Sample Breakdowns of Nas, J Dilla, Nujabes, Jay-Z, Mobb Deep & More

Nujabes never ceased to amaze with his music. With an unparalleled ear for emotion and feeling in samples, his modal soul became a prototype for what we now know as lo-fi and chillhop. ‘Reflection Eternal’ is arguably his most beautiful track. All he took was a contemporary piece from 2000 by Japanese pianist Kose Noriko, and two vocal bits off ‘Marie’ by American singer Kenny Rankin. Legendary jazz saxophonist Stan Getz once described Rankin as “a horn with a heartbeat.” The same could be said about the late great Japanese producer: every single hit on his MPC 2500, every selected sample, and every melody and groove was full of heart and soul.

Producers 88-Keys, Mike Dean and Kanye himself tied together a prog-rock riff by Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera with a heavy drum from 60s/70s UK rock band Spooky Tooth. The story goes that 88-Keys found Manzanera’s K-Scope record in a bargain bin, and presented it as part of a selection of 10 ideas to ‘Ye and Jay. It made the cut, and ‘No Church In The Wild’ even landed the throne-watchers a Grammy. Phil Manzanera, on his turn, covered ‘No Church In The Wild’ for his The Sound of Blue album four years later, completing the sample’s cycle.

In an old interview, DJ Premier shared that the day he made the beat for ‘Nas Is Like’, he wanted to toss the original classical music record in the garbage. “But something told me, ‘before you throw it away, put it on the turntable to see if you can find something on it,’” he said in his 14 Deadly Secrets radio show back in 2008. “And I found that sample of ‘Nas Is Like,’ I broke it into three parts, scratched it live to the drumbeat that I already had (...) and from there, ‘Nas Is Like’ was born.” Sounds like an easy job done, but it still took people nearly a decade to officially unearth 'What Child Is This?' by John V. Rydgren & Bob R. Way as the song’s original sample.

It took diggers and hip-hop heads alike over a decade and a half to figure out the sample on Mobb Deep’s ‘Shook Ones (Part II)’: an ingeniously slowed-down and pitch-changing piano sample of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Jessica.’ However, another track from their 1995 The Infamousalbum wins the crate-digging crown: it took another three and a half years (till 2014, to be exact) before YouTube user SaintsIV solved the secret: in a similar manner as on 'Shook Ones (Part II),' Havoc isolated and slowed down a piano riff off 'Skylark' by The Barry Harris Trio & Al Cohn.

Also interesting to know: the original version of ‘Survival Of The Fittest’ sampled James Brown for the chorus, of him going “Gotta get over before we get under!’ off ‘Funky President.’ That got scrapped due to the high rate the publishers wanted for it. If only Tracklib was around in 1995...

"This is what actually goes on in my head,” expressed ‘Duckworth’ producer 9th Wonder about our Sample Breakdown. This is what I see, hear, and feel. I see shapes and colors. Thank you, @Tracklib. This is brilliant." So now you know: that’s how he visualizes the loop of that Climax Blues Band drum break, combined with the Ted Taylor vocal chop. As part of the beat switch-up bonanza called ‘Duckworth.’

The 12-minute, Like-produced storytelling opus ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst’ was built around pieces off ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ by jazz guitarist and composer Grant Green. As well as a drum break off ‘Use Me’ by recently departed soul legend, Bill Withers. A year prior to releasing the groundbreaking Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Kendrick released a song called ‘Don’t Understand’ for XXL's 2011 Freshman Class: The Mixtape. That track sampled the same Grant Green song, and tells the original story about his friend Dave’s brother, continued in ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst.’

Not a single note in J Dilla’s productions is wasted. Every unquantized drum, any loop, every fill, and every melody is placed with intent. His flip of “I Can’t Stand (To See You Cry)” by The Escorts (originally a track by The Whatnauts from 1973) is a perfect example. Dilla deconstructs the song and remodels it into a new structure. Even creating a new bassline while he’s at it.

For years, there were rumors that French production duo Daft Punk sampled music from disco artist Eddie Johns without approval. There wasn’t a mention of 1979’s “More Spell On You” in the liner notes of Daft Punk’s Discovery album, while all other samples were in fact mentioned. But it took till seven years after the release, before VIBE Magazine revealed the fact it was actually all cleared and legal.

On top of the legendary Impeach the President break, J. Cole gave the chipmunk treatment to Family Circle’s “Mariya.” The song from 1973 was previously also sampled for tracks by The Game & Cappadonna. “Wet Dreamz” was part of J. Cole’s third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. The self-produced track was originally planned to appear on J. Cole’s debut album, but didn’t make the final cut. Half a decade later, soul music still seems to be a go-to genre for Cole, as the Tracklib sample he used together with producer T-Minus also shows.

EPMD, J Dilla, Jay-Z, Nas, Big Daddy Kane, and countless of others found their way to sample the iconic Philadelphia soul of The Stylistics. And so did producer 9th Wonder for Little Brother’s “Lovin’ It.” The slowed-down sample of “One Night Affair” soulfully layered with thumping bass and drums makes for a perfect case of that mid-noughties Little Brother sound. “What’s that joint 9th sampling / Pooh and ‘Te on the mic, them bastards them…” Lovin’ it? The vast catalog of Philly Groove on Tracklib boasts the same taste of soul as The Stylistics.