Subscribe
Close

<p>Many people have sampled Micahel Jackson’s Music…

<br>

<br>

1. ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ by Rihanna – for this uptempo hit off her third CD, Good Girl Gone Bad, Def Jam princess Rihanna sampled Jackson’s ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin.” The notorious African phrase ‘mamase mamasa mamakossa’ (which also appeared on Jay-Z’s ‘Face Off’) was a nod to Jackson’s original use of the seemingly nonsensical but catchy line.The phrase was originally featured on ‘Soul Makossa’ by Manu Dibango, a musical legend in Cameroon.
<br>

<br>

2. ‘Right Here (Remix)’ by SWV – this mellow hit by R&B trio Sisters With Voices is built around a sample of Jackson’s ‘Human Nature.’ The original track off their 1992 debut It’s About Time peaked at No. 92, but with the ‘Human Nature’-infused remix, the song reached No. 2 on the U.S. charts and No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1993.
<br>

<br>

3. ‘Good LIfe’ by Kanye Westthis track off Kanye West’s multiplatinum, Grammy-winning Graduation is built around a slowed-down sample of Jackson’s ‘P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).’ Even with T-Pain on the hook, the song clearly worked with help from Jackson’s melody, as it earned West a Grammy for Best Rap Song.
<br>

<br>

4. ‘It Ain’t Hard to Tell’ by Nas – this track off Queens rapper Nas’ classic debut Illmatic also sampled Jackson’s ‘Human Nature.’ Produced by Large Professor, the single was moderately successful, reaching No. 97 on the Hot 100, but more importantly was highly acclaimed.

Stories From Our Partners