Saturday, January 21, 2012

Ice Cube - A Bird In The Hand (1991) sampled B.B. King - Chains And Things (1970)

Artist:  Ice Cube
Song:  A Bird In The Hand
Year:  1991
Album:  Death Certificate



I think that this album is Ice Cube's finest moment because it is the perfect blend of his N.W.A days with social consciousness.




Artist:  EPMD and Ice Cube
Song:  St. Ides Commercial
Year:  1991
Album:  Not Officially Released



This one is for my friend JOS, the guy who first exposed me to EPMD and Ice Cube.




Artist:  Big L
Song:  Once Again
Year:  2010
Album:  Return Of The Devils Son



Although 50 Cent "The Mechanic" and Prodigy "Money Is A Weapon" used the same sample in recent years, I wanted to highlight Big L because I still think he's one of the all-time great lyricists.




Artist:  B.B. King
Song:  Chains And Things
Year:  1970
Album:  Indianola Mississippi Seeds



Ice Cube used two samples for "A Bird In The Hand".  The first one is a two-bar loop that starts at 3:38 and the second is a one-bar loop that starts at 4:10.  The St. Ides commercial is essentially the same song.  Big L used the loop at 3:38 but extended the length of the sample to create a 4-bar loop.

1 comment:

  1. Also sampled by Kendrick Lamar "m.A.A.d city" and 50 Cent "The Mechanic".

    ReplyDelete