me Again" by Steady B, "No Diggity" by Blackstreet, "Sticky Fingaz" by Coolio, and "Hypest from Cypress" by Mellow Man Ace)
James Brown is the most frequently sampled artist in music history, so it's always a no-brainer to throw one of his tracks into the mix. He has tracks like "Funky Drummer" and "The Payback" that have been sampled more times, but "Blind Man Can See It" isn't often given the props it deserves for providing a solid foundation for many hip-hop joints. Two things that I especially appreciate about it are its timelessness and flexibility. This exceptional recording has been flipped by DJs/producers of both the old and new school, and has been borrowed by a diverse array of underground and commercial artists.
"Wish You Were Here"---Al Green
(Sampled on "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" by Kanye West/Consequence, "Wanna Test" by Lootpack, and "Shootouts" by Nas)
Kanye isn't exactly the deepest crate digger when it comes to finding material to sample, but I do give him credit for choosing some ultra-fine, sweet soul records to lay the foundation for his tracks.
"Superman Lover"---Johnny "Guitar" Watson
(Sampled on "Crackpot" by KMD, "A Day of Sooperman Lover" and "Sooperman Luva II" by Redman, "The Predator" by Ice Cube, "What's the 411?" by Mary J Blige, "Ya Wish Ya Could" by Special Ed, "Funk Soul Sensation" by Jemini The Gifted One, "U Don't Work, U Don't Eat" by WC & The Maad Circle, "Compton's Lynchin" by Compton's Most Wanted, "Afro Puffs" by Rage, and "The Desolate One" by Just Ice)
Johnny is cooler than a fan, children. 'Nuff said...
"Our Day Will Come"---Isaac Hayes
(Sampled on "Operation: Greenbacks" by MF Doom and "Exchange" by Massive Attack)
Isaac Hayes is another artist who's frequently sampled. While other songs from his repertoire have been utilized to a greater extent (see "The Look Of Love", "Shaft", "Ike's Mood"and "Walk On By"), I remember hearing the Doomsday LP for the first time, and being relieved that someone finally mined a unique gem from his collection.
"In All My Wildest Dreams"---Joe Sample
(Sampled on "Dear Mama" by Tupac, "Africa's Inside Me" by Arrested Development, and "WRMS' Dedication To The Bitty" by De La Soul)
Although I'm not as enamored with Tupac as your average hip-hop enthusiast, I'm still a sucka for a good "mama" song any day of the week.
"If You Think It (You May As Well Do It)"---The Emotions
(Sampled on "Verbal Intercourse" by Raekwon/Ghostface Killah/Nas)
"Blind Alley" gets mentioned all the time as a sample source, but I like this track just as well. RZA took the very beginning of this Emotions song and created one of the dopest songs on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. He simultaneously provided a perfect backdrop for one of Nas' nicest verses, some impressive bars from back when he was still bein' Nasty.
"Give Me Your Love"---Curtis Mayfield
(Sampled on "Shine On Me" by Pete Rock/CL Smooth, "Git Bizzy" by Big Daddy Kane, "Trouble Man" by Inspectah Deck, "Nickel Bags" by Digable Planets, "It's Whatever" by Aaliyah, "Bathtub" by Snoop Dogg, "Can't Hear Nothing but the Music" by EPMD, and "I'm the Only Woman" by Mary J Blige)
Although the title comes across as a bit pushy, "Give Me Your Love" is actually a gorgeous Mayfield song that's been put to immeasurably good use on several hip-hop classics.
"Harlem Medley"---Galt MacDermot
(Sampled on "Who U Jackin' ?" by Masta Ace and "Discipline '99" by Quasimoto/Madlib)
I've discussed Galt's invaluable contribution to hip-hop numerous times. The fact that most fans of the genre don't even know his name continues to frustrate and perplex me...
"It's A New Day"---Skull Snaps
(Sampled on "Passin' Me By" by Pharcyde, "Watch Yo' Nuggets" by Redman, "Hippa To Da Hoppa" by ODB, "Who You Think I Am?" by MF Doom, "Who Got Da Props?" by Black Moon, "Step Back" by Eric B & Rakim, "Take It Personal" by Gang Starr, "Mommy, What's A Gravedigga?" by Gravediggaz, "Cooley High" by Camp Lo, "East Coast" and "Mic Checka" by Das EFX, "Sally Got A One Track Mind" by Diamond D, "Silence of the Lambs" by Showbiz & AG, "How To Kill A Radio Consultant" by Public Enemy, "It's A New Day" by Heavy D, "I'll Wax Anybody" by Tim Dog, "Crack Da Weazel (Dat Other Shit)" by Da King & I, "All Things" by Hieroglyphics, "For Corners" by Digable Planets, "Funky Child" by Lords Of The Underground, "The Ill Shit" by Erick Sermon, and many, many more...
