It’s been a while since I cover a popular track for Sample Sundays… today I decided to uncover some of the samples that were used to produce Jay-Z’s Dead Presidents single which he released to promote his debut album Reasonable Debt. There is a huge misconception regarding this single. A lot of people think that Dead Presidents was not a single and is actually just another track in his Reasonable Debt album. If you know the slightest bit about hip hop then you probably know that the track that appears on Reasonable Debt is actually Dead Presidents II, same track, same beat, same samples, same chorus… the only difference is that Jay-Z spits a different verse.

Jay-Z – Dead Presidents

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Jay-Z – Dead Presidents II

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The track basically consists of three samples.. the first two make up the drum and background of the track. One from Nas’ 1994 The World Is Yours, the second from Tribe Called Quest’s Oh My God (Remix).

Lastly we have the legendary piano melody that defines this song. The sample is form Lonnie Liston Smith’s A Garden Of Peace from his 1979 album Dreams Of Tomorrow. If you MUST know exactly which part was sampled, skip forward to around 2:16 of this video and you will hear it.

BONUS TRACK!!

A Tribe Called Quest – Oh My God

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Recommended For You...

SKYWLKR - AK Haze

Rick Rubinology

Jay Z - Glory (Feat. B.I.C.)

SAMPLE SUNDAY: Jay-Z's Girls, Girls, Girls