The 55th annual Grammy Awards showed phenomenal support for sampled/covered music this week with no fewer than 16 of the awards relating to music containing samples, cover songs or remixes! One year short of the 25th Anniversary of the introduction of the Best Rap Performance category, LL Cool J, who hosted the ceremony on Sunday night, closed the awards show with a duet with Public Enemy‘s Chuck D, a medley which paid tribute to their former Def Jam label mate, the late Adam Yauch, better known as MCA of the Beastie Boys.

Here’s our run down of sample-related highlights of the winners’ list:

Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance (Duo or Group): “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye feat. Kimbra

Lifting gently strummed guitars from the opening bars of one of Bossa Nova pioneer Luiz Bonfá‘s poppier outings from his late 1960s ‘Plays Great Songs’ album and reworking it into a curiously catchy ballad, this Grammy win is a breath of fresh air in the fog of overproduced pop gloss.

Best Dance / Electronica Album: “Bangarang” by Skrillex

Notable for its marriage of two generations of artists from very different musical landscapes, ‘Breakn’ a Sweat’, Skrillex’s collaboration with The Doors, as featured on his ‘Bangarang’ EP, replayed portions of the Doors’ late 1960s classic ‘Light My Fire’ also utilising direct samples of a 1969 interview with Doors front man Jim Morrison.

Best Remix Recording, Nonclassical: “Promises” (Skrillex and Nero Remix) by Nero

Skrillex also bagged an award for best remix with his take on Nero’s ‘Promises’ (co-produced by Nero). As remixes go, it’s a reworking that doesn’t deviate massively from the original in most respects. That said, it bears all the hallmarks of a Skrillex popstep hybrid complete with epic build up to a punchy assault of screeching mid-range.

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: “Kisses on the Bottom” by Paul McCartney

The award for best traditional pop vocal album goes to an LP of cover songs, ironically you might say for an artist whose songwriting has been covered more often than any other. The adjective ‘traditional’ is of particular relevance here, several of the tracks covered having been originally recorded in the 1920s and 1930s.

Best Alternative Music Album: “Making Mirrors” by Gotye

The second award for pop maverick Gotye was earned for the sample heavy ‘Making Mirrors’ album, drawing on an eclectic pallet of sample material, from Edmundo Ros‘ Brazilian Lounge outing ‘Brazil’ (used for ‘I Feel Better‘) to the Rhodesy Funk of Atlas‘s ‘Play It Cool’ (used for ‘Smoke and Mirrors‘) and much else in between. Truly creating new from old, sample material from the 50s, 60s and 70s permeates this highly creative album.

Best R&B Album: “Black Radio” by Robert Glasper

Striking a blow for fans of true musicianship in the R&B category was Jazz pianist Robert Glasper with his accomplished fusion of Hip Hop, Soul and Jazz, ‘Black Radio’. Featuring an all star cast of guest vocalists including Yasiin Bey (bka Mos Def), Lupe Fiasco, Erykah Badu and Dwele, the album contains no fewer than 5 cover songs. And it’s a very diverse selection of cover versions at that, from Mongo Santamaria‘s ‘Afro Blue‘ to Nirvana‘s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit‘.

Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song: “Niggas in Paris” by Jay-Z and Kanye West

Two unsurprising wins for the song that few people feel entirely comfortable saying the title of out loud, a runaway hit nonetheless from arguably the two biggest names in the game. It’s not an obviously sample rich track but the Gospel shouts of Reverend W. A. Donaldson‘s ‘Baptizing Scene’ featured in the song’s intro add texture and significant social reference to the mix.

Best Rap / Sung Collaboration: “No Church in the Wild” by Jay-Z and Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean

Much like Jay-Z’s previous win, this is not a track with an obviously sample rich sound but in fact contains four distinct sample sources, from the trademark shouts of James Brown to the pulsing guitar that lie at the track’s heart, lifted from Phil Manzanera‘s ‘K- Scope‘. Despite Jay’s 2009 announcement of the Death of Autotune, that pesky warble is back but, voice altering affects aside, it remains a relatively broody track.

Best Rap Album: “Take Care” by Drake

Arguably more Pop or R&B than it is Rap or Hip Hop (depending on your interpretation of those terms), there’s no denying this album’s popularity. It’s littered with lyrical references and one or two musical references too, perhaps most notably the reworking of Jamie XX and Gil Scott-Heron‘s ‘I’ll Take Care Of You‘ in the album’s title track.

Best Urban Contemporary Album: “Channel Orange” by Frank Ocean

Whether or not the timing of his personal life revelations were orchestrated to maximise album press or not, most doubters were put in their place by the delivery of this solid album. From playfully reworking lyrics and melodies from greats including Stevie Wonder and Mary J. Blige to sampling the Playstation start up ident, the result is fresh and accomplished sounding with just enough pop gloss to carry mainstream success.

Best Gospel Album: “Gravity” by Lecrae

Certainly not conforming to any traditional definitions of what should or could be considered Gospel, Lecrae’s ‘Gravity’ is an album that would really have been equally at home in Rap, R&B or even Pop categories. The album contains multiple lyrical references to Hip Hop acts both classic and contemporary, from Notorious B.I.G. to 2 Chainz.

Best Comedy Album: “Blow Your Pants Off” by Jimmy Fallon

The cover song is a staple constituent of the Comedy album (just ask Weird Al) and this is no exception – there are seven included here, including two ‘in the style of’ covers in which Fallon imitates Neil Young singing Willow Smith‘s ‘Whip My Hair‘ and Bob Dylan singing the theme tune to ‘Charles in Charge’. But the real sample spotter’s dream come true is ‘History of Rap’, in which Fallon (with the assistance of Justin Timberlake) recreates 16 landmark Hip Hop cuts backed by the Fallon show house band – The Roots!

You can check out all the sample, cover and remix connections for past Grammys winners here.

…and finally, whilst there’s no Grammy for Best Music Discovery Service, we are winners in our own way, as our collaboration with Blue Note Records on its Spotify app was given a nice mention in the Grammys end of year Jazz round up.

Drake‘s ‘Nothing Was The Same’ hit stores yesterday following a flurry of hype surrounding the controversially titled precursor, ‘Wu-Tang Forever’, last week. The album has predictably dominated music press column inches in the last 24 hours but is notable not just for its ability to provoke strong reactions (both positive and negative) but also for its broad palette of sample material. Here follows our track by track run down of the album’s  production and sample sources:

1. Tuscan Leather (samples Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’ and Curtis Mayfield’s ‘When The Seasons Change (Live at Montreux) and interpolates ‘Started From The Bottom’, Steady B’s ‘Serious’ and Prodigy’s ‘Keep It Thoro’)

Quite an opening statement for the album, the entire composition is based on a reversed sample of falsetto adlibs lifted from Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’. Producer, Noah ‘40’ Shebib, builds the track around the vocal loops, working through phases of skittering trap hats before arriving at a more classic boom bap arrangement which reworks a passage from Steady B‘s ’80s classic ‘Serious’.

Referencing a lot of his own work (‘YOLO’, ‘Started From The Bottom’) as well as lines from Prodigy’s ‘Keep It Thoro’, Drake seemingly spills his mind (“I could go an hour on this beat n***a”), letting go for the best part of 6 minutes without a whiff of a chorus or hook.

The track culminates with a lengthy extract from Curtis Mayfield’s Live at Montreux in 1987 closing with the line “some food for thought for all of us…” an ominous / arguably corny way to open up the album depending on how you choose to look at it.

2. Furthest Thing (No credited samples)

After the fired up opener, ‘Furthest Thing’ takes the tone down a notch with a lyrical delivery we’re more accustomed to hearing from Aubrey: half rapped, half sung, reflective with that all important hook very much present. It’s not a complete departure from ‘Tuscan Leather’ however. A number of the same themes are revisited, a reversed loop of a piano hook underpins the track laced with a scattering of skipping 808 hats.

A track in two parts, part 2, which arrives nearly 3 minutes into the track, takes on a near gospel feel with a more confident sounding Drake buoyantly congratulating himself toward the conclusion “this is the s*** I want to go out to”.

3. Started From The Bottom (samples Bruno Sanfilippo and Mathias Grassow’s ‘Ambessence Piano & Drones 1′ and Lil Jon’s ‘Who You Wit’)

The lead single from the album and it’s not hard to see why. One of the most catchy tracks on the LP, thanks in part to the chopped sample from ‘Ambessence Piano & Drones 1′ by Bruno Sanfilippo & Mathias Grassow. Mike Zombie cherry picks piano elements from various points in the track and reconstructing them to create a sparse beat that delivers as a club record but maintains the cold edge that Drake really excels with.

DJ Khaled‘s remix (not featured on the album) acts as a Started From The Bottom – Part 2 and takes it to the next logical step from club banger to the after-party anthem by slowing the whole thing down with that chopped n’ screwed sound.

 4. Wu-Tang Forever (samples Zodiac’s ‘Loss Config.’ and Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘It’s Yourz’)

Well aware naming a track ‘Wu-Tang Forever’ would spark some discussion, this has to be one of Drake’s finer moments: a provocative FU to the haters, and let’s be honest, there are plenty out there.  When the track surfaced and revealed that Drake had returned to his dark, purpped-out slow jam sound, he could only have been sniggering to himself at the backlash. Sampling ‘Loss Config’ by Zodiac (the producer who worked on some of The Weeknd’s early mixtape output) the track sounds like Started From The Bottom’s evil cousin and the Wu-Tang reference comes in the form of a short vocal sample from ‘It’s Yourz’ littered throughout.

