Throughout the verses, the sound of a pen scratching on paper is timed with the rhythm, reinforcing the visual of Stan writing his letters.
The track samples the first few bars of Dido’s song, specifically the acoustic guitar strumming and her ethereal vocals.
The instrumental has become a staple for "storytelling" beats. Its success proved that a hip-hop track could be slow, melancholy, and heavily reliant on "mood" rather than high energy, while still becoming a global chart-topper. It remains a popular choice for "lo-fi" remixes and remains one of the most recognizable backdrops in music history.
As the song progresses, you hear the sounds of a car's interior, the windshield wipers, and eventually the screeching tires and splash, turning the beat into a literal soundscape of the tragedy. Percussion and Bass The beat is grounded by a steady, boom-bap rhythm:
A deep, walking bassline provides a somber weight to the track, keeping it from feeling too airy despite the acoustic samples.
The most recognizable element of the instrumental is the loop from