I don't blame you if you'd a tough time getting through Drake's latest Scorpion album; it's 25 songs deep and divided into two incompatible parts (for good reason). Once you do traverse the whole thing, and maybe listen to a couple hundred times, you'll want to dig even deeper with a look at the sample board. If you decide to reverse this order, go right ahead check out this list of material Drake sampled on Scorpion, some more obscure than others.
Survival
Starting with the more obscure sample clearances, No I.D & 40 dug up a time-sensitive synth masterpiece by German keyboardist Claude Larson, a composer whose music reads like a study on life at the molecular level. Mind you, this isn't Claude's first dalliance on a hip hop record.
Emotionless
Drake chose the perfect emotional gravity for "Emotionless," his unpublished letter to a child he's only met once in his life. With Mariah Carey's accapella extracted from the club mix, all Drake had to do was speak from the heart and sign his name at the end.
Talk Up Ft. Jay-Z
On "Talk Up," DJ Paul really chops a rather rudimentary sample in NWA's "Dopeman," extracting a faint vocal sample and using the famous synth line only sparingly. The result is a fresh remodeling of a record that's been sampled dozens of times.
Is There More
Drake continues his obsession with Aaliyah here, by sampling her classic "More Than A Woman." If you recall, Drake once stated he planned to do a full Aaliyah tribute album. What could have been?
After Dark
40 and Static Major travel to the UK by magic tapestry on "After Dark." The record sets the tone for Drake most mature record on the double LP. The Maxwell lover's suite comes equipped with saxophone, whimpers and the odd word or two. Imagine the city's sewer mist mixing with your hormones to create a sensual mutation.
There are plenty more to discover but i'll leave you with that pleasure.
