7 Incredible Samples that Make Dr. Dre's 1999 Album, "2001,” Dazzling
Celebrating the unsung elements of a hip-hop classic.
Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (rightfully) gets named on most lists of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made. It’s G-funk personified, with icy, uncompromising bars elevated by production that legitimately invented a subgenre.
But, all that said, I don’t think it’s the production high point of Dre’s career. That honor goes to his follow-up, 1999’s 2001.
According to Dre, he didn’t want to appear on the album as a rapper. His frequent collaborator, the D.O.C., convinced him to hop on a handful of tracks across both LPs. But, more than the verses he contributes alongside an impressive roster of late-90s guest stars, Dre’s innate skill for producing catchy, hook-centric instrumentals anchors this record.
What makes these beats especially memorable is how wide a net Dre casts for his inspirations and samples. He didn’t just stick to what worked on The Chronic, though there are numerous homages to vintage soul and R&B here, too. Instead, he expanded his palette to European pop, classic rock, and, perhaps most effectively, nods to some of Hollywood’s most iconic sonic moments.
To honor this album's 25th anniversary, this post gives you the rundown of my favorite sample moments from 2001. It’s a treasure trove of old sounds that Dre breathed new life into. It’s also a solid introduction to his genius as a producer, a topic I’ll likely explore more in a future update.
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Let’s get after it:
1. The Iconic Guitar Riff on “The Next Episode”
Before “The Next Episode,” David McCallum’s best-known contribution to pop culture wasn’t music-related. He first rose to fame in the mid-1960s when he played agent Illya Kuryakin in the original television version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He also appeared in The Great Escape, one of my favorite movies from that decade.
That widespread recognition earned him a deal with Capitol Records, resulting in four records, all produced by David Axelrod, who also worked a ton with the great Cannonball Adderley. McCallum’s track “The Edge” supplied one of hip-hop’s most beloved sample moments, turning a jangly, jazzy guitar riff into one of modern music's most famous instrumental hooks.
As soon as you hear those opening few hours, you know it’s time to turn the f*** up.
2. The 60s French Influence on “What’s the Difference”
There are two types of hip-hop sampling in my book: pop baiting and crate digging. The former sucks listeners in with a well-known pop instrumental, occasionally either pitched way up, Chipmunk Soul style, or way down to recontextualize the sample. The latter goes in the opposite direction, flexing major curational chops by making you ask, “What is THAT?”
Dr. Dre excels in both categories but is particularly adept at the crate-digging side of sampling. Case in point is “What’s the Difference,” which draws from a 1966 song from French pop singer Charles Aznavour, a man who’s insanely famous overseas but not all that well-known in North America.
Regardless, that pitched-down big band loop is perfect, adding a timeless, high-brow quality to the beat. You can’t really teach a sensibility that finely tuned.
3. The Shaft Shout Out on “Xxplosive”
Dr. Dre has also made a name for himself as a soul music historian masquerading as a hip-hop producer. Throughout his discography, he’s never shied away from paying tribute to crucial Black texts from respected artists like James Brown, Funkadelic, and, in this case, Isaac Hayes and his seminal soundtrack for the 1971 hit film Shaft.
Except there’s an added wrinkle at play. The track he samples from, “Bumpy’s Lament,” isn’t the version on the film’s soundtrack. There, the hook that makes up the loop is played on the organ. Instead, the sample is taken from the Soul Mann & the Brothers’ performance of the composition, which turns the same melody into a smooth, supple guitar riff, catnip for crate diggers of Dre’s ilk.
4. The 80s Funk Vibes on “Let’s Get High”
Nothing helps zhuzh a hip-hop track up more than a bass-heavy funk sample. If you look at it historically, I don’t think Dr. Dre and other G-funk pioneers would’ve enjoyed such lasting success without the treasure trove of grooves put out by R&B artists between the mid-70s and early-80s.
“Let’s Get High” is an excellent example of how well that blueprint works. The sample, courtesy of the Fatback Band, isn’t a huge pop hit or even that famous an R&B cut. But, in this context, it’s tailor-made for a West Coast vibe-setter. With a bassline that catchy and cool, how can you go wrong, whether you want to partake in your recreational supplement of choice or not?
5. The Hip-Hop History Lesson on “B**** N*****”
When hip-hop music tells a comprehensive historical narrative, it’s not only drawing on pre-rap influences. More and more, the genre’s best producers double back on the genre’s dense, diverse back catalog, reinforcing rhyming schemes and bar delivery styles that have become transcendent.
The sample on “B**** N*****” is an acapella from Brooklyn duo Audio Two, who hit their peak in 1987 with tracks like “First Billin’” and “Make It Funky.” The old-school raps are scratched in on vinyl, complete with all the authentic crackles and pops that implies. I always appreciate when samples arrive in such a nostalgic mode. No unneeded polish and shine.
More often than not, the more “lived in” a sample feels in your eardrums, the better the overall effect.
6. The James Bond Archive in “Ed-Ucation”
I can understand why fictional gangsters like Scarface cast such a long shadow over hip-hop culture. The rags-to-riches appeal, among many other aspects, is undeniably intoxicating. But, it's curious why James Bond hasn't loomed larger for a genre that has long held drinking, jet-setting lifestyles, and the pursuit of attractive women in high regard.
Dre does his part to change that with “Ed-Ucation,” a track that folds in an interpretation of the theme from *Diamonds Are Forever,* a mediocre action movie that quietly has one of the best soundtracks in the franchise’s history. Even if you’re only familiar with the Shirley Bassey version of the theme, it’s a nice flex to have this sample included in 2001’s mosaic.
7. The Horror Movie Score in “Murder Ink”
Let’s wrap up with another slice of classic cinema that made it onto Dr. Dre’s radar: John Carpenter’s most legendary contribution to the art form. I mean that on multiple levels, too. Halloween is far and away his most influential movie, but it’s also one of his most enduring moments as a composer, turning a simple piano pattern into a terrifying refrain.
By chopping up the iconic theme and setting it against a blunted, trap-esque beat, Dre shapes the musical elements into a new, more muscular backdrop for his emcees. I remember hearing it for the first time and being surprised by how well the parts fit together. At first, they seem a little out of step with one another, but once you give the instrumental a few seconds to run, the brilliance of that choice quickly becomes apparent.
Which sample or song off 2001 is your favorite? Do you prefer this Dr. Dre album to The Chronic? Sound off in the comments!
Fantastic post - a new playlist for my drive home to be heard with different ears! Thanks.