Top 25 Hip Hop Songs and Albums For 2018

Westside Gunn takes my prize for top song in 2018. Here are my top 25 songs and albums for 2018. Enjoy!

Top 25 Hip Hop Songs For 2018:

1 Westside Gunn - Brutus
2 Phonte - So Help Me God
3 MED & Guilty Simpson - Life's Good
4 PRhyme - Black History
5 Willie The Kid & Klever Skemes - Golden Moments
6 Drake - That's How You Feel
7 Pete Flux & Parental - 6:30
8 Blu & Shafiq Husayn - THE COLO(U)R BLACK
9 Pete Flux & Parental - Bergermeister
10 Phonte - Expensive Genes
11 Kid Kold - Young, Wild and Reckless
12 AG - Night Of Fire
13 Westside Gunn - SaBu
14 AG - Dead Presidents
15 Krushlove - Skies Fall
16 Millyz & Statik Selektah - Pick 'Em' Up
17 Kool G Rap & 38 Spesh - Honest Truth
18 Evidence - To Make A Long Story Longer
19 Mach-Hommy - Honey Roasted
20 Kid Kold - Everything Depends On You
21 Skyzoo - Parks & Recreation
22 Royce Da 5'9" - Boblo Boat
23 J. Cole - Once An Addict (Interlude)
24 Royce Da 5'9" - God Speed
25 Nas - Simple Things


Top 25 Hip Hop Albums For 2018:

1 Pete Flux & Parental - Infinite Growth
2 Phonte - No News Is Good News
3 Drake - Scorpion
4 Westside Gunn - Supreme Blientele
5 AG - The Taste Of AMBrosia
6 PRhyme - PRhyme 2
7 Evidence - Weather or Not
8 Millyz & Statik Selektah - Saints & Sinners
9 MED & Guilty Simpson - Loyalty
10 Royce Da 5'9" - Book Of Ryan
11 Skyzoo - In Celebration Of Us
12 Conway the Machine - G.O.A.T. (Grimiest of All Time)
13 Kid Kold - The Black Gang
14 Kool G Rap & 38 Spesh - Son Of G Rap
15 Black Sheep - Tortured Soul
16 Kanye West - ye EP
17 J. Cole - KOD
18 Nas - Nasir EP
19 Roc Marciano - Rosebudd's Revenge 2
20 Camoflauge Monk - Trgovac Umjetninama EP
21 Khrysis & Elzhi - Jericho Jackson
22 Czarface and MF DOOM "Czarface Meets Metal Face"
23 Meyhem Lauren & Harry Fraud - Glass EP
24 Apollo Brown & Locksmith - No Question EP
25 DJ Muggs - Soul Assassins Dia del Asesinato

Top 25 Hip Hop Songs and Albums For 2017

Roc Marciano reigns over the kingdom in 2017.

Enjoy My Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs For 2017:

01 - Roc Marciano - Move Dope
02 - Roc Marciano - Marksmen
03 - Rick Ross - Scientology
04 - Homeboy Sandman - Clarity
05 - Edo G - Brick Buildings
06 - JuneLyfe and Hus Kingpin - Money Makin Mitch
07 - NxWorries - Wngs
08 - Ran Reed - Invasion
09 - Westside Gunn - Brains Flew By (1964 Version)
10 - Planet Asia - Made It
11 - Hus Kingpin - Cocaine City
12 - Planet Asia - The Scientific Era
13 - Action Bronson - Chairman's Intent
14 - Your Old Droog - I Only
15 - Your Old Droog - Grandma Hips
16 - KRS-ONE - The World Is MIND
17 - Kidd Called Quest - Livest on Mics
18 - Meyhem Lauren - Aquatic Violence
19 - Skyzoo - Finesse Everything
20 - Ruste Juxx - 16 Bars of Corruption
21 - Rapsody - Knock On My Door
22 - Mach Hommy - Faraday Cage
23 - Molecules & Showbiz - Good Life
24 - Juelz White - The Real
25 - Rapper Big Pooh - Big Trouble Little Child

