Sample Savers: Producers Who Can Flip It

First and foremost, I want to give a warm "hello" to anyone who still follows this blog. After 3 years of inactivity, I finally have some extra time on my hands, and I've been keeping up with significantly more new music (although, I'm still far behind some of my peers). However, even with my ear not as close to the ground as it has been in my younger years, two things are still quite evident:

1. I love Hip-Hop. I've always been a Hip-Hop head.

2. I'm still drawn to those chopped and sped-up soul samples (à la 9th Wonder)

Which brings me to the point of this post. Now, the art of sampling can be equally as daunting of a process as writing lyrics, and when done correctly, the product of this painstakingly crafted composition can be classic--think A Tribe Called Quest's electrifying use of Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew," or the majestic horns of victory blaring from David McCullum's "The Edge," popularized by Dr. Dre in "The Next Episode"---and if not classic, a song with a good sample is always a good jam to cruise to.

That being said, there have been a few songs that I've been cruisin' to lately:


Carmine, "Heading to the Lot" (Produced by Reese Jones)



On this soulful track off of Carmine's latest mixtape, All's Good, Reese Jones works with the soothing and sweet sounds of the late Aaliyah covering the Isley Brothers classic, "(At Your Best) You Are Love." Jones retains enough of the sample to provide a head-nodding and sophisticated backdrop to Carmine's leisurely and lighthearted lyrical flow. I'll be pressing repeat on this one a few times.

Handbook, "Sunrising"



Hall & Oates are one of my favorite musical duos of all time, so you better believe I appreciated the UK Hip-Hop producer's flipping of their classic (albeit somber) hit song, "Sara Smile." I like it because it takes enormous skill to work with such a sparse song section and in the process, reconstruct something entirely new. It's also reminiscent of another track I fancy by fellow UK Producer Starslinger, ("Mornin'" off of Volume 1).

Kendrick Lamar, "Poetic Justice" (Produced by Scoop DeVille)



Scoop DeVille is great at what he does, as evidenced by the ubiquitous Snoop track, "I Wanna Rock," as well as his work with a slew of other Hip-Hop artists (including FCR favorite, Murs). His work on "Poetic Justice" and "The Recipe" largely contributed to Kendrick Lamar's recently acquired (and well-deserved) popularity with a larger Hip-Hop audience. I didn't include a link to the song's stream in this case because I think Scoop DeVille is a name not enough people know about to begin with. The way he flipped that Twin Sister sample on "The Recipe"? So inventive. Looking forward to hearing more from him..



And hopefully you all are looking forward to hear more from me. Until next time..