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 is taken from Soul II Soul’s 1989 new jack swing hit “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)”:

Soul II Soul are a British sound system that found commercial success in the late eighties with their debut album Club Classics Vol. One, retitled Keep on Movin’ for its American release. Founded by Jazzie B in 1988, and featuring a rotating cast of characters, Soul II Soul became best known for their breakout hits “Back To Life (However Would You Want Me)” and “Keep On Movin’,” both featuring the vocal stylings of Caron Wheeler, a female vocalist who also sang backup vocals for Elvis Costello and Erasure in the 80s. Amazingly, the music video for “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” (see above) is the most late 80s thing ever, featuring (amidst a sea of back-up dancers) Caron Wheeler singing, 3 actual violinists, Jazzie B on keytar, and someone running what looks like a Commodore 64 computer in the background. The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and made it to the top of the U.K. singles chart, easily making it the groups most popular offering. From Will Smith dancing to it in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, to Big Boi’s interpretation of it in the chorus in “Shutterbug,” the cultural reach of this 90s dance anthem is pretty undeniable.

Soul II Soul was recently sampled by Sean Kingston in his song “Back 2 Life (Live It Up),” which is the first single he has released since his jet-skiing accident at the end of May last year:

How cheesy is it that Sean Kingston has released a single called “Back To Life” so close to the one-year anniversary of his jet-skiing accident? It’s becoming more and more common for relatively dormant artists to attempt to manufacture their own comebacks via vaguely inspirational chest-puffing pop songs (see Jason Derulo “Undefeated“), and you have to wonder whether or not these artists are trying to convince us, or themselves. Like Kingston, Derulo spent all winter on his back due to a neck injury, and they’re both mounting summer comebacks, probably praying that their young fan-bases haven’t outgrown them while they’ve been out of commission. Produced by long-time collaborator J.R. Rotem, “Back To Life (Live It Up)” shows that Kingston didn’t really have a chance to evolve during his recovery, because vocally, it’s the same bouncy island-pop fare that we’ve come to expect from the 22-year-old Jamaican. I will say that T.I. is certainly in fine form on his feature, destroying his 12 bar cameo. Rotem clearly put a great deal of work into the production, cycling through epic synth sections, house-inspired club builds, epic church bells and grand piano riffs to make the song as musically diverse as possible. He borrows Caron Wheeler’s “Back To Life” chorus vocals for a dramatic “second chorus,” without editing them much at all. Kingston sounds confident that he’s about to reclaim his spot on the charts this summer, but “Back 2 Life (Live It UP)” may not be strong enough for him to complete a full recovery.

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.