If you’re a frequent downloader of our sample sets, then you’ve probably noticed that certain tracks tend to show up on multiple sets. This is mainly because these are some of the most famous break beats in hip hop’s history. The term “breakbeat” goes all the way back to 1972, when DJ Kool Herc first used two turntables to mix records together to create one long breakbeat. Back then he did it for the b-boys and b-girls. In the 80s and into today, breakbeats became popular to rap over and is essentially what was used to build the foundation of hip hop.
10. “Nautilus” by Bob James
Released: 1974
Most popular usage: “Children’s Story” by Slick Rick, ”Live at the Barbecue” by Main Source [see full sample list]
Coming in at the bottom of this list is one of the most sampled songs in hip hop history. If you make beats, chances are you have sampled “Nautilus” at some point in your career. There are just so many great parts in this song to flip, aside from the breakbeat at the 3:30 mark.
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09. “The Payback” by James Brown
Released: 1973
Most popular usage: “Boomin’ System”by LL Cool J, “Can’t You See?” by Total [see full sample list]
The bassline on this James Brown track jsut straight kills! I remember the first time I noticed the song being sampled in multiple songs was when En Vogue’s “Never Gonna Get It” came out. Everytime the song came on the radio all I could get out of my head was “You know it’s funky, funky, funky…”. That’s when I realized LL had the same sample. But, yo, that was like over 15 years ago. I’d love to hear someone flip this differently today.
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08. “N.T.” by Kool & The Gang
Released: 1971
Most popular usage: “Breathe and Stop” by Q-Tip, “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison [see full sample list]
Kool & The Gang’s “NT” features one of those ubiquitous drum breaks that you would swear you hear in every hip hop song ever. This song made its first major hip hop appearance in NWA’s “Gangsta Gangsta” and has been sampled in tracks from Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and many more.
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07. “Atomic Dog” by George Clinton
Released: 1982
Most popular usage: “Who Am I (What’s My Name?)” by Snoop Dogg, “Fuck Wit Dre Day” by Dr. Dre [see full sample list]
Some have called “Atomic Dog” the greatest funk song of all time. It is definitely one of George Clinton’s most heavily sampled songs. In Snoop Dogg’s “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”, the line, “bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay” was made popular by early 90s G-funk, as it was interpolated in Dr. Dre’s song “Fuck wit Dre Day” and others.
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06. “Synthetic Substitution” by Melvin Bliss
Released: 1973
Most popular usage: “All I Need” by Method Man, “O.P.P.” by Naughty by Nature [see full sample list]
Melvin Bliss is a name you only hear when speaking of hip hop samples. If it were not for “Synthetic Substitution”, no one probably would have ever heard of Melvin. Yet, leave it to hip hop to find a gem and use it over and over and over again. Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, EPMD, De La Soul, the list does on.
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05. “Funky President (People It’s Bad)” by James Brown
Released: 1974
Most popular usage: “Oh My God” by A Tribe Called Quest, “Hey Ladies” by the Beastie Boys [see full sample list]
According to James Brown, the “funky president” was meant to refer to U.S. President Gerald Ford, who had taken over from Richard Nixon shortly before it was recorded.
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04. “Think (About It)” by Lynn Collins
Released: 1972
Most popular usage: “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, “Alright” by Janet Jackson [see full sample list]
Recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown’s People Records in 1972 “Think (About It)” was produced by Brown (who also co-wrote the song) and featured instrumental backing from his band The J.B.’s. Both the song’s main rhythmic groove and a vocal passage known as the “Woo! Yeah!” break have been used as samples. The first song to sample “Think” was “Go On Girl” by Roxanne Shante in 1987 (prod by Marley Marl). A few months later the same 4-bar loop of “Woo! Yeah!” appeared as the basis for Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock’s “It Takes Two”.
