Music
9/21/20
This category of my blog will focus on the elements of the "makes me feel something" category, as well as the "helps me connect with others" category, because I feel that music is a great way to achieve both of these things. In the following posts I will go into depth about the chosen song, discussing the artist(s), the producer, what samples the song contains, and other aspects of the song. My friend and I have compiled a playlist that contains songs that used samples that stuck out to us. If you want to access our playlist, we have both Apple Music and Spotify links here: https://linktr.ee/awash4 .For my first blog post on this topic, it's only right that I highlight a song from one of the most influential artists in rap: Kanye West. Kanye is one of the top artists when it comes to sampling older songs in his beats, which have been used by himself as well as many other famous artists. While Kanye has many songs that contain incredible samples, this post will focus on "Spaceship" by Kanye West featuring GLC & Consequence. "Spaceship" appears on Kanye's first studio album, The College Dropout, which released in 2004 under Jay-Z's label, Roc-A-Fella Records. In "Spaceship", Kanye samples Distant Lover by Marvin Gaye. Released in 1973, "Distant Lover" is the sixth song on Gaye's album Let's Get It On. Kanye also produced this song, as he does with almost all of his albums. Overall, “Spaceship” is one of my favorite songs by Kanye and definitely helped his album The College Dropout go triple platinum in 2015. The second song that I want to highlight is a song from one of the, if not the most popular artists in the world, Drake. Along with Kanye, Drake has tons of songs that contain great samples, but today the focus is on “Weston Road Flows”. “Weston Road Flows” appeared on Drake’s fourth studio album, Views. The beat for “Weston Road Flows” was created by Drake’s producer and member of the OVO crew, Noah “40” Shebib. Steven Vidal, also known as Stwo, also helped Shebib create this beat, which would be Stwo’s first ever production credit. In the beat, Shebib and Stwo sample the great Mary J. Blige’s track, “Mary’s Joint”. Released in 1994 on Blige’s album My Life, “Mary’s Joint” helped My Life reach number seven on the Billboard 200 chart. Eventually, in 1995, My Life was certified triple platinum, indicating 3,000,000 copies sold in the United States. Along with “Mary’s Joint”, Drake sampled elements from two other places. First, Drake sampled lyrics from “Money Can’t Buy Me Happiness (Part 1)” by Jelleestone, which was released in 2001. Second, Drake samples a line from a viral internet video. The video, which was first uploaded to Instagram by @youngbusco, shows a man poking fun at a police officer's ugly shoes, exclaiming “What are those?” as he points the camera towards the officers feet. The video then made its way to the now extinct video sharing platform Vine, where it amassed an incredible 38,000,000 views. Views, which Drake released in April of 2016, eventually went six times platinum, indicating an astounding 6,000,000+ copies sold. I hope you enjoyed the first installment of my music series. Stay tuned for more coming soon!
This category of my blog will focus on the elements of the "makes me feel something" category, as well as the "helps me connect with others" category, because I feel that music is a great way to achieve both of these things. In the following posts I will go into depth about the chosen song, discussing the artist(s), the producer, what samples the song contains, and other aspects of the song. My friend and I have compiled a playlist that contains songs that used samples that stuck out to us. If you want to access our playlist, we have both Apple Music and Spotify links here: https://linktr.ee/awash4 .For my first blog post on this topic, it's only right that I highlight a song from one of the most influential artists in rap: Kanye West. Kanye is one of the top artists when it comes to sampling older songs in his beats, which have been used by himself as well as many other famous artists. While Kanye has many songs that contain incredible samples, this post will focus on "Spaceship" by Kanye West featuring GLC & Consequence. "Spaceship" appears on Kanye's first studio album, The College Dropout, which released in 2004 under Jay-Z's label, Roc-A-Fella Records. In "Spaceship", Kanye samples Distant Lover by Marvin Gaye. Released in 1973, "Distant Lover" is the sixth song on Gaye's album Let's Get It On. Kanye also produced this song, as he does with almost all of his albums. Overall, “Spaceship” is one of my favorite songs by Kanye and definitely helped his album The College Dropout go triple platinum in 2015. The second song that I want to highlight is a song from one of the, if not the most popular artists in the world, Drake. Along with Kanye, Drake has tons of songs that contain great samples, but today the focus is on “Weston Road Flows”. “Weston Road Flows” appeared on Drake’s fourth studio album, Views. The beat for “Weston Road Flows” was created by Drake’s producer and member of the OVO crew, Noah “40” Shebib. Steven Vidal, also known as Stwo, also helped Shebib create this beat, which would be Stwo’s first ever production credit. In the beat, Shebib and Stwo sample the great Mary J. Blige’s track, “Mary’s Joint”. Released in 1994 on Blige’s album My Life, “Mary’s Joint” helped My Life reach number seven on the Billboard 200 chart. Eventually, in 1995, My Life was certified triple platinum, indicating 3,000,000 copies sold in the United States. Along with “Mary’s Joint”, Drake sampled elements from two other places. First, Drake sampled lyrics from “Money Can’t Buy Me Happiness (Part 1)” by Jelleestone, which was released in 2001. Second, Drake samples a line from a viral internet video. The video, which was first uploaded to Instagram by @youngbusco, shows a man poking fun at a police officer's ugly shoes, exclaiming “What are those?” as he points the camera towards the officers feet. The video then made its way to the now extinct video sharing platform Vine, where it amassed an incredible 38,000,000 views. Views, which Drake released in April of 2016, eventually went six times platinum, indicating an astounding 6,000,000+ copies sold. I hope you enjoyed the first installment of my music series. Stay tuned for more coming soon!