5.  Own It (samples Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘It’s Yourz’)

For the second time in the space of two tracks, the phrase ‘It’s Yourz’ gets lifted from Wu-Tang’s track of the same name, although this time a far less prominent feature of the track. Placed over a heavily filtered reversed drum loop, the use of the sample provides a link of sorts between ‘Wu-Tang Forever’ and the ballad-esque territory of ‘Own It’, which sees Drake return to relationship mode: “next time we f***, I don’t wanna f***, I wanna make love”.

6.  Worst Behaviour (No credited samples)

In a single step we’re back to more abrasive territory, the hook “Motherf***ers never loved us” sounding out over sinister synth bass tones and a rattling drum track punctuated with occasional stabs of strangled sounding autotune vocals and momentary dancehall references, “dunn know”.

7. From Time (No credited samples)

Featuring Jhené Aiko who delivers the captivating vocal performance that opens the track, ‘From Time’ heads to more conventional territory production wise but it’s not a track without impact. Chilly Gonzales’ gentle piano phrases weave in and out of an extremely sparse drum track comprising little more than a kick and a finger snap. Two thirds of the way in more familiar themes from the album return with a reverse synth loop taking over the track and ultimately accompanied by another 808-esque drum track.

8. Hold On, We’re Going Home (No credited samples)

Just when you think you’ve settled into the album’s themes, along comes a track which makes an almost complete departure. You’d be forgiven for mistaking the opening drums for any one of a number of mid tempo 80s boogie cuts, but there’s no doubt that the track that they introduce is out and out pop, complete with ‘actual singing’ from Drake (as opposed to his typical half sung vocal style which appears elsewhere). It’s a track that may struggle to find an audience with those who had hoped that the Wu-Tang references of the album’s precursor were indicative of the album’s direction, but it’s undeniably catchy and will no doubt find favor with Drake’s pop audience.

9. Connect (samples DJ DMD’s ’25 Lighters’)

‘Connect’ offers a return to far more familiar Drake territory, a subtle downtempo soundscape provided by 40 and Hudson Mohawke underpinning that unique brand half sung relationship rap Drizzy is famed for pioneering. The delicate 808s are back again laced with a heavily pitched down sample of DJ DMD feat Fat Pat & Lil Keke’s ’25 Lighters’ providing the ‘Swang’ of the hook.

10.  The Language (No credited samples)

Low key synths and subtle 808s are the order of the day once again but the vocal tone is of the more abrasive nature, embracing / taunting the haters and bragging of sexual encounters. Not a stand out track but unmistakably Drake.

11. 305 To My City (No credited samples)

Another reversed, tripped out, chopped n’ screwed style beat, no samples present. Even Drake’s voice has been detuned/slowed here.

12. Too Much (samples Sampha’s ‘Too Much’)

One of the album’s more memorable moments, ‘Too Much’ samples an as yet unreleased track of the same name by long time SBTRKT collaborator Sampha (who is also credited as a featured artist on Drake’s track). Not Drake’s first association with SBTRKT, some will recall Drizzy’s strong appearance on the OVO remix of Wildfire back in 2011 and the contrast and synergy with Sampha here has no less impact here than that with Little Dragon had back then.

13. Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2 (samples Jimmy Smith’s ‘Jimmy Smith Rap’, Ellie Goulding’s ‘Don’t Say A Word’ and interpolates Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘C.R.E.A.M.’)

The track opens with a speech from Jimmy Smith about real music which Drake is clearly trying to channel on this LP. This eventually makes way for one of the most impressive beats on the record. Boi-1da and 40 chop an excerpt of Ellie Goulding’s Burial-esque wails from ‘Don’t Say A Word’ and combine it with a catchy little interpolation of Wu-Tang’s ‘C.R.E.A.M’ (sung by an uncredited Timbaland) to create another hazy beat. Jay Z makes an appearance in a somewhat forgettable set of verses to round off the first half of the track.

The second part of the track, Paris Morton Music 2, contains no samples and is an odd conclusion to the record, drifting out on a sort of loose end. The bed of the track seems to contain a field recording of a restaurant or café, over which fading piano solo departs over a scattering of snare hits.

2013 made for another exciting year in sampling with some huge artists and albums digging deep for obscure sources and of course recycling some classics. As this list reflects, Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music affiliates had another incredible year but the same can be said for Jay Z, Eminem, Drake, J.Cole, Pusha T and (more recently) Beyoncé all of whom released high impact LPs this year. Odd Future’s breakout star Tyler, the Creator and wonder-kid Earl Sweatshirt both came through with heavy hitting, sample-ridden albums and new players Future and DJ Mustard rocked the clubs with their melodic blend of trapped out beats and auto-tuned hooks. The Hip-Hop community briefly came to a halt when Big Sean dropped an album offcut, ‘Control‘ featuring a monstrous verse from Kendrick Lamar firing shots at his contemporaries prompting countless responses. Popularity was not limited to those at the more commercial end of the spectrum with long players from the likes of Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Alchemist and many others proving popular on the site. In dance music, Daft Punk, famed for their sample led productions, created waves releasing an album containing only one sample but continuing to reference bygone eras, in particular with their retro hit Get Lucky.

Check out our Top 10 ‘hottest’ samples of the year – the most viewed samples on WhoSampled relating to records released in 2013:

10) J.Cole feat Kendrick Lamar’s Forbidden Fruit sample of Ronnie Foster’s Mystic Brew

First up we’ve got J. Cole, who’s album Born Sinner was one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Released the same day as Kanye’s Yeezus, the LP didn’t entirely deliver on expectations but did produce strong sales in spite of competition. Featuring Kendrick Lamar, the track ‘Forbidden Fruit’ lifts its central loop from Ronnie Foster‘s ‘Mystic Brew’, a track that will forever hold an association with A Tribe Called Quest‘s all time classic 1993 album Midnight Marauders. For more details, check out our sample review of the full LP from earlier in the year.

9) A$AP Rocky feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T’s 1Train sample of Assala’s Meshet Senin

A$AP Rocky brings together an epic contemporary guest-list for a rare 2013 posse cut with rolling verses from Kendrick, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Big K.R.I.T. and RZA-esque production handled by Hit-Boy. Rocky’s long awaited debut LP LONG.LIVE.A$AP dropped way back in January and ‘1Train‘ was the main talking point during the run up.

8) Drake feat Jay Z’s Pound Cake sample of Ellie Goulding’s Don’t Say a Word

Drake clearly deserved a spot in the end of year lists with his album Nothing Was The Same continuing his meteoric rise to the top. Boi-1da and the excellent Noah “40” Shebib chop an excerpt of Ellie Goulding’s Burial-esque wails from ‘Don’t Say A Word’ and combine it with a catchy little interpolation of Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M” (sung by an uncredited Timbaland) to create a super-catchy and stripped down beat. Have a look through our sample review of the full album in collaboration with HYPETRAK for more info.

7) Kanye West’s Blood on the Leaves sample of Nina Simone’s Strange Fruit

Kanye makes his first appearance in the list at number 7 with his incredible sample of Nina Simone‘s ‘Strange Fruit‘ in ‘Blood on the Leaves’. Co-producers here are new G.O.O.D. Music signee Hudson Mohawke and Lunice (who together release material as TNGHT) and the sound of the track’s harsh conclusion is a slight reworking of the duo’s first track ‘R U Ready’. Adding to the track’s rowdy crescendo is a lyrical interpolation lifted from C-Murder‘s ‘Down For My Niggaz’, an unexpected contrast to the track’s opening but then harsh contrast was a recurring theme throughout Yeezus of course, as other entries in this list for tracks from LP show.

6) Kanye West’s On Sight sample of Holy Name of Mary Choral Family’s Sermon (He’ll Give Us What We Really Need)

Another entry for Yeezy, and not for the first time he is sampling melodramatic religious themes (see Jesus Walk’s sample of The ARC Choir’s ‘Walk With Me’ for a prior example). Produced in part by Daft Punk, ‘On Sight’ opens with an abrasive acid pulse which cuts, some would say clumsily, to an unadulterated (but apparently replayed) sample of the line “He’ll Give Us What We Really Need” lifted from ‘Sermon’ before chopping back to the track’s glitchy acidic conclusion. The fact that the sample is preceded by the line “let me show how much I give a f***” tells you something of Kanye’s mind set throughout this long player and the awkward juxtaposition that the sample creates hints unsubtly at the theme of contradiction and contrast on the LP.

5) J.Cole feat. Miguel’s Power Trip sample of Hubert Laws’ No More

Riffing off a prominent flute sample from Hubert Laws‘ early 1970s CTI material, ‘No More’ from the Morning Star album, the track fuses the mid ’90s practice of sampling ’70s jazz fusion with the trademark sonics of 2013 production – crunchy pitched down drums and a grinding synth bass. It’s Miguel’s chorus hook that really makes the track though, bringing the multiple layers into a coherent whole.

4) Daft Punk and DJ Falcon’s Contact sample of The Sherbs’ We Ride Tonight

Back in May Daft Punk revealed the sample source for new track ‘Contact‘ before releasing the track itself, they also revealed that it was the only sample on the entire album, a shock for many fans expecting another typical sample-heavy Daft Punk release. ‘We Ride Tonight‘ by Australian 80s rockers The Sherbs was the only hint fans had as to the album’s content whilst promo material slowly dripped out in a series of excellently presented talking heads videos from the albums collaborators.

3) Justin Timberlake feat. Jay Z’s Suit & Tie sample of Sly, Slick and Wicked’s Sho’ Nuff / Jay Z’s Show You How

Justin and Jay Z team up with Timbaland for what turned out to be one of the biggest records of the year as JT exploded from a 6 year hiatus way back in January. Starting with a chopped ‘n screwed style beat, the track quickly switches up tempo with sampled horn blasts from Sho’ Nuff and Jay Z’s replays his lyric “I’ll show you how to do this son!” from The Blueprint 2.

2) Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean’s New Slaves sample of Omega’s Gyöngyhajú Lány

There was no pre-album single for Yeezus but this was the track the world was allowed to hear before the album’s official release. As a track dealing with complex issues including slavery, commercialism, prison for profit and black male sexual stereotypes, with no hook or even or a discernible drum track, it’s an unconventional choice but then that’s the point of course. The sample usage here is much in the same style as ‘On Sight’, a large unaltered chunk of Omega‘s late 1960s psych outing is planted a little uncomfortably at the end of the track, again revisiting the theme of contrast.

1) Kanye West’s Bound 2 sample of Ponderosa Twins Plus One’s Bound / Brenda Lee’s Sweet Nothin’s / Wee’s Aeroplane (Reprise)

Back at the top spot for the second year running (Mercy topped our list in 2012), Mr. West dominated the WhoSampled.com front page ever since he posted a short 14 second clip on his site in June. Built almost entirely from samples, the last track on Yeezus is arguably the most accessible of the bunch but the raw contrasting sample switches still sound alien in today’s slick, shimmering pop climate. Primarily focused around an unadulterated sample of Ponderosa Twins Plus One‘s 1971 soul ballad ‘Bound’ Kanye uses deliberately clunky cut-aways to the “Uh-huh honey” of Brenda Lee‘s ‘Sweet Nothin’s’ to shake things up. Listeners put off by the disjointedness and the lack of contemporary rhythm can find solace in the lush melody line from Wee‘s ‘Aeroplane (Reprise)’ which is reinterpreted by The Gap Band‘s Charlie Wilson and embellished in the live performances. The track saw a second wave of interest when Kanye and Nick Knight premiered the jaw-droppingly strange video that saw Kanye and Kim getting friendly on a motorbike against a selection of clumsily greenscreened backdrops… which was swiftly very nearly upstaged by James Franco and Seth Rogan’s spoof version which possibly deserves its own place at the top of an end of year list elsewhere.

Following on from our recent Top 10 of 2013’s most popular samples, we are pleased to now present (in no particular order) our Top 10 staff favorites of 2013:

Jai Paul’s Track 2 (Str8 Outta Mumbai) sample of Vani Jairam’s Bala Main Bairagan Hoongi

We’ve been hearing flashes of Jai Paul‘s material since 2010’s astounding BTSTU but 3 years later we’re still no closer to a proper understanding. An odd-looking mixtape surfaced earlier this year containing ‘Str8 Outta Mumbai’ (which also featured in a novel XL christmas card last year) and the jubilant sample from a Hindi movie – ‘Meera’ is chopped perfectly with the original rhythms and melodies amplifying Jai’s obscure production techniques.

Kaytranada’s At All sample of Chaka Khan’s I Know You, I Live You (Reprise)

Canadian artist Kaytranada has really come into his own this year, blowing up with swinging edits of Missy Elliot, Janet Jackson, etc and continuing to flip samples with his own distinctive sounds. This single for HW&W (accompanied by a delightfully weird video) really stands out as a highlight of his material so far.  We look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store!

Chance the Rapper feat. Childish Gambino’s Favourite Song sample of Betty Wright’s Clean Up Woman

We’ve heard Betty Wright sampled in over 25 tracks before but never quite like this. Dropping the sample of choice for mid 90s block party anthems down to a more classically 2013 tempo alongside the trapping 808s that defined the year, some might call it sacrilege, but throw in an expertly delivered vocal and you have a standout track from one of the mixtapes of the year.

Drake’s Started from the Bottom sample of Bruno Sanfilippo and Mathias Grassow’s Ambessence Piano & Drones 1

Not only one of the biggest tracks of the year but also one that caused us all to scratch our heads for that elusive sample until the sleeve notes for ‘Nothing Was The Same’ became available. Credits revealed that this incredible flip by Mike Zombie was a complete rearrangement of this haunting piano piece from Bruno Sanfillipo and Mathias Grassow.

Justin Timberlake’s Let the Groove Get In sample of Burkina Faso’s Rhythms of the Grasslands Alhamdulillaahi

JT channels the traditional African rhythms of Burkina Faso in this curious hybrid of afro-percussion and 21st Century pop. Culminating in layers of vocal, synth, afrobeat-esque horns and punchy drums it’s a wonderfully unexpected piece of soulful pop-fusion.

Joey Bada$$ feat. Chuck Strangers, Kirk Knight and Dessy Hinds Satellite sample of The Dics Derita Asmara

Joey Bada$$ comes through with another mixtape alongside some of his Pro Era crew, including Kirk Knight who we interviewed about the group a few months ago. Dropping smoked out rhymes over a psychadelic organ loop from The Dics’ ‘Derita Asmara’, the resulting cut is reminiscent of late 90s Black Moon output, demonstrating once more the Pro Era’s appreciation for the boom bap architects of Hip Hop’s golden era.

Action Bronson’s Strictly 4 my Jeeps sample of Lowell Fulsom’s Tramp

Action Bronson and collaborator Harry Fraud cook up another banger for Bronson’s Saab Stories LP. An homage of sorts to EPMD‘s classic ‘Rampage‘ (featuring LL Cool J who later appeared on the ‘Strictly 4 my Jeeps Remix‘), Bronson’s cut returns to the sample source of the 1990 original, Lowell Fulsom‘s breakbeat classic Tramp, using the familiar stab and drums to strong boom bap effect.

Oneohtrix Point Never’s Zebra sample of Mark Isham’s Many Chinas

On the electronic front we’ve been listening to this incredibly cerebral LP from Daniel Lopatin aka OPN. There are surely thousands of minute samples being spliced to build up each sound but the whole thing is so heavily processed and combined in such creative ways that it’s really difficult identify individual noises, let alone track down the origins. This is just one of the few samples that has been unearthed so far and the sound itself represents the aesthetic of the record as a whole, reminiscent of an eerie midi arrangement from an early digital Encarta tutorial.

Special Request’s Broken Dreams sample of The Winstons’ Amen, Brother

Paul Woolford‘s new Jungle alias Special Request came out on top this year among a wave of breakbeat revivalists. Manix, Tessela, Four Tet etc have all stepped into the ring but it’s Special Request’s excellent blend of old & new on his LP Soul Music that clinches it for us. Flipping classic Jungle breaks (Amen, Think, Hot Pants etc.) into no-holds-barred dark party tunes this really is something not to be missed.

Pusha T’s Numbers on the Boards sample of Anthony King & John Matthews Pots ‘N’ Pans

This sample has appeared on each of our individual staff lists, and for very good reason! The sample originates from a piece of more or less unknown library music looped up by Kanye to form the punchy metallic backbone to Pusha‘s somewhat leftfield hit, interspersed with harsh Bound 2-esque cutaways to screams from Bunny Sigler‘s ‘Shake Your Booty‘ and Jay Z vocal passages.

(Side Note: With Yeezus related material  dominating our ‘Most Popular’ Top 10 to the extent it did, we made a conscious decision not include the same tracks again in our staff picks but ‘Blood on the Leaves‘ at the very least deserves an honorable mention as the staff choice that didn’t make the cut!)

For our latest Top 10 we’d like, if we may quote Liberace, “to return to the classics”. Here we present the all time Top 10 most sampled records in Hip Hop. Many of course will be very familiar, although it may come as a surprise that almost half of the records listed are themselves Hip Hop records. All of them, it has to be said, are great records in their own right:

10. Skull Snaps – It’s A New Day (282 samples in Hip Hop)

Making it’s first appearance in Stezo‘s neck snapping underground dancefloor hit ‘It’s My Turn‘ in 1989, the unmistakeable drums from the opening bars of Skull Snaps ‘It’s A New Day’ quickly became a Hip Hop staple, appearing on well received cuts by Nice & Smooth, Eric B & Rakim, Gang Starr, EPMD and Das EFX in the years that followed. Throughout the early 90s ‘It’s A New Day’ ruled supreme with around half of its 300 or so usages appearing between 1991 and 1994.

The sample you didn’t expect: Linkin Park – ‘Cure for the Itch‘

9. Run DMC – Here We Go (Live At The Funhouse) (295 samples in Hip Hop)

Run DMC‘s lo-fi recording of ‘Here We Go’ performed live at the Funhouse released in 1983 has become one of Hip Hop’s go-to sources on account of the scattering of vocal snippets contained in the track’s intro. Before Jam Master Jay takes to the wheels to cut up two copies of Billy Squier’s ‘Big Beat’, DMC introduces his crew with the now infamous “Ah yeah, check this out” which has since appeared in hundreds of Hip Hop cuts, chopped into choruses or cut up by DJs.

The sample you didn’t expect: Liverpool Football Club – ‘Anfield Rap’

8. Public Enemy – Bring The Noise (295 samples in Hip Hop)

Possibly Hip Hop’s most well used acapella, ‘Bring The Noise’ was heavily sampled from the moment of release, with snippets appearing on both Hip Hop and dance tracks in its year of release, 1987, and throughout 1988. The track has remained an underground staple through to 2013 with usages by Gangrene and Action Bronson within the last year.

The sample you didn’t expect: Kid Rock – ‘Cucci Galore’

7. Lyn Collins – ‘Think About It’ (318 samples in Hip Hop)

Although not the first track to sample this all time classic James Brown produced piece of dancefloor gold, it’s Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock’s ‘It Takes Two’ that is often credited with popularizing the sample. But the track’s popularity extends beyond the catchy ‘It takes two to make a thing go right’ hook and the unmistakeable ‘Woo, Yeah’ of the break down. Several useful drum passages including a breakdown with a clean bar of tambourines punctuate the track and have provided the backbone to many an uptempo Hip Hop track (not to mention countless Dance/Drum & Bass records).

