The Gift of Sampling: DJ Premier and the Creation of "Nas Is Like"

By Raymond Arrucci

When any rendition of the holiday classic "What Child Is This?" is playing, the average listener most likely thinks of the nativity story, or recalls some of their most fond holiday memories. In NYC, the holiday scenery is usually crowded street fairs, a plowed grey snowy slush mixture, Salvation Army workers ringing bells along to boomboxes, and the occasional over-the-top light spectacle decorated on families' houses. The holidays also make some music creators think of...DJ Premier! Yes, DJ Premier, as in one of, if not THE most legendary godfather of NYC hip-hop production as we know it. One of the master craftsmen on the Technics 1200s, Premo went diggin' in the crates in the late '90s, and this was the record he found. The sample appears between 0:00 and 0:07:

John V Rydgren and Robert Way - "What Child Is This?"

Let's face it folks, your average producer would disregard this religious record and move on to the next one to find a nice drum break or set of horn stabs. But Premo ended up wih "Nas Is Like," which would be the first hit record he did with Nas. Here's DJ Premier's story of making "Nas Is Like:"

The significance of "Nas Is Like" would be the full display of finding a record and completely changing it beyond recognition. That is an art within itself that gets blurred, partly due to the general public's view on what's deemed "creative" and "original." Hip-hop should be thankful DJ Premier didn't throw out that record. For those who may never have heard it, here's the final version of "Nas Is Like" for your enjoyment:

Happy Holidays everyone...and happy crate digging.