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, we’re breaking down the sample from “Days and Days,” a track from Lil Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being 2:

Barbara Lynn Ozen is a left-handed guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Texas, best known for her 1962 Top 10 single “You’ll Lose a Good Thing.” Taking inspiration from blues artists like Johnny Reid, Elvis Presley, and Brenda Lee, Barbara Lynn started performing locally with an all-girl group called Bobbie Lynn and Her Idols, and eventually caught the ear of Huey P. Meaux, a record producer who owned a studio and several record labels. Before long, Meaux and Lynn collaborated on “You’ll Lose A Good Thing,” launching her career with a #1 hit on the R&B charts.

At the time, it was rare to see an African-American woman who wrote her own songs and played a lead instrument, which makes “I’m A Good Woman” a very important song in terms of both racial and gender equality for performers, an effect that’s heightened even more by the lyrical content (“I’m a good woman, so don’t treat me like dirt.”). I shudder to think what Barbara Lynn’s reaction would be if she heard what Lil Wayne’s reinterpretation of “I’m A Good Woman” over fifty years after its initial release.

“I’m A Good Woman” by Barbara Lynn was recently sampled by production duo Cool & Dre on “Days And Days” by Lil Wayne, featuring 2 Chainz:

Miami production duo Cool & Dre chop the first few bars of the intro from Barbara Lynn’s “I’m A Good Woman” and pitch it down slightly, using it to bookend verses by Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. Tight trap-style drum production and heavy synths during the verses offset the bluesy soul sample at the song’s core, and make its return all the more effective each time it comes back.

It’s just too bad Wayne felt the need to drop two of his most misogynistic verses on a sample of a song that was written demanding respect for females in a time where it was controversial to do so.