When you think of the greatest producers in hip-hop, it won’t take you too long to mention Kanye West. His brand of soulful chops and reworking of old classics made him one of the premier producers of the 2000s. But as he branched out into his own work, his productions grew more lavish and grandiose over time. Eventually, he’d fold in other producers to hone out his massive ideas.
But at the core, people loved Kanye West for the old-fashioned sample chops he mastered early in his career. He only reached that level through intense practice. “Lock yourself in a room/Doing five beats a day for three summers/That’s A Different World like Cree Summer’s/I deserve to do these numbers,” he rapped on “Spaceship“.
In the spirit of celebrating Ye’s immense craftsmanship, we picked three of his best samples to date and how he created something fresh from old classics.
Three of The Greatest Sample Flips of Kanye West’s Career
“Selfish” by Slum Village, Kanye West, and John Legend
Sometimes, the best sample flips are the simplest ones. At its core, “Selfish” is just Slum Village and Ye rapping over a loop of Aretha Franklin’s “Call Me” with John Legend interpolating it on the hook. But through the warmth and soul of the original, the crew makes a classic rap record about the beautiful women all over the world. “‘Cause I love you girls, though you ain’t mine/I wish my arms was long enough to hug you all at the same time,” eLZhi rapped.
“Down And Out” by Cam’ron
“Down And Out” is Kanye West at his most technical. He snips off various parts of “Strung Out” by William Bell & Mavis Staples, loops them, and sprinkles them throughout Cam’s dense alliterations and vivid imagery. The soulful echoes of Mavis Staples act as a lush counterpart to the Harlem rapper’s strong internal rhyme scheme. “Observe, cock and spray, hit you from a block away/Drinking sake on a Suzuki, we in Osaka Bay,” Cam’ron rapped.
“Comfortable” by Lil Wayne and Babyface
Kanye West made a beat so great, he had to revisit his own work and sample it. The gorgeous “Comfortable” with Lil Wayne and Babyface repurposes the outro of Alicia Keys’ “You Don’t Know My Name”. Ye loops the strings and chops them with robust drums, adding heft to Lil Wayne’s raspy voice and New Orleans accent.
Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images
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