And If You Want More Good Music, Here Are My Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums For 2017:

01 - Roc Marciano - Rosebudd's Revenge
02 - NxWorries - Yes Lawd!
03 - Planet Asia - Velour Portraits EP
04 - Hus Kingpin - Cocaine Beach
05 - Westside Gunn - Riots on Fashion Avenue EP
06 - Westside Gunn - Hitler Wears Hermes 4
07 - Your Old Droog - PACKS
08 - Ed O.G. - FreEDOm
09 - NxWorries - Yes Lawd! Remixes
10 - Juelz White - This Shit Ain't Free
11 - Apollo Brown & Planet Asia - Anchovies
12 - Mach-Hommy - Dumpmeister
13 - Molecules & Showbiz - A Bronx Tale
14 - Quelle Chris - Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often
15 - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN
16 - Jay-Z - 4:44
17 - TheWinners - Dreamteam Vol. 1
18 - Statik Selektah - 8
19 - Ruste Juxx - International Juxx
20 - Pete Flux & Parental - What They Need EP
21 - Ran Reed - Still Commanding Respect
22 - Rapper Big Pooh - Everything 4 Sale EP
23 - Skyzoo - Peddler Themes
24 - Justo & Showbiz - Black Ops
25 - Kidd Called Quest - Sampleholic 2

Top 25 Hip Hop Songs and Albums For 2016

2016 was a great year for Hip Hop, so I am forced to exclude a lot of good music from these lists. Here is what I consider the best of the best.

Here are my top 25 Hip Hop songs of 2016 - Tribe was #1 this year

1 - A Tribe Called Quest "The Space Program"
2 - Ka "Conflicted"
3 - Superstah Snuk "Still Goin'"
4 - Masta Ace "Coronation"
5 - Westside Gunn "Mr. T"
6 - Elzhi "Cosign"
7 - Ras Kass "Narcos"
8 - Masta Ace "Mothers Regret"
9 - Drake "Views"
10 - Illa Ghee "Shadow of the Streets"
11 - Sadat X "Cut and Dry"
12 - Ras Kass "The Chase"
13 - Illa Ghee "Slum"
14 - Westside Gunn "55 & a Half"
15 - A Tribe Called Quest "The Donald"
16 - Royce 5'9" "The Banjo"
17 - Royce 5'9" "Off"
18 - Kanye West "No More Parties In LA"
19 - Westside Gunn "Dudley Boyz"
20 - Kanye West "Real Friends"
21 - Havoc and The Alchemist "Hear Me Now"
22 - Termanology, Westside Gunn, Conway, Your Old Drog & Statik Selektah "The Curve"
23 - Apollo Brown and Skyzoo "They parked a Bentley on the corner"
24 - Ty Dolla $ign "$"
25 - Game "Can't Wait"

I wish I could have room for these songs as well...

Nolan the Ninja "Abyss"
Superstah Snuk "Falling In Love"
Count Bass D "My Blessing"
No Panty "Built Like This"
Masta Ace "Me & A.G."



Also, I want to share my top 25 Hip Hop albums of 2016 - Tribe was #1 this year

1 - A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service
2 - Masta Ace - The Falling Season (The One I Heard)
3 - Westside Gunn - FLYGOD
4 - Superstah Snuk - Man Of 1000 Styles
5 - Illa Ghee - Illamatic
6 - Kanye West - The Life Of Pablo
7 - Apollo Brown & Skyzoo - The Easy Truth
8 - Elzhi - Lead Poison
9 - Ras Kass - Lyrical Hip-Hop Is Dead EP
10 - Royce da 5' 9" - Layers
11 - Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP
12 - Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered
13 - The Game - 1992
14 - Damu The Fudgemunk - Full Time
15 - Termanology - Cameo King III
16 - De La Soul - And The Anonymous Nobody
17 - Craig G - I Rap And Go Home
18 - Havoc & The Alchemist - The Silent Partner
19 - No Panty - WestSide Highway Story
20 - Meyhem Lauren - Piatto D'Oro
21 - Royce Da 59 - Trust The Shooter
22 - Westside Gunn and Conway - Don't Get Scared Now EP
23 - Nolan The Ninja - He(art)
24 - Hus Kingpin & Smoovth - HNIC
25 - Smoke DZA & Pete Rock - Don't Smoke Rock

