Great Samples from Hip Hop in 2020
Part of a series I do from time to time
Writing about samples has become my favorite pastime. It’s something I touch on often, but a well executed sample captures the perfect amount of nostalgia and bottles it to create a flawless beat the mixes old and new. It feels like wearing one of your parent’s old t-shirts while listening to Lil Uzi. A great sample should feel comfortable and familiar, while also instiututing new elements that turns that beat into a perfect conduit for rapping. 2020 has been an absolute goldmine for sample loops and chops from both highly touted and unheralded producers. Here’s just a few and what makes them so powerful.
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist’s “Something to Rap About” using David T. Walker’s “On Love”
I gave myself a personal challenge to see how long I could stave off mentioning The Alchemist in this article, but my affliction for his collaboration with Freddie Gibbs made him impossible to ignore. Their album Alfredo is easily one of the best projects of the year. It’s difficult to go wrong as Gibbs displayed the lyrical acumen and personality to continue build his case for the coveted title of “best rapper alive,” and Alchemist continues to showcase that he can work well with any rapper.
This particular sample draws from the 1976 track “On Love” from the guitarist David T. Walker. The Tulsa-born musician had his hand all over iconic records in the golden age of music, lending his finger-picking skills to albums like Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, and a number of early Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson albums, including Ben. This particular track is a sprawling five minute piece of the most sublime quality. Walker’s delicate strumming starts off slow and progressively incorporates mulitiple layers to create a dizzying array of sound that lulls the listener into a sense of comfort and bliss.
“Something to Rap About,” which features Tyler, the Creator, retains the central elements of the sample to create a luxurious production. Alchemist takes the moment which appears at the 1:42 mark and places it on a simple loop. The juxtaposition of the Freddie’s in-your-face voice and cadence with the laid back, easy going production is absolutely beautiful. Then, after a brief breakdown in the middle of the track, there’s a slight increase in the pace of the beat as we reach Tyler’s part. It’s subtle, but the kick in the beat accompanies his urgency very well. There’s very little manipulation to the sample, a simple understanding of knowing when to add your own flavor.
Flo Milli’s “Weak” using SWV’s “Weak”
On top of being one of the most exciting and entertaining rappers to explode within the last year, Flo Milli seems to be well-versed in the art of beat selection. On her debut mixtape Ho, why is you here ?, she rarely feels out of place, subjecting every beat to her wrath as she raps with the furiosity of a 1000 suns. There’s no shortage of highlights on the tape, but “Weak,” produced by J. White Did It (the producer of Bodak Yellow), is the clear favorite for most creative and entertaining sample on the tape.
White decided to sample the classic SWV track “Weak,” a love ballad of epic proportions from 1992. There isn’t much to be said about the song other than it’s literally perfect. Depending on who you ask, it’s SWV’s most famous song. It’s the type of song that makes you want to stand outside your lover’s window with a giant boombox in the ultimate romantic gesture type way, not the really creepy way. The slow burn of their voices, full of prototypical runs from the 90s, brings out the full scope of emotions of being in love.
Flo Milli and White elect to build the production around the opening line of the iconic track. The line “I don’t know what it is that you’ve done to me/But it’s caused me to act in such a crazy way” is already permanently burned into the minds of every 90s R&B fanantic, brimming with nostalgia. The track opens up with these lyrics pitched and sped up, only supported by bass and energetic hi-hats. Then, as Flo Milli begins to spit, the same lyrics are looped once again, this time pitched down and muted to provide a smooth background for the Alabama native. The beat is then powered by the skeleton of the original sample’s production, retaining some of the keyboard elements.
The soul of the sample runs in direct contrast to the theme of Flo Milli’s bars. Instead of adhering to the lovestruck vibe of SWV’s lyrics, she displays flippant disregard for the feelings of her suitors in lieu of a young and carefree lifestyle. The decision to even use this sample is clever, capitalizing on the deep emotionality of SWV’s voices simply to go announce that “these niggas weak.”
