Stu Reid Sampler 5 - Jay-Z meets Bobby Bland

Back again with a Friday Stu Reid Sampler, this one coming courtesy of a years old tip from Mr. Brockavich. Usually I love listening to a song, hearing a sample hook, and then chasing down the sample to hear the original. In this case, however, I heard the original first, followed immediately by the Sampler. The song in question is Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Ain't No Love (In The Heart Of The City)". Commonly called Bobby Blue Band by mistake, Bobby Bland is anything but, weaving together a couple grooving guitar lines to provide the perfect backdrop for his smooth yet scratchy voice. Fun fact, Bobby Bland was once the driver/valet for BB King.


Ain't No Love (In The Heart Of The City) was Bland's last official single, dropping in 1974 at the tail end of 16 years of prolific record production. He went on to record more afterward, but it remains his most popular song. The song is classy, smooth, and easy on the ears.

Jay-Z's 2001 album The Blueprint took Ain't No Love (In The Heart Of The City) flipped on its head to become Heart of the City (Ain't No Love), taking out the class and adding a relaxed beat kit to give the tune a little bit more of a modern feel. Hova stays remarkably true to the original, however, utilizing most of the original instrumentation rather than just yanking the hook. He raps about menage-a-trois and other tasteful things, and really brings it home with a little over a minute left by dropping to an a capella/handclap breakbeat - the surest way to TSRE's heart.


Both songs are fantastic, both have a very different feel. Great to hear Jay earlier in his career - less swagger-ific and more passionate, he sounds fresh here, despite the track being 8 years old.

Bonus, the MTV Unplugged version with the Roots playing the music and Jaguar Wright singing the hook! Definitely worth a listen, as is the whole MTV Unplugged set.


Bobby "Blue" Bland - Ain't No Love (In The Heart Of The City)

Jay-Z - Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)

Jay-Z f. The Roots and Jaguar Wright - Heart of the City (Ain't No Love) live on MTV Unplugged