Thursday, April 3, 2008

From Me To U Samples

From Me To U [The Samples] - Juelz Santana
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This album stands as my favorite Dipset Album. It's an album I enjoy as much for its shortcomings as for its triumphs. This was the Heatmakerz at their chipmunk soulfullest. They sample everything from Il Travatore (if you don't know what that is, step up your opera game) to Mary J. Blige to Marvin Gaye and pitch everything up hummingbird style((c)Vast Aire). Juelz is young, raw and unpretentious. He drops adorably [||] cringe-worthy lines left and right but his potential shines through on every song. He has fun doing what he does and that ecstasy seeps through the speakers and infects the listener. It epitomizes the Dipset movement for me. It's imperfect; It's soulful; and in that it is human. As a 16 year old high school student living in a New York a world away from the Harlem they described in their music, it was this soulfully imperfect humanity, in all its corniness and weirdness, that drew me to it for the first time. 5 years later, the hooks remain.

Over the next few days I will drop sets for Diplomatic Immunity 2, Uptown Saturday Night, Carter II, Philadelphia Freeway, and a few other personal favorites so peep them (I would love to do one for MOP's Warriorz but I can't find the sample list). Plus I've done the last few tracks of the Mood Muzik Remix album, so I'll post those as well.

Mr. Heartbreak ['One Day A Smile'] 1 Delegation From Me To U [The Samples]
Trying To Make A Fool Of Me ['Okay Okay'] 2 The Delfonics From Me To U [The Samples]
I'm Going Down ['Down'] 3 Mary J. Blige From Me To U [The Samples]
Making love out of nothing at all ['Mosnter Music'] 4 Air Supply From Me To U [The Samples]
You're Special ['Back Again'] 5 Commodores From Me To U [The Samples]
Jealousy ['My Problem'] 6 Vicki Sue Robinson From Me To U [The Samples]
Woman to Woman ['How I Feel'] 7 Shirley Brown From Me To U [The Samples]
Can U Help Me ['Why'] 8 Usher From Me To U [The Samples]
Il Trovatore/Anvil Chor/Vedi Le Fosche ['Dipset'] 9 Chicago Symphony Chorus From Me To U [The Samples]
I Love You So, Never Gonna Let You Go ['Squalie'] 10 Love Unlimited Orchestra From Me To U [The Samples]
Nights Like This ['Rain Drops'] 11 After 7 From Me To U [The Samples]
Look What You've Done ['My Love (Remix)'] 12 The Moments From Me To U [The Samples]
Lets Get It On ['Let's Go'] 13 Marvin Gaye From Me To U [The Samples]
Gangsta Lean ['This is For My Homies'] 14 DRS From Me To U [The Samples]

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Purple Haze Samples

Purple Haze [The Samples] - Cam'ron
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Another deep and eclectic samples set from the Dipset. Purple Haze is widely considered the creative apex of the Dipset/Roc-a-fella marriage [||]. I personally prefer the next album I will post, but I definitely enjoy this one. As an aestheticisist (someone who believes the value of art is in its beauty and enjoyability, hence my preference of Dipset to Jurasic 5 for example...and yes, I think I made up that word), I easily overlook the fact that the producers seemingly didn't dig too deep to find some of their samples ("Girls just wanna have fun" is the laziest sample in HiP-Hop history). Here goes.

Woman I Need You ('More Gangsta Music') 1 Sizzla 3:41 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Life's Opera ('Get Down') 2 Marvin Gaye 7:43 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Bajo Fuego ('Leave Me Alone pt.2') 3 Jerry Goldsmith 5:24 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Strung Out ('Down and Out') 4 William Bell and Mavis Staples 3:05 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Theme From Hill Street Blues ('Harlem Streets') 5 Mike Post/Larry Carlton 3:09 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ('Girls') 6 Cindy Lauper 3:49 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Merry-Go-Ride ('Soap Opera') 7 Smokey Robinson 5:23 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Blues Dance Rain ('Bubble Music') 8 Steel Pulse 4:52 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Reasons ('More Reasons') 9 Earth, Wind, & Fire 5:00 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Funky Worm ('The Dope Man') 10 Ohio Players 2:39 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Dopeman ('The Dope Man') 11 N.W.A. 6:14 Purple Haze [The Samples]
I Want to Be Your Man ('Hey Lady') 12 Zapp & Roger 3:45 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Carmina Burana- O Fortuna ('Get 'Em Girls') 13 Carl Orff 5:19 Purple Haze [The Samples]
Forever ("Dip-Set Forever") 14 Chuck Cissel 3:46 Purple Haze [The Samples]

