“I’m God,” Lil B, 2009, produced by Clams Casino: Still the greatest thing the Based God has ever recorded–judging by what I’ve heard, at least (there could always be some lost masterpiece floating in the YouTube ether, waiting to be discovered). After hearing so much of Clams’ work with the track, however, it’s impossible for modern ears to hear in and not be unsatisfied by the total lack of massive boom-bap drums. “Just for Now,” Imogen Heap, 2005: A lighter-than-air slice of synth-pop, Imogen Heap’s “Just for Now” is second only to “ Hide and Seek” (also by Heap, and prominently sampled) as the absolute pinnacle of the post-Enya new-age Starbucks/Garden State music explosion of the mid-’00s. Fittingly, we’ll be looking at a song each from both the (based) godfather of that internet rap scene and its most commercially successful beneficiary: Lil B and A$AP Rocky, both produced by Clams Casino himself.

This week’s Sample Wars concerns a track that’s become a modern classic of sampling, entirely thanks to one producer: Clams Casino, one of the chief architects of the dreamy, blown-out sound that’s characterized much of the “underground” or internet-minded rap of the past few years. Check it out below via Apple Music.Each week in Sample Wars, we’ll pit two songs which sample the same source material head-to-head against each other, to determine which one rocked the sample better. Rocky’s opening verse boasts, “Wingman ’til I turn into the main man/ I’ve been ballin’ so long, need an Ace band/ Calvin Klein on my waistband/ In Adidas tracksuits like we breakdance/ Say man, how it feel to be a made man?”Īccording to Clams, the track - which features additional samples of Rihanna associate Mikky Ekko - was originally intended for Rocky’s breakthrough record, 2013’s $AP.

Titled “Be Somebody”, it’s a moody, rumbling number that sees the three artists puffin’ up their chests for all the haters, competitors, and disbelievers to see.

Now, the hip-hop producer has one last preview to offer up before the LP drops, and it features a double dose of hip-hop firepower in ASAP Rocky and Lil B. Already we’ve heard a couple of his star-studded collaborations, including those with Future Islands frontman Sam Herring ( “Ghost in a Kiss”), Kelela ( “A Breath Away”), and Vince Staples ( “All Nite”). Clams Casino is less than 24 hours away from releasing his debut album, 32 Levels.

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