Sampling: Creativity or Cashgrab?

Image courtesy of thomann

By Tim McGuire

This is an independently submitted op-ed and does not reflect the views of The Tower.

Ever since the technique was applied in the birth years of hip-hop/rap, sampling has taken on a life of its own across all genres. Nowadays, we can have full-blown conversations about the best uses of samples, not focused on the song as a whole. While the popularity of this production move has brought boundless creativity into the studios, it has also brought a wave of un-creativity. 

I think the biggest recent example of this ‘un-creativity’ that I can point to is “Lil Boo Thang” by Paul Russell, which samples a Motown classic, “Best of My Love” by The Emotions. But I wouldn’t say “samples” is the proper word here; it feels more like piggybacking. The instrumental is ripped directly from the original, sounding less lively, and he even interpolates the chorus of “Best of My Love” as the song ends, a baffling decision for such a short song. I already didn’t like the song when I first heard it, finding that it sounded more like a cash-grab than anything else, but I took even more issue with how big a smash hit it was. I can’t listen to “Best of My Love” out loud without someone chiming in with the cheesy, basic lyrics of Mr. Russell. It leads me to wonder, what happened to sampling over time?

The issue isn’t found in sampling at all times, but it seems to be prominent in popular music rotation. The most recent controversial example is Doechii’s “Anxiety,” which infamously ripped the instrumental from Gotye’s classic indie megahit “Somebody That I Used to Know.” I have a harder time calling this one out because it was never meant to be released (and because I love her to death), but I still wish there was something more done with the instrumental. It doesn’t get under my skin as much as it does others, but I understand the frustration.

This isn’t to say sampling is completely awful; it’s just been in steep decline. To stop myself from pulling up random songs with good sampling that nobody knows about, I looked through the year-end Billboard Hot 100 charts to find the most recent standout. After skimming through 2025, 2024, 2023, and stopping at 2022, I landed on “BREAK MY SOUL” by Beyoncé.  It’s concerning that it took four whole year-end lists to find one sample I find good, but this is all subjective… and I just so happen to be a huge fan of the album RENAISSANCE. 

What “BREAK MY SOUL” does so right is being referential without coming off as insincere. One of the big inspirations of the album is house and ballroom music, and “BREAK MY SOUL” takes elements of the Robin S. house track, “Show Me Love,”  and vocals from Big Freedia’s “Explode.” Beyoncé uses these elements to elevate the track rather than carry it, serving as references to the original material. The song pays respect to the artists that inspired it, while also sounding great as a standalone piece.

While skimming for a good example, I found a noteworthy bad example in “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha. This song actually does change quite a bit from the classic “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65, but it doesn’t manage to reach the high note Beyoncé did in the same year. It’s essentially an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) remix of “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” performed with a heft of cheesiness. It’s entirely structured around the melody of the original, from production to vocal performance. The monotone lyrics about having a great night out (or a good night out? Or an alright night out?) don’t help to mask the clear attempt here to piggyback off of nostalgia. 

So, by the end of the day, is there really any good sampling anymore? The answer is “no” for those only tuned to what’s popular, but there’s a myriad of songs with great samples by lesser-known artists. The best recent example I can think of is JPEGMAFIA, an experimental producer and rapper, known for an abrasive sample-heavy sound. His 2023 song “Garbage Pale Kids” utilizes an old Nintendo Commercial, A Japanese 80s ramen commercial, and an infamous clip from a Twitch live stream. It’s one of the most unique uses of sampling I’ve ever heard, and I encourage anyone to listen to it just for the sheer absurdity. 

As for the issue within the popular hits, I think we all know that money is the prime suspect. Having a good throwback is a reliable formula for success, and it has been exploited time and time again by the music industry, both silently and blatantly. A stigma has been slowly growing against songs that heavily sample others, so one can only hope that it scares some executives into asking producers to put some thought into their next sample.