Sampling isn’t just something Hip-Hop adopted along the way — the idea of taking existing music and reshaping it is baked into the culture’s foundation. At DJ Kool Herc’s legendary August 11, 1973 party in the Bronx, Herc used two turntables to isolate and extend the instrumental “breaks” dancers loved the most, a technique that became one of Hip-Hop’s earliest musical building blocks.
As technology evolved, so did the possibilities. Marley Marl became one of the pioneers of using actual samplers to capture individual drum sounds and reconstruct them into entirely new rhythms, helping establish a production method that would eventually become standard throughout Hip-Hop. From there, producers learned that virtually anything — soul, funk, jazz, rock, gospel, R&B and even Broadway musicals — could become raw material.
The greatest samples aren’t necessarily the most obvious ones either. Sometimes the genius is hearing a familiar record in a completely different way; other times it’s digging up something obscure and making millions of people recognize a few seconds of it forever. In no particular order, here are 20 Hip-Hop samples that perfectly show the art form at its best.
Public Enemy — “Fight The Power” / James Brown — “Funky Drummer,” Syl Johnson — “Different Strokes” & More
The Bomb Squad famously stacked numerous sounds together to make “Fight The Power” feel almost overwhelmingly dense, including drums from James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” pieces of Syl Johnson’s “Different Strokes,” and vocals connected to The Isley Brothers’ own “Fight The Power.” It’s sampling less like borrowing one loop and more like building a musical collage.
De La Soul — “Me Myself And I” / Funkadelic — “(Not Just) Knee Deep”
Prince Paul’s use of Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep” supplied “Me Myself and I” with its instantly recognizable bounce. De La Soul turned P-Funk DNA into one of alternative Hip-Hop’s defining early records.
A Tribe Called Quest — “Can I Kick It?” / Lou Reed — “Walk On The Wild Side”
That laid back bass line underneath “Can I Kick It?” came from Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” Tribe made the groove feel so natural underneath Q-Tip and Phife that generations of listeners may associate it just as strongly with Hip-Hop as the original rock record.
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth — “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” / Tom Scott — “Today”
Pete Rock pulled the soaring horn from Tom Scott and The California Dreamers’ “Today” and transformed it into one of Hip-Hop’s most emotional instrumentals. Paired with C.L. Smooth’s tribute to their late friend Troy Dixon, the sample somehow sounds triumphant and heartbreaking at the same time.
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg — “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” / Leon Haywood — “I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You”
Dr. Dre took Leon Haywood’s hazy 1975 groove and slowed the world down around it. The result became one of the defining sounds of The Chronic and helped introduce an entire generation to West Coast G-funk.
Wu-Tang Clan — “C.R.E.A.M.” / The Charmels — “As Long As I’ve Got You”
RZA’s flip of The Charmels’ “As Long as I’ve Got You” gave “C.R.E.A.M.” its haunting piano-led soul. The sample feels almost mournful underneath verses about poverty, hustling and surviving, making it inseparable from the song’s message.
Nas — “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” / Michael Jackson — “Human Nature”
Large Professor chopped Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” into something considerably grittier for the closing track on Illmatic. Hearing such a glossy pop record turned into a rugged Queensbridge beat remains a masterclass in hearing possibilities other producers might miss.
Nas — “The World Is Yours” / Ahmad Jamal Trio — “I Love Music”
Pete Rock’s production took pieces of jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal’s “I Love Music” and created the dreamy backdrop for one of Nas’ most hopeful early records. The piano loop gives “The World Is Yours” the feeling of somebody imagining possibilities stronger than the block around him.
The Notorious B.I.G. — “Juicy” / Mtume — “Juicy Fruit”
Biggie’s breakthrough single was built around Mtume’s 1983 R&B classic “Juicy Fruit,” specifically its instrumental mix. The warm, celebratory sample is perfect for Biggie to look back on how far he had come, turning the record into one of rap’s definitive success stories.
Mobb Deep — “Shook Ones, Pt. II” / Herbie Hancock — “Jessica”
Havoc’s transformation of Herbie Hancock’s “Jessica” is the kind of sample flip that almost feels impossible once you hear the source. He manipulated the original until it became the eerie, cold loop behind one of the grimiest New York rap records ever made.