Big Twins - King Of New York (2015) sampled The Lovelites - Got To Be There (1999 Re-release of Old Recording)

Artist:  Big Twins
Song:  King Of New York
Year:  2015
Album:  Thrive 2

Even though this album was displaced to #2 of the year by Czarface, this was the sample I wanted to use for the year end wrap up.

Here are my top 25 Hip Hop albums of 2015

25 - The Game - The Documentary 2
24 - The Game - The Documentary 2.5
23 - Maffew Ragazino - Eight Million Stories EP
22 - John Robinson & Chief - We The Prolific
21 - Large Professor - Re Living
20 - Sean Price - Songs In The Key Of Price
19 - Your Old Droog - The Nicest EP
18 - Papoose - You Can't Stop Destiny
17 - Sadat X - Never Left
16 - Edo. G - Afterwords
15 - Dr. Dre - Compton
14 - Paris - Pistol Politics
13 - Scarface - Deeply Rooted
12 - KRS ONE - Now Hear This
11 - The Shady Corps - The Shady Corps LP

And the top 10 Hop Hop albums of 2015

10 - L'Orange & And Kool Keith - Time? Astonishing!
9 - Denmark Vessey - Martin Lucid Dream
8 - Mello Music Group - Persona
7 - Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
6 - Skyzoo - Music For My Friends
5 - MED, Blu and Madlib - Bad Neighbor
4 - Rapper Big Pooh and Apollo Brown - Words Paint Pictures
3 - Ka & Preservation - Days With Dr. Yen Lo
2 - Big Twins - Thrive 2 (Deluxe Edition)
1 - Czarface - Every Hero Needs A Villain


Also, I want to share my top 25 Hip Hop songs of 2015

25 - Rick Ross - Drive a Nigga Crazy
24 - ChrisCo & Black Milk - Life
23 - Curren$y - Opening Credits
22 - The Doppelgangaz - Rox Wid Her
21 - Dom Pachino and Bronze Nazereth - Sin of Tera
20 - Thirstin Howl the 3rd - Nipple In My Mouth
19 - Masta Killa - The Return Of The Masta Kill
18 - Lord Hakim - The Beginning of the End
17 - Run The Jewels - Love Again (Akinyele Back) featuring Gangsta Boo
16 - The Doppelgangaz - Cloak a Ganga Out
15 - Mello Music Group featuring Red Pill and Oh No - The Run
14 - Maffew Ragazino - Summer Nine Five
13 - Freddie Gibbs - Fuckin' Up The Count
12 - Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta
11 - Termanology - World Tour

And the top 10 Hip Hop songs of 2015

10 - Papoose - Obituary 2014
9 - Rapper Big Pooh - Candlelight
8 - Scarface - I Don't Know
7 - Raury featuring Big K.R.I.T. - Forbidden Knowledge
6 - Skyzoo - Things I Should've Told My Friends
5 - MED, Blu and Madlib - Knock Knock (featuring MF DOOM)
4 - Ka & Preservation - Day 13
3 - Big Twins - King of New York
2 - L'Orange & And Kool Keith - This New World (featuring Blu, Montage One and DJ Trackstar)
1 - Czarface - Junkyard Dogs (featuring Juju)


And some songs that I wish I could have fit into the top 25

Thirstin Howl the 3rd - Static In Melbourne
Your Old Droog - We Don't Know You
Statik Selektah - Another Level (featuring Rapsody)
Large Professor - Opulence
Rapper Big Pooh - Kings
Denmark Vessey - Nerd Niggas



Artist:  The Lovelites
Song:  Got To Be There
Year:  1999 Re-release of Old Recording
Album:  The Lovelite Years

This is one of those songs that has been covered by many different artists.  I always love samples from the lesser known versions of the song, like this one.

