volume 142 - sultans of swing

why i love samples pt. 569

memes of the week 🤠

😪

we are going to start a dialogue

the winner gets a vial of my tears like a reality show ceremony

there’s a lot of pain behind those eyes

---

happy Tuesday y’all :)

today’s volume is all about samples and the songs that sampled them. i’ve waxed poetic on this too many times to count in previous volumes but tbh this is my favorite thing to nerd out on 🤪

it’s a way to stay connected through generations! with music and people. this is especially top of mind for me with hip-hop turning 50 years old(!!)

it’s wild for such a influential and prevalent genre to be this young. it’s taken many different forms since its inception and samples have had a huge influence on the game

i’m a sucker for samples when they’re executed well. but when it’s lazy? not so much (like with Nevada - The Mack Feat. Mark Morrison & Fetty Wap):

like Mark Morrison do your thing and cash out but damn!!

we’re now at the point where mid-2000 rap and r&b are interpolated in contemporary songs. i heard a dance version of “Hot In Herre” (in a hospital cafe nonetheless) and i was like wtf is going on??

nonetheless, i’m excited to see how the past will continue to influence the future :)

and with that, let's get to the music for the week ❤️‍🔥

- claudio / claud / @offballscreen

p.s. - i only highlight 4 songs here but the playlist will have all the songs related to the original sample in sequential order

double selfies are my new favorite thing 😌

this week’s music ⤵️

1. Sultans of Swing
   Dire Straits
   Released: 1978

And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last, just as the time bell rings
“Goodnight, now it's time to go home”
Then he makes it fast with one more thing
“We are the Sultans—
We are the Sultans of Swing”

sampled on:

like i mentioned last week, i love how dad rock is still prevalent today. i’ve featured this Greedo tape before, where every song is inspired by his favorite movies

i’m not sure if Kenny used the original sample or recreated it. usually there are less hurdles to climb in getting them cleared with the latter

regardless, i’m sure Dire Straits had no clue they would be sampled like this in 2019 lmao

2. Jack & Diane
   John Mellencamp
   Released: 1982

sampled on:

another example of dad rock standing the test of time. i LOVE the Jessica Simpson version. like a lot! i can’t get enough 😍

this is an example of a loose “sample” and you can tell very clearly it’s from the original song. both are about romance but John Mellancamp’s version is very 80s movie horny:

Suckin' on a chili dog outside the Tastee Freez
Diane's sittin' on Jacky's lap, he's got his hand between her knees
Jacky say, "Hey Diane, lets run off behind a shady tree
Dribble off those Bobby Brooks slacks, now do what I please"

then on the bridge it gets weirdly religious??

Gonna let it rock, let it roll
Let the Bible Belt come and save my soul
Holdin’ on to sixteen as long as you can
Changes come around real soon
Make us women and men

i was so oblivious to the nature of the song until i read the lyrics pt. 218 lmaooo

3. Robyn Is Here
   Robyn
   Released: 1995

A dedication to this special time of the year
And a celebration, 'cause finally I'm here
Spreadin' love to all of my family and my friends
To that special one I'm thinkin' of and to my audience

original sample:

also sampled on:

both this and the Brand Nubian song use the sample in different ways. Robyn using the original melody and Brand Nubian moreso with the lyrics

it’s wild to see how Robyn started with that classic 90s r&b sound given that nowadays she’s in the synth / electro pop lane. she was 16(!!) when this released

some historical context:

1. when she first came into the spotlight, she was pigeonholed by her label(s) to follow what other r&b / pop artists were putting out at the time

2. for her second album, My Truth, they ironically didn’t let her speak her truth. she talked about an abortion she had in her teenage years and that didn’t fly with the label. so much so they didn’t give her any promo support

3. once her contract with the label was up in 2005, she starter her own label Konichiwa Records where she has complete creative control

all to say, we all start somewhere and her old stuff is still v good 🙏

4. We Be On Our Shit Feat. Jim Jones
   Max B
   Released: 2006

I be fly as a mothafucka, fitted to the back
Shades on, feelin' myself, high as a mothafucka
Ridin’ with my brotha
He packin’ the nine and we cruisin' up 8th ave, we ain't ridin’ through Rucker

there are countless examples of artists with local notoriety influencing the game at large. Max B is one of them

he has a melodic rap style that influenced a lot of contemporary rappers (like A$AP Rocky) who embody his “Wave God” lifestyle 🏄

he came up in the mid-2000s and eventually linked up with Jim Jones’ Dipset crew. whom he eventually had a falling out with over money. then he got locked up

now, i love this song and didn’t realize the sample was by…Aventura??

if you don’t know (and i’m not an expert 😅), they’re a bachata supergroup from The Bronx that was and still are hella popular. it’s dope to see two NY legends in their own right still be relevant today