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 used on the bonus track from James Blake’s sophomore album Overgrown, “Every Day I Ran”:

Being a fan of a duo is different from being a fan of a band, or a solo act. When I say duo, I’m not talking about a Macklemore/Ryan Lewis-type creative partnership. What I mean to address is a scenario where there’s no clear “frontman/woman” in the pair, and their output is presented as a product that was conceived via equal input from each individual. So a true blue duo is more of a Hall & Oates than a Simon & Garfunkel. You feel me?

Obviously, this is all leading to the inevitable discussion of Andre 3000 vs. Big Boi. When you’re a fan of a duo, even when they’re presented to you as equal partners, you can’t help but feel drawn to one of the two. But when a duo is truly effective, as you grow with them, your taste can shift between members. I liken it to my own personal journey with Mr. Show co-creators Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. When I first discovered Mr. Show, David Cross’ sarcastic and outlandish sensibility appealed to me right away. As I consumed more of the show, and had a bit of time to digest the layers of bizarre brilliance within, I’d decided that I was more of an Odenjerk (a term I just coined to describe fans of Bob Odenkirk, in case that wasn’t obvious). My personal relationship with the members of OutKast mirrors the one with Bob and David. When I was younger, Andre’s quirky, melodic ability made it easy for a kid who mostly listened to nu-metal and pop-punk to listen to a hip-hop record. As I spent a little bit more time with Stankonia and Speakerboxxx, Big Boi’s clever wordplay and creative mind started to shine through. I made the transition to full on Big Boi fan-boi when he released Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. “Royal Flush” was originally intended to appear on Sir Luscious, but was removed due to contract complications after his departure from Jive records.

When a creative duo is near perfect and symbiotic (like OutKast and Bob & David), the individual appeal of its parts will eventually reveal itself. It’s an ebb and flow that makes a true creative partnership interesting. Now, if Andre stops making Gillette commercials and Jimi Hendrix biopics and makes a record, maybe it’ll come full circle.

“Royal Flush” by Big Boi was recently sampled by James Black on “Every Day I Ran,” the iTunes Deluxe Edition bonus track from his second album, Overgrown:

On “Every Day I Ran,” James Blake cuts up Big Boi’s first verse from “Royal Flush,” borrowing short words and phrases from the original, and splicing them together. Check out Big Boi’s lyric sheet below; I’ve bolded the words Blake borrows for the swirling intro on this experimental bonus cut:

I am the wrong nigga to cross and the first nigga to jam
With the AK-cuatro siete over microphone in hand
Goddamn. Generation uno, Dungeon Fam
The lab is filled with potions of emotions out the ass
I laugh when you think that you have seen the last
But it’s only the beginning my nigga don’t be so fast
Pass gas, slow it down to a screeching halt
Impeach the President cause he don’t think before he talk