The sample you didn’t expect: Olly Murs – ‘My Heart Skips A Beat’

6. Melvin Bliss – ‘Synthetic Substitution’ (370 samples in Hip Hop)

First used in Ultramagnetic MCs’ ‘Ego Trippin’ in 1986 overlaid with cuts of James Brown’s iconic ‘Get Down’ vocal lifted from ‘The Boss’, this ubiquitous drum break and its piano stabs have graced classic Hip Hop records throughout the 80s, 90s and beyond. Popular uses include Wu Tang’s ‘Bring Da Ruckus’ and Gang Starr’s ‘DWYCK’.

The sample you didn’t expect: Justin Bieber – ‘Die In Your Arms’

5. James Brown ‘ ‘Funky President’ (378 samples in Hip Hop)

The first of two entries in our top 10 from the undisputed king of the Hip Hop drum break, James Brown. Whilst the most common usages are of the short drum fill which introduces the track, the following breakbeat or the short grunts and shouts which appear within it, some have tackled more substantial passages of the track, Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s ‘Anger in the Nation’ being a good example.

The sample you didn’t expect: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – ‘The Fresh Prince of Belair (Outro)’

4. Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick ‘La Di Da Di’ (454 samples in Hip Hop)

Not quite an acapella, this b-side to Doug E Fresh‘s 1985 hit ‘The Show’ features a young Slick Rick delivering trademark story raps over Doug’s beatbox. Of the many iconic phrases appearing in the track it’s “and it goes a little something like this, hit it!” that has become by far the most sampled. Among those to have borrowed from the track recently are Beyonce and Kanye.

The sample you didn’t expect: Miley Cyrus – ‘We Can’t Stop’

3. The Honey Drippers – ‘Impeach the President’ (458 samples in Hip Hop)

The opening drum break from the politically charged ‘Impeach’ is pipped to the post as Hip Hop’s most ubiquitous drum break only by the godfather himself, James Brown. A chunky mid tempo funk cut with a crisp kick and snare and an easily recognizable open high hat has formed the rhythmic backing to countless Hip Hop classics from Audio Two to Biggie and Nas.

The sample you didn’t expect: The Lonely Island – ‘Incredibad’

2. James Brown – ‘Funky Drummer’ (507 samples in Hip Hop)

James Brown’s second appearance in our top 10 is the drum break that more or less defined the sound of late 80s Hip Hop. A rolling and unmistakeably funky drum loop with neck snapping snare hits that typifies the James Brown sound. Whilst the main drum break is by far the shining jewel of this track, the countdown of ‘1,2,3,4 hit it!’ and the vocal ad libs that appear over the breakbeat are also popular and timeless scratch samples.

The sample you didn’t expect: Nicki Manaj – ‘Save Me’

1. Beside – ‘Change The Beat’ (Female Version) (1067 samples in Hip Hop)

In some ways an unlikely contender for the top spot, it’s rarely the musical content that’s sampled from this early 80s Fab 5 Freddy B-side, but the closing sound bite ‘Aah, that stuff is really fresh’. The ‘Aah’ and ‘Fresh’ with their clean, sharp sound have become the industry standard in scratch samples for the world’s turntablist community – the standard sound with which novices learn and the advanced create new techniques.

The sample you didn’t expect: Justin Bieber feat Drake – ‘Right Here’

Words: Sophia Ramayrat

This year’s Brit Awards featured a cornucopia of artists and tracks that have been sampled, covered, or remixed, 100% of the winners having some form of connection listed on WhoSampled. Collectively, the artists and tracks enjoyed connections to 457 samples, 547 covers, and 267 remixes! Here’s our rundown of the year’s winners:

David Bowie – British Male Solo Artist

Bowie’s win at the Brit Awards marks him as the oldest recipient of an award, his career spanning 52 years and riddled with timeless gems. He’s been sampled 126 times, covered 332, and remixed 36. Among the artists who have reworked his catalog are Nirvana, Jay Z, and even WhoSampled’s most sampled artist James Brown who borrows from 1975’s ‘Fame’ in ‘Hot ( I need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)’.

Ellie Goulding – British Female Solo Artist

Ellie Goulding’s dreamy sophomore album Halcyon won her this award—rightfully so, since it’s packed full of emotion and Goulding’s unique style and tone. Notably she was recently been sampled by Drake and Jay Z in ‘Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2′. In the track, a Burial-esque direct sample of her sultry high-pitched vibrato in ‘Don’t Say A Word’ forms the backdrop to Drake and Jay Z’s lyrical accompaniment.

Arctic Monkeys – British Group

While one would not expect indie rock’s Arctic Monkeys to have a huge repertoire of sampled tracks, they’ve covered artists from Shirley Bassey to Drake. For BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, they transformed Drake and Majid Jordan’s ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ with a pop-rock version featuring reverb and vocals that are reminiscent of Elvis Costello.

Bastille – British Breakthrough Act

Bastille only has one studio album —Bad Blood— but their discography doesn’t lack for mixtapes and official remixes. Remixed contains tracks from Bad Blood, re-imagined by artists from RAC to Yeasayer. Most notable, though, is Bastille’s ‘Forever Ever’, from their mixtape Other People’s Heartache pt. 2 which contains an interpolated sample from the chorus of The Fugees’ ‘Ready or Not’ and also shares a direct sample with ‘Ready or Not’, Enya’s ‘Boadicea’.

‘Waiting All Night’ by Rudimental feat. Ella Eyre – British Single

No one can deny the catchiness of this multi-dimensional and soulful single with remixes on offer from the likes of Clean Bandit, Kidnap Kid, and Lee Foss. Rudimental also won the award for Best Album sponsored by WhoSampled at this year’s Bass Music Awards.

AM by Arctic Monkeys – British Album of the Year

The Arctic Monkeys scored this year as double award winners. From the winning album AM, Rapper Alex Wiley takes a direct sample from ‘R U Mine?’ as a drawling rock intro to ‘Earfucked’.

Bruno Mars – International Male Solo Artist

The ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ star, having already performed at the Half-Time show of the Superbowl this year, Hawaii’s Bruno Mars was a likely choice for International Male Solo Artist. Mars isn’t a stranger to sampling; he even references Cali Swag District’s ‘Teach Me How To Dougie’ in ‘The Lazy Song’, (where he confesses how he wants to learn how to dougie).

Lorde – International Female Solo Artist

The 17 year-old New Zealander has been gathering attention since her hit single ‘Royals’ came out in March 2013. The Weeknd remixed ‘Royals’, adding the synth lines and his own vocals, giving the track even more sway-ability.

Daft Punk – International Group

The French duo created major buzz with last year’s Random Access Memories, and let’s not forget ‘One More Time’ has been in endless rotation since its release in 2000—in short, Daft Punk will win every time. Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’, was a quintessential blending of rap and electronic music, however they’ve been sampled, covered, or remixed over 270 times. Interestingly enough, Daft Punk also has a long record of self-sampling over the years.

One Direction – Global Success

The boy band shot to fame after winning the British X Factor in 2010. These days even glossy boy bands are being sampled, the band having been sampled on several occasions, twice by notable San Francisco mash-up artist DJ Earworm.

Sam Smith – Critic’s Choice

San Smith won the critic’s choice award, after his number one single ‘La La La’. Highly remixable, Smith’s haunting falsetto can be heard in Le Youth’s remix of ‘Money On My Mind’, a single just released on the 16th of February.

Flood & Alan Moulder –  Best Producer

Flood (pseudonym of Mark Ellis) and Alan Moulder have worked with the likes of Depeche Mode and My Bloody Valentine. This year, they won UK Producer of the year for Foals’ Holy Fire at the Music Producer’s Guild Awards, which entitled them to a Brit Award. Sub Pop’s Foals has been remixed dozens of times, but Mount Kimbie’s remix of ‘Spanish Sahara’ stands out, creating complexity to the slowness of the track with noise and resounding bass notes.

Drake gave the internet a heads up on Saturday that something exciting would be taking place over on the OVO website, and as we’ve come to expect, he delivered…

In a week that (finally) saw a visual accompaniment to club-rocker ‘Tuesday‘ with iLoveMakonnen and Drake’s lavish birthday party splashed all over Instagram he rounded things off with free downloads of three new tracks with production credits coming from Boi 1-da, Syk Sense, Jordan Evans and long-time collaborator Noah ’40’ Shebib, who’s now signature reversed, tripped out instrumentals are becoming a key part of Drake’s sound.

Although interesting, it doesn’t sound like this is the part of a larger project / album as Drake explains they’re “just 3 songs that I knew some hackers had”. Regardless, these tracks stand up on their own; 6 God hits hard with that club-knock Drake does best, Heat of the Moment chops n’ screws R&B singer Avant’s ‘Phone Sex (That’s What’s Up)’ up alongside a reversed sample of OVO affiliate’s PARTYNEXTDOOR’s ‘Her Way’ and How Bout Now rides with a sample of Jodeci‘s classic ‘My Heart Belongs to U’.

UPDATE: It looks like 6 God contains a sample from SNES classic Donkey Kong Country 2! Producer Syk Sense has pretty much confirmed this via Twitter

Words – Ethan Illingworth (@illersss)

Solo British artist Kindness recently appeared in our top 5 Hot Artists chart, rubbing shoulders with the Hip-Hop royalty who frequently dominate the chart, Kanye West, Drake and Logic.