Monday, March 31, 2008

Deconstructing "Come Home With Me"


Cam'ron - Come Home With Me [The Samples]
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Here's the next Dip-set (corny, I know). It's for Cam's first album for Roc-a-fella and his highest selling by far. It was helmed by the likes of Kanye, Just and the Heatmakerz so, as expected, the samples come Proper. The sample of "Dead or Alive" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. One Caveat, I couldn't find the full version of Joe Simon's "I'll take care of you", used by the Heatmakerz on "Boy Boy", so I included a 30 second snippet. If anyone has or knows how to get the full song, hit me up in the comments.

The Oscar ('Intro') 1 Blue Magic
I'm Going Down ('Oh Boy') 2 Rose Royce
Ambitionz Az A Ridah' ('Live My Life') 3 2Pac
Sound of Da Police ('Live My Life') 4 KRS-One
Day Dreaming ('Daydreaming') 5 Aretha Franklin
She is My Lady ('Come Home With Me') 6 Donny Hathaway
Easy ('Hey Ma') 7 The Commodores
You, Me And He ('On Fire Tonight') 8 Mtume
Have You Seen Her ('On Fire Tonight') 9 Chi-Lites
Untitled (How Does It Feel) ('I Just Wanna') 10 D'Angelo
Lazarus ('Dead Or Alive') 11 Buffy Sainte-Marie
Warlock ('The ROC') 12 Tilsley Orchestra
I'll Take Care of You ('Boy Boy') 13 Joe Simon
Love Me in a Special Way ('Tomorrow') 14 DeBarge

Deconstructing Diplomatic Immunity

Diplomatic Immunity [The Samples] - The Diplomats
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Inspired by the work of the legendary (at least around my neck of the interwebs) Ivan and Kev, I have decided to go diggin' myself and compile sample sets for my personal albums. Having come of age as a Hip-Hop fan in New York in the early 2000's, it's only appropriate that my first few sets are from Dipset. I'll eventually be posting the 4 ROC/Dispet albums. People tend to forget how soulful the Dip were and how great the Heatmakerz were so hopefully the soulfulness and eclecticism of this set will remind others (as it did me). Peace.

P.S. - Unlike Kev and Ivan, I won't be writing on the covers, rather I'll have a friend remake the covers thematicaly (hence pink stars and Purple stripes [||] for Diplomatic Immunity).

Why Dont You Make Up Your Mind ('Un Casa') 1 Peabo Bryson
Who Am I ('Who Am I') 2 O'Jays
Headed For A Heartbreak ('Ground Zero') 3 Winger
Cry Together ('Real N*ggas') 4 O'Jays
Help (Somebody Please) ('More Than Music') 5 O'Jays
Closer ('Beautiful Noise') 6 B.T. Express
One In A Million ('Dipset Anthem') 7 Sanchez
Easy ('Hey Ma (Remix)') 8 The Commodores
I Got Over Love ('I Really Mean It') 9 Major Harris
Look What You've Done ('My Love') 10 The Moments
I Stand Accused ('I Love You') 11 Jerry Butler
Too Blind To See ('Purple Haze') 12 Dorothy Moore
Let There Be Light ('The First') 13 Jeff Tyzik
1st Of Tha Month ('The First') 14 Bone Thugs
Mirror Of My Soul ('DJ Enuff Freestyle') 15 O V Wright
King's Motorcade ('What's Really Good') 16 Nile Rodgers
Yes I'm Ready ('I'm Ready') 17 Barbara Mason
Bout It Bout It ('Bout It Bout It....,pt. 3) 18 Master P
We Built This City ('Built This City') 19 Jefferson Starship
Lets Get It On ('Let's Go') 20 Marvin Gaye