Almost instantly you'll recognize this now famous cha-cha groove (though in the original instance, it's a bit slower and lower in pitch). Timmy Thomas probably never imagined in 1972 that more than 40 years later his song would resurface as a Top 20 hit.
Yet there it was in 2015, juxtaposed over some heavy 808 kicks and intricate trap-style hi-hats. Drake and his producer had breathed new life into a track long forgotten and had made a fortune doing so.
The case of "Hotline Bling" made me consider sampling in a new light. It made me think, "how much of what I'm hearing on the radio is actually original?" I've realized that in modern day industry - especially in hip-hop - this type of sampling is pretty common. That's not to say that these types of tracks are unoriginal, but rather that their compositional roots pre-date themselves.
A lot of great examples of this phenomenon are found in Kanye West's discography. You all know the song "Gold Digger", but did you know most of that beat was hacked together from an old Ray Charles tune? Another famous track of his, "Stronger", off Graduation, mostly revolves around an earlier Daft Punk creation. In fact, this type of heavy sampling seems to be one of the things that defines Kanye's sound.
While some artists use the technique of sampling more than others, it has still become a prominent part of modern music production. And in theory, it makes sense: if a track was well received the first time, why not re-hash it, sample it, and lay it under the top-selling artists of today?
So keep your ears peeled - a lot of the sound you hear on the radio had its origin before your favorite artist dug it up.
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