SAMPLED is a recurring column that examines the skeletal production of a contemporary Rap/R&B/Hip-Hop or Pop song. From what song did the loop, sample, or chopped up vocal providing the backbone for a new interpretation originate? SAMPLED looks at the original song with some historical context, and then presents the contemporary production that utilizes a sample from the original. For better or worse, this is the process by which a huge portion of contemporary pop music is assembled.

This week, the sample in question comes from the 1972 Funk/R&B song “Surrender” by Black Ivory.

As a traditional R&B/funk band, the rise of Disco music in the early 70’s ensured that Black Ivory wouldn’t dominate the sales charts. Still, their smooth and jazzy approach to Funk music gave them notoriety along the Eastern coast of the the States. Black Ivory are best known for their 1972 ballad “Don’t Turn Around,” from the album of the same name. A B-side form this album, “Surrender” is an uptempo dance number complete with horn stabs, a prominent bassline, a shuffling tambourine, and trade-off vocals that beg the listener to “surrender your sweet lovin'” to Black Ivory. There’s a lot here to work with in terms of finding a sample, from the dominant mobile bassline, to the forcefully melodic chorus. Black Ivory’s music is prime for cutting samples out of — it’s been done before by Raekwon, Q-Tip, Omarion, Madlib, 9th Wonder, and more.

“Surrender” by Black Ivory was sampled by Lil B in the song “Surrender To Me” from his recent White Flame mixtape.

For the sample, producer Stan Lane takes the first 2 bars of the chorus, pitches them down, and slows the tempo. It gives the section a much more dramatic tone. Given the original, it’s hard to believe Lil B could rap over it and still sound hard, but with the pitch drop, the “surrender your sweet lovin'” line sounds almost foreboding. This sample loops for the song’s entirety, only supported by some drum programming, a sub bass, and a reversed cymbal sample. This is a tactic employed by Lil B often. On a track from the same album, “Based God Fucked My Bitches,” Based God raps over a 7 minute loop of Daft Punk’s “One More Time” that is aided only by additional drum programming. The use of Black Ivory’s “Surrender” in this Lil B track isn’t the most wildly transformative use of a sample, but Stan Lane landed on a sound that completely changes the tone of the original, and there’s some ingenuity to be found in that mood shift.

Some view sampling as a symptom of a lack of creativity, and that’s exactly why it is a polarizing topic in terms of contemporary pop music. Critics liken it to Hollywood’s nasty habit of repurposing old franchises and old ideas, updating and remaking anything that was once profitable. On the flip side, many argue that sampling is an art form not to be discredited. On a weekly-ish basis, SAMPLED aims to take it on a case-by-case basis, and examine the dividing practice of using samples in the creation of music.