Origins: The Samples From Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP 2"

Eminem took things back to basics on his new LP. The Detroit rapper recruited one of Hip Hop's pioneers, Rick Rubin, to help him channel some classic sounds and ideas, many of which came through sampling. 

The late 80s era of hip hop they pull from is well-represented in plenty of small vocal snippets and interpolations not instantly evident to the casual rap listener. Many of the musical samples also harken back to the days of Run DMC, where rock-based loops were the norm.

To make sense of the dense sampling techniques, we've organized a track-by-track guide to the album, giving listeners a chance to realize just how many pieces went into each beat.

Walter Murphy- "Hocus Pocus"

Sample appears in "Bad Guy" at 0:12
Hear the sampled portion at 0:00

Mountain- "Long Red"

Mountain's "Long Red" is an extremely popular sample in hip hop. It has shown up in tracks such as Game's "Wouldn't Get Far," Kanye West's "Barry Bonds," Jay Z's "99 Problems," and J. Dilla's "The Clapper".

Sample appears in "Bad Guy" at 0:16, 0:18 (and throughout)
Hear the sampled portion at 0:22

Gian Piero Reverberi- "Soana"

Appears in "Bad Guy" at 5:11
Hear the sampled portion at 0:00

Lou Donaldson- "Ode to Billie Joe"

"Ode To Billy Joe" is also a widely used sample. The drum break has appaeared in "To Zion" by Lauryn Hill, "Clap Your Hands by A Tribe Called Quest, "We Don't Need It' By Lil Kim, "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West, and many others.

Sample appears in "Bad Guy" at 5:35
Hear the sampled portion at 0:01

The Zombies- "Time of The Season"

One of the more immediately recognizable samples on the album, The well-known Zombies hit remains fairly intact in it's Rick Rubin flip, with Em interpolating the chorus for the song's hook.

Sample appears in "Rhyme Or Reason" at 0:00 (and throughout)
Hear the sampled portion at 0:00

Billy Squier- "The Stroke"

Sample appears in "Berzerk" at 0:22, 0:30, 0:52, 0:56, 1:10 and 1:17
Hear the sampled portions at 0:16, 0:24, 0:26, 0:35, 1:06 and 0:05

Beastie Boys- "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)"

Sample appears in "Berzerk" at 0:29 
Hear the sampled portions at 0:38

Naughty By Nature- "Feel Me Flow"

Sample appears in "Berzerk" at 3:15 
Hear the sampled portion at 0:35

Beside- "Change The Beat (Female Version)

Sample appears in "So Far" at 0:00
Hear the sampled portions at 3:41

Schoolly D- "P.S.K. - What Does It Mean?" 

Sample appears in "So Far" at 1:33, 3:21
Hear the sampled portions at 0:20

Eminem- "The Real Slim Shady"

Sample appears in "So Far" at 3:04
Hear the sampled portions at 0:00

Eminem- "I'm Back"

Sample appears in "So Far" at 2:59
Hear the sampled portions at 0:00

Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders- "Game Of Love"

Sample appears in "Love Game" at 0:00
Hear the sampled portions at 0:04

Wolfgang Duren- "Eyeless Dream I"

Sample appears in "Evil Twin" at 0:01 (and throughout)
Hear the sampled portions at 0:06

Bad Meets Evil- "The Reunion"

Sample appears in "Evil Twin" at 2:32, 2:40
Hear the sampled portions at 4:12, 4:11