10/4/20
For the second post regarding music, I will highlight tracks from two of the greats, 2Pac and Jay-Z. First, we take a look at one of my favorite 2Pac songs, “Do For Love”. About a year after his tragic death in 1996, Interscope Records released R U Still Down? (Remember Me), 2Pac’s sixth studio album on November 25, 1997. “Do For Love”, produced by Danish duo Soulshock & Karlin, samples “What You Won’t Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell. Released in 1978, “What You Won’t Do For Love” is Bobby Caldwell’s most famous song and is a well known song across many generations, as it has appeared in many movies, tv shows, and other songs. After the release of R U Still Down? (Remember Me), “Do For Love” would become the most popular song on the album, helping the album reach four million copies sold in under a month. Next, we look at a song from Jay-Z, one of the most influential rappers in history. Jay-Z, the founder of Roc-A-Fella records and Roc Nation Sports, has helped many rappers and athletes get to where they are today. Jay-Z, who has had many hit songs throughout his career, has a knack for creating hits. “Song Cry” was released in 2001 on Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint. In “Song Cry”, Jay-Z samples “Sounds Like A Love Song” by Bobby Glenn. “Sounds Like A Love Song” appears on Glenn’s album, Shout It Out, which was released in 1976. The Blueprint sold over four hundred thousand copies in its first week, even though it coincided with the tragedy of 9/11. To this day, The Blueprint is considered to be one of the greatest rap albums of all time. If you made it to this point, thank you for reading! Be on the lookout for new content coming soon!
For the second post regarding music, I will highlight tracks from two of the greats, 2Pac and Jay-Z. First, we take a look at one of my favorite 2Pac songs, “Do For Love”. About a year after his tragic death in 1996, Interscope Records released R U Still Down? (Remember Me), 2Pac’s sixth studio album on November 25, 1997. “Do For Love”, produced by Danish duo Soulshock & Karlin, samples “What You Won’t Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell. Released in 1978, “What You Won’t Do For Love” is Bobby Caldwell’s most famous song and is a well known song across many generations, as it has appeared in many movies, tv shows, and other songs. After the release of R U Still Down? (Remember Me), “Do For Love” would become the most popular song on the album, helping the album reach four million copies sold in under a month. Next, we look at a song from Jay-Z, one of the most influential rappers in history. Jay-Z, the founder of Roc-A-Fella records and Roc Nation Sports, has helped many rappers and athletes get to where they are today. Jay-Z, who has had many hit songs throughout his career, has a knack for creating hits. “Song Cry” was released in 2001 on Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint. In “Song Cry”, Jay-Z samples “Sounds Like A Love Song” by Bobby Glenn. “Sounds Like A Love Song” appears on Glenn’s album, Shout It Out, which was released in 1976. The Blueprint sold over four hundred thousand copies in its first week, even though it coincided with the tragedy of 9/11. To this day, The Blueprint is considered to be one of the greatest rap albums of all time. If you made it to this point, thank you for reading! Be on the lookout for new content coming soon!
