Madlib, is a producer whom, throughout his years, has been known for his heavy sampling of jazz, funk, and soul samples, and “Fancy Clown” is no exception to this formula.

The primary sample used throughout this track is “That Ain’t the Way You Make Love” by blues singer Z.Z. Hill.

The song begins with the beginning of Hill’s original song playing with a slightly modulated pitch. The piano chords from the original were kept by Madlib, who went on to add some standard snare-kick drum patterns as well as a modulated and distorted version of the original song’s baseline, while chopped parts of Hill’s vocals can be heard throughout DOOM’s verses.

The outro of the song comes from a track titled “Channel 85 Sign-On” from the comedy album TV or Not TV by Procter and Bergman: