SAMPLED examines the skeletal production of a contemporary rap, R&B, hip-hop or pop song — Where did the loop, sample, or chopped up vocal providing the backbone originate? SAMPLED gives you the history, the context, and the insight.

This week, the sample is taken from “Can’t Tell Me Nothin'” by Kanye West:

On SAMPLED, we usually elect to feature songs that sample a more obscure offering, and give you a little insight and historical context into the original. This week, we feature a song that samples the most obscure cult favourite artist that you’ve never heard of: Kanye West.

But really, we can probably skip that whole “historical context” thing, and skip to the sample deconstruction part right? Okay, good.

“Can’t Tell Me Nothin'” was recently sampled on Rihanna’s “Numb,” a song that features Eminem on her new album Unapologetic:

Any time a new Rihanna record comes out, I’m always curious to see what it’s going to sound like. Unapologetic is her seventh album in seven years, and regardless of whether you’re a Rihanna fan, it’s always interesting to see what the highest-paid producers and songwriters in pop music will do to make her accelerated release schedule sound justified.

As a producer, Kanye West helped popularize the act of pitching vocal samples up or down to use as hooks (see “White Dress,” “Mercy,” “Through The Wire,” dozens more), so it seems only fitting that producers Pop Wansel, Oakwud, and Flippa 123 have taken a line from “Can’t Tell Me Nothin'” and pitched it down for the chorus of Rihanna’s “Numb.”

Wansel (probably best known for “Your Love” by Nicki Minaj and “Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay” by Big Sean) and company chop and pitch-down a section of Kanye’s third “Can’t Tell Me Nothin'” verse (see 2:30 of the above YouTube clip): “Let the champagne splash / Let that man get cash / Let that man get past.” You’ll hear the sample at 0:53 on “Numb,” and it repeats with every chorus. Rihanna’s lyrics don’t tell much of a story beyond that of getting fucked up, but the disengaged nature of her delivery, and the discombobulated musical arrangement give the track a distinct feeling of disregard, effectively mirroring Kanye’s obstinate original.