![Graduation: Original Samples [Recompiled]](http://kevinnottingham.com/myblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/folder2.jpg)
Kanye West’s Graduation was one of the first sample sets floating around the Net last year. It was also compiled by 3 different web sites: Milk Crate Breaks released the first rendition last September (props to them for the unique album cover), a month later 2DopeBoyz took a stab at it, then two months later Hip-Hop Is Read released their version.
Well we like to consider ourselves “completests” here at This Is Hip Hop and when Thomas recently updated RapCredits.com with 5 additional samples for Graduation, I just had to put out our own compilation.
Props to those who did it before, but we’re doin’ it again!
- “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” by Elton John
- From the album Captain Fantastic and the Born Dirt Cowboy (1975)
- Sampled in “Good Morning”
- Produced by Kanye West
- “The Ruler’s Back” by Jay-Z
- From the album The Blueprint (2001)
- Sampled in “Good Morning”
- Produced by Kanye West
- “Kid Charlemagne” by Steely Dan
- From the album The Royal Scam (1976)
- Sampled in “Champion”
- Produced by Kanye West & Brian “Allday” Miller
- “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk
- From the album Discovery (2001)
- Sampled in “Stronger”
- Produced by Kanye West
- Additional programming by Timbaland
- “Cola Bottle Baby” by Edwin Birdsong
- From the album Edwin Birdsong (1979)
- Original sample for “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”
- “My Song” by Labi Siffre
- From the album Crying Laughing Loving Lying (1972)
- Sampled in “I Wonder”
- Produced by Kanye West
- “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” by Michael Jackson
- From the album Thriller (1983)
- Sampled in “Good Life”
- Produced by Kanye West
- Additional production by Mike Dean, additional programming by Timbaland
- “Long Red” by Mountain
- From the album Mountain Live (1972)
- Sampled in “Barry Bonds” and “The Glory”
- “Barry Bond” produced by Nottz with co-production by Kanye West
- “The Glory”produced by Kanye West with co-production by Gee Roberson & Patrick “Plain Pat” Reynolds
- “Sing Swan Song” by Can
- From the album Ege Bamyasi (1972)
- Sampled in “Drunk and Hot Girls”
- Produced by Kanye West with additional production by Jon Brion
- “Little Child Runnin’ Wild” by Curtis Mayfield
- From the album Superfly (1972)
- Sampled in “Flashing Lights”
- Produced by Kanye West & Eric Hudson
- “If We Can’t Be Lovers” by Prince Phillip Mitchell
- From the album Unknown
- Sampled in “Everything I Am”
- Produced by Kanye West
- “Bring The Noise” by Public Enemy
- From the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
- Sampled in “Everything I Am”
- Scratched by DJ Premier
- “Save The Country” by Laura Nyro
- From the album New York Tendaberry (1969)
- Sampled in “The Glory”
- Produced by Kanye West
- Co-produced by by Gee Roberson & Patrick “Plain Pat” Reynolds
- “It’s Gonna Be Lonely” by Prince
- From the album Prince (1979)
- Sampled in “Big Brother”
- Produced by DJ Toomp
- “Nuff Man A Dead” by Supercat
- From the album Don Dada (1992)
- Sampled in “Good Night”
- Produced by Kanye West
- “Wake The Town” by U-Roy
- From the album Unknown
- Sampled in “Good Night”
- Produced by Kanye West
- “Chicken Yellow” by Miami
- From the album Unknown
- Sampled in “Good Night”
- Produced by Kanye West
- “Every Nigger is a Star” by Big Youth
- From the album Natty Cultural Dread (1976)
- Original sample for “Nuff Man A Dead”
- Produced by Kanye West
- “Bittersweet” by Chairman of The Board
- From the album Bittersweet (1972)
- Sampled in “Bittersweet”
- Produced by Kanye West
Bonus Track
- “Bring The Noise (Acapella)” by Public Enemy
- From the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
- Sampled in “Everything I Am”
- Scratched by DJ Premier




















16 Comments
Damn Kev, I didn’t know you would have this done in 2 hours?
Haha, damn it felt like it took me longer!
i was achin for a sample from flashing lights. thanks!
question though, cause either i’m not hearing it or i was expecting more.
is it at 4:26 til the end?
Yeah it’s at the end of the track. It’s actually ingenious of Kanye to just pick out that one section of the track and make a whole song off it.
wowwwwwwwww flashing lights has a sample? :O
oh wowwwww, http://rapcredits.com/ that is great.
For several months now I’ve been trying to remember the name of a site that I used to use all the time like 3-4 years ago that had production credits for just rap albums, and it was all in a database (not wiki style though) so you could search by album, rapper, or producer. I think it was run by some german guys but it didn’t have a .de URL I think. Never found that site again after I lost the bookmark, BUT it looks like RapCredits.com should be just as good once you get the ability to search by producer.
Plus, it’s great to have the samples listed in there on RapCredits.
Good stuff on the sample compilation here.
Thanks David… we’re trying to make it big with rapcredits.com. By chance, is this the site you’ve been looking for? http://www.prodby.altervista.org
Were adding stuff on a daily basis David. Carsten is doing big work. I’ve added in All Redman, and all Wu-tang today. Check it out Redman and Wu-tang pages. They have been updated today as well as others.
Sorry to do it to ya:
http://hiphopisread.blogspot.com/2008/07/yeezy-gets-re-recompiled.html
Phat shouts on those Prince and Big Youth tracks though!
- I
Hey Kev,
Is there a link to Q-Tip 2nd solo album Kamal the Abstract? I wasn’t sure if was from your website or from another rap sample orginal website. Just asking. Thanks. Sandi
Nah Sandi, wasn’t here. Think you may find it here though…
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ui=blg&q=Kamal+the+Abstract&btnG=Search+Blogs
Hahaha, prodby.altervista.org is the one! No wonder I couldn’t find it, that’s a terribly unintuitive URL.
Still, the fact that you guys are putting in the samples, including the vocal ones, gives it a whole extra level of functionality.
Glad I could be of help David! Yeah, I love that site.
I Believe that the recording of “Save the Country” that Kanye used is actually from one of Laura Nyro’s Live albums, Spread Your Wings and Fly.
25 tracks!
http://hiphopisread.blogspot.com/2007/11/kanye-west-graduation-samples.html
great collection
I’M DYING FOR SOME PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS, MADLIB, AND MORE J DILLA!!!!!!!
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