Classic samples: Lonnie Liston Smith to Jay Z

I though maybe today I would share some music, as I dabble a little in producing. I've mainly been using Adobe Audition and learning stuff as I go. About a year back I wrote a rhyme to the original Jay Z- Dead Presidents instrumental. I recently decided to cut up and rearrange the beat a little so it would be different from the original. Unfortunately I couldn't find a higher quality version of the track to use so I just went with the one I had:
The Precedent 2.0 by The Velvet Vulture
I'm a sucker for that plush mid-90's sound. The original Dead Presidents track is so smooth and has those classic 90's hip hop snares and kick drums. Plus like a lot of other instrumentals from the era, it features a sample from an old 70's jazz, soul, or funk record. In this case, the original track is Garden of Peace by Lonnie Liston Smith off the 1979 record Dreams of Tomorrow. One of my friends posted it to their Facebook wall, and it was great to finally hear that classic hip hop sample in it's original context. I find whenever I can trace a song or sample that I really enjoy back to it's roots, it makes me appreciate it so much more. It also opens up new avenues of music and different artists to explore based on the original artist and all the artists who sampled the original track.

I'm out for presidents to represent me: Off the 1996 release Reasonable Doubt

Here is the original track by Lonnie Liston Smith. The piano is really beautiful.

I remember I was first introduced to Jay Z's Dead Presidents by a friend who suggested that it would make an excellent Drum n Bass sample. And lo and behold someone had taken my friend's advice:

Other artists which have sampled Garden of Peace include Dj Krush, Mary Jay Blidge, O.C., Dave Owen, and Dj Deckstream. Its interesting to hear how many different ways this track can be chopped, altered, and manipulated. And although my production skills are novice at best, I find its fun to cut up tracks myself and make my own remixes and beats out of them. There are a bunch of other musical sample connections I wanna make in up-coming posts so keep your eye out if you are into this kind of stuff or have a slight interest. Peace!