00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 massive hit songs
00:10that used obscure samples to take their end product to a totally new level.
00:18Number 10. My Name Is Eminem
00:21Guilty conscience and the use of Ronald Stein's go-home picks could have very easily gotten our
00:27Eminem pick here. For our money, though, the choice to use the outro to lobby Sifri's classic
00:37I Got The as the main sample in My Name Is was a genius decision.
00:50With Dr. Dre on production duties, Sifri's original is turned into a timeless hip-hop beat.
00:56Augmented by Eminem's iconic opening lines.
01:06The song was a hit for Slim Shady, bagging him his first-ever top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot
01:11100.
01:12Plus, for those who dug deeper into the samples used, it also introduced a generation of crate
01:17diggers to the British singer, songwriter, and poet.
01:25Number 9. Fantasy
01:27Mariah Carey
01:28As an offshoot of Talking Heads, TomTom Club managed to strike pop gold when they released
01:34Genius of Love in 1981. In fact, it's a song that has arguably had as much impact on the landscape
01:45of pop to come as some of the most essential Talking Heads classics. A big reason for that
01:50was Mariah Carey's use of a sample of Genius of Love on her track Fantasy, culminating in an end
01:56a product that does an admirable job of building on the original.
02:09Fantasy preserves the core track's infectious groove while elevating it with shimmering pop
02:14production and, of course, the soaring vocal performance at the center of it all.
02:26Number 8. Out of Time
02:28The Weeknd
02:29When it comes to The Weeknd's evolution through the 2020s, Out of Time showcased even more of
02:35his fascination with vintage pop and Japanese city pop influences.
02:40The last few months I've been working on me, baby
02:43It's only natural that the track uses a prominent sample of a Japanese artist's track.
02:49In this case, the sample is taken from Tomoko Aaron's Midnight Pretenders, preserving much
02:54of the original's silky groove and lush harmonies.
03:05Producers Max Martin and One Oath Tricks' Point Never allow the song's nostalgic atmosphere
03:11to remain front and center, which complements The Weeknd's vocals perfectly.
03:21It was a strong commercial seller and a critical smash off the Dawn FM album.
03:35Number 7. Call on me, Eric Pridz
03:39No list of iconic samples would be complete without the genre-hopping decision that brought
03:44Steve Winwood and house producer Eric Pridz together to reach the top of the charts.
03:52Released in 2004, Call on me became Pridz's international breakthrough, topping charts
03:57across Europe and becoming one of the defining dance singles of the 2000s.
04:02The song revolves around a heavily edited vocal sample from Steve Winwood's Valerie.
04:06Call on me, Call on me, Call on me, Harry Pridz famously refused to play the song live for years,
04:18right up to 2025, when he shocked the world by finally performing it, using Winwood's original
04:23title as an extended intro.
04:32Number 6. Somebody I Used to Know, Gautier
04:36One of the great disappearing acts of the century so far came as Gautier released the major global hit,
04:47somebody I used to know, before largely retiring the project shortly after.
04:59Its distinctive instrumental is built around a sample of Louise Bonfa's guitar piece, Seville,
05:05although plenty of additional elements take the end product to a different level.
05:16After its release was paired with a performance on Saturday Night Live and a memorable music
05:21video, the track shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
05:24It later went on to become one of the highest selling digital singles of all time.
05:32Number 5. Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys
05:38The triumphant sounds of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' ode to New York City, Empire State of Mind captured
05:44the spirit of the Big Apple as well as can be.
05:52It might surprise some people to learn that the sample was taken from the track Love on
05:57a Two-Way Street by The Moments, a vocal group from Washington, D.C.
06:10The original's romantic tone is turned on its head as Jay-Z and Alicia inject it with some
06:15huge energy, culminating in a massive chorus.
06:18It's a clear example of how to transform a sample in order to create something entirely
06:23new.
06:30Number 4.
06:32Crazy in Love, Beyonce featuring Jay-Z
06:35Going solo after holding such a crucial role in an iconic pop group is no easy feat.
06:41To say that Beyonce nailed the transition would be a major understatement.
06:50Released in 2003 as her debut solo single, Crazy in Love immediately established her as
06:56a superstar beyond the shadow of Destiny's Child.
06:59At the heart of the song lies the explosive horn riff from The Shy Lights' Are You My Woman,
07:03transformed into one of pop music's most recognizable opening riffs.
07:15The two songs could not be any more different, but the use of brass instruments in both is
07:20undeniably effective and punchy.
07:29Number 3.
07:31Block Rockin' Beats, The Chemical Brothers
07:34The beauty of a track like Block Rockin' Beats is how seamlessly it melds multiple samples
07:39together to form something fresh and unique.
07:44Released in 1997 as the lead single from Dig Your Own Hole, Block Rockin' Beats became
07:49one of The Chemical Brothers' biggest hits and helped define the explosive big beat movement.
08:03The most interesting sample used comes in the form of Gucci Again by Schooly D, giving the
08:09track its iconic vocal refrain.
08:17Although it's a minor part of the original's intro, that one line became the centerpiece
08:22of one of the most iconic tracks of its genre.
08:29Number 2.
08:31Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe, Kendrick Lamar
08:34The consistent run-up form that carried Kendrick Lamar from debut to the modern day hit
08:39its first major commercial peak with the release of his breakthrough album, Good Kid, Mad City.
08:50Everyone's going to have their own personal favorite from that beloved LP, but most would
08:54agree that Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe was a real standout.
09:02The production revolves around Boom Clap Bachelor's dreamy track, Teet and Fleaver, a song with airy
09:08electronic textures that are slowed and subtly reshaped into an atmospheric backdrop.
09:19It's minimalist but immersive at every turn, allowing Kendrick's flow and unique vocal delivery
09:25to shine.
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09:41Are you not entertained?
09:44Number 1.
09:45Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
09:47Daft Punk
09:48As true innovators within their field, Daft Punk were responsible for some of the most
09:54creative sampling in all of electronic music.
09:56Work it, make it, do it, makes us…
10:02While they have songs that are far more dramatic deviations from the source material, their use
10:07of Edwin Birdsong's Cola Bottle Baby was a genius decision.
10:19The sample becomes the song's mechanical heartbeat, giving it an undeniably groovy
10:23and funky foundation, while still keeping things oddly robotic and artificial.
10:33The chain of connection was then continued as Kanye West famously interpolated the vocoded
10:39vocals Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger on his own hit, Stronger.
10:43In other words, West's track was now two generations clear from the song that began the cycle back
10:50in the 1970s, but what do you consider to be the most impressive use of a sample in modern
10:59music?
10:59Let us know in the comments below.
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