Kindness‘ second studio album ‘Otherness’ dropped in October this year, the follow up to the Philippe Zdar produced; ‘World, You Need a Change of  Mind’. This installment features some great collaborations with artists including Robyn, Dev Hynes, Kelela and M.anifest.

Kindness’ signature soulful style remains evident in this sophomore release and  is complemented with some interesting, nostalgic sample choices, notably a momentary but nonetheless great use of Art of Noise’s much sampled 1983 classic ‘Moments In Love’ in ‘With You‘, a track which also features vocals from Fade 2 Mind/Night Slugs affiliate Kelela. A short loop extracted from 80s Gambian jazz/folk curio ‘Moon / Light’ by Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso provides an unlikely backdrop for the melancholy vocals of ‘For The Young’ and in ‘Who Do You Love?‘ a bed of synths is enhanced with elements from obscure 80s pop gem ‘Shy Girl‘ by LaChandra, guest vocals coming courtesy of Swedish recording artist and serial pop collaborator Robyn.

J. Cole returns to Roc Nation with his third and most refined album to date. Dropping with no lead singles, no credited featuring artists, and production coming mainly from the man himself 2014 Forest Hills Drive strips back Cole’s sound and shifts the focus from hooky choruses to raw wordplay, diverse sampling and emotive story-telling.

1) Intro

A slow, heartfelt opener with Cole singing/rapping sets the tone for the album, doing away with the sleek, poppy feeling of his last offering Born Sinner we know we’re in for something a bit different this time around. Alongside the visual accompaniment of Cole riding around town on his bike, headphones in, this offering immediately shows a much deeper / more humble side to his usual braggy character.

2) January 28th (samples Sky Restaurant by Hi-Fi Set)

The first sample flip of the LP with some airy vocal samples and guitar licks from an obscure 70s Japanese record providing the backdrop and in what seems to be a deliberate theme across the record as Cole lets his lyrics, particularly the verses, take the forefront. His comments and support of the recent civil unrest in America have been showcased previously in his Michael Brown tribute ‘Be Free’, but it’s his rhyme here that feels particularly poignant given the current situation in Ferguson and across the states:

“What’s the price for a black man life?
I check the toe tag, not one zero in sight”

3) Wet Dreamz (samples ‘Mariya’ by Family Circle and ‘Impeach the President’ by The Honey Drippers)

Cole comes through with a classically executed combo of boom-bap drums from the anthemic Impeach break and a chopped soul record from Family Circle. However, the track doesn’t meet its full potential due to the lyrical content which is something of a mismatch as Cole elaborately describes how he lost his virginity as a younger man.

4) 03′ Adolescence (samples ‘Here’s That Rainy Day’ by Sonia Rosa feat. Yuji Ohno and interpolates ‘Runnin’ (Dying to Live)’ by 2Pac feat. The Notorious B.I.G.)

Another great sample flip of an atmospheric, string section from Sonia Rosa with production from Willie B carries this track as Cole describes his experiences graduating from high school, replaying classic lines from Biggie and getting turned away by a drug dealer for having too much potential.

5) A Tale Of 2 Citiez (samples ‘Blocka’ by Pusha T)

Vinylz delivers the hardest beat of the record so far, as Cole kicks things up a notch. A simple but effective chorus (“Hands in the air” x4) shows he’s aiming squarely for the club with this one, but in general it feels quite derivative of some of the ground Drake and more specifically 40 covered in 2013’s Nothing Was The Same.

6) Fire Squad (samples ‘Heart Breaker’ by Aguaturbia,  ‘Midnight Theme’ by Manzel and ‘Long Red’ by Mountain)

J. Cole joined by Vinylz on the buttons again and the pace remains high as a deliciously crunchy drum beat from Manzel rides a snarling bassline and guitar hook a Chilean psychedelic rock track by Aguaturbia, along-with saturated vocal chops from Mountain’s much plundered ‘Long Red’. Cole fires some shots here addressing the current trend of white appropriation of Hip Hop culture, specifically pointing fingers at Justin Timberlake, Eminem, Macklemore and Iggy Azelea but caveats it with a “Just playin” which does slightly detract from his conviction.

7) St. Tropez (samples ‘That’s All Right With Me’ by Esther Phillips, ‘Hollywood’ by Rufus & Chaka Khan and ‘Sister Sanctified’ by Stanley Turrentine)

My personal favourite flip of the album comes from the strikingly melodic Esther Phillips sample Cole loops up here (more well known from the Mobb Deep use) and embellishes with sung passages, additional strings, horn sections and a rolling beat showcasing Cole’s skills as a producer/composer as well a lyricist. Recycling a line from Rufus & Chaka Khan‘s Hollywood for the hook, he also beefs up the percussion using a loop from Stanley Turrentine‘s much sampled Sister Sanctified.

8) G.O.M.D. (samples ‘Berta, Berta’ by Branford Marsalis and interpolates ‘Get Low’ by Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz)

Chopping up an awesome african vocal loop from Branford Marsalis, Cole adds a bouncing minimal beat and keeps adding and subtracting elements throughout which makes this track feel like one of the more disparate elements of the album. The hook comes from an uncredited guest (any guesses?) and takes significant inspiration from Lil Jon‘s party hit ‘Get Low’ whilst Cole discusses the drawbacks making it big and his new outlook on fame.

9) No Role Modelz (samples ‘Don’t Save Her’ by Project Pat feat. Crunchy Black and ‘Fool Me Once’ by George W. Bush)

Opening with an ode to the Fresh Prince‘s Uncle Phil (RIP!) this track comes correct with another catchy chorus taking inspiration from Project Pat over a Trophies-esque beat with production from Phonix Beats but the real highlight here comes from a well timed comedic sample of George W. Bush fumbling his way through a keynote speech.

10) Hello

The second half of the LP settles into more relaxed groove and Hello is another opportunity for Cole to sing from the heart with co-production by wonderkid Pop Wansel. By no means a perfect vocal performance but it’s refreshing to hear him being earnest and straight-up with his intentions instead of hiding behind his production.

11) Apparently (samples ‘La Morte Dell’erminia’ by Filippo Trecca and ‘CB#5′ by Carlos Bess)

Piano backing again but this time underpinned by a sample of Italian musician Filippo Trecca and one of the more memorable hooks from Cole along-with his signature drum programming and a loop of a break from much sampled Carlos Bess.

12) Love Yourz (samples ‘Long Red’ by Mountain)

Melodic piano loops and boom-bap drums float around with distorted vocal shouts from Long Red again with production coming from Illmind, Cardiak and Critical backing up Cole on one of the standouts from the whole album as he summarises the ground covered so far and stresses the unimportance of money and his focus on happiness.

13) Note To Self

Rounding off the album with a lush studio production bumping 70’s horns, gospel vocals and Cole singing and rapping his way right through to the end. The track abruptly climaxes and wraps with the most euphoric moment of the LP, as if the school lunch bell has rung he bursts to life and begins running through his shout outs for the album. Admitting that he didn’t hand in his thank you’s in time to go to print with the CD, this final track acts as a credits section to the album and it’s really very refreshing to hear a rapper on Cole’s level talking so candidly in the context of a major label album.

Perhaps most importantly Cole makes reference to the state of sampling in 2014, and we get the impression he’d have liked to drop this album much earlier in the year but clearances caused some delays. Happy to pay for his samples, Cole addresses the artists he’s been inspired by and sampled:

“You was inspired by the world allow the world to be inspired by your shit, and to use your shit.”

He also claims he’s going to visit the Supreme Court to resolve the issues currently surrounding the artform and we sincerely hope he’ll hold his word because out-dated legalities should not be stifling creativity!

Words – Ethan Illingworth (@illersss)

2014 has been another great year for sampling and although there has been a serious drought of high profile Hip Hop LPs with notable sample content (unlike previous years), we have seen some huge singles from artists spanning the musical spectrum, with mainstream pop artists brushing shoulders with underground mainstays in this year’s list. Some major players kept themselves fairly quiet (most notably Kanye) in a year that also saw a few more established artists including Wu-Tang, Common, and (as of this week) D’Angelo, resurface. Pop acts like Iggy Azalea, Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj all dropped albums and dominated the radio with massive singles like ‘Fancy‘ and ‘Loyal‘, while stateside we saw the rise of street heroes YG, Migos, Young Thug and ILoveMakonnen alongside a new crop of in demand producers: DJ Mustard, Mike WiLL Made It, and Metro Boomin.

Here follows WhoSampled’s Top 10 ‘Hottest’ samples of 2014, based on the most visited pages on the site throughout the year:

10) Drake’s How Bout Now sample of My Heart Belongs to U by Jodeci

Arriving in a batch of three new Drake tracks put out via the OVO website, ‘How Bout Now’ was the highlight of the drop, taking the smooth hook from a classic Jodeci track and handing it to Boi-1da and Jordan Evans to add some subtle phasing and an addictive beat. ‘6 God‘ also deserves an honourable mention here as it narrowly missed the top 10 but contains one of the coolest samples of a video game we’ve ever heard taking inspiration from SNES Classic Donkey Kong Country 2!

9) Rick Ross feat. Lil Wayne’s Thug Cry sample of Billy Cobham’s Heather

Hood Billionaire came as the first of Rick Ross‘ two albums of 2014 and this track stood out as the biggest of the bunch adding a new hook to a well known sample from Billy Cobham‘s ‘Heather’ (better known as the foundation to Souls of Mischief’s ’93 ’til Infinity’) in a move that 90s Hip Hop purists viewed as close to sacrilege.

