Who Flipped It Better? More Moaning Samples

This time around we're looking at The Five Stairsteps soul 45, "Danger, She's A Stranger."

After the nice 12 second bass intro, is a pretty addictive moaning/singing type sample.

Then, some dope horns drop in the mix, then flutes.

This is a pretty great soul 45 to pick up, if you see it.

Five Stairsteps - Danger, She's A Stranger

And now for a bunch of tracks that flip it, chop it, and interpret it in their own way.

Surprisingly to me, Everlast's song makes the most out of the samples, but Blackstract has

probably my favorite song on this list with "I Stole Your Girl". Strangely, for a crew that only

released 3 records, they use the same sample again on "Diary Of A Mad MC", which is nowhere

near the caliber of their other selection, to me.

The most known joint here is nice, too, Two Dope Boyz (In Cadillacs), but probably the most

basic.

Blackstract - I Stole Your Girl

Everlast - On The Edge

Outkast - Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac)

Wu-Syndicate - Golden Sands

The Candy Store - Escape From Belize

Cooly Live - All Possibilities

Cookie Crew - Fade To Black

Blackstract - Diary Of A Mad MC

Download all tracks in one folder here.

Give each track a listen and list your favorites in the comments. Feel free to explain your choice or not.

--Verge

Who Flipped It Better? "The Rub"

George and Gwen put out "The Rub" back in 1975, on the album "Together". It still sounds perfectly fresh today! Listen as the funk makes you bop your head...

George and Gwen Mc Crae - THE RUB


How many producers out there have heard this and thought, "shit, I shoulda flipped it".

Well, it's well known that no one owns no loops, so, go ahead and compete with the best:

MOBB DEEP-CAME UP



BRAND NUBIAN - THE RETURN



METHOD MAN AND REDMAN - SERIAL KILLER



THE COUP - FAT CATS AND BIGGA FISH:





-cenzi stiles

Who Flipped It Better? Moaning Samples

As a throwback to the first volume of The Moaning series, we're bringing you a dope sample used on one of the top cuts on that mix. Props to these guys for posting the sample I had been looking for. We hope to bring you more volumes in the moaning series soon, but we got lots of treats on the way. So, let's keep this moving and tell a friend to tell a friend that T.R.O.Y. got that good dope.

Norman Connors - Butterfly Dreams

Ahhh, now that's some nice, laid back, waking up on a sunny spring day with a goddess by your side, type hit. Norman Connors is good for that sailing on a yacht feeling music. Shit, he's even pictured on a boat on at least one of his album covers. The intro, before the sample in question, sounds like a great little piece to freak, too. I wonder if it's been used?

Support the artist here. I would suggest any of his albums from the mid to late seventies, of course.

Example - Slow Motion

This is probably my favorite one. I have no idea who produced it, but the entire EP that this came from is dope. This is different from the other ones in that they sped the loop up and got some nice sounds, besides the moaning, out of it. This guy, Example, was out of Houston, and this EP was the only music I ever heard from him.

Akbar - Mothaship

Yeah, this is another nice one. DJ Shame, of Vinyl Reanimators fame, laced this one up lovely. Akbar tells a story about seeing a U.F.O. that turns out to be the Mothership arriving to take him back. I think. It's a good track, peep it for yourself.

Blaque Spurm - Nonoxynol Rhymin'

Okay, well, the name of the group wouldn't be as suspect if they didn't actually have a song called,"Pack Ya Shit". Whoa, jack. Anyways, if you can get past all of that, this is a pretty dope crew and a decent working of the same sample. They get extra points for the low budget sound and the addition of this sample-

David Porter - The Masquerade Is Over (this one can have it's own sample blog)

[Download all these songs here.]

[Back up link]

Personally, I rate these in the order that I posted them in.

#1 = Example

#2 = Akbar

#3 = Blaque Spurm

Let us know who you think flipped it best in the comments.

--Verge

Who Flipped It Better? Hiero vs. Large Pro

When I first heard this George Duke record, I immediately recognized the sample for Hieroglyphics', "You Never Knew". Dope sample. A Plus also incorporated a Patrice Rushen singing sample and sped it up to great effect. They wound up with an energetic, fast paced, warm weather anthem that made for a dope single and great video.

