Labi Siffre: I Got The (Blues)
From Remember My Song (EMI, 1975)
Jay-Z: Streets Is Watching
From In My Lifetime (Roc-a-Fella, 1997)
Eminem: My Name Is…
From The Slim Shady LP (Interscope, 1999)
About time we got these two producers in the mix…and with an intriguing contrast of a shared sample. The Labi Siffre track has been used multiple times but most tend to flip the front part of the song – that dramatic portion that Ski uses for Jay-Z’s beat. It’s easy to see what the attraction to that would be. But it was Dr. Dre, coming up with Eminem’s first break-out single, who really put the highlight onto the bridge instead.
Personally, the real winner here has always been Siffre’s song. Apart from the fact that I love how an openly gay Black British singer would supply a track that’d be the backbone for rap artists not exactly known for their queer-friendly attitudes, “I Got The” is an incredible song in terms of how it builds, shifts and unwinds. Right around 3:25 is my favorite portion, right in the middle of that bridge that Dre uses. Simple sublime.
chatter