Sampling is when a portion or an element of an existing piece of music is used as part of another piece. Some of the biggest tracks you know borrow from more obscure songs from decades ago.
Sampling can be an art form in itself, when it's subtle and blends seamlessly with new elements. Here are some songs you know, and their origins that you probably didn't know. So now you have two great songs.
You're welcome.
1. "Hold Up" by Beyoncé...
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Samples "Can't Get Used To Losing You" by Andy Williams.
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You can hear "Can't Get Used To Losing You" in the intro of "Hold Up" and throughout the song.
2. "Hotline Bling" by Drake...
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Samples "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas.
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Both tracks have nearly identical intros, though Drake's version is a little faster.
3. Drake's "One Dance"...
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Samples the Crazy Cousinz remix of "Do You Mind" by Kyla.
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You can hear the part sampled in the Drake track at 0:33.
4. Kanye West's "Fade"...
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Samples "Mystery of Love" by Mr. Fingers.
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You can hear the intro of "Mystery of Love" from 0:20 of "Fade".
5. Daft Punk's "Harder Better Faster"...
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Samples "Cola Bottle Baby" by Edwin Birdsong.
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The intro of "Cola Bottle Baby" can be heard throughout the whole Daft Punk track.
6. Eminem's "My Name Is"...
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Samples "I Got The..." by Labi Siffre.
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You'll hear that immediately recognizable riff (0:09 of "My Name Is") from 2:10 of "I Got The..."
7. "Hypnotize" by the Notorious B.I.G...
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8. And Miley Cyrus's "We Can't Stop"...
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Both sample "La Di Da Di" by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh.
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This one needs a little explaining. "La Di Da Di" can be described as the Rosetta Stone of hip hop as it's one of the most sampled tracks ever, as you can see from the samples and references section of its Wikipedia page. The chorus of "Hypnotize" (from 0:55) references 4:00 in "La Di Da Di" using the same lyrics, except changing "Ricky, Ricky, Ricky" to "Biggie, Biggie, Biggie".
"We Can't Stop" also borrows vocally from "La Di Da Di". Miley's chorus (from 0:38) is "La di da di / We like to party", the same words can be heard at 1:10 in "La Di Da Di".
9. Britney Spears' "Toxic"...
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Samples a Bollywood classic, "Tere Mere Beech Mein" by Lata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam.
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The hook of "Toxic" can be heard at 0:27 of "Tere Mere Beech Mein".
10. Beyoncé's "Crazy In Love" feat. Jay-Z...
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Samples "Are You My Woman" by the Chi-Lites.
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You can hear that iconic intro of the Beyoncé track at 0:11 of "Are You My Woman".
11. Shakira's "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)"...
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Samples "Zamina Mina (Zangalewa)" by Golden Sounds.
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The chorus of "Waka Waka" (at 0:59) can be heard from 0:10 in "Zamina Mina".
12. Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl"...
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Samples Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust".
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The intro of "Another One Bites The Dust" can be heard at 0:53 of "Hollaback Girl".
13. Pras' "Ghetto Superstar" feat. Mya and Ol' Dirty Bastard...
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Samples "Islands In The Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.
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The melody of the chorus to "Ghetto Superstar" (from 0:19 and throughout) can be heard at 1:03 of "Islands In The Stream".
14. Daft Punk's "Digital Love"...
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Samples "I Love You More" by George Duke.
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You can hear the part that was sampled by Daft Punk immediately.
15. Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life"...
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Samples the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love".
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Both songs have the same intro.
16. The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony"...
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Samples "The Last Time" by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra.
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You can hear the orchestral parts the Verve sampled (at 0:05 and throughout) at 0:17 and 1:37 of "The Last Time".
17. And finally, DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" feat. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller...
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Samples "Maria Maria" by Santana.
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But if you're over the age of 21, you already knew that.