No Way Out: Original Samples

We couldn’t dig in the crates and not include a set from the 80s sample machine himself, Diddy. On July 1, 1997 Diddy, then known to the world as Puff Daddy, released his debut album Now Way Out and began, what some may say, the downfall of hip hop. Yeah, the glitz and glam and way too obvious samples was not a good look for hip hop, but in 1997 I was rockin’ No Way Out just as much as Biggie’s Life After Death (which was released the same year).

To me, No Way Out was a pretty solid album and tightly produced by Diddy’s in house production team, The Hitmen. Samples range from those obvious 80s ones to a bit of soul and funk. Some people may recognize the intro to the album and intro to “I’ll Be Missing You” as the theme to the movie Platoon. It is the same song, but not the same arrangement. The one Diddy used is a vocal version, whereas the one used in Platoon is an orchestral version. So anyway, if you’re a fan of the album, check out the samples below. If not, I guess you can just wait for our next set. Big ups to Thomas once again! Oh, and check out Goon’s blog… he’s been killin’ the sample sets lately!

1. “Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei (from Adagio for Strings)” by Vienna Boys Choir
   • Sampled in “No Way Out (Intro)” and “I’ll Be Missing You (Intro)”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Steven “Stevie J” Jordan for The Hitmen
2. “Going The Distance” by Bill Conti
   • Sampled in “Victory”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Steven “Stevie J” Jordan for The Hitmen
3. “Nautilus” by Bob James
   • Sampled in “Victory”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Steven “Stevie J” Jordan for The Hitmen
4. “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie
   • Sampled in “Been Around The World”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie, & Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence for The Hitmen
5. “It Feels So Good” by Grover Washington Jr.
   • Sampled in “Been Around The World”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie, & Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence for The Hitmen
6. “Been Around The World” by Lisa Stansfield
   • Interpolated in “Been Around The World”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie, & Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence for The Hitmen
7. “It’s Over” by Eddie Holman
   • Sampled in “What You Gonna Do”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence, & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen
8. “Don’t Stop The Music” by Yarbrough & Peoples
   • Sampled in “Don’t Stop What You’re Doing”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence for The Hitmen
9. “If I Should Die Tonight” by Marvin Gaye
   • Sampled in “If I Should Die Tonight (Interlude)”
   • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Jeffery “J-Dub” Walker for The Hitmen
10. “Concentrate” by The Gaturs
    • Sampled in “Do You Know”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie for The Hitmen
11. “Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know)” by Diana Ross
    • Interpolated in “Do You Know”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie for The Hitmen
12. “On The Hill” by Oliver Sain
    • Sampled in “Young G’s”
    • Produced by Rashad Smith
13. “Little Ghetto Boy” by Donnie Hathaway
    • Interpolated in “Young G’s”
    • Produced by Rashad Smith
14. “Xtabay (Lure Of The Unknown Love)” by Yma Sumac
    • Sampled in “I Love You Baby”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence for The Hitmen
15. “I Did It For Love” by Barry White & Love Unlimited Orchestra
    • Sampled in “It’s All About The Benjamins”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie for The Hitmen
16. “It’s Great To Be Here” by The Jackson 5
    • Sampled in “It’s All About The Benjamins”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie for The Hitmen
17. “Jesse” by Roberta Flack
    • Sampled in “Pain”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen
18. “Benjamin” by Les McCann
    • Sampled in “Pain”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen
19. “Is This The End” by New Edition
    • Sampled in “Is This The End?”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Steven “Stevie J” Jordan for The Hitmen
20. “Don’t Wanna Come Back” by Mother’s Finest
    • Sampled in “I Got The Power”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs for The Hitmen & Big Jaz
21. “Person To Person” by Average White Band
    • Sampled in “Friend”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Steven “Stevie J” Jordan for The Hitmen
22. “Little Lady Maria” by The Ohio Players
    • Sampled in “Señorita”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Yogi for The Hitmen
23. “O Ella O Yo” by India
    • Sampled in “Señorita”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Yogi for The Hitmen
24. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police
    • Sampled in “I’ll Be Missing You”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs & Steven “Stevie J” Jordan for The Hitmen
25. “Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder
    • Interpolated in “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Carlos “6 July” Broady, & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen
26. “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
    • Sampled in “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Carlos “6 July” Broady, & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen
27. “Atomic Dog” by George Clinton
    • Sampled in “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Carlos “6 July” Broady, & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen
28. “Big Beat” by Billy Squier
    • Sampled in “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Carlos “6 July” Broady, & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen
29. “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson
    • Sampled in “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”
    • Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, Carlos “6 July” Broady, & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen

Download No Way Out: Original Samples (146 MB)