Hyperpop, drill, and lo-fi nostalgia
2020s Sample Sources
The 2020s are the decade of the internet sample. Producers dig Bandcamp pages, YouTube rabbit holes, and TikTok sounds as much as vinyl. Hyperpop producers chopped bubblegum pop and early 2000s emo into distorted, maximalist collages. UK and Brooklyn drill pulled from Afrobeats and Jamaican riddims. The pandemic lo-fi boom created a new canon of jazzy, low-key sources.
The defining 2020s sample aesthetic is emotional nostalgia -- producers reaching for comfort sounds from childhood (late 90s video game music, early internet era pop) and pitching them up or down to hit a specific feeling. Authenticity and obscurity are valued over recognisability.
Top sample sources from the 2020s
Playboi Carti -- Whole Lotta Red
2020 -- Punk Rap / Rage
What was sampled
Distorted 808s and ambient texture
Sampled in
- 2022Ken Carson -- Paranoid
- 2022Destroy Lonely -- Bane
Key producers
Tyler, the Creator -- IGOR
2019 -- Neo-Soul / Hip-Hop
What was sampled
Live instrumentation layering approach
Sampled in
- 2021Baby Keem -- family ties
- 2022Syd -- Fast Car
Key producers
Pop Smoke -- Welcome to the Party
2019 -- Brooklyn Drill
What was sampled
Sliding 808 bass and UK drill percussion
Sampled in
- 2020Nicki Minaj -- Welcome to the Party (Remix)
- 2021Bizzy Banks -- Bar None
Key producers
SZA -- Good Days
2020 -- Alternative R&B
What was sampled
Dreamy texture and vocal layering
Sampled in
- 2022Lucky Daye -- Over
- 2021Ari Lennox -- Pressure
Key producers
Lil Uzi Vert -- Pink Tape
2023 -- Rage / Punk Rap
What was sampled
Guitar-driven production and punk energy
Sampled in
- 2023Summrs -- Intro
- 2023Autumn! -- Overpriced
Key producers
Explore other decades
See the sample relationships in action
Goat Music builds Sample Tree videos -- source and derivative, played side by side -- so you can hear exactly how each flip transformed the original.