The Big Twins song expertly chops this beat using samples found at 0:00, 0:14, 0:51, 0:54 and 2:04.

KMD - What A Nigga Know - Remix Vocal (1994) sampled Gil Scott-Heron - Pieces Of A Man (1971)

Artist:  KMD
Song:  What A Nigga Know - Remix Vocal (featuring M.F. Grimm)
Year:  1994
Album:  What A Nigga Know 12-inch Single

This song was released in 1994 on a 12-inch Single and eventually wound up as bonus material on the Black Bastards album.

Artist:  Gil Scott-Heron
Song:  Pieces Of A Man
Year:  1971
Album:  Pieces Of A Man

My distant relative provided another great sample to Hip Hop.  KMD used the 4-bar loop starting at 2:15.

Casual - Later On (LP Version) (1994) sampled Herbie Hancock - Trust Me (1979)

Artist:  Casual
Song:  Later On (LP Version)
Year:  1994
Album:  A Low Down Dirty Shame OST

This song appeared on the soundtrack for the movie "A Low Down Dirty Shame" but I had the 12-inch single with Souls Of Mischief "Get The Girl, Grab The Money & Run" and Extra Prolific "In Front Of The Kids".  All three songs were on the movie soundtrack.

Artist:  Omniscence
Song:  Indeed
Year:  2014
Album:  The God Hour

Omniscence was one of those lyrical punchline guys from the 1990's whose eagerly anticipated album was shelved.  I heard the album years ago but it was released recently on a high quality version.  This song appears on an EP from late last year and he still delivers the goods as if 20 years haven't passed.

Artist:  Herbie Hancock
Song:  Trust Me
Year:  1979
Album:  Feets Don't Fail Me Now

Herbie Hancock was sampled for Casual's 2-bar baseline starting at 1:59.  Another 2-bar sample from 3:15 is heard during the chorus.

Omniscence sampled the 4-bar loop starting at 1:48.

Masta Ace Incorporated - People In My Hood (1995) sampled Al Green - Home Again (1975)

Artist:  Masta Ace Incorporated
Song:  People In My Hood
Year:  1995
Album:  Sittin' On Chrome

Is Masta Ace the best Emcee of all time?  A case can be made to give him a spot in the Top 5, especially when you consider his longevity and success.

Artist:  Smoovth
Song:  Happiness
Year:  2010
Album:  Little Boy Blue

A Representative Sample reader put me on to this song and inspired this post.  Check out this gem.

Artist:  Al Green
Song:  Home Again
Year:  1975
Album:  Livin' For You

The Al Green catalog is huge and it should come as no surprise that I am still learning about samples from his records.

Masta Ace used the one-bar loop from 0:09 and occasionally used the one-bar from 1:09.

The Smoovth song is a masterful chopping job with too many samples to list.  The intro used a short sample from 1:28.  The main part of the song used samples from 1:12 to 1:30 and the end of the song used a sample from 0:56 to 0:59 with some other pieces.

Nas-T Howie - Attic (Original Mix) (1996) sampled Ohio Players - Alone (1975)

Artist:  Nas-T Howie
Song:  Attic (Original Mix)
Year:  1996
Album:  Attic 12-inch Single

Toronto classic.  The only copy of this I have is on an old cassette, so I grabbed this from an online mixtape.

Artist:  Devin The Dude
Song:  Don't Wanna Be Alone
Year:  2007
Album:  Waitin' To Inhale

I should have figured that Devin would sound perfect on the same music.

Artist:  Bahamadia
Song:  Interlude
Year:  1996
Album:  Kollage

DJ Premier produced this track.  Gang Starr liked this Ohio Players album because other songs were sampled for Group Home "So Called Friends" and Gang Starr "Doe In Advance".  Guru Rest In Peace!

Artist:  Ohio Players
Song:  Alone
Year:  1975
Album:  Honey

When I was young and saw my first Ohio Players album, I knew it was going to be good.