A Tribe Called Quest — “Electric Relaxation” / Ronnie Foster — “Mystic Brew”
Q-Tip centered “Electric Relaxation” around Ronnie Foster’s jazzy “Mystic Brew,” creating a beat that feels effortless no matter how many times you’ve heard it. It’s one of the clearest examples of Tribe’s ability to make jazz and Hip-Hop sound like they had always belonged together.
JAY-Z — “Dead Presidents II” / Lonnie Liston Smith — “A Garden Of Peace”
Ski Beatz turned Lonnie Liston Smith’s gorgeous piano composition “A Garden of Peace” into the haunting backbone of an early JAY-Z classic. Adding Nas’ voice from “The World Is Yours” remix to the hook only made the record an even deeper piece of ’90s New York Hip-Hop history.
JAY-Z — “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) / Annie — “It’s The Hard-Knock Life”
Sampling children from the Broadway musical Annie sounded like a bizarre idea until The 45 King did it. The contrast between the theatrical vocals and JAY-Z’s street narratives helped make “Hard Knock Life” one of the records that pushed him fully into the mainstream.
Mos Def — “Ms. Fat Booty” / Aretha Franklin — “One Step Ahead”
Produced Ayatollah chopped Aretha Franklin’s “One Step Ahead” into a soulful, hypnotic loop that practically becomes another character in Mos Def’s story. It’s one of those samples that makes you immediately want to hear the original record just to understand how the producer found the flip.
Eminem — “My Name Is” / Labi Siffre — “I Got The…”
Dr. Dre found the funky guitar-and-bass passage buried inside Labi Siffre’s “I Got The…” and used it to introduce Eminem to much of the world. The strange, playful loop matched Eminem’s cartoonish delivery so perfectly that the two sounds are now nearly impossible to separate.
Eminem feat. Dido — “Stan” / Dido — “Thank You”
The 45 King sampled the opening of Dido’s “Thank You,” slowing the atmosphere down enough to make “Stan” feel immediately dark and intimate. The soft vocals against Eminem’s increasingly disturbing storytelling helped create one of rap’s most famous narrative records.
Common — “The Light” / Bobby Caldwell — “Open Your Eyes”
J Dilla turned Bobby Caldwell’s “Open Your Eyes” into one of the warmest love-song beats Hip-Hop has ever produced. Rather than overwhelming the original, Dilla found just enough of Caldwell’s voice and melody to give Common room to make the record his own.
Kanye West — “Through The Wire” / Chaka Khan — “Through The Fire”
Kanye sped up and dramatically pitched Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire,” then rapped through a jaw that was literally wired shut following his 2002 car crash. Beyond being a great flip, the choice of sample became part of the storytelling itself — even the song’s title plays directly off its source.
JAY-Z & Kanye West feat. Otis Redding — “Otis” / Otis Redding — “Try A Little Tenderness”
Kanye chopped Otis Redding’s voice almost like an instrument, constantly rearranging “Try A Little Tenderness” while JAY-Z and West traded verses. Instead of simply looping a famous soul record, the beat feels like Kanye is actively remixing Redding in real time.
Kendrick Lamar feat. Jay Rock — “Money Trees” / Beach House — “Silver Soul”
Producer DJ Dahi flipped Beach House’s dreamy indie-rock record “Silver Soul” into the hazy backdrop for one of good kid, m.A.A.d city‘s biggest fan favorites. It’s also a perfect example of how modern Hip-Hop sampling expanded far beyond the funk, jazz and soul crates its earliest producers were known for digging through.
Kanye West — “Bound 2” / Ponderosa Twins Plus One — “Bound”
Kanye built “Bound 2” around the soulful vocals from Ponderosa Twins Plus One’s 1971 track “Bound,” chopping and looping the sample until it became the emotional backbone of the song. Its warm, vintage sound stood out against the much harsher production across Yeezus, making the track feel like a strange but fitting throwback to Kanye’s earlier sample-heavy style.
