✅ The What is built on a Barry White sample: the bass and groove come from “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby,” a detail many casual fans miss despite its heavy use in early-90s boom bap. ✅ The drum foundation of the track is lifted from Melvin Bliss’ “Synthetic Substitution,” one of hip-hop’s most sampled breaks but rarely credited in conversations about this specific song. ✅ Method Man recorded his verse in a single take, according to engineering notes from the Ready to Die sessions,