Sample culture

The Most-Sampled Songs of All Time

Ranked by verified sample usage count. These are the records that producers have flipped, interpolated, and rebuilt more than any others in recorded music history.

100 tracks ranked by documented sample count. Funk, soul, and jazz records from the 1960s-1970s dominate -- the golden era of the breakbeat.

The top 10 most sampled tracks ever

The Winstons -- Amen, Brother

19692.7K+ samples

Soul / Funk -- Gregory Coleman drum break (bars 17-18)

Key samples

N.W.A -- Straight Outta Compton (1988)Mantronix -- King of the Beats (1988)Shy FX -- Original Nuttah (1994)

James Brown -- Funky Drummer

19691.3K+ samples

Funk -- Clyde Stubblefield drum break

Key samples

Public Enemy -- Fight the Power (1989)LL Cool J -- Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)Nas -- Made You Look (2002)

James Brown -- Think (About It)

19731.0K+ samples

Funk -- Lyn Collins vocal hook and drum break

Key samples

Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock -- It Takes Two (1988)Mariah Carey -- Fantasy (1995)Jay-Z -- Hard Knock Life (1998)

Chic -- Good Times

1979887+ samples

Disco -- Bernard Edwards bass line

Key samples

Sugarhill Gang -- Rapper's Delight (1979)Queen -- Another One Bites the Dust (1980)Grandmaster Flash -- Adventures on the Wheels of Steel (1981)

James Brown -- Give It Up or Turnit a Loose

1969844+ samples

Funk -- Full band groove and drum pattern

Key samples

A Tribe Called Quest -- Buggin' Out (1991)Ice Cube -- Check Yo Self (1993)The Notorious B.I.G. -- Warning (1994)

Incredible Bongo Band -- Apache

1973812+ samples

Boogaloo -- Bongo percussion break

Key samples

Sugarhill Gang -- Apache (Jump On It) (1981)Nas -- Made You Look (2002)Jay-Z -- Timbaland's Apache (2001)

James Brown -- Escape-ism

1971756+ samples

Funk -- Rhythm section and organ stab

Key samples

Beastie Boys -- Paul Revere (1986)EPMD -- You Gots to Chill (1988)Public Enemy -- Rebel Without a Pause (1987)

Parliament -- Mothership Connection (Star Child)

1976701+ samples

P-Funk -- Bass line and keyboard riff

Key samples

Dr. Dre -- Let Me Ride (1992)Snoop Dogg -- Gin and Juice (1993)Kendrick Lamar -- Wesley's Theory (2015)

Sly and the Family Stone -- Sing a Simple Song

1968678+ samples

Funk / Soul -- Drum break and bass line

Key samples

Eric B. & Rakim -- I Know You Got Soul (1987)Ice Cube -- It Was a Good Day (1993)MC Hammer -- U Can't Touch This (1990)

Funkadelic -- Can You Get to That

1971645+ samples

P-Funk -- Guitar riff and vocal hook

Key samples

De La Soul -- Me Myself and I (1989)A Tribe Called Quest -- Can I Kick It? (1990)Beastie Boys -- Sure Shot (1994)

