Some samples breathe new life into forgotten classics, while others recontextualize a song’s place in contemporary music more than anything else. Not every iconic sample in Hip-hop had to be dug up from the depths of basements lined with damaged sleeves and vinyl; some have been sitting in our souls long before they were flipped for an instrumental. In rare cases, a sampled beat lives up to the legacy of the song it was created from, birthing an artist for a new generation while revitalizing a career already set in stone. Such is the case for Nas and Ahmad Jamal, who both have Pete Rock and a twinkling piano melody to thank for their longevity.
In 1970, the trio of Ahmad Jamal, Frank Grant, and Jamil Nasser recorded and released The Awakening via the legendary Impulse Records. Track two from this iconic jazz release, “I Love Music,” features a piano riff at the five-minute mark that will bring a flood of memories back for ’90s hip-hop fanatics. This little riff became the lead melody for Nas’s “The World is Yours,” one of the most memorable songs from one of Hip-hop’s most beloved albums. Below, you can hear the original sample, along with Pete Rock’s flip for Nas, and other examples of Jamal’s impact on Hip-hop.
Original sample: Ahmad Jamal Trio – “I Love Music”
Nas – “The World is Yours”
Produced by Pete Rock
Jeru the Damaja – “Me or the Papes”
Produced by DJ Premier
Knxwledge – “Keepthtup”
Produced by Knxwledge