Nas-T Howie used the sample from 0:05 to 0:12.

Devin The Dude used the 4-bar loop at 0:15 and also the 4-bar loop at 1:30.

Bahamadia used the 1-bar loop from 3:37.

John Robinson - There She Goes (2008) sampled Ramsey Lewis - Julia (1968)

Artist:  John Robinson
Song:  There She Goes
Year:  2008
Album:  Who Is This Man

I wish there was more jazz in Hip Hop.  This whole album is produced by MF Doom.

Artist:  All Natural
Song:  50 Years
Year:  1998
Album:  No Additives, No Preservatives

I slept on these guys back in the 90s.  I'm only catching up now.

Artist:  The UMC's
Song:  It's Gonna Last
Year:  1991
Album:  Fruits Of Nature

Many dismissed these guys back in 1991 but I was a big fan of their jazzy productions.

Artist:  Ramsey Lewis
Song:  Julia
Year:  1968
Album:  Mother Nature's Son

More Cadet goodness.

John Robinson used the sample at 0:00 for the intro.  The verse combines two bars starting at 0:29 with two bars starting at 0:23.  Sometimes the combination changes to the two bars starting at 0:29 with the two bars starting at 0:34.

All Natural used a similar loop to John Robinson, but most of the time you hear the four-bar loop at 2:15.

Finally, The UMC's used a one-bar loop from 1:22 but added samples from 1:15 and 1:20.

The A.L.L.I.E.S. - Tell Me Where (Can I Go) (2005) sampled Marlena Shaw - Where Can I Go (1969)

Artist:  The A.L.L.I.E.S.
Song:  Tell Me Where (Can I Go)
Year:  2005
Album:  9th Wonder Presents The A.L.L.I.E.S.

This beat blew my mind the first time I heard it.  9th Wonder knows how to get the most out of a sample.

Artist:  Freedom Writers
Song:  Where Can I Go
Year:  2013
Album:  NOW

Toronto is a city of solo artists but this may be the city's best group.  The crew includes Tona, Theology 3, Adam Bomb, Frankie Payne, Progress and Big Sproxx

Artist:  Raekwon (featuring Rick Ross and Ghostface Killah)
Song:  Revory (Wraith)
Year:  2015
Album:  Fly International Luxurious Art

Raekwon and Ghostface Killah on this sample?  That's all I need to know.

Artist:  Marlena Shaw
Song:  Where Can I Go
Year:  1969
Album:  The Spice Of Life

I should have figured this sample was on the Cadet label, always a great source of samples.

The A.L.L.I.E.S. used the four-bar loop starting at 0:00.  Freedom Writers used the same loop.

Raekwon put together different combinations of the 1 bar at 0:00 and the 1 bar at 0:03.  Also, the singing comes from 1:51 to 2:02.

Sauce Money - Pregame (2000) sampled Quincy Jones - Threadbare (Main Title Part III), Aftermath

Artist:  Sauce Money (featuring Jay-Z)
Song:  Pregame
Year:  2000
Album:  Middle Finger U.

I used to think that Sauce Money was going to be a superstar, but unfortunately, he didn't make as large of a dent in Hip Hop as I thought he would.  This album is not as good as I would have expected, but there are some great songs on it, including this one.

...

Artist:  Quincy Jones
Song:  Threadbare (Main Title Part III), Aftermath
Year:  1966
Album:  The Slender Thread (Original Motion Picture Score)

Two different songs on the same soundtrack were sampled to create Sauce Money's song.  The first song below is "Threadbare (Main Title Part III)" and the next one is "Aftermath".  Both samples appear at the very beginning of each song.

...

...

F.T. (Fuc That) - Brolic (2001) sampled Marvin Gaye - "T" Stands For Trouble (1972)

Artist:  F.T. (Fuc That)
Song:  Brolic
Year:  2001
Album:  Rush Hour 2 OST (and 12-inch Single)

An excellent choice for any movie, put F.T. in your next OST.