The first time I heard Large Pro's, "Dancin' Girl", I recognized it as having the same sample as "You Never Knew". I had to go back and dig for the original because it's not easy trying to remember every single song you ever heard and who used what for what. Nahmean?

Anyway, I was expectedly impressed with the way LP flipped that Duke sample. He looped that shit up lovely and turned it into a mellow, lounging at the tittie club anthem.

Not much more to be said here. Two great producers, two hip hop anthems.

Both dope, but in different ways. This is another example of the talent and creativity that goes behind sampling. Another example of how everybody hears things differently and how a good ear for samples can keep things fresh.

Previews:

George Duke - Seeing You

Patrice Rushen - Didn't You Know

Large Professor - Dancin' Girl

Hieroglyphics - You Never Knew

[Download all tracks here]

[Back up link here]

Don't sleep on the "sampling" link within the post.

--Verge

Who Flipped It Better? Gangstarr Vs. Kwame

It doesn't really sound like too fair of a match-up, does it? But, don't sleep, Kwame didn't call himself the 'Boy Genius' for no reason. From what he says in the video below [from D-Nice's True Hip Hop Stories series], he basically brought a rhyme book and a crate of records that he wanted to sample up to a studio where the late great Paul C was engineering, and went to work. Check this video out and then we'll get into the breakdowns:

Kwame' And The New Beginning - The Rhythm: I am not one of the most 'analytical' guys here at the T.R.O.Y. blog, so bear with me. If you think this guy was wack because Biggie said, "your life is played out like Kwame' and them fucking polka dots," then I don't know what to tell you. This right here is some pioneering shit. Besides the sample we're focusing on, he also used pieces from James Brown - Funky Drummer, Lynn Collins - Ain't No Sunshine, and The Staple Singers - I'll Take You There [damn, car and/or douche commercials have really ruined this song for me]. Check how you can hear the separation of the drums in this video. That's rawness and I love it. The song has an almost amateur sound to it. But you can tell that was what they were going for.

Gangstarr - The ? Remainz: Where to even begin on this one? This is all speculation, but I get the feeling that Primo definitely had Kwame's song in mind when he approached his sampling for this track. I believe he wanted to show how a previously used sample could be flipped and chopped into something entirely different. He was also showing how Gangstarr was still like an open ended question. Constantly elevating from album to album and on the b-sides in between. You can yell at me in the comments if you think I'm wrong, but I really can't think of an earlier track where such small samples were chopped and replayed in this fashion. I pretty much bugged the first time I heard this and had to do a triple take when I realized what sample he used. The ? Remainz is definitely innovative and groundbreaking. And, not for nothing, Guru spits some of my favorite lines I ever heard from him on this cut.

I'm pretty positive that certain things were cleared for this song, but I'm not taking any chances here. I don't wanna be THAT dude that gets someone in trouble or causes them financial woes over clearance issues.

Previews:

Sample Source

Kwame' And The New Beginning - The Rhythm

Gangstarr - The ? Remainz

Download all tracks mentioned in this post in one folder here.

--Verge

Who Flipped It Better? Cal Tjader - Mother And Child

This time around we're going to make it a little less mind boggling to pick the beat you like better. There's only two songs that I know of that used the same Cal Tjader sample. I'll give you some info and previews below, then you can be the judge.

First up, we have Encore's smoothed out track 'Think Twice' from the 1996 Peanut Butter Wolf 'Step On Our Egos' EP. I loved this track the first time I heard it and it still holds up. PBW loops the sample and laces some rugged drums under it, suiting my taste as a fan perfectly. The clincher here for me are the vocal samples that he uses for the hook . Finsta Bundy's vocal sample of "never gave a fuck and I never thought twice" is from Sunnyside off of what I believe was their first single, Sunnyside/Spirit Of The Boogie. The other vocal sample is from Donald Byrd's sampled to death, but very appropriate here, cut 'Think Twice'.

The challenger is none other than Perth Amboy, New Jersey's own Miilkbone. The track is 'How Ya Like It' off of his debut album 'Da Miilkrate' and also the flip side of his hit single 'Keep It Real'. Nick Wiz handles the production on this track combining the Tjader sample with another sample that I can't identify at this time. It definitely sounds very familiar, maybe from a soundtrack or a CTI artist? If you know what it is, please leave it in the comments. Regardless, the track is ill. For the hook, he loops up "tell me how you like it so far, baby paw" from Method Man's self titled breakthrough cut 'Method Man'.

