Ras Kass - Life & Bullshit (2005) sampled Leon Ware - Instant Love (1976)

Artist:  Ras Kass
Song:  Life & Bullshit
Year:  2005
Album:  Institutionalized

I heard this song for the first time in the summer of 2005 and loved it, but the same beat was used that same summer by another artist.  Years earlier, Ras Kass put out a song called "Home Sweet Home" and Jadakiss released the same beat with "We Gonna Make It".  I heard that Alchemist initially produced "Home Sweet Home" for Ras Kass but later sold it to Jadakiss because Ras Kass's label didn't pay up.

Artist:  Tragedy Khadafi
Song:  The Game
Year:  2005
Album:  Thug Matrix

I don't know the story for why Tragedy Khadafi also put out a song with the same music around the same time.  It may be a coincidence in this case because Havoc produced this gem (Havoc is one of the most underrated producers in the game).  Ras Kass's version is produced by someone else but it sounds almost identical.

Artist:  Leon Ware
Song:  Instant Love
Year:  1976
Album:  Musical Massage

I consider this to be the Marvin Gaye album that should have been.  Leon Ware could have given any of these tracks to Marvin Gaye but he instead chose to sing over them himself.  I recommend this album for baby-making.  The Ras Kass and Tragedy Khadafi songs both use the same three elements: an introduction sampled from the 1:54 mark, a main verse loop from 1:20 and an alternative verse loop from 1:43 (includes some singing - "instant love, like we're feeling".

Pete Rock - Strange Fruit (1998) sampled David Axelrod - The Smile (1968)

Artist:  Pete Rock
Song:  Strange Fruit
Year:  1998
Album:  Soul Survivor

Continuing the Pete Rock and Sticky Fingaz collaboration from my last post, here is another jewel.  Pete Rock assembled a diverse and interesting cast for this haunting beat:  Tragedy Khadafi, Cappadonna and Sticky Fingaz (sounds great here).

Artist:  Lord Finesse
Song:  Actual Facts
Year:  1995
Album:  The Awakening (Hidden Bonus Track)

Three years earlier, Lord Finesse assembled an All-Star team on a similar beat:  Sadat X, Large Professor and Grand Puba.

Artist:  Royce Da 5'9"
Song:  Shake This
Year:  2009
Album:  Street Hop

There is some good music in the David Axelrod song outside of the piano samples and Royce Da 5'9" took advantage of that.

Artist:  David Axelrod
Song:  The Smile
Year:  1968
Album:  Song Of Innocence

David Axelrod is responsible for some of the greatest Hiphop samples.  I also admire him for the concepts he brings to his albums (i.e. religion, environmentalism, etc.).  Pete Rock used two samples:  The two note piano sample located at 3:08 and the other piano at 3:13.  Lord Finesse used the 2-bar loop starting at 3:07 and added to that foundation.  Royce Da 5'9" used 4 samples.  The first is for his chorus, it appears at the 1:16 mark, but he also uses the note at 1:27 to start subsequent loops.  The verse uses three samples as it builds, located at 2:01, 2:09 and 2:19.

Onyx - Shout (Pete Rock Remix) (1996) sampled Hubert Laws - Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again (1976)

Artist:  Onyx
Song:  Shout (Pete Rock Remix)
Year:  1996
Album:  Not officially released

I don't know much about this song's history.  What I do know is that I first heard it on a Chubby Chub mixtape from 1996 called "Get Dirty".  I'm assuming it is an unreleased song that has been later unofficially released.  Nice beat from Pete Rock.

Artist:  Onyx
Song:  Shout (Album Version)
Year:  1995
Album:  All We Got Iz Us

I like when a song and its remix are sampled from the same source.  The album version of Shout sounds similar to the remix.

Artist:  Ras Kass
Song:  Drama
Year:  1996
Album:  Soul On Ice

A Coolio appearance on the blog!  Ras Kass invites Coolio to rhyme on his classic album and I think that Coolio never sounded better.  It goes without saying that Ras Kass is in my Top 10 Emcees of all time.

Artist:  Hubert Laws
Song:  Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again
Year:  1976
Album:  Romeo & Juliet

A member of the Creed Taylor crew, Hubert Laws has been sampled a lot.  The Pete Rock Remix of "Shout" uses the sample located at 5:37 and repeats it before letting the rest of the loop play.  The album version of "Shout" uses the loop at 5:35, you can hear flute at the beginning, and I think they played the bassline, copying the notes from the sample at 1:47.  Finally, the Ras Kass used the loop at 1:38.