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03. “Impeach The President” by The Honey Drippers
Released: 1973
Most popular usage: “Around The Way Girl” by LL Cool J, “I Can” by Nas [see full sample list]
As simple as this breakbeat is, it seemed everyone and their mother preferred to sample it instead of recreate it. Not only was this a popular song in hip hop, but R&B and other genres pick up on it too. You can hear it in Janet Jackson’s “That’s The Way Love Goes”, Shaggy’s “Mr. Loverman”, and Meridth Brooks’ “Bitch” in addition to the million hip hop songs that have sampled it.
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02. “Sing A Simple Song” by Sly & The Family Stone
Released: 1968
Most popular usage: “Jazz (We’ve Got)” by A Tribe Called Quest, “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground [see full sample list]
“Sing a Simple Song” was released in 1968 as the b-side to their #1 hit “Everyday People”. The song’s lyrics, sung in turn by Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, Rose Stone, and Larry Graham, with spoken word (or, rather, shouted word) sections by Cynthia Robinson, offer a simple solution for dealing with the problems and paradoxes of existence : “Sing a simple song!”. The song is one of Sly & the Family Stone’s signature songs, and has been covered by numerous acts, including Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, The Commodores, Miles Davis, The Meters, Jimi Hendrix, Prince and others. It has also been sampled by 2Pac, Public Enemy, Digital Underground, Cypress Hill, and Gorillaz, amongst others.
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01. “Funky Drummer” by James Brown
Released: 1970
Most popular usage: “Let Me Ride” by Dr. Dre, “Get Down” by Nas [see full sample list]
“Funky Drummer” was recorded on November 20, 1969 in Cincinnati, Ohio and originally released by King Records as a two-part 45 rpm single in March 1970. Despite rising to #20 on the R&B chart and #51 on the pop chart, it did not receive an album release until the 1986 compilation In the Jungle Groove. At over 9 minutes long, James Brown actually announces the popular drum break late in the song, with a request to “give the drummer some.” He tells Stubblefield “You don’t have to do no soloing, brother, just keep what you got… Don’t turn it loose, ’cause it’s a mother.” Stubblefield’s eight-bar unaccompanied “solo” is a slightly modified version of the same riff he plays through most of the piece.
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Honorable Mentions:
- Skull Snaps: “It’s A New Day”
- ESG: “UFO”
- James Brown: “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved”
- Parliament: “Flashlight”
- Zapp: “More Bounce to The Ounce”
- Bobby Byrd: “Hot Pants… I’m Coming, I”m Coming, I’m Coming”
- Ohio Players: “Funky Worm”
- Kool and the Gang: “Jungle Boogie”
- Incredible Bongo Band: “Apache”
- Joe Tex: “Papa Was Too”
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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
Funky Drummer is really the most sampled song. I think almost every hip-hop producer used that drums for their songs.
One song that i would add is Audio Two – Top Billin’.
This song was not only sampled but referenced so much too.
long red-mountain? used alot
Ayo Kev can you put these jointz together in a zip??
What about Apache?
i know you talking breaks here. But I think the most sampled record in Hip Hop is LaDiDaDi. Almost every one of Rickys lines got jacked…
Ah, I should have known there would have been a bunch of “what about’s”. So I just added a few honorable mentions. The list could probably go on and on and on.
I was gonna put em up in a zip, but chance are if you download our sample sets, you got these already.
i was sure issac hayes would have been in there
Yeah i really think any 1 song should be taken off that top 10 and replaced with Mountain’s “Long Red”!!!!!!
“Long Red” is definitely a heavily sampled track, but not as much as the ones mentioned. These are the songs that I know of that have sampled “Long Red”. If you can add to it and get the numbers up to the ones in the top ten, I’ll add it to the list…
A Tribe Called Quest – “Glamour and Glitz”
A Tribe Called Quest – “Jazz (We’ve Got)”
Artifacts – “The Ultimate”
Capitol Tax – “Can You Dig It”
Cash Money & Marvelous – “Ugly People Be Quiet”
Compton’s Most Wanted – “Growin’ up in the ‘Hood”
Depeche Mode – “Walking in My Shoes”
Double XX Posse – “School of Hard Knocks”
EPMD – “It’s My Thing”
EPMD – “Strictly Business”
Eric B and Rakim – “Eric B is President”
Eric B and Rakim – “Put Your Hands Together”
Esham – “666″
Ghostface Killah – “Child’s Play”
Ice Cube – “The Birth”
Inspectah Deck – “Trouble Man”
Kanye West – “The Glory”
Kurious – “Walk Like a Duck”
LMNO – “Grin and Bear It”
MadKap – “Beddie-Bye”
MC Shan – “So Fresh”
Nas – “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”
NWA – “Real Niggaz Don’t Die”
Peanut Butter Wolf – “A Tale of Five Cities”
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – “Ghettos of the Mind”
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – “Good Life”
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – “Return of the Mecca”
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – “Searchin’”
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – “Soul Brother #1″
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – “What’s Next on the Menu?”
