You know the feeling when you hear a beat and think, “I know this song from somewhere”. If it is from the early 2000’s, it possibly could be produced by Kanye West. For over two decades, this man has been flipping classic records in ways that will blow your mind. Despite what you may think of him now, he still has not lost his fastball when it comes to the actual music production process.
His producer catalog is a masterclass in sample manipulation. Each one of the following examples shows you a different side of what’s possible when it comes to down the music rabbit hole. After watching these videos, you’ll never listen to these songs the same way again.
Stand Up – Ludacris
Long before Kanye West became a household name, he was grinding as a producer that would change music. Stand Up stands as one of his earliest masterpieces – a track that not only launched Ludacris to his first Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit in 2003 but also announced Kanye as a force behind the boards.
Jean Knight’s 1971 Mr. Big Stuff had been making rounds in hip-hop circles for years. Stax Records released the record, and by the time Kanye discovered it, heavyweights like Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Heavy D had already used it.
Ludacris tells the story of Kanye creating the beat in just five minutes. While most producers spend hours perfecting a loop, Kanye chopped up Knight’s groove, tightened it into something more aggressive, and added his signature bounce without overthinking the process.
The unexpected bounce that defined early 2000s hip-hop
The track wasn’t without drama, though. A New Jersey group called I.O.F. sued over similarities to their 2001 song Straight Like That. Both Ludacris and Kanye had to testify in 2006 that they’d never heard the group’s track.
Stand Up helped catapult Ludacris’ Chicken-N-Beer straight to #1 on October 25, 2003. Ludacris owned 2003, and this track was his calling card. Dave Meyers directed a music video that matched the song’s energy perfectly. The visual became as iconic as the beat itself.
Izzo (H.O.V.A.) – Jay-Z
Summer 2001 was a different time in hip-hop. Jay-Z’s Izzo (H.O.V.A.) dropped as the lead single from The Blueprint, and suddenly everyone knew there was a producer named Kanye West worth paying attention to. This track marked a pivotal moment that would reshape the genre.
Sample: ‘I Want You Back’ by The Jackson 5
What separates Kanye from every other producer is how he dissects the entire track. He pulled out specific string sections, isolated those memorable piano notes, then rebuilt everything over his own drum patterns. Kanye understood that nostalgia works best when it surprises you. The sample had to feel familiar but sound completely new. This version demonstrated what happens when technical skill meets artistic vision.
Izzo (H.O.V.A.) wasn’t just successful – it was Jay-Z’s first solo top-10 hit, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song worked on multiple levels. Older listeners connected with the nostalgic sample. Younger audiences vibed to those contemporary drums. It was the perfect bridge between generations.
Through the Wire
Kanye built this track around Chaka Khan’s 1985 hit Through the Fire. The original peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100, speeding up the vocals about four semitones, creating that signature “pitched-up soul sample sound” without sounding ridiculous. The song went platinum in the United States and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Bound 2
After blasting ears with the industrial chaos of Yeezus, Kanye threw everyone a curveball. Bound 2 samples the 1971 track Bound by Ponderosa Twins Plus One. He also weaves in vocal snippets from Brenda Lee’s 1960 country hit Sweet Nothin’s. Those little “Uh-huh, honey” and “Alright” moments you hear at 0:02 and 0:04? That’s Brenda Lee.
Otis
Watch the Throne was always going to be special. The story behind this beat is pure magic. Roc Nation’s Lenny Santiago was there when it happened – he knocked out this masterpiece in 15-20 minutes before catching a flight. They even credited Otis Redding as a featured artist on the track – a classy move that shows how much they valued the original. The track ends with sampled screaming, like Redding’s spirit blessing this whole crazy collaboration.
Power
Power dropped in 2010 as the lead single from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and it was like nothing hip-hop had heard before. Instead of sticking to soul and R&B he went straight to progressive rock legends King Crimson and grabbed their 1969 song 21st Century Schizoid Man. Here are the other four different samples used:
- “Afromerica” by Continent Number 6 (1978)
- “21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson (1969)
- “It’s Your Thing” by Cold Grits (1969)
- “Air Raid-Alert” by Jac Holzman (1964)
Power marked a turning point for Kanye as an artist. After the introspective 808s & Heartbreak, this was him coming back swinging harder than ever. Of course, sampling King Crimson came with legal headaches. Declan Colgan Music Ltd filed lawsuits over royalty payments.
Devil in a New Dress ft. Rick Ross
The foundation here comes from Smokey Robinson’s 1973 version of Will You Love Me Tomorrow? Instead of pitching things up like he did with Through the Wire, the Robinson sample gets slowed down and looped.
Sampling Master
This type of sampling changed everything about hip-hop music. Over the past two decades, he’s shown us his range. One minute he’s speeding up Chaka Khan to create something urgent. The next, he’s chopping up King Crimson. Most producers stick to one lane, but Kanye? That is why he was successful for so long. These seven samples barely scratch the surface of what he’s accomplished. Sampling will always be the heartbeat of hip-hop and that is the legacy of early 2000’s hip-hop.
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