8) ScHoolboy Q’s Break Da Bank sample of Man’s Something Is Happening

Schoolboy’s major label debut Oxymoron dropped this year following the success of his mixtapes, Setbacks and Habits & Contradictions. An ethereal piano flip from The Alchemist just works here and provided one of the highlights of the album. *Side Note* ‘Man of the Year‘ probably would’ve scored fairly highly in our list but it was technically first released in 2013 so couldn’t be included.

7) Young Jeezy feat. Jay Z’s Seen It All sample of Tomadoi Twilight by Tazumi Toyoshima

Young Jeezy (or Jeezy as he now prefers to be called) released his album Seen It All: The Autobiography on Def Jam in September and this, the title track with Jay Z, flipping an awesome 70s Japanese flute loop, stood out as the clear highlight.

6) J. Cole’s Wet Dreamz sample of Family Circle’s Mariya

Jermaine Cole managed to slip out his latest album 2014 Forest Hills Drive just before the year closed out with minimal fanfare. Serious props deserved here because even though it’s had a late start, this dope sample flip has still made it into our list of the most popular samples of 2014! Make sure to check out our in-depth sample review of the album if you haven’t had the chance yet.

5) Action Bronson’s Easy Rider sample of Adımız Mıskınder Bızım by Mazhar Ve Fuat

Action Bronson continued his streak of weird and wonderful this year (check the video) with this track sampling one of the more obscure recordings we’ve seen, as flipped by sample professor The Alchemist, his second appearance in this year’s top 10. Psychedelic guitars and rolling basslines drive the track appearing on his forthcoming Mr. Wonderful LP.

4) Kendrick Lamar’s I sample of That Lady by The Isley Brothers

Unfortunately we didn’t see the follow up of 2012’s Good Kid, m.A.A.d City this year but Kendrick did bless us with ‘I’ just in time for summer, which lifts quite liberally from The Isley Brothers classic ‘That Lady‘. Starting out with a straight replay of the original, the track slowly morphs into a more classic Hip-Hop beat with funky a b-line and knocking drums at a tempo quite far removed from that typically appearing on Good Kid.

3) Big Sean feat. E-40’s I Don’t Fuck With You sample of Say You Love Me, One More Time by D. J. Rogers

A firm favorite with many at WhoSampled HQ, this track with an all star cast of Big Sean & E-40 on vocals, and Kanye West & DJ Mustard on the buttons was never going to disappoint. Coming with a dope video featuring cameos of the musicians involved playing a game of football (Yeezy as the coach is not to be missed…) this track made waves on Vine as much as it did in the clubs.

2) Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda sample of Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot

One of the most divisive tracks to appear on WhoSampled in the past few years came in the unlikely form of Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda‘ which acts as a sort of amplified, 2014 version of Sir Mix-a-Lot‘s crass hit ‘Baby Got Back‘. Included on her recently released album The Pinkprint this track’s success can be more than partly put down to its bootylicious video.

1) Drake’s 0 to 100 / the Catch Up sample of Vibez by Adam Feeney and Chester Stone Hansen

In a first since WhoSampled records began (back in 2012…) Kanye has been dethroned by Drake as the most viewed sample page on the website! This sample, actually submitted by Adam Feeney himself (big up!), is a pretty straightforward flip of an instrumental piece from Kingsway Music Library written by Feeney and Chester Stone Hansen of BadBadNotGood. Closing out the track is an emotional loop from an uncredited James Blake which lead to much speculation of an upcoming collaboration (we’ve still got our fingers crossed on that one…). Sparking a series of freestyles from artists like G-Unit and Meek Mill this track signalled a massive year from Drake and his OVO affiliates, especially considering they didn’t even release an album.

Words – Ethan Illingworth (@illersss)

Last night saw the 57th annual Grammy Awards hosted by LL Cool J take place with a ceremony featuring typically extravagant performances from the likes of AC/DC, Beyonce and Pharrell. Even Electric Light Orchestra – whose back catalog is packed with perennially sample-friendly material (see our recent ‘ELO: The Samples’ mixtape for proof) – were invited to perform ‘Evil Woman’ (famously sampled by Daft Punk) and ‘Mr. Blue Sky’. Missing out on an opportunity to perform his version of Blue Sky with ELO, Common appeared for a duet with John Legend, and other collaborations included Kanye, Rihanna and Paul McCartney performing material from their recent ‘FourFiveSeconds’ project. As with previous years, samples, covers and remixes accounted for a number of the musical highlights. Here’s our run down:

Best Rap Peformance and Best Rap Song: ‘I‘ by Kendrick Lamar

Though not a stellar year for hip-hop releases (other nominees included Drake and Childish Gambino) Kendrick Lamar’s opinion-dividing single ‘I’, released towards the end of last year, was a credible choice to be awarded Best Rap Performance. It was also awarded Best Rap Song (Rap Performance being judged on the vocal performance, Rap Song being measured on song-writing, arrangement, production etc.) for which The Isley Brothers will also be receiving credit based on the recording academy’s guidelines for the award which state “Award to the songwriter(s) of new material; certificate to songwriter(s) of any sampled material”

Record of the Year and Song of the Year: ‘Stay With Me‘ by Sam Smith

Sam Smith swept this year’s Grammys, ‘Stay With Me’ winning both Record and Song of the Year, his album ‘In The Lonely Hour’ winning Best Pop Vocal Album and Smith being awarded Best New Artist. The song has already been covered more than 50 times. Smith’s rise to the top hasn’t been without controversy though. Almost immediately after its release, the chorus of ‘Stay With Me’ was noted as having significant similarity to the top-line melody of Tom Petty’s ‘Won’t Back Down‘ (co-written by ELO’s Jeff Lynne), Petty’s publishing company pursued Smith for compensation and were eventually granted 12.5% of the songwriting royalties. Despite this, a spokesperson for Smith maintains the similarity between the two track was “a complete coincidence”.

Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video: ‘Happy’ by Pharrell 

Pharell’s ‘Happy’ has undoubtedly been the most unavoidable pop song of the past year, blaring out of speakers in coffee shops and fast food restaurants all across the world and picked up the awards for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video. Despite being only a year old the track already has 20 covers and has been sampled 11 times by the likes of DJ Earworm and Kaytranada. It has also been given a speedy reworking by Makoto and even a ‘sad’ re-imagining by Woodkid.

Best Electronic Album: ‘Syro’ by Aphex Twin

‘Syro’ – Aphex Twin’s triumphant return to the world of recorded music – picked up the award for best electronic album. The award was one of many that was presented during the pre-telecast ceremony in the afternoon before the main show. Unfortunate perhaps that Richard D. James was not given the opportunity to give an acceptance speech on live television, although Kanye, in almost predictable style didn’t leave us without a memorable on-stage moment. Classic breaks that appear throughout the record include Hot Pants, Think (About It) and Amen, Brother.

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Capella: ‘Daft Punk‘ by Pentatonix

A capella group Pentatonix (the majority of whose catalogue consists of covers and medleys) took home the award for Best Arrangement. Their self-explanatory cover medley ‘Daft Punk’ reworks six of the French Duo’s biggest hits; ‘One More Time’, ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’, ‘Technologic’, ‘Television Rules the Nation’, ‘Digital Love’ and ‘Get Lucky’.

Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song: Drunk In Love by Beyonce ft. Jay Z

Another track to take home both the “Performance” and “Song” awards in its genre was ‘Drunk In Love’. The slightly confusing cut off dates for eligibility for the awards (this year’s being Oct. 1, 2013 – Sept. 30, 2014) mean that a 2013 track such as ‘Drunk In Love’ can receive awards at the 2015 edition of the Grammys. J. Cole interpolated Jay-Z’s part in G.O.M.D. from last year’s ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’. Lil Wayne, Diplo and Future have also taken license with various parts of the track.

Best Dance Recording: ‘Rather Be‘ by Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne

Clean Bandit’s ‘Rather Be’ was deemed to be the Best Dance Recording of the past year, surprisingly beating out slightly more established names like Basement Jaxx and Disclosure. The track has already been covered by Best Arrangement-winners Pentatonix (among 13 others) and has also been given an 808-heavy reworking by DJ Mustard.

Best Jazz Instrumental: ‘Trilogy’ by Chick Corea Trio

Legendary Jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea released a live album with his band toward the end of 2013 and was rewarded with his 21st and 22nd (also for best Jazz solo on the rendition of his own composition ‘Fingerprints’) Grammy awards last night. Corea’s virtuoso ability on piano and keys (quite often on a Rhodes) has been sampled by modern-day musical icons such as J Dilla, Madlib and Flying Lotus.

Best Comedy Album: ‘Mandatory Fun’ by “Weird Al” Yankovic

Wierd Al picked up the Best Comedy album award (his 3rd to date) for last year’s ‘Mandatory Fun’, which included skilfully humorous parodies of ‘Blurred Lines’ (Robin Thicke), ‘Royals‘ (Lorde) and the Best Pop Peformance-winning ‘Happy‘ (Pharrell). The albums customary Polka medley ‘NOW That’s What I Call Polka!’ managed to cram hooks from ‘Get Lucky’, ‘Call Me Maybe‘, ‘Wrecking Ball‘ and ‘Gangnam Style‘ into just over 4 minutes.

Best Traditional Vocal Album: ‘Cheek to Cheek’ by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

Legendary pop-jazz vocalist Tony Bennett is said to have met Lady Gaga backstage after one of her performances back in 2011 and began recording a collaborative album of covers not long afterwards. Comprised entirely of cover versions, tracks featured include ‘Nature Boy‘ (Nat King Cole), ‘I Can’t Give You Anything but Love‘ (Adelaide Hall) and the title track, ‘Cheek to Cheek‘, originally performed by Fred Astaire for the 1935 movie ‘Top Hat’.