Ranks 11-100

#	Artist -- Title	Year	Genre	Samples
11	Mtume Juicy Fruit	1983	R&B	612+
12	Roy Ayers Everybody Loves the Sunshine	1976	Jazz-Funk	589+
13	The Honey Drippers Impeach the President	1973	Funk	572+
14	Funkadelic Get Off Your Ass and Jam	1975	P-Funk	543+
15	Kraftwerk Trans-Europe Express	1977	Electronic	521+
16	James Brown The Payback	1973	Funk	498+
17	Skull Snaps It's a New Day	1973	Soul	487+
18	George Clinton Atomic Dog	1982	P-Funk	479+
19	Kool and the Gang Jungle Boogie	1973	Funk	461+
20	The Meters Cissy Strut	1969	Funk	443+
21	The Jimmy Castor Bunch It's Just Begun	1972	Funk	431+
22	Bob James Take Me to the Mardi Gras	1975	Jazz-Funk	419+
23	Isaac Hayes Ike's Rap II	1971	Soul	407+
24	Willie Hutch I Choose You	1974	Soul	396+
25	Lyn Collins Rock Me Again and Again	1974	Funk	384+
26	The Sugarhill Gang 8th Wonder	1981	Hip-Hop	372+
27	Average White Band Pick Up the Pieces	1974	Funk	361+
28	Quincy Jones Summer in the City	1973	Jazz-Funk	349+
29	Syl Johnson Different Strokes	1967	Soul	337+
30	Curtis Mayfield Superfly	1972	Soul	328+
31	Marva Whitney It's My Thing	1969	Funk	315+
32	The J.B.'s Pass the Peas	1972	Funk	304+
33	Isley Brothers Footsteps in the Dark	1977	Soul	293+
34	The Staple Singers I'll Take You There	1972	Gospel Soul	282+
35	Joe Tex Papa Was Too	1966	Soul	271+
36	Herman Kelly & Life Dance to the Drummer's Beat	1978	Funk	262+
37	Sly and the Family Stone Que Sera Sera	1977	Funk	251+
38	The Ohio Players Funky Worm	1972	Funk	244+
39	Syl Johnson Is It Because I'm Black	1969	Soul	237+
40	Bobby Byrd I Know You Got Soul	1971	Funk	229+
41	Mandrill Fencewalk	1974	Funk	221+
42	Weather Report Birdland	1977	Jazz Fusion	214+
43	Booker T. & the M.G.'s Melting Pot	1971	Soul	207+
44	Cymande Bra	1972	Funk / Soul	199+
45	Kool and the Gang N.T.	1971	Funk	193+
46	Ike Turner Doin' It	1974	Funk	186+
47	Isaac Hayes Walk On By	1969	Soul	179+
48	Shirley Bassey History Repeating	1997	Pop	174+
49	Bill Withers Lovely Day	1977	Soul	168+
50	War Low Rider	1975	Funk / Rock	162+
51	Eddie Harris It's All Right Now	1975	Jazz	157+
52	Donald Byrd Think Twice	1975	Jazz-Funk	152+
53	Ronnie Foster Mystic Brew	1972	Jazz-Funk	148+
54	James Brown Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved	1970	Funk	144+
55	Grover Washington Jr. Knucklehead	1975	Jazz-Funk	139+
56	Lou Donaldson Pot Soup	1969	Jazz-Funk	134+
57	Bernard Wright Who Do You Love	1981	Jazz-Funk	129+
58	Donny Hathaway The Ghetto	1970	Soul	124+
59	Earth, Wind and Fire September	1978	Funk / R&B	119+
60	Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers Bustin' Loose	1978	Go-Go / Funk	114+
61	Stevie Wonder I Wish	1976	R&B / Funk	109+
62	Black Ivory Don't Turn Around	1972	Soul	104+
63	The Commodores Machine Gun	1974	Funk	99+
64	Marvin Gaye Inner City Blues	1971	Soul	95+
65	Emotions I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love	1976	R&B	91+
66	Zapp More Bounce to the Ounce	1980	Electro-Funk	88+
67	Syl Johnson Take Me to the River	1975	Soul / Blues	84+
68	Bobby Caldwell What You Won't Do for Love	1978	Soft Soul	81+
69	Ann Peebles I Can't Stand the Rain	1973	Soul	78+
70	Brick Dazz	1976	Funk	75+
71	Noel Pointer Feel It	1977	Jazz-Funk	72+
72	Bohannon Foot Stompin Music	1975	Funk	69+
73	Otis Redding Hard to Handle	1968	Soul	66+
74	Trouble Funk Drop the Bomb	1982	Go-Go	63+
75	Dyke & the Blazers Let a Woman Be a Woman	1969	Soul / Funk	60+
76	James Brown Hot Pants (She Got to Use What She Got)	1971	Funk	58+
77	Fred Wesley and the J.B.'s Blow Your Head	1974	Funk	55+
78	Willie Hutch Brother's Gonna Work It Out	1973	Soul	53+
79	Stevie Wonder Pastime Paradise	1976	R&B	51+
80	Minnie Riperton Les Fleur	1970	Soul / Psychedelic	49+
81	The Isley Brothers Shout	1959	R&B / Gospel	47+
82	Marvin Gaye Trouble Man	1972	Soul	45+
83	Temptations Papa Was a Rollin' Stone	1972	Soul	43+
84	Gap Band Outstanding	1982	Funk / R&B	41+
85	Syl Johnson Feelin Frisky	1976	Soul / Funk	39+
86	Willie Bobo Fried Neckbones and Some Home Fries	1966	Latin Soul	37+
87	Honey Drippers Impeach the President	1973	Funk	35+
88	Weldon Irvine We Gettin Down	1975	Jazz-Funk	33+
89	Gil Scott-Heron The Revolution Will Not Be Televised	1970	Spoken Word / Jazz	31+
90	Leon Haywood I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You	1975	Funk	29+
91	Marvin Gaye Got to Give It Up	1977	Funk / Soul	27+
92	Deniece Williams Free	1976	R&B	25+
93	Al Green Let's Stay Together	1971	Soul	23+
94	The Four Tops Bernadette	1967	Soul / Motown	21+
95	Curtis Mayfield Move On Up	1970	Soul / Funk	19+
96	Stevie Wonder Do I Do	1982	Funk / R&B	17+
97	Barry White I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby	1973	Soul	15+
98	Chic Le Freak	1978	Disco	13+
99	Ohio Players Skin Tight	1974	Funk	11+
100	War Slippin' into Darkness	1971	Funk / Rock	9+

Explore samples by decade

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1960s sources

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1970s sources

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1980s sources

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2000s sources

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Hear the flips side by side

Goat Music builds Sample Tree videos that show exactly how each record was chopped, looped, or interpolated -- source and derivative together.

Watch sample breakdowns

Sample stats hub Best songs that sample old songs 70s funk samples 80s soul samples