Previews:

Cal Tjader - Mother And Child

Encore - Think Twice

Miilkbone - How Ya Like It

Download these 3 and other sampled tracks mentioned in this post here.

Personally, I went with the PBW produced 'Think Twice'. Leave your choice in the comments if you would like.

--Verge

Who Flipped It Better? Company Flow, Parallax, Lord Digga?

Yes, I know these aren't the only tracks to sample this Bob James cut, but they are the focus of the day. The first time I heard this used was on one of my favorite obscure 12 inches, Parallax "Bleeding Hate". It felt like such a perfect, vibe out, meaningful beat. Then, I heard theCompany Flow usage for "Juvenile Techniques", which I thought was incredible at the time. I really dig the whistling sample in Co Flow's version and the overall vibe to it.

Anyway, fast forward to around 2002. So, I'm visiting my father in some godforsaken town in Wisconsin and I'm bored to death. I brought my MPC, but obviously couldn't bring crates of vinyl with me. What I did manage to lug along was a bunch of CDs. One of them was Bob James Two, which contains the original song sampled for these cuts. So, I figured why not do my own rendition of this sample. I liked the way two separate bass pieces sounded , so I let them play at the same time and I think it came off nice. Check it out with the rest below, labelled Verge - Parallaxin'. Feel free to leave your thoughts on this in the comments section.

Fast forward to 2008. I join the T.R.O.Y. forum and soon learn that this song has been sampled to death. Other than myself, Company Flow, and Parallax sampling this, we also have:

Shyheim & Gp Wu used the bass line to great effect for Let's Go To Lap. I think I hear a little bit of  "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" on there, too. 

Almighty Arrogant used the sample for Arrogant SOB. This is from an unreleased demo tape excavated by Kev Beacham. Very, very ill shit right here. It sounds like they used a piece from the same part that Parallax used, except with an extra sample in there.

Miilkbone's track, Mind Gamez',  uses one of the sections that I used. Not a bad working at all.

Lord Digga has one of my favorite flips of this sample on Take The Cake. This was off the unreleased High Plains Drifter EP that finally saw the light of day thanks to One Leg Up Records[only 200 copies were pressed]. Peep their pretty thorough interview with the Diggaman here.

Kaotic Sypher used it for Tight Situation, off of his first album One Million Strong. I don't know much about this cat or his crew, but you can check his discog here. Dope rhymes over tight production is all I can really say.

Previews: 

Bob James - I Feel A Song (In My Heart)

Parallax - Bleeding Hate

Company Flow - Juvenile Techniques

Shyheim & Gp Wu - Let's Go To Lap

Almighty Arrogant - Arrogant SOB

Miilkbone - Mindgamez

Lord Digga - Take The Cake

Kaotic Sypher - Tight Situation

Verge - Parallaxin'

Download this whole collection here.

I'm still torn between Parallax, Lord Digga, and Company Flow. Let us know who you think did best flipping the sample in the comments. This doesn't mean it has to be your favorite song out of the bunch, just the best beat.

--Verge

The Mad Scientist - VLS, Samples, and a "Who Flipped It Better?" Battle

The Large Professor - The Mad Scientist b/w Spacey,Listen(Blast Off)

A1 The Mad Scientist(Street Version)

A2 The Mad Scientist(Clean)

A3 The Mad Scientist(Instrumental)

B1 Spacey(Street Version)

B2 Spacey(Clean)

B3 Listen(Blast Off)

Classic 12" single freshly ripped from vinyl @ 320kbps.

1st off,here's Large Pro's signature spacey sound that's used on "Listen(Blast Off)", as well as on other Extra P produced cuts(i.e. "Ultimate"). And here's the other space sound he used on this and some other tracks(i.e."Hard").

The singing at the very end is Stark Reality's "Comrades".

For "Spacey",LP proves his rhyme,"..and I betcha,the one who claims he's the best can't catch a beat like I catch it cause it's downright wretched..".See if you can catch all the pieces he chopped from this. This is an art form that people who dis hip hop as a musical form always overlook. Fuck'em.

Lastly, I'm gonna leave yall with something to leave a comment about. On his latest album, Pete Rock used the same sample for "The PJ's" as LP did for "The Mad Scientist". Except, the Chocolate Boy Wonder used several other samples and really went all out with it. I can't front, I'm more of an LP fan and his version is more of a head nodder to me. But the complexity and just plain smoothness in Pete's work is flawless. Build in the comments.