10/9
In today’s blog, we will focus on songs from three of my top 10 favorite artists: J. Cole, Rick Ross, and Kanye West. But first, if you want to connect on Instagram to talk more about samples and music in general, follow @museumofsamples J. Cole released his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, under Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Released in 2014, 2014 Forest Hills Drive would go on to be one of the best rap albums released in 2014, going triple platinum in May of 2019. 2014 Forest Hills Drive features “January 28th”, which is one of my favorite J. Cole songs. In “January 28th”, Cole samples Hi-Fi Set’s “Sky Restaurant (スカイレストラン)”. This song barely made the album, as Cole discusses the rights to sample Hi-Fi Set’s track clearing at 2 a.m., only 7 hours before the album’s deadline. Our second song, “Devil In A New Dress”, featuring Rick Ross, was released by Kanye on his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. However, “Devil in a New Dress” was not originally released on the album. It was released as the fourth song in Kanye’s GOOD Friday series, a music giveaway that gave listeners free music from Kanye and other artists. In “Devil in a New Dress”, Kanye samples Smokey Robinson’s cover of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?”. Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” has been covered by many artists throughout the years, but was originally recorded by the Shirelles in 1960. Kanye released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, his fifth studio album, on September 3, 2010 under Roc-a-fella records. “Devil in a New Dress” would go on to help My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to peak at number three on the Billboard top 100 chart. Thanks for reading! If you have any song suggestions, please feel free to DM on instagram, @museumofsamples.
In today’s blog, we will focus on songs from three of my top 10 favorite artists: J. Cole, Rick Ross, and Kanye West. But first, if you want to connect on Instagram to talk more about samples and music in general, follow @museumofsamples J. Cole released his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, under Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Released in 2014, 2014 Forest Hills Drive would go on to be one of the best rap albums released in 2014, going triple platinum in May of 2019. 2014 Forest Hills Drive features “January 28th”, which is one of my favorite J. Cole songs. In “January 28th”, Cole samples Hi-Fi Set’s “Sky Restaurant (スカイレストラン)”. This song barely made the album, as Cole discusses the rights to sample Hi-Fi Set’s track clearing at 2 a.m., only 7 hours before the album’s deadline. Our second song, “Devil In A New Dress”, featuring Rick Ross, was released by Kanye on his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. However, “Devil in a New Dress” was not originally released on the album. It was released as the fourth song in Kanye’s GOOD Friday series, a music giveaway that gave listeners free music from Kanye and other artists. In “Devil in a New Dress”, Kanye samples Smokey Robinson’s cover of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?”. Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” has been covered by many artists throughout the years, but was originally recorded by the Shirelles in 1960. Kanye released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, his fifth studio album, on September 3, 2010 under Roc-a-fella records. “Devil in a New Dress” would go on to help My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to peak at number three on the Billboard top 100 chart. Thanks for reading! If you have any song suggestions, please feel free to DM on instagram, @museumofsamples.
10/14
Hello readers! This is the fourth installment of The Sample Museum music blog posts. This week, I’m going to discuss some songs that may be under the radar but feature great samples in their beats. First, we will discuss a song from an artist who is only 18 years old, Aaron May. May, a young artist who is signed to WEALTH Klub Records, is from Houston Texas. In an interview with Complex, May discusses how he wrote his debut album Chase at 16 years old. Today’s song, “Let Go” is featured on Chase and is the most popular song on the album. In the beat, May samples and loops a line from “Look After Love'' by Heatwave. Featured on Heatwave’s Greatest Hits released in 1984, “Look After Love” proved to be a perfect fit for May’s song “Let Go”. Staying in a similar genre of rap, we move on to a song by Gold Hippy. Gold Hippy is a young rapper and songwriter from New York, who is signed to the same label as May, WEALTH Klub Records. The song we are featuring from Gold Hippy was not released as part of an album, but as a single. In the single, Gold Hippy samples and loops a section of “Your Touch”, which was released in 1993 by Ralph Tresvant on his album It’s Goin’ Down. Our third and final song, “All For You” by Wade, contains a sample from one of my favorite non-rap artists, Daniel Caesar. A single released in 2018, “All For You” is Wade’s most popular song. In “All For You”, Wade samples Kali Uchis’s outro of “Get You”, which was released on Daniel Caesar’s album Freudian. Thanks for reading this week’s installment of The Sample Museum. Feel free to give us a follow on Instagram @museumofsamples.