Words: Henry Macleod (@airbagmusic)

image courtesy of www.ifyouretypingthisitstoolate.com

This week saw the surprise release of Drake‘s latest offering, a 17-track mixtape following on his success of 2013’s Nothing Was The Same and building on his statements set out in 2014 with a sprinkling of huge club singles (‘0 to 100′, ‘Tuesday’, ‘How Bout Now’, etc). Rumours circulated regarding a Drake release due early this year, but it came as a surprise for many that this (on first glance at least) appeared to be a proper LP going straight to iTunes for $12.99. Speculation based on some of the lyrical content here seemed to point to this being connected to the recent Cash Money beef and smacks of an attempt to fulfil his contract early with the label, headed up by Birdman, whom Lil Wayne has recently revealed is behind the delays in his long anticipated Tha Carter V (demanding $51 million in a lawsuit requesting not only his own exit from the label, but to take Drake and Nicki Minaj with him too!).

Rap beefs are an unexpected theme across this tape, Drizzy’s really opened up lyrically here and fires shots at some of his piers who’ve been biting him over the last few years (Tyga, Baby, Kendrick & Diddy). He mentions he’s grown now, and we’re witnessing a new era in his musical career, so thankfully this tape really feels like the perfect lay-up for his full album Views From The 6 supposedly coming later this year…

Light on the features but heavy on the production this tape expands on the spacey, melodic and club-ready sounds developed on Drake’s previous LP by Noah ’40’ Shebib and explores this framework enlisting help from a wide pool of producers with Boi-1da generally taking the reigns. Samples underpin the swirling synths in the form of catchy riffs and vocal effects but rarely take the centerstage lending more of a supportive role to the elaborate drum programming and warm basslines. In some cases whole beats have been recycled and re-produced to fit the aesthetic of the tape (notably; ‘Now & Forever’ by Eric Dingus & ‘Wednesday Night Interlude’ originally by Ekali)

Opening with ‘Legend’ produced by OVO affiliate PARTYNEXTDOOR, the sample of Ginuwine’s ‘So Anxious’ is the first thing we’re given while Drake amps up for one of his untouchable hooks (“If I die I’m a legend”) and this same Ginuwine track re-appears a few songs later in 40’s first appearance on ‘Madonna’. Next up is ‘Energy’ produced by Boi-1da & Drake’s new protégé OB O’Brein which samples a well used drum loop from Original Concept’s ‘Knowledge Me’, some vocals from the intro of Eazy-E’s ‘Eazy-Duz-It’, and a soundboy shout from Cutty Ranks in a running theme across the record taking inspirations from Jamaican soundsystem culture. ‘Know Yourself’ produced by Boi-1da, Vinylz & Syk Sense opens with a snippet from OVO Nico’s recent visit to Kingston, Jamaica (here at 3:39) and samples a brilliant glockenspiel piece called ‘Tinted Glass’ by Network coming in when the beat evolves and Drake’s biggest hook of the tape is unleashed (“Running through the 6 with my woes!”).

‘6 God’ produced by Boi-1da & Syk Sense was previously seen late last year in a random batch of three tracks put on the OVO website and contains one of the coolest samples we’ve heard in a long time, looping up an 8-bit string snippet from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest! ‘Preach’ takes inspiration from Henry Krinkle’s ‘Stay’ (also recently used in Nicki’s ‘Buy a Heart’) and moves into ‘Wednesday Night Interlude’ which is formed on a beat made by Ekali called ‘Unfaith’ which in turn takes vocal snippets from Ciara’s ‘Body Party’. Next up is ‘Used To’ which appeared earlier this year on Lil Wayne’s Sorry 4 The Wait 2 and features a friendly nod to UK Grime artist Skepta and his summer smash ‘That’s Not Me’.

‘6 Man’ features Drake back with 40 and ends with a replay of ‘You Got Me’ by Erykah Badu, and ‘Company’ sees the appearance of a new friend of the OVO camp, Travi$ Scott, whom we’ve previously seen working heavily with Kanye, and coming through with one of the standout full lengths of last year with Days Before Rodeo. Reaching the end of the record we come to ‘Jungle’ which sees 40 flipping up one of the more obscure samples here taking a vocal loop from Gabriel Garzón-Montano’s track ‘6 8′, speaking to Complex recently, Garzón-Montano was pleasantly surprised to hear Drake & 40 worked with his music describing what he was doing when he first caught wind of the sample,”I was in Berlin, on the tour with Lenny Kravitz. It was so strange because I had been listening to “How About Now” and “6 God” a bunch.”

Words – Ethan Illingworth (@illersss)

Legendary jazz drummer Idris Muhammad passed away one year ago today and although his output has been (and continues to be) massively influential on sample based music, his name is one that remains less familiar to the casual fan. His music has been sampled by the likes of The Beastie Boys, Notorious BIG, 2Pac, Nas, Mary J Blige, and even Drake among many others. If you add to that list the artists who have sampled music released by others on which Idris played (Bob James’ ‘Nautilus’ (sampled over 230 times) and Lou Donaldson’s ‘Ode to Billie Joe’ (sampled over 130 times) to name just two prominent examples), you’d be forgiven for thinking it might be easier to write a list of artists who haven’t sampled his work in some form. In recent months his music has been a talking point again thanks to a large sample of his popular Disco-Jazz side ‘Could Heaven Ever Be Like This’ appearing Jamie XX‘s ‘Loud Places‘.

Of sampling Idris commented in an interview for Wax Poetics “It [the music] don’t really belong to me man; I’m only the creator. If you take something I create, and you do something with it, then someone else will take it and move it to another stage. And this is what happened with hip-hop. This is in my aura. I’m doing stuff for people to put out there so people can grab it. The Gift the Creator has given me, I can’t be selfish with it.”

Below we compile a list of Idris Muhammad’s Top 10 most sampled tracks and a further 10 of those to have sampled his work. Listen & enjoy!:

Idris Muhammad’s Top 10 Most Sampled Tracks:

1. Could Heaven Ever Be Like This
2. Crab Apple
3. Loran’s Dance
4. Say What
5. Piece of Mind
6. Power of Soul
7. The Saddest Thing
8. Turn This Mutha Out
9. Bread
10. I Believe In You

Idris Muhammad, Sampled

1. Jamie XX – Loud Places
2. Drake – Comeback Season
3. Notorious BIG feat Too Short – Big Booty Hoes
4. Grand Puba feat Mary J Blige – Check It Out
5. Beastie Boys – To All The Girls
6. EPMD – Crossover
7. Kool G Rap – For Da Brothaz
8. Moodymann – Amerika
9. Pooh-Man – Funky As I Wanna Be
10. Roni Size & DJ Die – Music Box

Nominations for the 58th Grammy awards have been announced and it’s looking like sample based music is set to clean up once again.

Nominated in the coveted ‘Record of the Year’ category are D’Angelo’s ‘Really Love‘ (a track which samples Curtis Mayfield’s ‘We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue’) and The Weeknd’s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’, a track which, despite being less than 12 months old, already boasts more than 30 cover versions. Also featured in the category is Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars‘ ode to early 80s synth-funk, the aptly titled ‘Uptown Funk’, perhaps the track responsible for the most speculative WhoSampled submissions of 2015. Whilst fans hypothesized about similarities between Uptown Funk and tracks ranging from Sugarhill Disco-Rap classics to the theme from ’80s UK Kids TV show ‘The Really Wild Show’, there are in fact only two credited samples, interpolations of Trinidad Jame$ 2012 trap smash ‘All Gold Everything’ and The Gap Band’s ‘I Don’t Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance’.

Present in an impressive 11 categories is Kendrick Lamar (an artist who has not left our ‘Hot Artists’ chart since the release of 2012’s ‘Good Kid…’). Of little surprise is his nomination in the ‘Album of the Year’ category for ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’, an album which samples and references sources as diverse as an MJ pop classic, a breakbeat classic from Detroit Emeralds and the folky electronics of Sufjan Stevens among many many others. Also nominated in the category is The Weeknd‘s ‘Beauty Behind The Madness’. ‘Tell Your Friends’ from the album and its 70s soul source enjoyed an extended stay at the top of our Hot Samples chart on release back in August.

Artists whose roots lie in sample based music dominate the ‘Best Dance Recording’ nominations, among them The Chemical Brothers, Q-Tip, Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar (again), Skrillex and Diplo. The ‘Best Dance / Electronica Album’ nominations also feature a number of  the aforementioned acts and the notable inclusion of Jamie XX for his ‘In Colour’ LP. ‘Loud Places’ from the album and its liberal sample of Idris Muhammad’s ‘Could Heaven Ever Be Like This’ was another track to have enjoyed a lengthy stay on our Hot Samples chart this year.

The ‘Best Rap Performance’ and ‘Best Rap Song’ categories deliver heavily on samples, nominations including J.Cole’s ‘Apparently’ (based on a sample of Fillipo Trecca), Nicki Minaj’s ‘Truffle Butter’ (based on a sample of Maya Jane Coles) and Kanye West’s ‘All Day’ (based on a sample of Paul McCartney’s ‘Two Fingers (When the Wind Is Blowing)’). Dr. Dre, J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick and Nicki Minaj are all up ‘Best Rap Album’ awards, all albums having catapulted tracks into our Hot Samples chart over the past year.

Outside the Dance Music / Hip Hop categories are a number of nominations of relevance to sample based music. Lalah Hathaway receives a nomination in the ‘Best Traditional R&B Performance’ category for ‘Little Ghetto Boy’, a cover version of her father’s classic soul ballad, well known to sample fans as the source behind Dr. Dre‘s 1992 anthem ‘Lil’ Ghetto Boy’.

