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 2010 modern R&B baby-makin’ jam “Sex Intelligent (Remix)” by the Love King himself, Mr. Terius Nash a.k.a. The-Dream.

Love King, released in 2010, is a masterful showcase both of The-Dream’s impressively musical production style, as well as his unapologetically sexy and cocky lyrics. The Sex Intelligent remix is as good as it comes in terms of smooth as silk electronic bump n grind. It’s as if R. Kelly and Prince got together, and raided someone’s vintage Roland synth collection, and landed heavily on the faux-brass pads that characterize The-Dream’s productions. He’s produced and written songs for many of the greats of our time, including Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige, and even though it’s only a couple of years old, it makes total sense that a fellow producer would chop a few bars out of The-Dream’s body of work and make a new hit song out of it.

“Sex Intelligent (Remix)” by The-Dream was sampled recently by Wiz Khalifa on “My Favorite Song,” an upcoming track from Wiz’s new album O.N.I.F.C.

Virginia-born Producer Rob Holladay (Lil Wayne, Diddy, Rick Ross) chopped the final four bars of the Sex Intelligent remix, and pitched them up. In this new context, the sample has lost most of it’s sexiness, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing for the track. It sounds like Holladay has added some swirling synth pads, and some ambient vocal shouts to a nice effect. He’s got this crazy hi-hat pattern going with 32nd notes during the choruses, too. Wiz has always been good at putting together a catchy chorus, and this one works for me. Lock it up with a Juicy J feature, and “My Favorite Song” is a successful re-invention of The-Dream’s original.

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.