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. 

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Broken (2014) sampled Isaac Hayes - Wherever You Are (1980)

Artist:  Freddie Gibbs & Madlib (featuring Scarface)
Song:  Broken
Year:  2014
Album:  Piñata

Here are my top 25 Hip Hop albums of 2014:

25.  Prince Po and Oh No - Animal Serum
24.  Termanology - Shut Up And Rap
23.  Shabaam Sahdeeq - Keepers Of The Lost Art
22.  Onyx & Snowgoons - #WakeDaFucUp
21.  The Alchemist and Budgie - The Good Book
20.  MindsOne & Kev Brown - Pillars
19.  Mayhem Lauren and Buckwild - Silk Pyramids
18.  Ghostface Killah - 36 Seasons
17.  The Eastsidaz and Snoop Dogg - That's My Work 4
16.  Cormega - Mega Philosophy
15.  Your Old Droog - Your Old Droog
14.  J Rawls - The Legacy
13.  Kev Brown Presents Hassaan Mackey - That Grit
12.  Opio & Equipto - Red XX
11.  Ed O.G - After All These Years

My top 10 Hip Hop albums of 2014

10.  Royce Da 5'9" & DJ Premier - PRhyme
9.  Statik Selektah - #WHATGOESAROUND
8.  Planet Asia & Tzarizm - Via Satellite
7.  Cam'ron - 1st Of The Month, Box Set
6.  The Dopplegangaz - Peace Kehd
5.  Blu - Good To Be Home
4.  Curren$y - The Drive In Theatre
3.  Apollo Brown and Ras Kass - Blasphemy
2.  Step Brothers (Alchemist and Evidence) - Lord Steppington
1.  Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata

The level of lyricism and production on Piñata was unmatched in 2014. I also liked how every song title on this album is one word.




Artist:  Onyx
Song:  Live Niguz
Year:  1995
Album:  All We Got Iz Us

This was considered the commercial song from this dark album but I thought it was a great song and changed up the vibe of the album for the better. 

Artist:  Isaac Hayes
Song:  Wherever You Are
Year:  1980
Album:  And Once Again

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib used the four-bar loop at 0:01.  Onyx only used the second half of the same sample, the two-bar loop starting at 0:08. 

Here are my top 25 Hip Hop songs of 2014:

25.  Skyzoo & Torae - Blue Yankee Fitted
24.  Ab-Soul - Stigmata (featuring Action Bronson and Asaad)
23.  The Eastsidaz and Snoop Dogg - Bottom Girl
22.  J Rawls - Bills (featuring Masta Ace)
21.  Planet Asia & Tzarizm - Via Satellite
20.  Lil' Kim - Stadium Music (featuring Yo Gotti)
19.  Mayhem Lauren and Buckwild - Can't Fuck 'Em All
18.  Skyzoo & Torae - Rediscover (featuring Blu)
17.  Apollo Brown - Heaven at Last
16.  Ed O.G - Make Music
15.  Opio & Equipto - Love It All
14.  John Robinson & PVD - Kiss The Sky
13.  Common - Rewind That
12.  Apollo Brown & Ras Kass - Impossible Dream
11.  Blu - The Return

My top 10 Hip Hop songs of 2014:

10.  Blu - Whip Creme (Part One)
9.  The Dopplegangaz - Live Rugged
8.  The Roots - When The People Cheer
7.  MindsOne & Kev Brown - Manipulated
6.  The Eastsidaz and Snoop Dogg - Me & Mines
5.  Royce Da 5'9" & DJ Premier - U Looz
4.  Apollo Brown & Ras Kass - H2O
3.  Cam'ron - Soulplane
2.  Step Brothers - More Wins
1.  Curren$y - Stolen

Honorary Mentions
Cormega - More
Homeboy Sandman - Problems
Opio & Equipto - Faris Wheel
Sim-E - Sole Progression (featuring Roc Marciano)
Statik Selektah - What Goes Around
Onyx & Snowgoons - We Don't Fuckin Care

Mobb Deep (1st Infantry) - Fourth Of July sampled Brothers By Choice - Take A Little More (1978)

Artist:  Mobb Deep (1st Infantry)
Song:  Fourth Of July
Year:  2003
Album:  Free Agents: The Murda Mixtape

Prodigy is on the chorus and this song appears on a Mobb Deep album, but it is really a 1st Infantry track on the bonus disc.  1st Infantry is Alchemist, Evidence and Big Twins.  Great combination.

Artist:  MED
Song:  Yeah
Year:  2005
Album:  Push Comes To Shove

This is a good album full of beats by Madlib and J Dilla. 

Artist:  Brothers By Choice
Song:  Take A Little More
Year:  1978
Album:  Brothers By Choice

Mobb Deep used the one-bar loop from 0:13 and the four-bar loop from 0:00.

MED used chopped pieces to form a half-bar loop that is kept interesting with more samples from the same four-bars starting at 0:00. 

Extra Prolific - Searching (1996) sampled Isaac Hayes - You're In My Arms Again (1974)

Artist:  Extra Prolific
Song:  Searching
Year:  1996
Album:  2 For 15

Hey Snupe, you should be honoured that I selected you for the 100th post on this blog.  Another selection from one of my favourite albums.  Extra Prolific had a knack for great samples. 

Artist:  Isaac Hayes
Song:  You're In My Arms Again
Year:  1974
Album:  Truck Turner OST

The great thing about this sample is that the original song is in 3/4 time but the Hip Hop song is in 4/4 time.  This means that a beat gets repeated twice to expand the length of the sample.  Most of the song uses the sample from 0:22.  The sample starting at 0:33 is used as well to change things up. 

Hurricane G - Milky (1991) sampled Barbara Mason - Give Me Your Love (1972)

Artist:  Hurricane G
Song:  Milky
Year:  1991
Album:  Not Officially Released

I didn't hear this song until years later, but it would have increased my Hit Squad devotion.  I always wished that Hurricane G and Knucklehedz dropped official albums in early 1993 to continue the momentum that Hit Squad built up throughout 1992.  Sadly, this song didn't make the Hurricane G album that surfaced in 1997.  Check out the Erick Sermon and Redman verse at the end of this song.

Artist:  EPMD
Song:  Can't Hear Nothing But The Music
Year:  1992
Album:  Business Never Personal

Maybe this tune was created because Erick Sermon had to let most of us hear this sample. 

Artist:  Barbara Mason
Song:  Give Me Your Love
Year:  1972
Album:  Give Me Your Love

This song is another version of the one I know from Curtis Mayfield on the Super Fly OST.  The two-bar loop starting at 0:00 is heard in the chorus for Hurricane G and EPMD.