November 14, 2003: with nothing left to prove, Jay Z releases The Black Album, a project billed as his last. Fifteen years on, we reflect on the production throughout the LP, breaking down the sampling, examining the sonic palette and looking at the collaborators Jay chose to score his classic curtain closer. Fifteen years ago, […]
Sample Dives
Dissecting No I.D.’s Production Masterclass on “4:44”
In a genre often preoccupied with youth culture, an album exploring the trials of adult relationships and responsibilities is like a breath of fresh air. That goes double when it’s the work of a veteran producer and a legendary emcee. We’re celebrating their excellence with this, an in-depth exploration of No I.D.’s incredible production work […]
Dissecting Jay-Z’s Forgotten Classic Album “Vol 2… Hard Knock Life” [20th Anniversary]
Today marks 20 years since the release of Jay-Z’s third studio album, Vol 2… Hard Knock Life. While the album’s legacy is often overlooked in favor of other Jay classics, Hard Knock Life still remains Jay’s commercial peak to this day, and represents the beginning of hip hop’s invasion of the mainstream. On Pusha T’s […]
Behind Drizzy’s Most Essential Album, “Nothing Was The Same”
The months before the release of Nothing Was The Same, the third studio album by Canadian hip hop titan Drake, were dominated by the emcee’s hit singles. The album’s first single, “Started From The Bottom,” was released in February, a whole seven months prior to the album. The simplistic rap banger hit #6 on the Billboard […]
Producing Doris: Every Sample from Earl Sweatshirt’s Debut Studio Album, Analyzed
Doris, the first of Earl Sweatshirt’s two studio albums, was released on August 20, 2013. In the five years since, the Los Angeles-based rapper has become one of hip hop’s most lauded young lyricists and, much like his Odd Future associate Frank Ocean, one of the culture’s most enigmatic figures. Earl’s long absence from the […]
Wyoming: Breaking Down Kanye West’s 42 Samples One-by-One
From the hook on Pusha T’s “Come Back Baby” to the quasi-unreleased Kurt Cobain demos on “Cudi Montage”, the five-chapter Wyoming series produced by Kanye West contains some of the most iconic samples of the year. We break them down one-by-one to gain a glimpse behind the creative process of one of the most talented […]
