Which artists' cover songs didn't succeed?
Sampling isn't a new phenomenon in music. It's the process of taking a melody, a drum part, a rhythm, or basically any snippet of sound from one recording and putting it in another song. Usually, the snippet will be treated in some way. The pitch will be changed, or it could be slowed down or sped up so that it makes sense in its new musical context. This is huge in hip-hop music and in pop music, too.
Each time someone is sampled in another record, they receive (or should receive) a royalty on the new song, meaning they get paid. Whether we know it or not, samples are used in the music we listen to all the time. To discover the most sampled artists of all time, click through this gallery.
The self-proclaimed "hardest working man in show business" is the most sampled artist of all time, being sampled over 8,000 times.
The American hip-hop group have been sampled over 3,000 times.
Run-DMC have been sampled over 2,250 times.
The late hip-hop icon has been sampled something like 2,000 times.
Michael Jackson has been sampled over 1800 times in 2021.
The band have been sampled over 1,700 times. 'Summer Madness,' for instance, was sampled for 'Summertime' by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (Will Smith) in 1991.
Jay-Z is one of the youngest on this list of most sampled artists. He's been sampled over 1,600 times.
New York rapper Nas has been sampled over 1,545 times.
Hailing from the Compton, California, the famous hip-hop group have been sampled over 1,340 times.
Snoop Dogg has been sampled almost 1,300 times.
Isaac Hayes' music has been cut up, chopped, and sampled in over 1,200 songs.
The hip-hop trio have been sampled in almost 1,200 songs.
Big Daddy Kane has been sampled almost 1,200 times.
No surprise that Marvin Gaye makes the list. He's been sampled over 1,140 times.
Hate him or love him, Kanye West is one of the most influential musicians of the 21st century. He's also been sampled over 1,140 times.
The legendary LL Cool J has been sampled over 1,125 times.
Dr. Dre has been sampled over 1,110 times as a solo artist.
This eclectic funk group have been sampled over 1,080 times.
The Beatles aren't as prolific in this area of music as one might expect. Still, they've been sampled over 1,075 times.
A Tribe Called Quest have been sampled around 1,025 times.
Drake is the youngest man in the top 30 people to be sampled the most. He's been sampled over 1,010 times already.
This funky early 1960s outfit has been sampled over 5,350 times.
These hip-hop legends feature in over 1,875 samples. Paid in Full from 1987 was
His track 'La Di Da Di' is one of the most sampled (and influential) tracks of all time. Elements of the song has been sampled in over 1,000 songs.
Jazz musician Bob James has been sampled over 1,400 times.
This man's soulful voice has been chopped up over 1,020 times.
'Think (About It),' originally released in 1972, has been sampled over 3,000 times.
Sources: (WhoSampled)
The most sampled musicians of all time
You've definitely heard a lot of their work
MUSIC Sampling
Sampling isn't a new phenomenon in music. It's the process of taking a melody, a drum part, a rhythm, or basically any snippet of sound from one recording and putting it in another song. Usually, the snippet will be treated in some way. The pitch will be changed, or it could be slowed down or sped up so that it makes sense in its new musical context. This is huge in hip-hop music and in pop music, too.
Each time someone is sampled in another record, they receive (or should receive) a royalty on the new song, meaning they get paid. Whether we know it or not, samples are used in the music we listen to all the time. To discover the most sampled artists of all time, click through this gallery.