Hello readers! This is the fourth installment of The Sample Museum music blog posts. This week, I’m going to discuss some songs that may be under the radar but feature great samples in their beats. First, we will discuss a song from an artist who is only 18 years old, Aaron May. May, a young artist who is signed to WEALTH Klub Records, is from Houston Texas. In an interview with Complex, May discusses how he wrote his debut album Chase at 16 years old. Today’s song, “Let Go” is featured on Chase and is the most popular song on the album. In the beat, May samples and loops a line from “Look After Love'' by Heatwave. Featured on Heatwave’s Greatest Hits released in 1984, “Look After Love” proved to be a perfect fit for May’s song “Let Go”. Staying in a similar genre of rap, we move on to a song by Gold Hippy. Gold Hippy is a young rapper and songwriter from New York, who is signed to the same label as May, WEALTH Klub Records. The song we are featuring from Gold Hippy was not released as part of an album, but as a single. In the single, Gold Hippy samples and loops a section of “Your Touch”, which was released in 1993 by Ralph Tresvant on his album It’s Goin’ Down. Our third and final song, “All For You” by Wade, contains a sample from one of my favorite non-rap artists, Daniel Caesar. A single released in 2018, “All For You” is Wade’s most popular song. In “All For You”, Wade samples Kali Uchis’s outro of “Get You”, which was released on Daniel Caesar’s album Freudian. Thanks for reading this week’s installment of The Sample Museum. Feel free to give us a follow on Instagram @museumofsamples.
10/19
Welcome back to The Sample Museum! Today, we will talk about tracks from two artists; one who is very well known and one who is not. The first and most well known artist is the late Mac Miller. Mac Miller, who tragically passed away from a drug overdose in 2018, is definitely in my top ten favorite artists. Miller had the amazing ability to create many different styles of music and appeal to many different audiences. In this post, we will focus on a song from Mac’s third studio album, GO:OD AM. Released in 2015, GO:OD AM features popular songs like “Weekend” featuring Miguel and “Brand Name”, but I want to highlight one of my favorite songs from the album, “Ascension”. Produced by I.D. Labs, “Ascension” samples “Never Say You Can’t Survive” by Curtis Mayfield. Though the sample does not appear throughout the song, I feel like it adds a unique sound and feel to the song. Our second artist, DOM KENNEDY, is not as well known as Mac Miller is, but he deserves his credit as well. DOM, a rapper from Los Angeles, California, is another rapper that heavily supplements soul samples into his tracks. Many people also know DOM from his many features, including on the late Nipsey Hussle’s song “Double Up”. While DOM does a great job of killing features, he can do it on his own as well. His album From the Westside With Love, II, which was released in 2011, features my favorite solo song from DOM, “Dream to Me”. In “Dream to Me”, DOM samples vocals from one of the most famous soul singers in the world, Anita Baker. DOM took the intro of Baker’s “Angel” and looped it on top of drums, making for a beautiful sample beat. Thanks for reading, and as always, go follow the Instagram account @museumofsamples.
Welcome back to The Sample Museum! Today, we will talk about tracks from two artists; one who is very well known and one who is not. The first and most well known artist is the late Mac Miller. Mac Miller, who tragically passed away from a drug overdose in 2018, is definitely in my top ten favorite artists. Miller had the amazing ability to create many different styles of music and appeal to many different audiences. In this post, we will focus on a song from Mac’s third studio album, GO:OD AM. Released in 2015, GO:OD AM features popular songs like “Weekend” featuring Miguel and “Brand Name”, but I want to highlight one of my favorite songs from the album, “Ascension”. Produced by I.D. Labs, “Ascension” samples “Never Say You Can’t Survive” by Curtis Mayfield. Though the sample does not appear throughout the song, I feel like it adds a unique sound and feel to the song. Our second artist, DOM KENNEDY, is not as well known as Mac Miller is, but he deserves his credit as well. DOM, a rapper from Los Angeles, California, is another rapper that heavily supplements soul samples into his tracks. Many people also know DOM from his many features, including on the late Nipsey Hussle’s song “Double Up”. While DOM does a great job of killing features, he can do it on his own as well. His album From the Westside With Love, II, which was released in 2011, features my favorite solo song from DOM, “Dream to Me”. In “Dream to Me”, DOM samples vocals from one of the most famous soul singers in the world, Anita Baker. DOM took the intro of Baker’s “Angel” and looped it on top of drums, making for a beautiful sample beat. Thanks for reading, and as always, go follow the Instagram account @museumofsamples.