Knxwledge’s “Thats Allwekando.” using Ideal’s “Ideally Yours”
As sampling continues to find itself in the midst of a renaissance of sorts in the world of modern production, you begin to recognize the new giants of the artform. Knxwledge has emerged one of the undisputed legends of chopping samples, with an immense and impressive catalog that would make J Dilla proud. There’s no shortage of amazing moments from him this year, but this particular sample from his album 1988 displayed his crate digging capabilities to the fullest.
The reference track for the sample comes from the Houston R&B group Ideal, drawing from the lesser known 1999 release “Ideally Yours.” To me, the track is really special with an a capella performance that allows their vocal talent to shine through. It’s a brief track, only lasting about a minute and a half. But the quartet of male voices mesh perfectly together behind strong runs and harmonies that were standard for male 90s R&B talent.
Knxwledge recoginzed the power that their voices held and allowed the vocal runs to power his sample loop. Off the strength of the hums of the background singers, he creates a delicious drum beat that is equally smooth and soulful. The track only lasts for a minute, which makes it ripe for repeating for hours upon hours. It’s hard to tell where the track begins and ends, which is the hallmark of a flawless loop. There might not be anybody better in the game right now.
Mac Miller’s “Blue World” using The Four Freshmen’s “It’s a Blue World”
The depressing circumstances of Mac Miller’s accidental drug overdose just 16 months prior to the release of his posthumous album Circles clouds the album in a cover of melancholia and hopelessness. It’s a sobering look at Miller’s psyche that can be a difficult listen at times. It’s hard to tear yourself away from, though, due to a love of Miller’s rapping and some of the most impressive production seen in his catalog.
This track was produced by Guy Lawrence, who is more commonly known as one half of the English electronic music duo Disclosure. Lawrence digs deep into the vinyl crate for this sample, electing to use the 1955 track “It’s a Blue World.” The prototypical barbershop-quartet delivered a nice vocal performance that registers with a distinct sense of sadness. If you listen for too long, you’ll start thinking about the one who got away or something. It’s haunting as it lulls you to sleep encased by a shell of bleak nostalgia.
Lawrence captures this feeling with ease. He takes the lyric “it’s a blue world without you” and lets it run, to the point to where it feels like a memorial for Miller himself. Before you can get lost in their voices, it gets chopped up and placed inot an upbeat production that is reminiscent of a Jamie xx track. As Miller muses about a loved one, it’s easy to get lost in the hypnotic production. It truly gets the job done.
2 Chainz’s “Money Maker” using Guy’s “Piece of My Love”
There are certain tracks that restore the feeling from multiple bygone eras in one fell swoop, due to expert usage of sampling and instrumentation. It’s rare, and can be messy if incorrectly applied when transferring over the sample. This track is an example of this process done right. Produced by the Baton Rouge-based Playa Pizzle, “Money Maker” first appeared at the end of 2 Chainz’s ‘Verzuz’ battle against Rick Ross. Immediately upon first listen, the beat and sample captured the attention of those who stuck around until the end.
This track was touted as an ode to HBCUs and their legendary marching band culture. Pizzle scoured the recesses of the Internet to find the appropriate sound to match the song’s ethos. He struck gold as he came across a Youtube video of the Human Jukebox, the iconic marching band of Southern University and A&M College. It’s a short but amazing video that showcased the trombone section of the band playing Guy’s 1988 track “Piece of My Love.”
Pizzle elected to grab the video and loop the section’s performance of the chorus to build the base of the beat. In one swift move, the track immediately sounds like the vein of early 2000s southern Hip-Hop that predominately depended on the marching band to carry its production. As more modern production elements are layered over top, we’re treated a fantastic beat that captures the essence of one of the best eras of Rap. Pizzle even weaves in the vocal sample from the original Guy performance as the bridge between 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne’s verse. It’s impossible to not bounce along whilst listening to the track, which means it was a complee success.