10 of the best tracks sampling D'Angelo
For cruisin'
Burial 'Shell of Light'
Sampling the 1995 hit ‘Cruisin’ from his debut album ‘Brown Sugar’, Burial gives the track his treatment of sinister, melancholic tones, taking D’Angelo’s vocals to a softly spoken hush throughout the dubbed ambient interludes.
Folamour 'Love Frequencies'
A big beat, an '80s house loop and D’Angelo’s soulful ‘Lady’, this track works in every way and brings back nostalgia in abundance.
J. Cole '03' Adolescence'
J. Cole adds a snippet of D’Angelo’s instrumental and arranging mastery from the track ‘Alright’, a sample without vocals but with plenty of the neo-soul essence.
Roman GianArthur 'Send It On'
The musician Roman GianArthur, a regular collaborator with Janelle Monae and Jidenna, produced the album ‘Ok Lady’ in true homage to both D’Angelo and Radiohead, an unlikely mashup project that blended tracks from both of their back catalogues. ‘Send It On’ is a perfect cover record of D’Angelo’s track of the same title and perfectly captures his silky smooth tones.
Duke Dumont 'Street Walker'
Duke Dumont captures the deep register vocal from D’Angelo’s ‘Devil’s Pie’, and adds a perfect blend of house synths and a fierce rhythm to create the formula for one of his standout records.
Knxwledge 'Pastry'
'Pastry' is a track typical of Knxwledge's artistry, allowing D’Angelo’s ‘Africa’ to stand on its own majesty. The track nods to golden-era r'n'b while remaining very much in the present day.
Lil’ Kim 'Dreams'
Feisty, crass and vicious. Everything we love about Lil’ Kim and her ode to D’Angelo’s ‘Brown Sugar’ and r'nb…well, give it a listen.
MF Doom 'Brown Sugar' (MF Doom Special Blend)
‘Brown Sugar’ is a classic for a reason, which is why it has been a popular choice to sample. MF Doom leaves D’Angelo’s vocal to speak for itself, just lightly adding his own touch with a Doom loop.
Billy Woods 'The Wake'
Woods’ political record ‘History Will Absolve Me’ was released in 2012 and samples Common and D’Angelo’s ‘Geto Heaven’, a track originally intended to be on the latter’s album ‘Voodoo’, released in 2000.
James Blake 'I’ll Stay'
Twittering synths, subtle arrangements and hymnal tones, ‘I’ll Stay’ reproduces The RH Factor and D’Angelo’s 2003 track of the same title in a way that keeps the warm chords intact and adds synthesiser sweeps to complement the throwback vocal.