11/3
Hello readers, welcome back to The Sample Museum! This post will be a new style, as today’s blog will feature two songs that were requested by readers of the blog or followers of the instagram page. First, we take a look at a song from one of the most popular artists of the 2010’s, Kendrick Lamar. While Kendrick has many songs that contain samples, the song suggestion came from Kendrick’s second studio album, Good kid, m.A.A.d city. The song, “Swimming Pools”, rose to popularity with the producing help of Dr. Dre and MixedByAli. “Swimming Pools” contains a sample of “Distance” by Dance, which was released in 2002. With the help Dr. Dre and MixedByAli, “Swimming Pools” would reach the number seventeen spot on the Billboard Top 100 chart. The second request came from one of my friends back home, who requested I talk about “Jungle” by Drake. Unlike the rest of the songs we have discussed, Drake samples lyrics rather than sampling vocals into the beat. The song Drake sampled is called, “6 8” and is by Gabriel Garzon-Montano. This occurrence was rare as artists typically sample older songs, but Drake sampled “6 8” which was only released one year before “Jungle” in 2015. However, this decision proved to be a good one as “Jungle” was one of the most popular songs on Drake’s album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, which came in at number fourteen in best albums of 2015. Thanks for reading this installment of the Sample Museum blog. Stay tuned here and on instagram @museumofsamples for more content!
Hello readers, welcome back to The Sample Museum! This post will be a new style, as today’s blog will feature two songs that were requested by readers of the blog or followers of the instagram page. First, we take a look at a song from one of the most popular artists of the 2010’s, Kendrick Lamar. While Kendrick has many songs that contain samples, the song suggestion came from Kendrick’s second studio album, Good kid, m.A.A.d city. The song, “Swimming Pools”, rose to popularity with the producing help of Dr. Dre and MixedByAli. “Swimming Pools” contains a sample of “Distance” by Dance, which was released in 2002. With the help Dr. Dre and MixedByAli, “Swimming Pools” would reach the number seventeen spot on the Billboard Top 100 chart. The second request came from one of my friends back home, who requested I talk about “Jungle” by Drake. Unlike the rest of the songs we have discussed, Drake samples lyrics rather than sampling vocals into the beat. The song Drake sampled is called, “6 8” and is by Gabriel Garzon-Montano. This occurrence was rare as artists typically sample older songs, but Drake sampled “6 8” which was only released one year before “Jungle” in 2015. However, this decision proved to be a good one as “Jungle” was one of the most popular songs on Drake’s album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, which came in at number fourteen in best albums of 2015. Thanks for reading this installment of the Sample Museum blog. Stay tuned here and on instagram @museumofsamples for more content!
11/15
Welcome back to The Sample Museum blog! While this blog rarely focuses on new music releases, this post will be a little different. Today we will look at three songs from popular, mainstream artist 21 Savage. A twenty-eight year old rapper originally from London, 21 Savage moved to Atlanta when he was seven years old. 21 recently released his third studio album, a joint album with Atlanta beat maker and producer Metro Boomin called Savage Mode II. The first song from this album that we will discuss is “Runnin”. For this beat, Metro Boomin sampled “I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love)”, a track from soul icon Diana Ross. Released in 1976, “I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love)” was a part of an album released by Diana Ross under Motown records. The album, titled simply Diana Ross, was Diana’s seventh studio album and would go on to peak at the number four spot on the Billboard Top 100 chart. The second song we will highlight today is called “RIP Luv”, and personally is my favorite song on the album. In this track, Metro Boomin samples a song from the Detroit based soul group Fantastic Four. The song, “Mixed Up Moods and Attitudes”, appears on Fantastic Four’s double sided LP, Got To Have Your Love / Bring Your Own Funk. This sample provides a change of tone from 21’s often high energy trap style rap to a more smooth beat. Overall, I really enjoyed 21 and Metro Boomin on their second joint album and would love to see a third version in the future. Thanks for reading, and as always feel free to follow me on instagram @musuemofsamples for more content!
Welcome back to The Sample Museum blog! While this blog rarely focuses on new music releases, this post will be a little different. Today we will look at three songs from popular, mainstream artist 21 Savage. A twenty-eight year old rapper originally from London, 21 Savage moved to Atlanta when he was seven years old. 21 recently released his third studio album, a joint album with Atlanta beat maker and producer Metro Boomin called Savage Mode II. The first song from this album that we will discuss is “Runnin”. For this beat, Metro Boomin sampled “I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love)”, a track from soul icon Diana Ross. Released in 1976, “I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love)” was a part of an album released by Diana Ross under Motown records. The album, titled simply Diana Ross, was Diana’s seventh studio album and would go on to peak at the number four spot on the Billboard Top 100 chart. The second song we will highlight today is called “RIP Luv”, and personally is my favorite song on the album. In this track, Metro Boomin samples a song from the Detroit based soul group Fantastic Four. The song, “Mixed Up Moods and Attitudes”, appears on Fantastic Four’s double sided LP, Got To Have Your Love / Bring Your Own Funk. This sample provides a change of tone from 21’s often high energy trap style rap to a more smooth beat. Overall, I really enjoyed 21 and Metro Boomin on their second joint album and would love to see a third version in the future. Thanks for reading, and as always feel free to follow me on instagram @musuemofsamples for more content!
