BeatTips List of Sample-Based Songs to Study: Madvillain – “Fancy Clown”
Sample-based gems perfect for MusicStudy.
I’m a strong advocate for MusicStudy. In my book The BeatTips Manual, I describe the importance of MusicStudy, how it improves your beatmaking skills and your overall understanding of music. By studying great songs, you learn how to simulate elements of that greatness. Thus, for sample-based beatmakers (producers), studying dope sample-based songs — especially those that feature beats produced by beatmaking icons — has always been one of the best ways to improve sampling skills.
That being said, I’m compiling an ongoing list of sample-based songs to study. “The BeatTips List of Sample-Based Songs To Study. This list includes all of the songs that I have studied over years. For each installment or volume of this list, I will note specific elements of the song, especially the beat of course. It’s my hope that the songs on this list well help serve as a guide for those who want to improve their sampling skills, as well as those who appreciate the various nuances of sample-based beats.
Finally, as always, I invite discussion. So if there are any songs you believe should be added to the list, leave your suggestion in the comments and I’ll check it out.
The music and videos below are presented here for the purpose of scholarship.
Madvillain – “Fancy Clown” (2004) Prod. by Madlib
MF DOOM and Madlib make up the supergroup known as Madvillain. There only studio album, Madvillainly (2004), was a classic that included a number of dope songs. But for me, the standout among the greatness is “Fancy Clown.”
MusicStudy: “Fancy Clown” is what I like to call a “dirty” sample-based beat. And I mean “dirty” in a good way. With “dirty” sample-based beats, you fine multiple contrasting elements that form one cohesive sound wall. These type of beats are typically not the easiest to rap to; you need a talented lyricist with a distinct voice and unique rhyme flow. Someone who’s voice can survive the natural tuck of the vocals that the sound wall creates.
The Chopped Elements In Specific
Pay careful attention to how Madlib chops and arranges the piano and vocal samples. Next, the drum framework is a standard k KK S k KK S (see The BeatTips Manual for a breakdown of this pattern). The kick is tucked (i.e. low in the mix), the snare is slightly raised, and the hi-hat slides over the top almost at a whisper. Next, focus on the piano-bass pattern that Madlib creates. It’s a deceptively simple A B C C B A A A A A B pattern. Finally, listen to the non-musical vocal samples, a feature of Madlib’s style and sound. Some may find no connection in these samples, but a “connection” is not really the point. It’s simply about what goes together to make the sound wall sound good. And often it’s the dissonance in sample-based beats that can make them dope.
For a more in-depth discussion of the art of sampling, read my book The Art of Sampling: The Sampling Tradition of Hip Hop/Rap Music and Copyright Law, 3rd Edition.
