By looking at the current poll, it looks like everyone has a different favorite Jay-Z album. Well, I’m not closing the poll until we have a clear winner!

With all the excitement over American Gangster being released in only a little over a month, I figured I’d Dig In The Crates and put up some samples from some of Jay-Z’s earlier works. He’s worked with some great producers in his time: Kanye West, Timbland, DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, Rick Rubin, Just Blaze, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes… man the list goes on!

At first I was gonna do this in volumes and just put up a select few samples, but I figured let’s go ahead and do this by album. So first up we have my personal favorite, The Black Album. This album doesn’t really have any flaws that I can hear. It may be wrong to say that an album that is barely four years old is a classic, but The Black Album is definitely a classic in my book. Jay-Z went on to get some of the biggest producers in the industry to come up with some the best beats we’ve every heard.

So, here are the samples that I have. If there are any that I missed, please let me know. I plan to cover Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint in the coming weeks.

Sample:
“That’s How Long” by The Chi-Lites
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Used in:
“December 4th” (produced by Just Blaze)
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Sample:
“Something For Nothing” by MFSB
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Used in:
“What More Can I Say” (produced by The Buchannans)
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*Also contains dialog from the movie Gladiator

Sample:
“I Will” by John Holt
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Used in:
“Encore” (produced by Kanye West)
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Sample:
“A Woman’s Threat” by R. Kelly
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Used in:
“Threat” (produced by 9th Wonder)
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Sample:
“Long Red” by Mountain
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Used in:
“99 Problems” (produced by Rick Rubin)
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Sample:
“The Big Beat” by Billy Squier
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Used in:
“99 Problems” (produced by Rick Rubin)
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Interpolation:
“99 Problems” by Ice-T
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Used in:
“99 Problems” (produced by Rick Rubin)
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Sample:
“Straight Outta Compton” by N.W.A.
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Used in:
“99 Problems” (produced by Rick Rubin)
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Sample:
“Seed Of Love” by Little Boy Blues
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Used in:
“Public Service Announcement” (produced by Just Blaze)
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Sample:
“Rock Box” by Run DMC
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Used in:
“Justify My Thug” (produced by DJ Quik)
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Sample:
“Justify My Love” by Madonna
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Used in:
“Justify My Thug” (produced by DJ Quik)
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Sample:
“I Chase The Devil” by Max Romeo
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Used in:
“Lucifer” (produced by Kanye West)
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Sample:
“Tu y Tu Mirar…Yo y Mi Canción” by Los Angeles Negros
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Used in:
“My 1st Song” (produced by DJ Clark Kent)
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