Well damn...there you go. Collect all 10!
I'm hoping that no one is wondering why I didn't post "Apache". This list is not intended to detail the most popular or best original songs of all time. These tracks are just larger-than-life to me when it comes to their influence on hip-hop, and that's pretty damn B.I.G.
Word From Your Moms:
"I remixed a remix. It was back to normal."---Mitch Hedberg
16 comments:
Great sample post my man!
I'm sort of being back as well so check it out.. more coming this day so.
love the music! keep it coming
J.
That's so damn hot my Macbook screen is smokin'thanks for the list.Keep them comin-
Thanks so much for posting these gems. Your blog is a favorite of mine.
Very good selection, thanks!
damn it... i was just writing some words to give me your love by curtis... you beat me everytime... nice selection as always... mike
Great stuff, but where's "Apache"?
Hahahaha
Nice as always.
hot damn, you are dropping the knowledge with this one. The Bob James track is sampled on some of my favorite Hip Hop tracks ever.
"Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having. Damnit Otto, you are an alcoholic. Damnit Otto, you have Lupis..."- Hedberg
jzzy---I've missed you being around---think I left you a comment on The Revolution to that effect. Stay on your grind, man. You've got great taste in music, and no one else can fill your slot.
Knots---Much gratitude for the feedback. I hope to keep the records comin' as long as heads are still willing to give them a listen.
Anon---Thanks for the compliment. There are a lot of great blogs out there, so being called a favorite is way B.I.G.-ger than my little brain can imagine.
perttu---You're especially welcome. Thanks for regularly droppin' by with a few words of encouragement.
Mike---Oh damn---I know that feeling all too well. I can't tell you how many times I've been beaten to the punch---it's ridiculous. No matter what though, I have faith that you've got many more dope records up your sleeve. I'll be stopping by soon to check you out for my round-up.
Trav---Walked right into that one, didn't I? Tell you a secret---I don't personally like "Apache" all that well. I'm probably going to burn in the fiery pits of hell for saying so, but it's the truth. Posting it at some point seems like the proper/obligatory thing to do, thus giving way to a rather exhausting moral dilemma.
commish---Not only that, but the rest of your favorite hip-hop joints probably contain a sample of one of James' other songs, "Take Me To The Mardi Gras". Very necessary stuff.
Good looks on the Mitch quote. Dude was legendary.
Man, what timing. I've just been listening to my copy of "Superfly" again recently. What a beautiful album. Isn't "Think" sampled on some Beyonce track too? They were playing her new album when I was in Barnes and Noble a while back and I must have looked like a lunatic staring at the ceiling and trying to figure out what was going on... Great stuff as always Scholar
Scholar,
Nice post, and as you know I'm really into sample sources at the moment. Particularly happy with that Bob James - thanks.
Take it steady,
Dan
What a selection. These are all great but The Emotions are giving me that special feeling right now.
Adam---I agree---Superfly is one of those LPs that never leaves the rotation for very long.
Don't know the answer to your query about Beyonce, but now I'm curious for some reason. My knowledge of her material is pretty much limited to the songs they play on the muzak at Circuit City...
Dan---I'm enjoying these posts as much as everyone else seems to be, and fortunately I've got sample songs for days.
I love that Bob James record. Not as fond of "Take Me To the Mardi Gras", but it's been sampled at least as often. I posted that track a while ago, but if you haven't heard it, I can send it your way.
Darcy---Nice choice for your top pick---The Emotions weren't without flaw, but they definitely have some indisputable gems in their discography.
By the way, Feel It is still a favorite spot. You've put me on to some amazing stuff.
Wish you were here by Al Green was also sampled on Everlast's life's a bitch off the black and white soundtrack
Anon---Thanks for that info---I honestly appreciate when readers share some knowledge. I pretty much lost track of him after he quit jumpin' around with House Of Pain. I'll have to give that track a listen.
Murs "Murray's Revenge" done up by 9th - another Nautilus sample...
Does anyone know the name of the original song that EPMD sampled on "Can't hear nothing but the music" album? I heard it the other day but I couldn't figure out who it was. The chorus and track is basically the same in their version as it is in the orginal. It's not Curtis Mayfield or Kool and the Gang.
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