The most common songs sampled in hip-hop
The sample is an incredibly misunderstood art form. Many people believe those who use samples are lazy and should write their own material. You could argue that people who sample are lazy if they take a song and merely create a similar version; however, that’s not what happens. People extract snippets, slow songs down, reverse them, and create something entirely new.
The genre where we see the most sampling is hip-hop. Arguably, one of the factors that has led to hip-hop becoming such a popular genre in such a short time is that its sound can be extended to various styles of music. People rap over heavy beats, rock, jazz, house, and drum and bass, all because of sampling, and it means that there is a form of rap music for everyone.
A lot of samples are incredibly inventive, to the point that there are social media accounts out there dedicated to finding the song that it’s from and working out what sections have been used and manipulated to create the finished product. Then, some samples are used so frequently that we can pick up on them as soon as a track starts playing. This doesn’t mean that they’re “overused” per se, as there are limitless possibilities with what you can do to a song, but it does mean they’re easier to pick out.
The most sampled song in hip hop is ‘Amen, Brother’ by The Winstons, which is predicted to have been used over 6,000 times. The thing that draws rappers to the track is the classic drum break, which comes in at 1 minute 27 seconds. Most notably, it was used on NWA’s classic ‘Straight Outta Compton’. It has also been used by prestigious artists such as Tyler, The Creator, Jay-Z, and DJ Shadow.
Lyn Collins ‘Think (About It)’ has also been sampled plenty of times in hip-hop. With over 3000 uses, it has become a favourite amongst producers, as the likes of Madlib, Kanye West, Beyoncé and Snoop Dogg have all kept the track alive using various sections from it.
Usually, hip-hop songs sample tracks from other genres and twist them to make them rap songs; however, that’s not the case with Fab 5 Freddy and ‘Change the Beat’. This is a track already entrenched in rap but that continues to be utilised by other rappers out there. Influencing pop-rap on Macklemore’s ‘Thrift Shop’ to one of the first iterations of jazz-rap on Herbie Hancock’s ‘Rockit’, this song is inescapable.
When hip-hop first started, DJ Kool Herc would often take the rhythm from funk and disco songs and replay them to create what would become known as some of the first hip-hop beats. Because the genre found its roots in funk, it’s hardly a surprise that it continues to influence artists today. This is reflected in the fact that James Brown’s ‘Funky Drummer’ is one of the most sampled songs, with credits such as Jay-Z, Mos Def, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J.
Finally, the fifth most sampled song is ‘La Di Da Di’ from hip-hop outfit Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. This song has been chopped apart, remixed, and reused over a thousand times as rappers everywhere identify with it and want to continue using it.
The five most sampled songs of all time
- The Winstons – ‘Amen, Brother’
- Lyn Collins – ‘Think (About It)’
- Fab 5 Freddy – ‘Change the Beat’
- James Brown – ‘Funky Drummer’
- Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick – ‘La Di Da Di’