Samples are one of the most important pieces in production when it comes to creating a song. Almost every single song in the modern era contains a sample, whether it’s something you can hear throughout the entire project, or it’s just a small riff that’s barely noticeable; modern music is built on what the predecessors left behind. Even the biggest artists today rely on sampling to create some of their biggest hits.
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Kanye West – “Stronger”
Sample: Daft Punk – “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” (2001)
One of the more recognizable samples in music, Kanye’s sampling of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by rearranging the iconic robotic hook, chopping it up by mixing the four words and effectively rapping over it in the same Graduation style he carries throughout the album the track is featured on. The song blew up, where the younger generation may be unaware of the original track released in 2001 compared to one of Kanye’s biggest.
Drake – “Nice For What”
Sample: Lauryn Hill – “Ex-Factor” (1998)
One of the best places to look when you’re searching for a song to sample is literally anywhere on Ms. Lauryn Hill’s discography and you’ll find gem after gem. On “Nice For What” Drake does that perfectly, by taking the upbeat track loops and soulful bridge of “Ex-Factor” paired with a set of New Orleans drums. Combined with samples from a multitude of other snippets on songs, Drake crafted one of his biggest hits to date.
Doja Cat – “Paint the Town Red”
Sample: Dionne Warwick – “Walk on By” (1964)
Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” features an unexpected sample from Dionne Warwick’s classic 64’ hit “Walk On By” with the instantly recognizable horn and vocal melody featured on the track, with the instrumental loop serving as the backbone to the track. Dionne hadn’t even known the sample was used until after the song was released, nonetheless wished the track did as well for Doja as it did for her.
Rihanna – “Cheers (Drink to That)”
Sample: Avril Lavigne – “I’m With You” (2002)
Rihanna’s hit track “Cheers (Drink to That)” features a sample from Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You”’s chorus. Utilizing the distinct “yeah, yeah, yeah”’s commonly used as soaring vocal runs serves as Rihanna’s driving hook throughout the track. Despite Rihanna wanting Avril Lavigne to actually re-record the snippet specifically for the song however since the sample was already embedded in production, they elected to keep the original melancholic isolated vibe of the recording as the hook.
Kendrick Lamar – “Money Trees”
Sample: Beach House – Silver Soul (2010)
Arguably one of Kendrick Lamar’s biggest songs off of his album good kid m.a.a.d city, “Money Trees” actually features a sample from a genre you wouldn’t expect from Mr.Morale. Utilizing the dream-pop sound from Beach House’s “Silver Soul” Kendrick’s producer for the track DJ Dahi took the opening guitar riff along with some of the atmospheric vocals and slightly sped them up. To create the loop, he took the sped up vocals and guitar riff and reversed them backward, creating an iconic loop for Kendrick to perform his memorable track over blended in well mix wise.
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