Watch Salaam Remi Break Down His Sample Choices for Nas and Amy Winehouse Classics

“Amy made me a better producer.”

Salaam Remi is the latest producer featured in NPR’s ongoing series, The Formula.

WATCH: 9th Wonder Reveals What He Learned from Pete Rock and DJ Premier

For his segment, the hip-hop vet delves into the sample choices and methods for songs from Nas and Amy Winehouse. For the God’s Son standout, “Made You Look,” and the late soul singer’s “In My Bed,” Remi deconstructs his use of The Incredible Bongo Band’s “Apache,” slowing down the venerable break to a mid-tempo bump for the former and repurposing it on the latter to compliment Winehouse’s woozy vox.

From there, he moves on to Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own.” For the 2006 classic, Remi explains how he stitched together stems from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s timeless duet, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and recalls how he and Winehouse challenged each other as collaborators. “Amy made me a better producer,” Remi admits, recounting how he made the singer reconfigure a demo to fit his production and even plays an early recording of the track.

PLAYLIST: The Round-Up: Best Songs of The Week – ft. Pink Siifu, Mahalia, BADBADNOTGOOD and More

Watch Salaam Remi break down his samples for Nas and Amy Winehouse songs below.