1/17
Welcome back to The Museum of Samples! After a long hiatus, we are back with another blog post, this time discussing songs from two very different artists, Lil Wayne and Wale. While Wayne typically raps on hard hitting beats, using impressive wordplay, Wale is known for slower beats and more introspective lyrics, like his popular album The Album About Nothing. However, both Lil Wayne and Wale both share a love for rapping over soul samples. For today, we will look at “Harden” by Lil Wayne from his album Funeral. Released in 2020, Funeral was Lil Wayne’s thirteenth studio album, topping the charts at number one, securing Wayne his fifth number one album. My favorite song on the album, “Harden”, samples “Love Me or Leave Me” by Band of Thieves. Released in 1976, “Love Me or Leave Me” provides a perfect sample for Wayne as he flawlessly incorporates the lyrics of the sample into his own rhymes. Next, we will focus on a song from Wale that unfortunately is not on Apple Music or Spotify due to issues clearing the rights to the sample. The song, which can be found on streaming services such as SoundCloud or Audiomack, is called “The Sun”. Appearing on Wale’s mixtape Back to the Feature, Wale teams up with soul sample connoisseur and beat creator 9th Wonder. In this beat, 9th Wonder samples the well known song, “I Refuse to Smile” by Mandrill, which was released in 1972. Like many of the songs I focus on in this blog, we see how much influence soul songs from the 1970’s have in today’s rap music. As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to talk about music, feel free to follow my Instagram @museumofsamples. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts coming soon!
Welcome back to The Museum of Samples! After a long hiatus, we are back with another blog post, this time discussing songs from two very different artists, Lil Wayne and Wale. While Wayne typically raps on hard hitting beats, using impressive wordplay, Wale is known for slower beats and more introspective lyrics, like his popular album The Album About Nothing. However, both Lil Wayne and Wale both share a love for rapping over soul samples. For today, we will look at “Harden” by Lil Wayne from his album Funeral. Released in 2020, Funeral was Lil Wayne’s thirteenth studio album, topping the charts at number one, securing Wayne his fifth number one album. My favorite song on the album, “Harden”, samples “Love Me or Leave Me” by Band of Thieves. Released in 1976, “Love Me or Leave Me” provides a perfect sample for Wayne as he flawlessly incorporates the lyrics of the sample into his own rhymes. Next, we will focus on a song from Wale that unfortunately is not on Apple Music or Spotify due to issues clearing the rights to the sample. The song, which can be found on streaming services such as SoundCloud or Audiomack, is called “The Sun”. Appearing on Wale’s mixtape Back to the Feature, Wale teams up with soul sample connoisseur and beat creator 9th Wonder. In this beat, 9th Wonder samples the well known song, “I Refuse to Smile” by Mandrill, which was released in 1972. Like many of the songs I focus on in this blog, we see how much influence soul songs from the 1970’s have in today’s rap music. As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to talk about music, feel free to follow my Instagram @museumofsamples. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts coming soon!
2/8
Hello readers! Welcome back to The Museum of Samples blog. We are back in action after a few week break, this time discussing three songs from the same artist. For those who aren't familiar with him, Mavi is an up and coming young rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina. Specializing in smooth, uplifting rap, Mavi's first studio album Let the Sun Talk has many good songs. However, today will are only going to focus on three of them: "Self Love", "Sense", and "III". My personal favorite of the two, "Self Love", is actually the first song I hear by Mavi. In "Self Love" which released in 2019, Mavi samples "Breaking My Heart" by Sonia Ross. Released in 2008, "Breaking My Heart" appears on Ross's album Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note Labels. While many artists just let the sample play in the back of their beat, Mavi does an impressive job of incorporating the sample into his lyrics, making the song even more unique. Next, we take a look at "Sense", the eighth track on Let the Sun Talk. One of my favorite parts of "Sense" is the intro, "I'm clutch, I'm clutch, I'm clutch"... but anyways, back to the sample. "Sense" samples "Winter Is Much Too Long" by Cloe Martin in its beat, which was released in 1975. Last but certainly not least, we have "III". A very laid back, more-beat-less-words style song, "III" is the perfect song to just chill to. "III" samples "Sippin' a Cup of Coffee by The Ordells, which was released in 1969. As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to talk about music, feel free to follow my Instagram @museumofsamples. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts coming soon!
