Music history has a funny way of looping back on itself. You’ve probably heard that haunting, crackling opening on the radio or a streaming playlist and felt that weird prickle of nostalgia, even if you weren't alive in the seventies. That’s the magic of the I'll Take Care of You sample. It’s more than just a recycled beat; it’s a bridge between the raw, gut-wrenching blues of Bobby "Blue" Bland and the polished, nocturnal atmospheric rap of the 2010s.
Honestly, it’s one of those rare moments where a sample doesn't just support a song—it defines an entire era's aesthetic.
When Jamie xx sat down to remix Gil Scott-Heron’s final album, I’m New Here, he wasn't just messing around with faders. He was digging into the DNA of soul music. The track "I'll Take Care of You" became the standout. Then Drake and Rihanna got their hands on it for "Take Care," and suddenly, a 1959 blues standard was the biggest thing on the planet again. It’s a wild trajectory. You go from a smoky studio in the late fifties to a London electronic basement, and finally to a global pop juggernaut.
The Original Soul: Bobby "Blue" Bland’s 1959 Foundation
To understand why the I'll Take Care of You sample works, you have to go back to the source. Bobby "Blue" Bland recorded the song in 1959. Written by Brook Benton, it’s a masterclass in restrained masculine vulnerability. Bland wasn't screaming. He was promising protection.
The original recording has this specific "thump" to the drums and a rolling piano line that feels like a slow heartbeat. It’s got that analog warmth that digital software still struggles to replicate perfectly. When musicians talk about "vibe," this is what they mean. It’s heavy. It’s thick. It’s got enough space in the arrangement for a rapper or a modern producer to slide right in without it feeling crowded.
Most people don't realize that before Drake or Jamie xx touched it, the song was already a standard. Everyone from Elvis Costello to Van Morrison had a crack at it. But they were all covering it. They weren't sampling it. There is a massive difference between playing the notes and capturing the literal air from the room where Bobby Bland stood.
Jamie xx and the "We're New Here" Transformation
Fast forward to 2011. Jamie xx (the beatmaker for The xx) was tasked with reimagining Gil Scott-Heron’s work. Scott-Heron was the "Godfather of Rap," a poet who dealt in harsh truths. His version of "I'll Take Care of You" was weary. It sounded like a man who had seen too much.
Jamie xx took that weariness and wrapped it in a shimmering, UK-bass-inspired cocoon. This is where the I'll Take Care of You sample really starts to take its modern shape. He kept the vocal hook but sped up the percussion, adding these sharp, snapping claps and a deep, sub-bass synth that vibrates in your chest.
It was a total pivot. It took the blues out of the bar and put it into the club—but a lonely club at 3 AM. It’s that "sad banger" energy. You want to dance, but you also kind of want to stare at the floor and think about your ex. That specific emotional duality is exactly why the sample has stayed so relevant. It’s not just one-dimensional.
The Global Explosion: Drake, Rihanna, and "Take Care"
Then came the big one. Drake’s 2011 album Take Care changed the trajectory of hip-hop and R&B. The title track, featuring Rihanna, didn't just use a piece of the song; it basically lived inside the Jamie xx remix.
People debate this a lot in production circles. Is it a sample of Bobby Bland? Or a sample of Gil Scott-Heron? Or a sample of Jamie xx?
The answer is: yes.
It’s a sample of a remix of a cover. That sounds like a mess on paper, but in your ears, it’s seamless. The I'll Take Care of You sample provided the emotional scaffolding for Drake and Rihanna to trade lines about trust and trauma. Rihanna sings the hook—which originally belonged to Bobby Bland—and suddenly, the song isn't about the 1950s anymore. It’s about the messy, public, highly scrutinized romance of two of the biggest stars in the world.
The production by 40 (Noah Shebib) and Jamie xx on that track is actually quite sparse when you strip it down. They let the sample breathe. They knew that the "ghost" of the original recording was doing the heavy lifting. If you listen closely to the background of "Take Care," you can hear the crackle. You can hear that 1959 ghost. It gives the track an "instant classic" feel because it’s literally built on a classic.