PMD – “I’ll Wait”
Public Enemy – “Louder than a Bomb”
Rakim – “New York (Ya Out There)”
Sixtoo – “Duration Project”
Special Ed – “Walk the Walk”
The Roots ft Mos Def – “Double Trouble”
Tragedy – “Shalom a Leck”
Young Black Teenagers – “Roll with the Flavor”
I know these aren’t all of them and I’m sure I’m missing a bunch that I’ve included in our sets.
It’s official…This is the most diverse visted HipHop site
My father (62 years-old) just emailed the link to this article…It’s wild because, I was going to send it to him…Now, the point of his email was that hiphop producers aren’t real producers…Can’t change his mind…
That’s GREAT that your dad visits a hip hop site! I love it! lololol
SWEEEET
as a lover of the G-Funk, I’m loving anything sample-related. I’d also like to throw out a nomination for P-Funk’s classic “(Not Just) Knee Deep”. You weren’t a West Coast act until you used that bassline
My Mind Spray: Nautilus
goddamn preemo.. goddamn you.. but man, I’m surprised Nautilus isn’t higher up.
So Kev, am I understanding this correctly? These are the most used in order of most used or your favourites? Funky Drummer and the Sly at the top 2 led me to believed they’ve just been used the most
this is so effing dope.. my god we rule
lol this is absolutely unreal
between this and the beef piece..
goddamn
You guys are digital WATCHMEN
Yeah, I guess I didn’t mention… the order is based off how many times each song has been sampled (as far as what we know). Check the full sample list for each track that links back to RapCredits.com.
Great Post Fellas…. I think that Bob James was sampled like a mofo next to James Brown…even Steely Dan too!!!!
Jobu – I read The Watchmen, so I’m honored. No idea if that’s what you’re going for, but I’ll take it all the same. Kevin is Rorschach cuz, well, he’s a badass. Deez = Comedian cuz he’s an asshole. Thomas is Doc Manhattan, cuz those sample sets are unreal. dibs on Nite Owl, I’m up late and I get the girl lol
Ok, now I have to go see that movie
great list man! i love hearing the originators. what about “Intimate Friends”, by Eddie Kendricks?
“Intimate Friends” is my JAM! And so many people thought Alicia Keys’ “Unbreakable” was an original…
This ish is hot. My favorite is “Synthetic Substitution” by Melvin Bliss. That drum break is the best ever….RZA and the Wu producers used that joint at least 5-6 times.
Kev I fixed the link to the Sly joint.
James Brown is the foundation of Hip Hop.
incredibly Dope post…but you forgot to give a mention to The Winstons “Amen Brother”, aka the Amen break. It’s been sampled and flipped and mutilated so many times that you cant even calculate how many times its been used. Although it’s mostly known as being the skeleton of Drum N Bass, it has been sampled numerous hip hop artists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac
I always thought the amen break from Amen my Brother by the Winstons beat out funky drummer?
what about “Amen, Brother”?
