2. “Mercy” feat. Pusha T, 2 Chainz and Big Sean (2012)
Kanye’s Jamaican Moment: “Mercy” samples Super Beagle’s “Dust a Sound Boy” and Reggie Stepper’s “Cuh Oonu”
Sadly, dancehall hasn’t been well represented on radio and TV in North America. and other key markets in recent years. Making up for this fact, in a sense, has been the preponderance of big-name hip-hop tracks featuring classic dancehall samples and phrases.
While less of an explicit tribute than, say, French Montana and Nicki Minaj’s “Freaks,” Kanye and the GOOD Music crew’s 2012 mega-hit “Mercy” grabs your attention from the start with its cryptic sample of soundclash hype man Fuzzy Jones’ monologue from Super Beagle’s 1990 sound killer “Dust A Sound Boy.” If you know that tune, the first time you heard “Mercy,” you were likely stopped in your tracks by this unlikely turn; if you don’t know it, you were just as likely to stop and wonder what the hell you were hearing.
Thankfully, there’s our June 2012 feature on Super Beagle, which sheds light on the origination of “Dust A Sound Bwoy” and Kanye’s use of it.