Winners will announced at the annual Grammy ceremony taking place on February 16th 2016 at The Staples Center, L.A. More information at www.grammy.com

2015 has been another incredible year for sample based music with the return of some legends (Dr. Dre & D’Angelo both delivered the comeback albums we thought we might never see), some eagerly awaited album releases from the industry’s biggest sellers (Adele, Drake & Bieber), not to mention some interesting new-comers (Fetty Wap & Bryson Tiller). Sampling retained a strong presence in the mainstream in 2015 with the year’s biggest anthems taking musical inspiration from other sources, not least among them Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’ (although not included on our list thanks to being released in the closing weeks of 2014). Predictably, the hip hop and dance music underground provided a wealth of sample based material throughout the year, with notable hype around album releases from Joey Bada$$, Logic and a mass upload of archive material from Aphex Twin.

Here follows WhoSampled’s Top 10 ‘Hottest’ samples of 2015, based on the most visited pages on the site throughout the year:

10) Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney’s All Day sample of Two Fingers (When The Wind Is Blowing) by Paul McCartney

Appearing early in the year in what felt like the run up to a potential album release that sadly never materialized (So Help Me God… SWISH?), All Day is the continuation of post-Yeezus ‘Angry Kanye’ but channeled into something more radio-friendly. West premiered the track at the Brit Awards back in February flanked by a who’s who of UK Grime artists … and a guy with a flamethrower. The track takes form around a melody written by occasional collaborator and former Beetle Paul McCartney, a sketch of which was premiered during a Parkinson interview in 1999. McCartney’s track was apparently in turn inspired by a Picasso painting, making this the most obscure chain of influence on the list without doubt.

9) Tyler, The Creator featuring Kanye West & Lil Wayne’s Smuckers sample of Metropolis Notte by Gabriele Ducros

Tyler’s steady evolution continued on latest album Cherry Bomb, increasingly musical with clear inspirations from jazz-funk and fusion but still retaining those fuzzy drums and raw lyrical delivery. This beat was initially sent to Jay Z and Kanye back in 2011 but Tyler couldn’t resist taking it back for his own release, enlisting the help of Lil Wayne and making his first appearance alongside Kanye on record. The sample highlight comes in the second half with Weezy flowing on top of an epic loop from a rare 70’s Italian Jazz compilation.

8) Kendrick Lamar’s King Kunta sample of Get Nekkid by Mausberg featuring DJ Quik

Among the year’s most anticipated album releases was Kendrick‘s To Pimp a Butterfly, the long awaited follow up to 2012’s modern classic Good Kid m.A.A.d City. The first single from the album, the Isley Brothers sampling ‘I’ released in late 2014 had suggested the album might venture into poppier territory than its predecessor. Upon release in Spring 2015 however, Kendrick unleashed an album which married deft lyricism with a perfect blend of new school LA sonics (see contributions from Flying Lotus, Thundercat) and icons of the West Coast sound (George Clinton, Snoop among others). Among 6 samples / references in one of the album’s more accessible tracks ‘King Kunta’ is this re-appropriation of a lesser known post G-Funk production from West Coast veteran DJ Quik.

7) Drake’s Legend sample of So Anxious by Ginuwine

2015 was the year Drake and his OVO affiliates pretty much took the reigns of mainstream Hip-Hop. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late came out of the blue in February as we were all expecting Views From The 6. Internet chatter alleged the release to be Drake speeding out a mixtape album in order to bring an early end to his Cash Money contract on account of Lil Wayne’s beef with Birdman and the break up of the label. ‘Legend’ was the opening statement for this mixtape/album/whatever the 6 god wants us to call it, and with label-mate PARTYNEXTDOOR on production the track builds around a repurposed Ginuwine sample from 1999. Another section of Ginuwine’s So Anxious appears elsewhere on this release in Madonna, so it looks like this was a big tune in the OVO studio last winter.

6) Travi$ Scott’s Antidote sample of All I Need by Lee Fields

Having just gone platinum last week, Travi$ Scott‘s Antidote came as the biggest track from long awaited debut studio album Rodeo. Producers, newcomer Eestbound and wonderkid WondaGurl, flip up a guitar riff from renaissance soul man Lee Fields and Travi$ pulls out one of the years best hooks “Don’t you open up that window…”/

5) Drake’s Know Yourself sample of Tinted Glass by Network

On what first felt like quite a dense and icy listen, a few tracks immediately jumped out of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and quickly gathered pace in clubs and headphones around the world. Drake delivers another classic quotable “Runnin through the 6 with my woes!” whilst Boi-1da, Vinylz and Syk Sense borrow an electric piano melody from an 80’s library record by some time Music De Wolfe signing ‘Network’.

4) The Weeknd’s Tell Your Friends sample of Can’t Stop Loving You by Soul Dog

In what turned out to be an enormous year for Canadian soul crooner The Weeknd, one of his biggest wins came when Kanye handed over his beat for Tell Your Friends (listen to Kanye’s original ‘When I See It’ here). But this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this sample come from Ye; he actually produced a track alongside No I.D. back in 1999 using this exact loop for The Madd Rapper. Did he forget? Surely one for Nardwuar to ask if his dream ever comes true…

3) The Game featuring Drake’s 100 sample of Feel the Fire by Peabo Bryson 

One of the year’s less expected high quality album releases was The Game‘s Documentary 2 (and the accompanying Documentary 2.5), the sequel to the Compton native’s 2005 solo debut. It’s a well rounded listen, albeit somewhat reliant on features which ranged from LA veterans Ice Cube and Dr Dre to Q-Tip and Will.I.Am. Appearing on ‘100’, the single released several months before the LP, was Drake. A sweet 80s soul sample from Peabo Bryson is married with bass heavy trapping 808s to form a solid if not slightly generic backdrop for The Game’s ‘keep it real’ sentiment. Drake delivers a decent verse and does what he does best on the hook but ultimately makes for a rather unconvincing tough guy: “You better not come to my funeral with that fake s***”.

2) Kendrick Lamar’s Hood Politics sample of All for Myself by Sufjan Stevens

Hood Politics is perhaps a surprising track from Kendrick’s LP to place as high as #2 on our chart, being one of the album’s more cerebral cuts.  Based on a sample of Sufjan Stevens‘ folky electronica cut ‘All for Myself’, the track is given a new twist by a trio of producers Tae Beast, Sounwave and Thundercat, the latter’s trademark sound clearly evident on this track of several parts. Side note: Logic sampled this same track in similar fashion for ‘Life of a Don’ back in 2012.

1) Drake’s Hotline Bling sample of Why Can’t We Live Together by Timmy Thomas

It was near inevitable that the #1 spot go to Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ and its liberal sample of the Timmy Thomas classic ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’. Here we see Drake in crooner mode over trappy 808s and a catchy loop of Thomas’s 1972 drum machine backed hit. First released back in July and given a new lease of life by the video which followed months later, it’s a track that had already cemented its status as one of the year’s anthems by the end of summer and has remained in or around the #1 spot on our Hot Samples chart ever since.

We’re very pleased to announce the release of a new version of the WhoSampled iPhone app which comes with Spotify integration. The app allows Spotify’s 75 million+ users to embark on new musical journeys by discovering the inspirations and origins of songs within their own libraries and playlists.

The new app allows Spotify users (both Free and Premium) to scan their libraries and playlists, revealing the originals behind their favorite songs as well as new interpretations of songs they love. Users can also directly add songs they find within WhoSampled into their Spotify playlists. Premium Spotify subscribers can also stream songs within the WhoSampled app directly from Spotify.

Here’s how it works:

1. Connect the WhoSampled iPhone app to your Spotify account:

2. Scan your Spotify playlists and library to reveal all the sample, cover and remix connections for the music you love:

Voilà! View your Spotify tracks, artists and playlists within the App:

3. Play tracks you find within the app directly from Spotify:

4. Add your new discoveries to Spotify playlists at the touch of a button:

The WhoSampled iPhone app can be purchased on the App Store here. The Spotify integration will be made available within WhoSampled’s Android app later this year.

Yesterday saw the release of Drake‘s eagerly anticipated ‘Views’ LP and, as with many other albums of similar profile to have been released this year (see Kanye‘s ‘The Life of Pablo’ and just last week Beyonce‘s ‘LEMONADE‘), a big part of the story behind the album is its choice of samples. On that front ‘Views’ is by no means a let down, delivering a broad pallet of samples that ranges from pitched down house cuts from the shortlived UK Funky scene to the Timmy Thomas classic that underpins the ubiquitous pop smash ‘Hotline Bling’, via dancehall megastar Beenie Man and plenty more besides. Check out our video breakdown of the album’s major samples below:

Keen to discover more? Check out FACT Mag’s track by track sample breakdown here or visit Drake’s artist page on WhoSampled here.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the death of nineties R&B icon Aaliyah. During her productive but sadly brief career Aaliyah put her name to high profile collaborations with the likes of R Kelly, Missy Elliott and Timbaland, in the process riding a wave of innovations in the R&B sounds of the day from the traditional Hip Hop-Soul of the early nineties to the more stripped down, downtempo, digital soundscapes of the late nineties for which Timbaland is famed and which set the scene for many of the popular movements in Hip Hop and R&B in 2016.

In rememberance, we’ve compiled a pair of playlists, the first of Aaliyah classics and the second of our pick of the many artists to have sampled her work, among them Frank Ocean, Drake, Hudson Mohawke and The Weeknd:

Aaliyah: The Classics

Aaliyah: The Influence Of