March 24, 2023
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Sunday, December 7, 2014
The Most Sampled Rapper Voices in Hip-Hop History
Nas performing live. Photo by Pooneh Ghana.
Back in October, we shared a list of which hip-hop producers have used the most samples, according to WhoSampled.com. Curious to discover more statistics, the folks over at DJBooth asked WhoSampled another interesting question: which rapper voices have been sampled the most? Here’s what the report showed:
1. Public Enemy: 1,370
2. Run-DMC: 915
3. Eric B. & Rakim: 628
4. Doug E. Fresh: 586
5. Beastie Boys: 507
6. Big Daddy Kane: 426
7. Kurtis Blow: 423
8. N.W.A: 418
9. Nas: 413
10. The Notorious B.I.G.: 360
2. Run-DMC: 915
3. Eric B. & Rakim: 628
4. Doug E. Fresh: 586
5. Beastie Boys: 507
6. Big Daddy Kane: 426
7. Kurtis Blow: 423
8. N.W.A: 418
9. Nas: 413
10. The Notorious B.I.G.: 360
As DJBooth points out, the list is heavily tilted towards old school rappers. They write: “The longer you’re around, the more likely you are to rack up samples.”
They also note that: “Doug E. Fresh’s numbers overwhelmingly come from ‘La Di Da Di,’ and often the sample there is Slick Rick’s vocals with Doug’s beatboxing.”
Lastly, it’s important to realize that WhoSampled doesn’t include every sample ever used. Their database is considered the most accurate, though, as it contains over 285,000 songs.
Related: Which Hip-Hop Producers Have Used the Most Samples?