Artist:  Brand Nubian
Song:  Meaning Of The 5%
Year:  1992
Album:  In God We Trust

Even though Grand Puba left the group for this album, Lord Jamar, Sadat X and DJ Sincere made a classic.

Artist:  Marvin Gaye
Song:  "T" Stands For Trouble
Year:  1972
Album:  Trouble Man Motion Picture Soundtrack

Anything by Marvin Gaye has potential to sample.

F.T. used the samples between 0:21 and 0:25.  Brand Nubian used the one-bar loop at 3:43 for the intro and the one-bar loop at 1:03 for the main part of the song.

Double XX Posse - Not Gonna Be Able To Do It (1992) sampled Buster Williams - Batuki (1975)

Artist:  Double XX Posse
Song:  Not Gonna Be Able To Do It
Year:  1992
Album:  Put Ya Boots On

This is a rare album in 2015, but back in 1992 it was all over college radio.

Artist:  Buster Williams
Song:  Batuki
Year:  1975
Album:  Pinnacle

I still miss the days when Hip Hop had a strong jazz influence.

All of the elements of the one-bar loop appear between 0:01 and 0:03.  The pieces were spaced out nicely to fit in a 4/4 time.  One of the samples repeats, once at a higher pitch and then immediately at a lower pitch.

Ghostface Killah - Beauty Jackson (2006) sampled The Three Degrees - Maybe (1970)

Artist:  Ghostface Killah
Song:  Beauty Jackson
Year:  2006
Album:  Fishscale

One of many gems from a great Ghostface album.

Artist:  J Dilla (Jay Dee)
Song:  Hi.
Year:  2005
Album:  Donuts

The Ghostface instrumental first appeared on J Dilla "Donuts", the instrumental album.

Artist:  The Three Degrees
Song:  Maybe
Year:  1970
Album:  Maybe

The original song is great because it starts with a story before moving into song.

Ghostface and J Dilla both start with the sample from 1:43 to 2:00.  The loop during the song is made up of chopped pieces from 1:48, 0:05, 0:07, 0:10 and 0:11.

Common - Invocation (1997) sampled Jimmy Ponder - Jennifer (1976)

Artist:  Common
Song:  Invocation
Year:  1997
Album:  One Day It'll All Make Sense

It's a short introduction type of song but was my favourite on this album.

Artist:  MF Grimm
Song:  Scars And Memories
Year:  2005
Album:  Scars & Memories

This song proves that any loop lifted from Jimmy Ponder's "Jennifer" will sound good.

Artist:  Jimmy Ponder
Song:  Jennifer
Year:  1976
Album:  Illusions

A song full of samples, I have enjoyed listening to this for over 20 years.

The Common sample is a two-bar loop at 2:38.  Occasionally, the sample at 2:45 comes in for a bar and then the short sample from 2:42 plays before going back to the main loop.

MF Grimm used the four-bar loop from 0:56.

Choclair - Back Where I've Stayed (2003) sampled Michael Jackson - I Wanna Be Where You Are (1971)

Artist:  Choclair
Song:  Back Where I've Stayed
Year:  2003
Album:  Not Officially Released

The version of this song that appears on the Flagrant album is not the one that Torontonians know and love.  This original version was produced by Tone Mason and received a lot of local radio play.

Artist:  C-Rayz Walz
Song:  The Art Of Energy
Year:  2009
Album:  Who The F%@k Are You?

Here's a more recent song that stayed true to the same sample.

Artist:  Michael Jackson
Song:  I Wanna Be Where You Are
Year:  1971
Album:  Got To Be There

The Choclair sample is a two-bar loop from 0:00.  Four bars of singing from 0:33 were also used in the chorus.

C-Rayz Walz used the same two-bars from 0:00 but repeats the first bar multiple times before using the second bar.

Tone Mason - The Throwback (2004) sampled The Impressions - We Must Be In Love (1970)

Artist:  Tone Mason (featuring Brassmunk, G Stokes and Graph Nobel)
Song:  The Throwback
Year:  2004
Album:  Not Officially Released

This song received a lot of radio play in Toronto back in 2004.

