Behind The Beats, Vol. 1: Brother Ali's "Mr. President (You're The Man)"

Due to my affinity for the old school soul music that gets sampled so often in hip-hop, I've decided to start a new feature for Midwest Broadcast: "Behind The Beats." In this section, I'll be highlighting some of my favorite sampled tracks for you all. Today's inaugural edition of Behind The Beats focuses on the recent, self-produced Brother Ali track, "Mr. President (You're The Man)." As a dedication to President-elect Obama's recent electoral college victory, Ali couldn't have picked a better sample to flip than Marvin Gaye's similarily titled track, "You're The Man, Parts I & II." Gaye's sultry singing and the funky guitar loop at the beginning were perfect selections to chop up, and Ali did so masterfully.

Marvin Gaye: "You're The Man, Parts I & II"