Hello readers! Welcome back to The Museum of Samples blog. We are back in action after a few week break, this time discussing three songs from the same artist. For those who aren't familiar with him, Mavi is an up and coming young rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina. Specializing in smooth, uplifting rap, Mavi's first studio album Let the Sun Talk has many good songs. However, today will are only going to focus on three of them: "Self Love", "Sense", and "III". My personal favorite of the two, "Self Love", is actually the first song I hear by Mavi. In "Self Love" which released in 2019, Mavi samples "Breaking My Heart" by Sonia Ross. Released in 2008, "Breaking My Heart" appears on Ross's album Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note Labels. While many artists just let the sample play in the back of their beat, Mavi does an impressive job of incorporating the sample into his lyrics, making the song even more unique. Next, we take a look at "Sense", the eighth track on Let the Sun Talk. One of my favorite parts of "Sense" is the intro, "I'm clutch, I'm clutch, I'm clutch"... but anyways, back to the sample. "Sense" samples "Winter Is Much Too Long" by Cloe Martin in its beat, which was released in 1975. Last but certainly not least, we have "III". A very laid back, more-beat-less-words style song, "III" is the perfect song to just chill to. "III" samples "Sippin' a Cup of Coffee by The Ordells, which was released in 1969. As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to talk about music, feel free to follow my Instagram @museumofsamples. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts coming soon!
2/14
Hello readers! Welcome back to the Museum of Samples blog. We are back again with another post in back to back weeks! Today, I decided to shuffle my samples playlist and discuss the first two songs that came on! So, today we will be talking about two songs from two very different artists. First, we will be discussing a song from a southern trap style rapper, Young Jeezy. Released on his album The Recession, "Don't Do It" is one of my favorite Jeezy songs. In "Don't Do It", Jeezy samples "Overture of Foxy Brown" by Willie Hutch. Featured on the soundtrack of the movie Foxy Brown, Jeezy samples "Overture of Foxy Brown" into the beat of "Don't Do It" to create a perfect beat. Next, we will look at a song from a very popular, mainstream rapper, Meek Mill. "Blue Notes", which Meek released on his album DC4, samples a song from rock artist Snowy White. "Midnight Blues" which White released on his album No Faith Required, is White's most famous song. Overall, "Blue Notes" is definitely my favorite Meek Mill song, and a large part of that is because of the sample he used. Thanks for reading! As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to talk about music, feel free to follow my Instagram @museumofsamples. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts coming soon!
Hello readers! Welcome back to the Museum of Samples blog. We are back again with another post in back to back weeks! Today, I decided to shuffle my samples playlist and discuss the first two songs that came on! So, today we will be talking about two songs from two very different artists. First, we will be discussing a song from a southern trap style rapper, Young Jeezy. Released on his album The Recession, "Don't Do It" is one of my favorite Jeezy songs. In "Don't Do It", Jeezy samples "Overture of Foxy Brown" by Willie Hutch. Featured on the soundtrack of the movie Foxy Brown, Jeezy samples "Overture of Foxy Brown" into the beat of "Don't Do It" to create a perfect beat. Next, we will look at a song from a very popular, mainstream rapper, Meek Mill. "Blue Notes", which Meek released on his album DC4, samples a song from rock artist Snowy White. "Midnight Blues" which White released on his album No Faith Required, is White's most famous song. Overall, "Blue Notes" is definitely my favorite Meek Mill song, and a large part of that is because of the sample he used. Thanks for reading! As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to talk about music, feel free to follow my Instagram @museumofsamples. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts coming soon!
4/11
Hello again readers! Welcome back to the Museum of Samples blog. After a long break, we are back with more content! Recently, I have been listening to a lot of beats, specifically those which include samples. I recently found a beat maker who goes by the name Cookin Soul and have been listening to a lot of his beats. While some of them are just instrumentals with samples, some feature verses from artists as well. The first song I want to discuss from Cookin Soul is called "Destiny". It's an instrumental beat which was released as a single in collaboration with fellow beat maker Klim. "Destiny" is the perfect beat to study or relax to. The song sampled in "Destiny" is called "Flashback" by Dee Dee Sharp Gamble. Released in 1977 on her album What Color is Love, "Flashback" is one of the most played songs on the album. Next, we will get into some non-instrumental songs by Cookin Soul. First, we will look at the song that introduced me to Cookin Soul, "Money Andy". Featuring a verse from rapper Anderson .Paak, "Money Andy" appears on Cookin Soul's album Whateva, Vol. 4. Along with the verse from Anderson .Paak, the song features a sample of Sylvia Striplin's "You Can't Turn Me Away". Featured on a collection album called Late Night Tales: Another Late Night - Zero 7, the short vocal loop from Striplin's song proved to be a perfect sample for "Money Andy". Since finding Cookin Soul, I have found many songs and samples and look forward to diving further into Cookin Soul's discography and finding more gems.
