Across the wide realm of music, some artists’ contributions to others’ songs – called­ features – outweigh their own work. Certain artists use features from specific artists to fill a hole in their skillset, whether it be an eloquent singer needing someone to add some tough, fast raps or a rapper needing a smooth voice to soothe the listener. The two artists I get the most excited to see next to a track’s title are Sampha and André 3000.

 Sampha adds smooth harmonic vocals to songs of artists who may lack his impressive singing ability. The prime example is his almost two-and-a-half-minute outro to Kanye “Ye” West’s track “Saint Pablo.” The track is one of Ye’s most vulnerable and introspective tracks. He talks about his flawed journey through his career and dealing with fame, drawing a parallel between him and Saint Paul (hence the track name), a biblical figure chosen by God despite plenty of flaws. However, Ye can only preach so much of this message through his modern rap style. He calls up Sampha to finish the song, and Sampha comes through, belting out more Christian lyrics. Sampha singing with such passion on another artist’s song makes me feel like I’m sitting in an empty church, listening to a preacher. His preaching isn’t annoying or out of place; it complements Ye’s message and adds another layer to the complexity of the track. Although Ye gets vulnerable through his raps and wordplay on the track, he fortifies his openness with Sampha’s intensity. Sampha alone makes this one of my go-to Ye tracks.

“That’s the beauty of the feature: An artist can succeed experimenting with new sounds, rhythms or beats just by asking for help.”

 My other favorite Sampha contribution is on Kendrick Lamar’s “Father Time.”  Sampha repeats a specific refrain throughout the song and ends the track with a memorable outro backed by a distorted, crying voice. He sings like in “Saint Pablo,” where his smooth, elegant voice breaks up Kendrick Lamar’s rhyming raps. As Lamar describes his tough-love relationship with his father, Sampha enforces K-Dot’s message with his repeated line, “Early mornin’ wake-ups, practicin’ on day-offs. Tough love, bottled up, no chaser / Neat.” My favorite thing about Sampha’s contributions in both songs is that he allows two rap-centric artists to use softer and wavier beats and melodies. Both “Saint Pablo” and “Father Time” might feel awkward and incomplete as simple rap songs with avant-garde beats without an eloquent voice anchoring their verses in an exploratory track. Sampha has released two solo albums, but in my opinion, his contributions to other artists’ tracks far outweigh his unaccompanied work. When an artist drops an album, and Sampha is listed as a feature, I always jump to listen to it first.

 Don’t take this the wrong way, but I also feel the same about André 3000. This doesn’t discredit the immense effect on hip-hop and rap he made with Outkast, but to my ears, he contributes more to the modern music scene through his features. André’s effect on music differs in many ways from Sampha’s, but the two share some similarities. First, their solo discography. André is one of the most influential artists in rap, both by himself and with Big Boi in Outkast, whereas Sampha rarely releases solo works. However, I still enjoy André’s features more than his music even though it’s not what he is known for. His two collaborations with Frank Ocean, “Pink Matter” and “Solo (Reprise),” top the list. In “Pink Matter,” he and Ocean reverse roles from how artists use Sampha’s features; André’s verse over a punchy, in-your-face bass-line serves as a choppy, rhyme-filled companion to Ocean’s earlier wavy singing and preaching.

 On “Solo (Reprise),” one of “Blonde’s” four interlude tracks (See Vol. 54, Issue 1 to read about my take on “Blonde”), André is the sole voice heard in the 1:18-minute runtime. André interrupts the smooth and wavy melodies of the first nine tracks with sudden and sharp lyrics over a vibrant yet despondent piano melody and a high-pitched tone in the background. Had this track been Ocean rapping and using wordplay like André, it wouldn’t fit the album’s vibe; it would be jarring to go from Frank’s beautiful rollercoaster of “Nights” to him rapping on “Solo Reprise.” Instead, the use of André, an artist who is more accustomed to rap, makes the sudden increase of pace less jarring. Running into André’s voice in “Solo (Reprise)” while listening to “Blonde” gives the listener a refreshing break.

 Artists use André 3000’s and Sampha’s different styles – smooth rap and melodic vocals — in alternate ways. That’s the beauty of the feature: An artist can succeed experimenting with new sounds, rhythms or beats just by asking for help. Features appear in our lives, too — asking for help on something you’re lacking in or experimenting with isn’t shameful: It’s admirable.