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    This is the most sampled song ever

    This is the most sampled song ever

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    From Herbie Hancock to Justin Bieber

    By Amar Toor

    Via Smithsonian Magazine | Source BBC Radio 4

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    Samples and remixes have become a staple of pop music today, with artists blending new and old in seemingly endless combinations. According to the BBC, though, one song has proven particularly popular among DJs and musicians: "Change the Beat," by Fab 5 Freddy.

    According to the site Who Sampled, "Change the Beat" has been featured in nearly 1,300 songs, including "Boyz-N-The-Hood" by Eazy-E and last year's "Thrift Shop", making it the most sampled song of all time. It all began in the early 1980s, BBC DJ Roger Johnson explains, when French producer Jean Caracas collaborated with Fab 5 Freddy in New York.

    Released in 1982, "Change the Beat" became a symbol of early hip hop culture, leaving an indelible mark on a wide array of genres. It was first used in Herbie Hancock's 1983 single "Rockit", and has since been featured on songs by artists as diverse as Nine Inch Nails and Justin Bieber.