Real Live - Ain't No Love (1996) sampled Freddie Hubbard - Little Sunflower (1979)

Artist:  Real Live
Song:  Ain't No Love
Year:  1996
Album:  The Turnaround: The Long Awaited Drama (on CD known as The Turnaround: A Long Awaited Drama)

I recently heard a song called "One Life" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & Ayah featuring Toronto's own Tona.  It used the same Freddie Hubbard sample that Real Live used, but won't be posted here because I want to highlight the two songs that made me originally search for this loop.  "Ain't No Love" is a great use of the sample, K-Def created a masterpiece here.  I highly recommend this album.

Artist:  A Tribe Called Quest
Song:  The Love
Year:  1998
Album:  The Love Movement

Real Live is letting you know that there Ain't No Love.  A Tribe Called Quest is all about The Love.  Freddie Hubbard is sharing The Love Connection.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Artist:  Freddie Hubbard
Song:  Little Sunflower
Year:  1979
Album:  The Love Connection

I want to reiterate that I'm a big Freddie Hubbard fan.  Al Jarreau joins in on the vocals for this classic song sometimes known as "Sunflower".  The Real Live sample occurs at 0:02 and extends for the length of a 2-bar loop.  The A Tribe Called Quest sample starts right at 0:00 and extends for a 4-bar loop.

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.

Pete Rock - Something Funky (2001) sampled Ahmad Jamal - Misdemeanor (1974)

Artist:  Pete Rock
Song:  Something Funky
Year:  2001
Album:  PeteStrumentals

"I get more raw and hot."  I really like how Pete Rock sampled The Large Professor's "The LP" album before it was widely distributed.  However, the sample being discussed here occurs at 0:14, 1:07, 2:12 and 3:16 (Ahmad Jamal playing the keys).  I consider this to be the last album released before Hip Hop had moved onto the Internet.

Artist:  Gang Starr
Song:  Soliloquy Of Chaos
Year:  1992
Album:  Daily Operation

I remember playing this song right before my first football tryouts.  1992 was full of great music.  How about a Daily Operation 20th Anniversary Edition?  Please include the DWYCK Horny Instrumental.

Artist:  Black Moon
Song:  Black Smif-N-Wessun
Year:  1993
Album:  Enta Da Stage

I'm starting to think that every song on this album will wind up on this blog.

Artist:  Ahmad Jamal
Song:  Misdemeanor
Year:  1974
Album:  Jamalca

In chronological order, the Black Moon samples come first.  The 1-bar loop heard throughout the song is at 0:01 and once in a while they use the 1-bar starting at 0:04.  Immediately after the Black Moon samples comes the 1-bar loop used by Gang Starr at 0:07.  Pete Rock waited for a while before he lifted the 2-bar loop at 3:02.

Kool G Rap - In Too Deep (2011) sampled The True Reflection - Whisper (1973)

Artist:  Kool G Rap
Song:  In Too Deep
Year:  2011
Album:  Riches, Royalty, Respect (also known as Riches, Royalty & Respect)

Kool G Rap has been getting my close attention for 20-plus years now.  Even though in 2011 he doesn't have the funny jokes and punchlines, I still like this older and wiser version.  He sounds great on this beat.

Artist:  9th Wonder
Song:  Third Person
Year:  2005
Album:  Dream Merchant Volume 1

I saw 9th Wonder and Little Brother do a question and answer session live many summers ago when they were just beginning to become popular.  They all made a good impression and I have been enjoying the music they have all made since.  9th Wonder is one of my top 10 producers of all time, the others are (in no particular order):  Madlib, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, The Alchemist, J Dilla, Dr. Dre, Da Beatminerz, Large Professor and The Bomb Squad.  How about 11-20?  Beatnuts, Lord Finesse, Q-Tip, DJ Quik, Havoc, Sir Jinx, Erick Sermon, RZA, K-Def and Marley Marl.  I hope to get all 20 on this blog.

