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 is from the CocoRosie’s “By Your Side,” which appeared on the 2004 album La Maison De Mon Rêve.

This in an interesting one, because Parisian freaky-folk sisters CocoRosie essentially sampled themselves while constructing their own track. It sounds like they pre-recorded a lo-fi vocal and piano piece (the main hook and melody of the song) and applied popular sampling techniques — pitching it up, looping, playing with tempo — then added a drum machine and a main vocal on top. For this reason, “By Your Side” has an unmistakable hip-hop feel, right down to the drum machine groove. It was only a matter of time before a rapper sampled it.

“By Your Side” was recently sampled a song of the same name, by Philadelphia hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang.

Chiddy Bang are known for fusing alternative music with indie rock, having sampled Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, Passion Pit, and MGMT previously. Producer Xaphoon Jones has most of his work done for him with the selection of the CocoRosie sample. He stutters the sample rhythmically, and adds a big beat and a sub bass with a few melodic synth stabs to round out the mix. Rapper Chiddy hops on the track with ease, since it’s got that original hip-hop groove baked in. The end result is a dreamy track with a lot of bounce about a female fan who Chiddy will always do right by.

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.