Music sampling is basically the Succession of the music industry—everyone’s stealing and making bank. These tracks showcase production genius from soul to orchestral arrangements. Artists keep robbing the musical vault beautifully. Here’s how musicians turned borrowing into art.
22. Crazy In Love (Beyonce ft. Jay-Z)
Beyoncé almost passed on summer 2003’s defining track. Rich Harrison created it in two hours. The Chi-Lites’ sample got transformed completely.
Eugene Record earned writing credits decades later. Billboard charts bowed down.
21. Hold Up (Beyonce)
Lemonade’s 2016 emotional rollercoaster samples Andy Williams perfectly. The combination hits harder than relationship status updates. Beyoncé proved heartbreak becomes high art.
She merges generations through sampling brilliantly. Genre collection resembles infinity stones.
20. Bootylicious (Destiny’s Child)
Before body positivity hashtags existed, Destiny’s Child delivered confidence. Stevie Nicks’ guitar riff found unexpected purpose. The fusion almost got axed entirely.
Oxford Dictionary added the word officially. English teachers remain uncomfortable.
19. Summertime (Will Smith)
Fresh Prince transformed Kool & the Gang into barbecue soundtracks. Smith’s 1991 debut captured school’s-out feelings perfectly. Parents actually enjoyed it.
The formula became hip-hop’s summer template. Artists still chase that energy.
18. Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It (Will Smith)
Smith flexed production skills harder than CrossFit instructors. Sister Sledge met Bar-Kays through expert layering. The technique required serious skill.
Grammy voters noticed the complexity. Nice guys finished first.
17. Lady (Hear Me Tonight) (Modjo)
French duo resurrected disco during Y2K paranoia. Chic’s bassline received house treatment brilliantly. Nile Rodgers’ groove proved eternal.
Millennials discovered parental music wasn’t terrible. Generations united on dance floors.
16. Fantasy (Mariah Carey) & Return of the Mack (Mark Morrison)
Tom Tom Club birthed genre twins unknowingly. Carey created pop candy; Morrison crafted baby-making music. Same DNA, different personalities completely.
Both versions printed money endlessly. Original artists probably bought boats.
15. Rock DJ (Robbie Williams)
Williams hit creative walls harder than strike-season writers. Barry White’s groove provided the escape route. That opening solved everything instantly.
Britain consumed it faster than Love Island drama. Theft became flattery.
14. Firestarter (The Prodigy)
The Prodigy approached sampling like Netflix passwords—why limit yourself? Three samples blended into chaos. Genre rules meant nothing.
UK charts surrendered immediately. Electronic music found its rebel.
13. Groove Is in the Heart (Deee-Lite)
Deee-Lite treated samples like ingredient mixing. Vernon Burch met Herbie Hancock beautifully. The kitchen sink worked perfectly.
Dance floors approved this experiment globally. More became more.
12. Toxic (Britney Spears)
Britney grabbed Bollywood before appropriation hashtags existed. Indian strings created that snake-charmer vibe instantly. East met West perfectly.
The exotic flavor hooked listeners globally. Geography proved profitable.
11. Old Town Road (Lil Nas X)
This track demolished barriers like wrecking balls. Nine Inch Nails accidentally birthed country rap. Reznor blessed it immediately.
Billy Ray understood the assignment. Genres became social constructs.
10. My Name Is (Eminem)
Dre introduced Slim Shady using Siffre’s guitar. The 1999 debut made parents clutch pearls. Siffre demanded cleaner lyrics first.
Grammy voters couldn’t resist. Eminem arrived fully formed.
9. Like Toy Soldiers (Eminem)
Martika’s melody got weaponized for hip-hop warfare. Eminem accelerated it into emotional ammunition. The loop added gravitas perfectly.
Credit went appropriately. Pop princess became rap royalty.
8. What’s the Difference (Dr. Dre)
French sophistication crashed into Compton streets dramatically. Aznavour brought symphonies to the hood. Eminem and Xzibit joined in.
Classical music earned street credibility. Hip-hop vocabulary expanded exponentially.
7. It Was a Good Day (Ice Cube) & Them Changes (Thundercat)
The Isley Brothers became hip-hop’s favorite twice. Cube grabbed keyboards; Thundercat took drums. Different years, different vibes entirely.
Both tributes honored perfectly. Good music transcends decades.
6. Gold Digger (Kanye West)
Kanye stripped Ray Charles bare and rebuilt completely. Minimal production highlighted maximum emotion. Simple formula hit complex notes.
Charts genuflected worldwide. Producer reputations began here.
5. Mo Money Mo Problems (The Notorious B.I.G.)
Diana Ross morphed into cautionary tale posthumously. B.I.G. flipped feel-good vibes completely. Bell-bottoms connected to baggy jeans.
Billboard recognized genius immediately. Disco earned hip-hop visa.
4. Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang (Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg)
Leon Haywood provided G-funk’s mission statement unknowingly. Dre’s production launched Snoop to legend status. West Coast found its anthem.
The influence rippled unchanged. Some formulas need no updates.
3. Countless songs sample Amen, Brother (The Winstons)
Six seconds spawned entire musical movements accidentally. The Winstons’ break birthed multiple genres. Zero royalties followed unfortunately.
Fair compensation debates continue. History forgets its creators.
2. Countless songs sample Funky Drummer (James Brown)
Brown and Stubblefield laid hip-hop’s foundation unknowingly. Twenty drum seconds changed everything forever. The break became sampling’s grail.
Stubblefield’s legacy lives everywhere. Rhythm speaks universally.
1. Praise You (Fatboy Slim)
Fatboy Slim assembled samples like Swedish furniture. Yarbrough met test recordings and cartoons somehow. Chaos theory proved true.
Yarbrough’s catalog received CPR. Weird combinations just work.
