#sample source sunday

[gentrifiedminds]

For this edition of Sample Source Sunday we would like to pay homage to one of the most legendary emcees to ever stand in front of a microphone, Queens’ late great Prodigy of Mobb Deep. Prodigy’s career was one filled with iconic work - the Queensbridge native was an integral part of the foundation of the horrorcore subgenre within Hip-Hop. Today we’ll be looking at the source material for several songs across Mobb Deep’s decorated catalog, a song from the illustrious Quincy Jones.

Jones is a musical icon known for a great deal of notable work. One such piece is the song “Kitty With the Bent Frame” and to say that the prodigious duo enjoyed the tune would be quite the understatement. They referred to the 1971 hit not once, not twice, but three times. Most prominently, it appears in possibly their best known track, “Shook Ones Part II”. RIP to a true legend- he will live on through his iconic voice on unforgettable records.

[gentrifiedminds]

For this week’s edition of Sample Source Sunday, we’d like to continue our remembrance of hip-hop hero Sean Price who unfortunately passed away recently, a huge and unexpected blow to the culture. Ruck lives on through his amazing classic joints, and today we’d like to break down the instrumental inspiration for one of his most notable recent solo records.

For this dope ass track, producer/hip-hop legend Alchemist flipped a sample from Polish rock band Budka Suflera. The band put together an incredible progressive rock song called “Noc nad Norwidem” which served as the perfect detail to give Price’s banger “Bar-Barian” that gutter, old-school underground feel that fits his gritty in-your-face style perfectly.

It is a shame to have to dedicate another weekly edition to the loss of someone so great to us. We’ll never forget the contributions of this integral member of Heltah Skeltah and Boot Camp Clik. Rest in Power Ruckus.

[gentrifiedminds]

editor’s note: we apologize for doubling up posts this week - some technical issues made it so that last week’s post had to be kept as a draft. with very few people and limited resources on hand, it’s sometimes harder to keep on pace, but future content will be more frequent, varied, and of higher quality.

Sample Source Sundays would like to feature a more up-and-coming artist this week in order to mix it up a bit after featuring some bigger names in the culture in the last few posts. For those who aren’t familiar, we’d like to introduce Chicago’s underground heavyweight Mick Jenkins. 

Mick Jenkins is currently on the heels of the success of his breakout album The Water[s]. The project features many introspective jams with dense lyricism in his trademark gruff-yet-melodic vocal delivery, including the notable, super-chill joint, “Vibe”.

Jenkins’ go-to producer On Gaud used a sample from Philly Soul / Funk keyboardist Dexter Wansel’s “The Sweetest Pain”, essentially keeping the original song’s very relaxed feel from the intro. Wansel’s work led to collaborations with famous artists such as The Jacksons, Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, and Grover Washington, Jr. 

Other notable acts who have referred to this sample include Mac Miller and Tyler, The Creator. 

[gentrifiedminds]

To honor the recent birthday of legendary Harlem, NY emcee Big L, we’re dedicating this week’s Sample Source Sunday to one of his classic songs off of his posthumous release The Big Picture. Big L is another pivotal artist who was taken too soon, but his influence continues to permeate the flows and approaches of many current emcees.

His song “Flamboyant” showcased every benchmark of Corleone’s style - brash, clever lyricism in dizzying, multisyllabic rhyme schemes over a beat that brings back that all-too-familiar 90s feel - and producer Mike Heron prominently featured a sample from the intro to the record “Move Me” by famous pop and soul singer and session vocalist James Gilstrap. 

Gilstrap was an accomplished music act who is famous for his vocal work on the Good Times television show theme, as well as his work alongside great Stevie Wonder, and he has worked on studio releases fairly recently as well. His smooth opening in “Move Me” has also been referenced by Sacramento’s Blackalicious.