Jimmy Scott has recorded some of the most beautiful and passionate soulful ballads in music history. His voice and aura touched millions, including the likes of Holiday, Ray Charles, Frankie Valli, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson. His high-pitched, soft, feminine voice is as a result of Kallmann syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that prevented him attaining full puberty and prevented him from growing beyond 4 ft 11 inches. His music was slow, often ethereal, and his albums were classic recordings that are still celebrated to this day. On his 1969 album The Source, Jimmy displays his craft full-force with powerful and emotional ballads, and are backed with smooth and silky saxophones, gorgeous string sections and slow drumming.

It was the track “I Wish I Knew” that was sampled by Madlib on Kazi’s album Down for the Kaz (2000), more specifically on the track “A.V.E.R.A.G.E.” The strings that appear at 3:24 on Jimmy’s original are interpolated within Madlib’s hard-hitting and gritty beat. The vocals are also chopped and sampled into the instrumental, giving it a soulful touch.

You can listen to Jimmy Scott’s “I Wish I Knew” below, and make sure you check out The Source as it’s an album with many memorable moments. If you want to find purchase info about the album, make sure you go to discogs.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij_C08tEhxw

You can listen to Kazi’s “A.V.E.R.A.G.E” off his 2000 album Down for the Kaz, released on Stones Throw Records. You can find more purchase info about the album over at discogs.com.

A shoutout to WhoSampled as usual for their work.