Rewind: Lil Wayne 'Tha Carter III'

Maybe it's me, but it does not at all feel like 'Tha Carter III' was released on this date last year - Lil Wayne has easily given the American consciousness three years worth of crazy in just the last 12 months since his album finally dropped. This post will cover the sample material used by Wayne and his production cohorts for 2008's massive album 'Tha Carter III'.

The album's undeniable cut is the throbbing smash single 'A Milli' produced by Bangladesh. The song contains a sample from Norman Cook's remix of 'I Left My Wallet in El Segundo' from A Tribe Called Quest's 1989 UK version of the single. The Kanye produced track 'Comfortable' that posts Lil Wayne up with Babyface (uh?) includes a sample from another Kanye West produced track: 'You Don't Know My Name' from Alicia Keys' 2003 album 'The Diary of Alicia Keys'. As previously covered on this blog, Swizz Beatz produces a very un-Swizz sounding beat for Lil Wayne's 'Dr. Carter' by looping fragments of David Axelrod's 'Holy Thursday' bass and drum breakdown.

Kanye West also produced the song 'Let the Beat Build' on 'Tha Carter III' using a sample from ex-Temptation Eddie Kendricks' 'Day by Day' from the 1972 album 'People... Hold On'. Probably the most well known use of another song on the album is Wayne's vocal interpolation of the Rolling Stones' 'Play with Fire' on his own track 'Playing with Fire' produced by StreetRunner. Since the interpolation was never licensed, the track has been removed from newer copies of 'Tha Carter III' and undoubtedly there is some kind of cash settlement (lesson: clear those samples). Finally, Rodnae and Moussa produce a scorcher for Lil Wayne, the nearly ten minute 'DontGetIt', by sampling Nina Simone's 1964 cover of 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' from her classic album 'Broadway - Blues - Ballads'.

In a year when record sales were few and far between, Wayne managed to do the unthinkable: go platinum in one week (I'm going to date myself, but I remember when 'Doggystyle' did the same thing, and it was a HUGE deal - and that was when people actually bought CDs). So far, the album is three times platinum and Lil Wayne is showing no signs of slowing down with more albums planned and mixtapes released.

The Lowdown:
Lil Wayne 'A Milli', 'Comfortable', 'Dr. Carter', 'Let the Beat Build', 'Playing with Fire', and 'DontGetIt'.
from 'Tha Carter III' (2008) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'A Milli', 'Comfortable', 'Dr. Carter', 'Let the Beat Build', and 'DontGetIt'.
A Tribe Called Quest 'I Left My Wallet in El Segundo' (Vampire Mix)
from 'I Left My Wallet in El Segundo' (1989) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Alicia Keys 'You Don't Know My Name'
from 'The Diary of Alicia Keys' (2003) (MP3/CD)
David Axelrod 'Holy Thursday'
from 'Songs of Innocence' (1968) (MP3/CD not available)
Eddie Kendricks 'Day By Day'
from 'People... Hold On' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Rolling Stones 'Play with Fire'
from 'Out of Our Heads' (1965) (MP3/CD)
Nina Simone 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'
from 'Broadway - Blues - Ballads' (1964) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 2, 1968-1969)

Producer Profile: Kanye West (Part 3, 2003)

After placing beats on Jay-Z's 'The Blueprint', Kanye West became a sought after producer even before the release of 2004's 'The College Dropout'. Part one of this three part post will cover the beats and samples from Kanye West's 2003 production credits.

West had two beats on Jay-Z's 'Black Album' from 2003, Jay's short-lived retirement farewell address. Kanye's production for 'Encore' samples John Holt's 'I Will' from his album '2000 Volts of Holt'. Another reggae sample appears on Jay-Z's 'Lucifer' via Max Romeo's classic Lee Perry produced 'I Chase the Devil' (covered in depth on a previous post on this blog). West's work with Rocafella was not limited to Jay-Z in 2003, West also had a beat on Freeway's under-appreciated debut album 'Philadelphia Freeway'. The track 'Hear the Song' samples Chic's 'Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)'.

One of Kanye's biggest production credits in 2003 was for Alicia Key's hit single 'You Don't Know My Name' peaking at #3 on the Billboard 100. The track is cleverly crafted from Main Ingredient's 'Let Me Prove My Love to You' from their 1975 album 'Shame on the World'.

Check back for the second part of our look at Kanye West's production credits of 2003.

The Lowdown:
Jay-Z 'Encore' and 'Lucifer'
from 'Black Album' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Encore' and 'Lucifer'
John Holt 'I Will'
from '2000 Volts of Holt' (1976) (MP3/CD not available)
Max Romeo 'I Chase the Devil'
from 'War Ina Babylon' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD)
Freeway 'Hear the Song'
from 'Philadelphia Freeway' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Hear the Song'
Chic 'Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)'
from 'Risqué' (1979) (MP3/CD)
Alicia Keys 'You Don't Know My Name'
from 'The Diary of Alicia Keys' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Main Ingredient 'Let Me Prove My Love to You'
from 'Shame on the World' (1975) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

BONUS CUT:
The original Jamaican mix of 'I Will' by John Holt'.