Nice vid, Notorious, I’d never seen that. I still don’t think it deserves a mention in the top 10. These are the tracks that I found that sample “Amen Brother”. I’m sure it’s incomplete, but still not as impressive as the breaks in my Top 10…
2 Live Crew – “Feel Alright Yall”
3rd Bass – “Wordz of Wisdom”
4 Hero – “Escape That”
Amon Tobin – “Nightlife”
Aphex Twin – “Boy/Girl Song”
Atari Teenage Riot – “Burn Berlin Burn”
Brand Nubian – “The Godz Must Be Crazy”
Deee-Lite – “Come on In, the Dreams are Fine”
Dillinja – “The Angels Fell”
Eric B and Rakim – “Casualties of War”
Funky Technicians – “Airtight”
Goldie – “Chico: Death of a Rock Star”
Heavy D – “Flexin’”
Heavy D – “Let it Flow”
Heavy D – “MC Heavy D!”
Heavyweight – “Oh Gosh”
J. Majik – “Arabian Nights”
J. Majik – “Your Sound”
Lemon D – “This is Los Angeles”
Level Vibes – “Beauty & the Beast”
Lifer’s Group – “Jack U. Back (So You Wanna Be a Gangsta)”
Ltj Bukem – “Music”
Maestro Fresh Wes – “Bring it On”
Mantronix – “King of the Beats”
Movement Ex – “KK Punani”
Nice & Smooth – “Dope Not Hype”
NWA – “Straight Outta Compton”
Oasis – “Do Y’Know What I Mean”
Roni Size – “Brown Paper Bag”
Salt-N-Pepa – “Desire”
Scarface – “Born Killer”
Schoolly D – “How a Black Man Feels”
Wow man after the Genesis of Beef piece I didn’t think it could get any better.
I think Natutilus should have been higher on the list, but you got the #1 right.
I guess I can forge a signature or something to vote twice for blog of year!
Good work my dudes!
Great article
Kevin
Posted March 16, 2009 at 7:09 pm
“Intimate Friends” is my JAM! And so many people thought Alicia Keys’ “Unbreakable” was an original…
*Who thought that?
smfh!
good post,though.
i was trying to find out who originally created
“Sing A Simple Song”…
Sly is dope
Jackson 5 KILLED THAT SHIT.
—a dying metaphor—
…how can u bring up melvin bliss and tell me that naughty is the most known!!! HELLO!!! ULTRAMAGNETIC ANYONE??? sheesh!!!!
zip them up…PLEASE
Yo, i like what u got here but there are definitely a few errors. 1) Envogue didnt sample James Brown’s ‘Payback’ on “Hold On’, LL sampled Envogue for a different version of his ‘Boomin System’ song — which was the one that sampled James’ ‘Payback’. Envogue sampled ‘Payback’ on ‘Never Gonna Get It (My Lovin)’. 2) There’s no way in hell that ‘Payback’ is sampled more than Skull Snaps. 3) Impeach The President has been touched a lil more than Sing A Simple song 4) Nautilus should be listed higher than 10, virtually every bar of that song has been sampled.
Also, some of the most popular usages are bizarre. ‘Funky President’ on Tribe’s ‘Oh My God’? Where, what part? ‘Funky Drummer’ on ‘Let Me Ride’ ain’t even prominent, how about a PE song like ‘Rebel Without A Pause’ or ‘Lyrics of Fury’ by Eric B & Rakim? Couldn’t Ice Cube’s ‘Nigga You Love To Hate’ be recognized as popular and have acknowledgement of a more noticeable, prominent, and ACTUAL usage of ‘Atomic Dog’ (i think Dre and them didn’t even sample it, they interpolated it)?
I’m nitpicking a bit, but being a DJ and all that, I have become a stickler for these types of details/ content. Regardless, good article.
i meant that LL’s song was the one that sampled James, but his remix samples Envogue. Yet Envogue didnt sample James on Hold On
Wow, I don’t even know where to begin answering this one. You sound like you know your stuff. I’m confused by what you’re saying about LL and En Vogue, but I went back and listened and yes I did make a mistake. It is En Vogue’s “Hold On” that I meant to say. Both “Hold On” and “Boomin System” sample James Brown’s “Payback”. As far as the different version of “Boomin System” you’re talking about… I’m lost there. I listened to the album version on Mama Said Knock You Out and that’s the one that samples “Payback”. Or you say it samples “Hold On”… I guess you could be right there, it is essentially the same beat.