              Large Pro '96 vs. Pete Rock '07

                                           

                          The Mad Scientist

Download VLS here

Download the samples and Large Pro vs. Pete Rock here  

--Verge

Which Remix Is Better? Fast Life Edition

Kool G Rap - Fast Life(ft. Nas)

The original Buckwild version of this was a well produced radio song.But the two most known remixes really outshined it to many heads at the time.

1.Norfside Mix - Buckwild was in the midst of a prolific period in his career when he churned this one out.He managed to turn this song in the opposite direction and made it a certified street banger.

2.Vinyl Reanimators Remix - I still don't know exactly how they constructed this beat,but they kept a similar melody as the Norfside Mix and made it sinister and more rugged.They also changed up the hook with scratched in vocal samples,which is usually a plus.

The argument will still remain over which remix is the better one,voice your opinion in the comments if you have a favorite out of the two.

Download the two remixes and instrumentals, in one folder,here.

Thanks to FatFaceFreddy, Ho1ogramz, and drizzle at the Troy forum for upping these tracks and instigating this blog. --Verge

Correction: The Norfside Mix was produced by Salaam Remi,not Buckwild. --Verge

Who Flipped It Better? Gary Bartz Style

Today,we're looking at Gary Bartz' song, Gentle Smiles. This is some smooth Mizell Brothers produced funk. Real cool-out type ish. The Tribe song "Butter" samples a different part than the two that are in question here. They looped up the horns with the singing under it, for the hook. I don't know what exactly they did to get the bass so ill. Classic material,though.It wouldn't be fair to throw this in with the others.

1. Technical - Stress I don't know who did this beat,but they definitely knocked it out. I'll never stop loving filtered out bass lines and this one is pretty thick.The drums are cool. There's not much to the snares,but the kick drum booms and all the elements come together nicely. The emcee rhymes about the stress of dealing with the hood, more-so the people in the hood. I definitely like the beat much better than the rhymes on this one. Not that the emcee is wack, the beat is just so nasty.

2. Jax(RIP) - Rated PG(ft.Werd Da A.O.S) This song is genius when it comes to conceptual type rap music. PG stands for Pam Grier in this, who the story winds up revolving around.And rightfully so, as she was probably the illest, flyest actress to ever grace a movie screen. The beat is suffice for the rhymes. The horns recur throughout, becoming filtered out at times, laying out a perfect backdrop for Jax to proclaim his love of older, but still fine women on the second verse.

Here's how I would rate these joints :

For the beats: 1. Technical - Stress, 2. Jax - Rated PG

For the songs: 1. Jax - Rated PG, 2. Technical - Stress

Props to LyricalGymnastics for lacing the Philaflava forum with the Technical track

--Verge

Who Flipped It Best?

Too many times to count,producers have flipped the same samples. But, sometimes it works out well, depending on how they use it. What drums they use, what kind of bass, who's rhyming, how they chopped it up- these are just a few of the variables to take into consideration. Sometimes it's just what your favorite song is out of the bunch. Check these joints out to determiine which song made the best usage of the sample. Let us know in the comments.

Original: Bob James - Feel Like Making Love

1. Two Outta Millions - Land Of Lyricism

2. Esteem(East Flatbush Project) - Can't Hold It Back

3. Tony Bones - Come Upstairs

4. Mannish - Tasha's Room

For me, it came down to the East Flatbush Project produced Esteem song "Can't Hold It Back" and the Prince Po produced Tony Bones track. Po really went off on this one. The extra violin sample,the ill note variations he worked,and Tony Bones entertaining as always rhymes, put this song over the top for me.

But don't sleep on the Esteem joint.He may sound like he was a bit too influenced by Tim Dog or Freshco, but he drops some classic one liners. He rips from beginning to end. And the production is tight.Dirty drums,knocking bass,ill horns,the moan type sample on the hook-I don't know if I could honestly pick a winner here.

The Mannish and Two Outta Millions cuts are well put together,too.

Props to Blockhead for blessing the Philaflava website with the Tony Bones track.

Props to chillhood for looking out on the "Land of Lyricism" track.

And as usual, props to CharlieManson for the Esteem song.

--Verge