4/4 rap songs with intros in 3/4 or 6/8

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happens not infrequently, where i'm listening to a rap song and the sample is in triple meter and i think, "ooh, interesting," but then the drums come in and it's back to 4/4. to be clear, this isn't a complaint. as cool is it would be to have more rap songs in triple meter, some excellent songs (like the one below) use this technique, and it could be a good way to a add a bit of reverie or dreaminess before it's time to get down to business.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu5P4pOUuYk

glengarry gary beers (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 27 October 2020 14:10 (five years ago)

Project Pat – "Gel and Weave"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEOgD3_YCd4

real muthaphuckkin jeez (crüt), Tuesday, 27 October 2020 14:33 (five years ago)

Just heard this Serengeti track that goes back and forth between 4/4 and 3/4:
https://serengeti.bandcamp.com/track/wasps

change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 29 October 2020 20:58 (five years ago)

i tried to think of some but couldnt come up with any :/

Spottie, Thursday, 29 October 2020 21:02 (five years ago)

yeah, i'm struggling to think of examples off top, but i'll add to the thread whenever i hear one. there was a key glock song earlier this year that was like this...

glengarry gary beers (voodoo chili), Thursday, 29 October 2020 21:08 (five years ago)

found it: key glock - 1997

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q3_Gxf6vdA

glengarry gary beers (voodoo chili), Thursday, 29 October 2020 21:09 (five years ago)

I know I've heard so many of these where you get a snippet of the original soul track at the beginning, and then hear how they flip it into a sample, can't think of any off the top of my head. There must be some Ghostface ones.

change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 29 October 2020 21:15 (five years ago)

six months pass...

the new j. cole song seems like it's gonna be like this, but then...stays in 3 the whole time?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK60CAyxqfE

the mai tai quinn (voodoo chili), Friday, 7 May 2021 15:04 (four years ago)

I also can't think of any specific ones, yet I know I've heard this a bunch of times, where they take some slow 3/4 R&B or blues track and then flip it to a 4/4 sample.

longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Friday, 7 May 2021 15:16 (four years ago)

Oh wait, I made a beat like this one when I was fucking around, lol

https://soundcloud.com/leonardhand/laughterintheeyesv2

longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Friday, 7 May 2021 15:22 (four years ago)

"Spaceship" is my no-brainer off-the-top-of-the-head award-snatching 6/8 nom of allll tiiiiime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn77gzjBl1U

Kangol In The Light (Craig D.), Friday, 7 May 2021 15:48 (four years ago)

(Whoops, didn't catch that the thread focus is more on tracks that switch out/into that feel)

Kangol In The Light (Craig D.), Friday, 7 May 2021 15:50 (four years ago)

In which case, a bunch of the Raphy beats on this new Bruiser Wolf album either start and end or just end with a screwed exposition of the main sample where it's revealed that said sample wasn't in 4/4 but actually 3/4 or 6/8: https://bruiserbrigaderecords.bandcamp.com/track/use-me-im-dope-prod-raphy

Kangol In The Light (Craig D.), Friday, 7 May 2021 15:54 (four years ago)

four years pass...

here is one: fakemink - "face to face" (might actually be a weirder time signature but you could count the intro in 3/4)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0WJivK-kzg

gestures broadly at...everything (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 10 June 2025 21:04 (six months ago)

It's all in 4/4 actually (that piano riff is 6 + 6 + 4, in 16th notes)

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 10 June 2025 21:08 (six months ago)

ah damn, you're right

gestures broadly at...everything (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 10 June 2025 21:55 (six months ago)


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