As far as the popular usages, that’s just an opinion and we all got em. Same with the order of the top ten. You sound knowledgeable though… I’d love to see a better list. Thanks for sharing!
lol, i realize i totally fumbled my wording here. but what i meant was ‘Hold On’ doesnt sample Payback, but now that i remember fully, it does have that lil guitar lick in there. So i was lil faulty in my total recollection here.
But to clarify my point
…
There’s a 12″ version of Boomin System with a straight jack of ‘Hold On’ that doesnt appear on the LP. If you check out the LP version of LL’s song, you’ll hear a different version of the beat with more of the sample of Payback than the one with the Envogue jack from the 12″.
When Envogue dropped ‘Never Gonna Get It’, they went back and sampled Payback, but with way more usage of the sample. This version sounded much more like the LP version of LL’s Boomin System vs. the 12″ remix.
Whew! all that to make that simple point, lol. i will now back away and refrain from confusing you anymore Mr. Nottingam …… great work sir ……. imma work on that list ….
*acts like a one time visitor who wants a set*
Kev/Thomas…
what are the chances that a regular non-sample set downloader like myself ( I don’t have room on my comp for all this stuff, either wise I would) would be able to get all of these zipped in a folder
I’ll make you a deal. My friendship for a zipped folder
RBi, I’m really interested to hear what you hear. I have the Mama Said Knock You Out album and the En Vogue album and both “Boomin System” and “Hold On” sample “Payback” clear as day. It may as well be the same beat. I’ll post examples up tonight when I get home, but I’d love to hear the version of “Boomin System” that your talking about and the version of “Never Gonna Get It”.
Sean, I’ll see what I can do about getting a zip up. So hard to please around here….
Kev, it ain’t hard to please me hahaha
this is like the first sample set I’ve ever asked you to up.
maybe the 2nd.
ain’t too proud to beg though kev
yeah, i was admitting to the sample being there, i was wrong (ie: ‘a lil faulty’) about that part.
but there are 2 different versions of Boomin System. that’s what i was getting at ultimately. one where LL straight jacks Envogue (12″ remix) and one where he incorporates more of James Brown’s Payback sample (LP version).
if i had worded things better and been onpoint ’bout the JB sample (in ‘Hold On’) from the giddy up, my point would be clearer (ironic since i called myself pulling your card). but i’ll post a zip myself when i get a chance to.
ah, now the links seem busted?
Allllllllll the more reason why zipped folders rock
I know I know, I’m being greedy
This is an excellent list. The sample compilations are quite extensive. The research time has CLEARLY put in work to see that note a stone lay unturned. The only problem that I have is that: some of the songs listed as samples of the songs on this list are not hip-hop. Just thought the the list would stick to hip-hop. Anyways, good work fellas.
well i really love your essential hip hop blog
keep up the great job
(always hoping for a madvillainy sample set repost)
greetings from athens greece
Wow nobody mentioned “Get Out of My Life Woman”
That’s been beat to deaf
whos even heard of florida t-pain!!!
it is the best
song….!!!
I hate how good sampling is used to cover weak lyrics in some hip hop songs.
Eh, yall should check out randy18.mybrute.com Sick game if ya bored.
you know what song you guys are missing out?????
“I’m Afraid the Masquerade is Over” by David Porter
Although only a few songs were sampled from it (Duel of The Iron Mic- GZA, Ill Bomb- LL Cool J, It’s Over- Ghostface, and the most famous song sampled from it WHO SHOT YA- BIGGIE), i think it deserves at least honorable mention….
P.S.- another person who sample the Amen Break was Lupe Fiasco for “Streets On Fire”….
of course james brown is the king of being sampled.also his band lent a lot to hip hop.the grunt,blind man can see and givin up food for funk had heads noddin.
I think “Ashley’s Roachclip” by The Soul Searchers should at least get some sort of mention.
im curious to know how many times more bounce to the ounce by zapp has been sampled, do you know?
no Quincy Jones songs on here? Through all his music I know he’s been heavily sampled, although I not as heavily as James Brown. Quincy’s ‘Summer in the City’ is one of the most recognizable beats. sick.