The Anatomy Of Lil Wayne’s “Dr. Carter”

After two years of delay, Lil Weezy’s Tha Carter III finally leaked out onto the internet this weekend, 11 days before it’s official release date (June 10). And one of the standout tracks so far has to be the Swizz Beatz-produced “Dr. Carter,” a jazzy joint where Wayne tries to cure wack MCs.

If the beat reminds you of early '90s golden-era New York rap, then you’ve got a good memory. “Dr. Carter” loops David Axelrod’s “Holy Thursday,” which was a favorite breakbeat amongst producers like Buckwild and Pete Rock. After the jump, listen to the full lineage and learn who used it before Wayne.

Lil Wayne “Dr. Carter” (Produced by Swizz Beatz)

from Tha Carter III (2008)

David Axelrod “Holy Thursday”

from Song Of Innocence (1968)

Swizzy loops the full first minute of the original, leaving it virtually untouched. But hip-hop fans will no doubt recognize the bass-lick, drums and horns from Axlerod’s jazz-fusion classic, which have appeared in numerous tracks by well-known MCs. One of the earliest high-profile records to use “Holy Thursday” was New Jersey rapper Apache’s 1993 song “Tonto,” which beefs up Axelrod’s bassline and sprinkles in the piano refrain on the hook:

Apache f/ Nikki D “Tonto” (Produced by Double J)

from Apache Ain’t Shit (1993)

The next couple years saw a surge of “Holy Thursday”-based tracks from folks like Black Sheep and The Beatnuts. One of the best known usages of the sample is the 1994 collaboration between New Jersey rap crew The Artifacts and a pre-”Who Hah!!” Busta Rhymes. Fat Joe also has an obvious Axelrod flip on his sophomore album:

The Artifacts f/ Busta Rhymes “C’mon Wit Da Git Down (Buckwild Remix)”

from C’mon Wit Da Git Down 12″ (1994)

Fat Joe “Bronx Keeps Creating It” (Produced by Joe Fatal)

from Jealous One’s Envy (1995)

Around the dawn of the new millenium, the underground rediscovered the Axelrod record. Producer Madlib name checked “Holy Thursday” on his 2000 Quasimoto track “Return of The Loop Digga,” and DJ Shadow chopped up a portion for his side project UNKLE on their Thom Yorke-assisted single “Rabbit In Your Headlights,” which was nominated for MTV VMA’s “Breakthrough Video” award:

But perhaps the most famous recent usage of “Holy Thursday” isn’t in a rap song at all. In the new Grand Theft Auto IV, Axelrod’s song is featured on the funk-jazz station Fusion FM. So the question remains: Is Swizzy a Grand Theft Auto addict of an old school hip-hop junkie? We can’t call it.

Related: Complex’s Uncut Lil Wayne Cover Story