Hello again readers! Welcome back to the Museum of Samples blog. After a long break, we are back with more content! Recently, I have been listening to a lot of beats, specifically those which include samples. I recently found a beat maker who goes by the name Cookin Soul and have been listening to a lot of his beats. While some of them are just instrumentals with samples, some feature verses from artists as well. The first song I want to discuss from Cookin Soul is called "Destiny". It's an instrumental beat which was released as a single in collaboration with fellow beat maker Klim. "Destiny" is the perfect beat to study or relax to. The song sampled in "Destiny" is called "Flashback" by Dee Dee Sharp Gamble. Released in 1977 on her album What Color is Love, "Flashback" is one of the most played songs on the album. Next, we will get into some non-instrumental songs by Cookin Soul. First, we will look at the song that introduced me to Cookin Soul, "Money Andy". Featuring a verse from rapper Anderson .Paak, "Money Andy" appears on Cookin Soul's album Whateva, Vol. 4. Along with the verse from Anderson .Paak, the song features a sample of Sylvia Striplin's "You Can't Turn Me Away". Featured on a collection album called Late Night Tales: Another Late Night - Zero 7, the short vocal loop from Striplin's song proved to be a perfect sample for "Money Andy". Since finding Cookin Soul, I have found many songs and samples and look forward to diving further into Cookin Soul's discography and finding more gems.
5/9
Hello again readers! Welcome back to the Museum of Samples blog. This past week I have been absolutely slammed with homework across my classes as the year is coming to an end, so I have not been listening to a lot of music. However, I still have some songs that I would like to discuss with y’all today. First, one of my favorite rappers, J. Cole, released a single called “i n t e r l u d e”. Released as a teaser for his upcoming album, the sample for “i n t e r l u d e” has not yet been identified, but when it fit very well in the introduction of the song. While the sample was good, I felt that J. Cole’s bars in the song were more singing instead of rapping. This could be due to the auto tune that was used, but I wasn’t a fan of the overall sound of his vocals. With that being said, I am very excited for his new project and I hope it contains a lot of samples in it. Outside of J. Cole, I have been listening to a lot of beats while I study. I find that beats help me to stay focused on my work while providing nice background noise at the same time. As an Apple Music user, I often have people ask me why I don’t use Spotify. I have considered switching many times, but Apple Music’s playlist “BEATstrumentals” is one of the reasons that I’m still using it. The playlist contains hours upon hours of great study beats, some containing samples while some not. Overall, it’s one of my favorite playlists to listen to. Thanks for tuning in to this weeks edition! I hope everyone has a great Mother’s Day and a great week to come!
Hello again readers! Welcome back to the Museum of Samples blog. This past week I have been absolutely slammed with homework across my classes as the year is coming to an end, so I have not been listening to a lot of music. However, I still have some songs that I would like to discuss with y’all today. First, one of my favorite rappers, J. Cole, released a single called “i n t e r l u d e”. Released as a teaser for his upcoming album, the sample for “i n t e r l u d e” has not yet been identified, but when it fit very well in the introduction of the song. While the sample was good, I felt that J. Cole’s bars in the song were more singing instead of rapping. This could be due to the auto tune that was used, but I wasn’t a fan of the overall sound of his vocals. With that being said, I am very excited for his new project and I hope it contains a lot of samples in it. Outside of J. Cole, I have been listening to a lot of beats while I study. I find that beats help me to stay focused on my work while providing nice background noise at the same time. As an Apple Music user, I often have people ask me why I don’t use Spotify. I have considered switching many times, but Apple Music’s playlist “BEATstrumentals” is one of the reasons that I’m still using it. The playlist contains hours upon hours of great study beats, some containing samples while some not. Overall, it’s one of my favorite playlists to listen to. Thanks for tuning in to this weeks edition! I hope everyone has a great Mother’s Day and a great week to come!