Artist:  The True Reflection
Song:  Whisper
Year:  1973
Album:  Where I'm Coming From

Kool G Rap's intro is some singing that begins at 1:05.  The remainder of the song is a 4-bar loop that starts at 3:39.  9th Wonder took a different sample.  He created a 2-bar loop that begins with the sample from 2:20 - 2:23, takes a pause and then follows with the sample from 2:18 - 2:20 (which naturally connects with the beginning of the 2-bar loop).

Tha Alkaholiks - WLIX (1995) sampled Freddie Hubbard and Ilhan Mimaroglu - Interlude II (1971)

Artist:  Tha Alkaholiks
Song:  WLIX
Year:  1995
Album:  Coast II Coast

This might be a world premier.  Obscure samples are really exciting to find.  Madlib digs deep in the crates and that's why he's a top-10 producer.  I found the supporting sample (appears in WLIX at 1:25, 2:21, etc.) and I suspect the main sample is also from the same "song".

Artist:  Freddie Hubbard and Ilhan Mimaroglu
Song:  Interlude II
Year:  1971
Album:  Sing Me A Song Of Songmy - A Fantasy For Electromagnetic Tape

Freddie Hubbard's trumpet is distinctive, almost like it's his voice.  I dig Freddie Hubbard so much that I listened to this abstract record.  Here is some experimental jazz, more sound effects than music.  The supporting sample appears at 2:21.  The main sample is more difficult to prove because I think Madlib mapped it to a keyboard and played it.  The source note appears at 3:10.

Black Moon - I Got Cha Opin (1993) sampled Ten Wheel Drive With Genya Ravan - Come Live With Me (1970)

Artist:  Black Moon
Song:  I Got Cha Opin
Year:  1993
Album:  Enta Da Stage

"All We Do Is Spark Mad Izm" takes me back to how 1993 felt.  I like how this song sounds like a smoky jazz lounge.

Artist:  Flipmode Squad
Song:  We Got U Opin (Part 2) Featuring Buckshot
Year:  1998
Album:  The Imperial

I appreciate Busta Rhymes more now than I did back then because he put way more effort than most Emcees into how the lyrics were delivered.  This version is more polished than Black Moon's.

Artist:  Ten Wheel Drive With Genya Ravan
Song:  Come Live With Me
Year:  1970
Album:  Brief Replies

There are many artists who have recorded a good song with "Come Live With Me" in the title:  Isaac Hayes, Dorothy Ashby and Marvin Gaye to name a few.  Here is one more with the sample located at 1:54.

The Alchemist - Tick Tock (2003) sampled Side Effect - The Loneliest Man In Town (1981)

Artist:  The Alchemist
Song:  Tick Tock (Featuring Nas)
Year:  2003
Album:  Insomnia - 1st Infantry Mixtape Vol. 2

Although there are too many to choose from, I think that this is my favourite song by The Alchemist.  I like this version with Nas because it feels like a mixtape cut due to its length, mix and Slick Rick at the beginning.  Also, the mixtape cover is pretty funny.

Artist:  The Alchemist
Song:  Tick Tock (Featuring Nas and Prodigy)
Year:  2004
Album:  1st Infantry

Some beats are so good that they demand a new version with another Emcee:  Enter Prodigy.  The song now sounds like an album cut with a little more work put into it.  Unfortunately, Nas's mic sounds better than Prodigy's.

Artist:  Side Effect
Song:  The Loneliest Man In Town
Year:  1981
Album:  Portraits

The Alchemist was pretty clever in creating a four-bar loop for both versions of his song.  The sample from 0:08 - 0:18 is played to make up around 3 of the 4 bars and the final bar is the sample from 0:11 - 0:15 (a subset of the larger sample).  The reason why I like this is because he alternates two different notes at the beginning of bar 1 and bar 3 and two different sounds at the 3rd beat of bars 1 and 3.  The sample at 0:00 is used only in the album version of the song at the beginning and also when Prodigy's verse ends.