Redman - Bobyahed2dis (1994) sampled Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds - Fallin' In Love (1975)

Artist:  Redman
Song:  Bobyahed2dis
Year:  1994
Album:  Dare Iz A Darkside

November 1994 was the "Month of the Man" when Def Jam released Redman and Method Man albums.  I still remember hearing this song for the first time in my friend JOS's studio.  I like how this song muddies the sample and makes it fit with the concept of this album.  I think Redman enhanced the bass.

Artist:  Downtown Science
Song:  Room To Breathe
Year:  1991
Album:  Downtown Science

More Def Jam goodness.  I slept on this album when it came out but I shouldn't have because I knew it was Sam Sever's group.  The exact same sample as Redman but it can be heard more clearly in this song.

Artist:  Drake
Song:  Best I Ever Had
Year:  2009
Album:  So Far Gone

Can-Con!  The CRTC did not force me to add Canadian Content to the blog, I'm proud to say that Drake is Canadian.  Only a handful of Toronto artists have ever had American exposure, but none like Drake.  I always thought that Kardinal Offishall and Saukrates would be the chosen ones.  Drake used a different sample from the same source and chopped it.

Artist:  Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Song:  Fallin' In Love
Year:  1975
Album:  Fallin' In Love

I was in a bar in 1996 and this song was playing in the background.  That's when I realized that music played in bars, grocery stores and elevators is pretty good.  The Redman and Downtown Science sample occurs at 0:18.  Drake's intro occurs at 0:09.  The rest of the Drake song follows this pattern:  3 hits of the sample at 0:00, 4 hits of the sample at 0:03, 3 hits of the sample at 0:06 and 3 hits of the sample at 0:09.

Mic Geronimo - Masta I.C. (1995) sampled Gene Harris - Rebato Summer (1974)

Artist:  Mic Geronimo
Song:  Masta I.C.
Year:  1995
Album:  The Natural

I remember when a local university radio station host left his show, he put this song on and set it to repeat until the next host showed up.  It looped for hours.  I enjoyed it because commercial radio won't do that.

Artist:  Gene Harris
Song:  Rebato Summer
Year:  1974
Album:  AstralSignal (also known as Astral Signal)

Here is one of the few jazz album covers without the artist's name written on it.  Come to think of it, not many jazz musicians play interludes between songs.  This is an interlude and you can hear one song fading out at the beginning and another song starting as the interlude ends.  The sample starts at 0:06.

Group Home - Up Against the Wall (Low Budget Mix) (1995) sampled Isaac Hayes - Windows of the World (1973)

Artist:  Group Home
Song:  Up Against the Wall (Low Budget Mix)
Year:  1995
Album:  Livin' Proof

I don't think anybody likes Group Home as much as I do.  From this album to "East NY Theory" and "Express", they had a great early run.  Many are critical of their lyrics but I enjoy the overall sonic experience.  If anyone knows who was sampled for the chorus "Such a pity, but living in the city is like living in the times of Frank Nitti", please let me know in the comments.

Artist:  Isaac Hayes
Song:  Windows of the World
Year:  1973
Album:  Live at the Sahara Tahoe

This record has a great cover because you can open the doors to reveal a picture of Isaac Hayes performing.  This guy was an icon and it seemed crazy when he and Bernie Mac passed away in the same weekend.  The sample occurs at 1:30.

213 - Lonely Girl (2004) sampled Bohannon - It's Time for Peace (1972)

Artist:  213
Song:  Lonely Girl
Year:  2004
Album:  The Hard Way

I'm posting this to pay respect to the recently fallen Nate Dogg.  He had the golden voice.  R.I.P.  In 1993 and 1994 when I was listening to Snoop Doggy Dogg "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)", this 213 album was what I wanted.  Better late than never, it's a must-have for G-Funk aficionados.

Artist:  Bohannon
Song:  It's Time for Peace
Year:  1972
Album:  Stop & Go

Ultramagnetic MC's Kool Keith said in "Checkin My Style" that "I don't NEED Bohannon".  I figured it to be a compliment and then discovered Hamilton Bohannon's catalog.  All the samples occur during the first 8 seconds.  The 213 intro pieces together the samples at the 0:02, 0:04 and 0:06 marks.  The rest of the song uses the first eight seconds for bars 1-3 and repeats the section from 0:06-0:08 for bar 4.  Of course, 213 added the essential G-Funk elements to the production.