Happy Monday, Reader!
Today we’re discussing a sample that I’m sure most of you have heard used in the rapper, The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 song “Big Poppa.” The track is from Biggie’s debut album, Ready to Die. The Brooklyn native has used a myriad of samples in his songs, but today we will be focusing on his Grammy-nominated and Billboard Music Award recipient, “Big Poppa.”
Now is where we have our little #BackinTime moment and discover where this artist drew his inspiration from. The song incorporates a sample from 1983’s “Between the Sheets” written by the musical group, The Isley Brothers, from the album of the same name. If you listen to the mellow, funky, quiet-storm beat underneath Ronald Isley’s smooth vocals you will hear the uncanny similarities between that track and Biggie’s.
In 2004, nearly twenty years after “Between the Sheets” is released and ten years after “Big Poppa is released, listeners hear the familiar beat hit airwaves once again. Gwen Stefani snags the beat for her song, “Luxurious” from her debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Stefani and her co-writer modernized the sample by incorporating keyboards, synthesizers, and electric guitars.
Below you will see links to each of these tracks and the exact moments where you can compare and contrast the underlying beats:
Between the Sheets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf_si60K9nM (skip to 0:20)
Big Poppa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QceVTChhlJM (sample appears at 0:19)
Luxurious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIhlZKxi8AU (sample appears immediately)