Why Producers Keep Coming Back to This Loop
There’s a technical reason why the I'll Take Care of You sample is a producer’s dream. The chord progression is a classic minor-key movement. It creates a sense of unresolved tension. In music theory terms, it doesn't just "land" comfortably; it keeps pulling you forward, wanting a resolution that never quite comes.
- The tempo is malleable. You can slow it down for a "chopped and screwed" feel.
- The vocal is "clean." Bobby Bland and Gil Scott-Heron both had voices that sat in a frequency range that is easy to EQ around.
- The sentiment is universal. Everyone wants to be taken care of.
I’ve talked to bedroom producers who try to recreate this sound. They often fail because they try to make it too clean. The beauty of the I'll Take Care of You sample is the grit. It’s the slight imperfection in the timing. It’s the way the piano slightly bleeds into the vocal mic. That "bleed" is what creates the atmosphere. You can't program that in a MIDI grid.
The Ethical Side of the Sample
We have to talk about the business side, too. Sampling isn't free, and a sample this big involves a lot of signatures. Because the song has layers—Brook Benton's writing, Bobby Bland's performance, the various labels involved—the "Take Care" version is a royalty powerhouse.
It’s a great example of how sampling can keep an older artist’s legacy (and estate) alive. Younger fans who discovered the song through Rihanna eventually tracked it back to Gil Scott-Heron, and then back to Bobby "Blue" Bland. It’s a lineage. Without the sample, a 16-year-old in 2026 might never have heard of a blues singer from Mississippi who recorded his hits in Memphis.
How to Use the "Take Care" Vibe in Modern Production
If you’re a creator looking to capture that same energy, you shouldn't just rip off the I'll Take Care of You sample directly. That’s been done. Instead, look at why it worked.
First, find a source that has "air." Look for live recordings or older soul tracks where you can hear the room. Second, don't be afraid to mix genres. Jamie xx combined 1970s spoken word with 2010s London dubstep. That’s a weird combo that shouldn't work, but it did.
Basically, the goal is to find a vocal that carries a lot of weight and then put it in a setting where it doesn't belong. Contrast is the key. You take a warm, old vocal and put it against a cold, digital beat. That friction is where the sparks are.
Common Misconceptions About the Sample
One thing that bugs me is when people say Drake "wrote" that hook. He didn't. He’s a brilliant curator, but those words—"I'll take care of you"—belong to Brook Benton. Another misconception is that the Jamie xx version is just a simple loop. If you listen to the percussion on the Jamie xx remix, it’s incredibly intricate. He’s playing with the timing of the claps, making them feel slightly "off," which gives it that human, swinging feel.
Also, some people think Bobby Bland was a "nobody" before the sample. Not even close. He was a titan of the blues. He had dozens of hits. The sample just gave him a second life in the digital age.
Actionable Insights for Music Nerds and Creators
If you want to dive deeper into the world of the I'll Take Care of You sample, here is how you should spend your next hour:
- Listen Chronologically: Play the Bobby "Blue" Bland 1959 version first. Then play the Gil Scott-Heron version from I'm New Here. Then the Jamie xx remix. Finally, play "Take Care." You will hear the evolution of audio engineering and emotional delivery in real-time.
- Study the Transitions: In the Jamie xx version, pay attention to how he transitions from the vocal sections to the "drop." It’s a masterclass in building tension without using a typical EDM riser.
- Check the Credits: Look up Brook Benton. He wrote some of the most influential songs in American history. Understanding the songwriter is just as important as understanding the sampler.
- Experiment with Textures: If you’re a producer, try taking a very "dry" vocal and running it through a tape emulator or even just recording it out of a speaker and back into a phone. That "lo-fi" quality is the heart of the I'll Take Care of You sample's appeal.
The legacy of this specific piece of music isn't going anywhere. It’s a perfect loop of human emotion, and as long as people feel lonely or want to protect someone they love, that 1959 melody will keep finding new ways to reach our ears. It's kinda beautiful when you think about it. Music doesn't die; it just gets updated.