The Lineage of Sound

In nearly every creative field, progress builds on what came before and music is no exception. Every era of sound carries the DNA of its predecessors, echoing past voices in new forms. One of the most rewarding parts of discovering new music is tracing its lineage, pausing to ask where did this come from? In today’s music landscape, samples serve as a bridge across generations, connecting listeners to moments, cultures, and stories they may have missed. In this edition, we’re diving into some iconic hip-hop tracks and the unexpected songs they sample. Some of them might completely shift how you hear them.

Much of the reason “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest hits so hard is because, you're also hearing one of the most iconic bass lines in rock history with Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.”

The sample is looped pretty much through the entire song. Tribe took that mood and flipped it into a new kind of street poetry, hip hop!

Many times with samples, if the original song is a smash, the writer usually takes a large chunk if not all of the song publishing and more. This was exactly the case with this song. Loui Reed got all the royalties from the song. In an interview years later, Phife Dawg joked that the group “never got a dime” from their breakout single.

Take a listen to where the meat and bones of the song was birthed from…

Now take a listen to A Tribe Called Quest’s, Can I Kick It. The sample clearly makes it what it is and what it became.

Not going even front, this one blew my mind. One of Kendrick’s most iconic tracks is built on a deep cut sample from Denmark. “Tiden Flyver” (translation: Time Flies) was made by Boom Clap Bachelors, a Copenhagen-based collective blending soul, jazz, and electronic haze. The group was a collection of highly successful musicians but, featured Robin Hannibal, who later worked with Anderson .Paak and co-founded Rhye and other musical groups.

Producer Sounwave pitched and chopped the intro, turning a dreamy Scandinavian falsetto loop into the emotional bedrock for Kendrick’s reflection on fame, ego, and inner peace.

Fun fact: there’s a leaked version featuring Lady Gaga that was scrapped because her vocals didn’t match the mellow tone. It was actually the original version to this song. In my opinion, as great as Gaga is, her vocal tone destroyed the hypnotic feel of this iconic song. I’m glad it was never released. If you want you can listen to it here.

Original Sample from Boom Clap Bachelors:

Now take a listen to Kendrick’s flip, the sample is beautifully flipped and slowed down to create one of Kendrick’s most iconic early sounds.

Before it became a West Coast anthem, “The Next Episode” started as a cinematic orchestral groove from the mind of David Axelrod, sampled from “The Edge,” a deep cut instrumental by NCIS actor-turned-musician David McCallum.

Dr. Dre took the haunting 4-bar guitar loop from the original and let it ride, adding his signature drum sound. The sample stays front and center throughout the song, no pitch shift, no time adjustment just pure vibe.

Axelrod originally hated hearing his music under “guys talking about guns and hos.” But over time, he eventually admitted Dre made it undeniable. “The Next Episode” proves you don’t need a million sounds, just the right one. Some of the best songs in history are the most simple from a musical perspective.

Original Sample from David McCallum

Now take a listen to ‘The Next Episode’ by Dr Dre

Sampling isn't about "hijacking nostalgia wholesale," says Mark Ronson. It's about inserting yourself into the narrative of a song while also pushing that story forward. In this video Ronson traces the evolution of "La Di Da Di," Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's 1984 hit that has been reimagined for every generation since. It is the most sampled song of all time with over 180 samples.

This is a shot of J Dilla in his home studio. Apologies for the lo-fi quality it’s a screen grab from an old video, but I think that adds to the charm. Dilla was the undisputed master of the MPC. For those unfamiliar, it’s the holy grail of sample-based production, and no one pushed it further than he did. What I love most about this image is how he’s completely immersed in music, literally surrounded by crates and shelves of records, the raw material that fueled his genius. And apparently, this was just a small piece of his entire collection.

On a side note, this was a tough week for the music community as we lost two legends. First Sly Stone and on Wednesday, one of the greatest musicians to ever live, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. May he rest in peace.