Artist:  J Dilla (featuring Pharoahe Monch)
Song:  Love
Year:  2006
Album:  The Shining

February always marks J Dilla's passing, so this song was just on the radio.

Artist:  The Impressions
Song:  We Must Be In Love
Year:  1970
Album:  Check Out Your Mind!

The Tone Mason sample is the easy one.  It's the two-bar loop at 0:04.  The loop is extended by another two bars for the introduction.  The J Dilla song is harder to break down.  The chorus is the two-bar sample at 1:52.  The rest of the song uses chopped pieces.  The easiest one to hear is the one-bar sample at 1:50 which is heard during the verses.

Hassaan Mackey - War (2007, 2014) sampled Eddie Floyd - Whatcha Gonna Do With My Heart (1973)

Artist:  Hassaan Mackey
Song:  War
Year:  2007, 2014
Album:  Soul For Sale, That Grit

I remember seeing a Youtube video years ago of Kev Brown taking an Eddie Floyd record, chopping up the sample and starting to rhyme on it.  I was pleased to find out that it became a Kev Brown produced song by Hassaan Mackey released in 2007 and re-released in 2014.

Artist:  Eddie Floyd
Song:  Whatcha Gonna Do With My Heart
Year:  1973
Album:  Baby Lay Your Head Down

The sample is a 4-bar loop made up of various pieces.  Bar 1 is the four beats starting at 0:00.  Bar 2 has the 3 beats from 0:05 and 1 beat from 0:09.  Bar 3 is 3 beats from 0:15 then 1 beat from 0:00.  Bar 4 is the same as bar 2.

Mobb Deep - Keepin' It Real (1994) sampled Bob James - Feel Like Making Love (1974)

Artist:  Mobb Deep
Song:  Keepin' It Real
Year:  1994
Album:  The Infamous Demo Tape

Honorary mentions to "Hazardous" by Godfather Don and "Can't Stop Rockin' (Tribute) (Goldfinger's Remix)" by Jemini The Gifted One, but I want to highlight those who sampled this song the best. Imagine if this song had made it on to The Infamous album? Perfection might have been even better. Excuse the sound quality, it's from their demo cassette.

Artist:  Termanology (featuring Skyzoo, Torae and Reks)
Song:  Get Away
Year:  2014
Album:  Shut Up And Rap

This is the song that inspired the blog post.  I was listening to this for the past 2 months constantly.  Termanology has a good ear for music to put his killer flow on.  This song has a good video as well.

Artist:  Rapper Big Pooh
Song:  My Mind
Year:  2005
Album:  Sleepers

Sleepers is a classic album, in part because of this song.

Artist:  Main Source
Song:  Scratch & Kut
Year:  1991
Album:  Breaking Atoms

Speaking of classic albums, this song uses a different sample, a one-bar loop that could repeat forever and still sound good.

Artist:  Bob James
Song:  Feel Like Making Love
Year:  1974
Album:  One

I don't even know where to start with this album, it has been sampled hundreds of times.  I still remember the first time I heard this record back in Hip Hop's golden era.  The Mobb Deep and Termanology sample is the four-bar loop from 0:00.  The Rapper Big Pooh sample appears at 4:11.  The Main Source loop is the one bar at 1:16. 

CRU - Nuthin' But (1997) sampled Gotham - Behind The Wall (1972)

Artist:  CRU
Song:  Nuthin' But
Year:  1997
Album:  Da Dirty 30

Rhythm Blunt Cru knockin' at the door.  I'm still hoping for a Mighty Ha solo album.

Artist:  Lords Of The Underground
Song:  Magic
Year:  2014
Album:  LOTUG 20: The 20th Anniversary Collection, Vol. 1

L.O.T.U.G. and Marley Marl create some of that old magic.  Looking forward to more material in 2015.

Artist:  Gotham
Song:  Behind The Wall
Year:  1972
Album:  Pass The Butter

What a great album cover.  Both songs sampled the two-bar loop at 0:12.