SAMPLED is a 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? We look at the original song with some historical context, and then review the modern-day production that samples the original. For better or worse, this is the process by which a huge portion of contemporary pop music is assembled. On a weekly basis, SAMPLED aims to approach it case-by-case, and examine the dividing practice of using samples in the creation of music.

This week, the sample in question comes from, funnily enough, State Farm Insurance’s “We Are Farmers” jingle:

What is there to say about a State Farm jingle? This isn’t even the most notable State Farm jingle (“Like a good neighbour, State Farm is there“), but it certainly sticks in your head. It’s a quick soundbyte of an acapella group who may or may not be farmers, and it can usually be heard at the tail-end of State Farm commercials. ‘Nuff said.

The “We Are Farmers” jingle was recently sampled by novelty hip-hop act 3 Loco, which is comprised of RiFF RAFF, Andy Milonakis, and Dirt Nasty, on a song that goes by the same name:

3 Loco are made up of 3 (how appropriate) Internet-era pseudo-stars, each of their own acclaim. Andy Milonakis is a New York native born with a congenital growth-hormone condition that gives him the outward appearance and voice of an adolescent, even though he’s thirty-six years old. This condition lends itself well to Milonakis’ crude, shock-value humour, which you might recall from the Andy Milonakis Show on MTV between 2005 and 2007. Dirt Nasty (a.k.a. Simon Rex) is from San Francisco, and he’s enjoyed moderate success in television and film roles since becoming a VJ on MTV between 1995 and 1997. For his music, he adopts the persona of Dirt Nasty, and has been producing crude, novelty rap music ever since. RiFF RAFF’s first public introduction came via the MTV reality show From Gs To Gents. Though he only appeared on the first two episodes of the series, he used the exposure to launch his rap career. RiFF RAFF’s aggressive use of social media allowed him to secure a deal with Soulja Boy’s label (SODMG: Stacks On Deck Money Gang), but the pair had a falling out earlier this year. In June, RiFF RAFF signed to Diplo’s Mad Decent label, for an 8 album deal worth a reported $2.7 million.

By now, I’m sure you’ve gathered that 3 Loco is the oddball holy trinity of novetly rap, and it’s fair to classify their music is a reflection of that freaky pastiche. They’ve just released a sampler for their debut EP, which is set to be released on September 4th via Mad Decent. One of the songs from that debut EP is the jingle-sampling “We Are Farmers,” a song with a trap-beat produced by Derek “DJA” Allen that rides the precarious line between sincerity and novelty incredibly closely. Given that this is also Diplo’s rap debut (and he probably comes off the best out of all four of the song’s participants), this is probably one of the strangest songs released this year.