The foundation of Hip-hop music is sampling. When Grandmaster Flash & Kool Herc began DJing house parties in the 1970s they looped the most popular parts of the record while the DJ rocked to them. They probably didn’t know that they were birthing an entire genre, or way of producing music, yet here we are.
Over the years producers have found their favorites while digging in the crates; For some producers it’s a label, for others it’s a period of time but for almost all of musicians who choose to same there’s a James Brown in their crates. Brown, who’s one of the most prolific artists of our time, has been sampled quite possibly thousands of times. Brown’s drum breaks, grunts, production and even style are mimicked in numerous ways and to date, these are the most sampled James Brown Records records of all time.
1. Funky Drummer
It’s only right that we kick off the list with what to date is the most sampled James Brown record, and possibly most-sampled record ever. Funky Drummer, as the name implies has a drum break improvised by Clyde Stubblefield that has been the backbone of countless hip-hop records. To date, Funky Drummer has been used on records including Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, Dr. Dre’s Let Me Ride, and even Nicki Minaj’s “Save Me.”
2. Funky President
The next most prolific record on this list is none other than Funky President from James Brown’s 1974 Polydor album Reality. The song itself refers to former President Gerald Ford who entered office after Nixon resigned following the Watergate scandal. Funky President has been sampled by the likes of Kanye West (Clique, Live Fast, Die Young) and Childish Gambino (3005).
3. Lyn Collins – Think About It (Prod. By James Brown)
Although this record was recorded by Lyn Collins, the producer credit belongs to James Brown, and as the title of the article denotes, Think About It has been sampled prolific since its release in the 1970s. You probably don’t realize that you’ve heard this record before but you have, especially if you’re a fan of Rob Base’s It Takes Two, or Snoop Dogg’s Ain’t No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None) — both of which are classic hip-hop records.
4. Get Up Offa That Thang
Get Up Off That Thang has been in countless records, and while he is the writer of the song his wife Deanna and children were credited in order to not have the royalties tied into his issues with the IRS. Nevertheless, Brown is listed as the producer of this record and samples of Get Up Offa That Thang most recently appear on Teyana Taylor’s album via WTP, and Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN. via XXX ft. U2. The dope thing about this record is that every artist who’s sampled it has found a different chunk to use — for some it’s a vocal, for others its the hook.
5. The Payback
The Godfather of Soul’s deep in his bag on The Payback so it’s no wonder that this song has been used so many times. This is another record that James did with Polydor and the 2nd one in his catalog to be certifed Gold by RIAA. Everything from his lyrics, to the signature guitar riff that make up the song have been used. Two prolific uses of the big payback include Kendrick Lamar’s King Kunta (listen out for the “I Can Dig Rapping” line) and afterwards head over to En Vogue on your favorite streaming service to listen to “My Lovin”
We could honestly go on all-day breaking down the different records in James Browns extensive catalog that have been sampled. But until next time, these 5 should be enough to hold you over.
-Drum Machine Addicts
