- Music artistes engage in sampling to help bring their creativity to life
- From Nigerian to foreign songs, the culture of music sampling is becoming a norm
- TheRadar curated 6 Afrobeats songs that infused foreign samples
From rhythm to melody or lyrical elements, sampling is becoming a revolution for Nigerian music artistes.
Many songs in recent times have found ways to recycle classic tracks into contemporary sounds —bridging a generational gap.
The latest Nigerian artiste to jump on a sample is Afrobeats star Rema, who recently released his first single of the year, Baby (Is it a Crime).
Baby (Is It a Crime) is a mid-tempo love jam that samples the original 1985 track of British singer Sade Adu’s Is It a Crime.
Following this, TheRadar curated a list of Nigerian artistes and songs that sampled international original songs.
Nigerian songs with international samples
- Rema — Sade Adu’s Is It a Crime — Baby (Is It a Crime
The 24-year-old singer Rema recently dropped his anticipated first single of the year, Baby (Is it a Crime).
Rema’s new single samples 66-year-old Sade Adu’s Is It a Crime released in 1985. The single was earlier teased but reportedly delayed until the copyright clearance with Sade Adu was fulfilled. Rema’s Baby (Is it a Crime) since its release has been on a charting spree.
- Victony — Post Malone’s Sunflower — Everything
“…I keep it in check, She was a bad bad nevertheless. Calling it quits now, baby I'm a wreck,” these lines from Post Malone’s Sunflower finds its way into Victony’s Everything. The track off his 2024 debut album Stubborn explored Post Malone’s lyrics and sound. Victony delivered a refreshing version with his sample.
- Burna Boy — Toni Braxton’s He Wasn’t Man Enough — Last Last
The hit track Last Last by Self Acclaimed African Giant Burna Boy is another Afrobeats song with an international song sample. The Ye Crooner borrowed sounds from 57-year-old American singer Toni Braxton’s He Wasn't Man Enough (2000). Burna Boy once shared that a percentage of his royalties on Last Last goes to Toni Braxton because of the sample.
- Burna Boy — Jeremih’s Birthday Sex — City Boys
Exploring another International sample, Burna Boy’s song City Boys rode on sounds and other musical elements from Jeremih’s Birthday Sex. Jeremih released his song in 2009 while Burna released City Boys in 2023 off his 7th Studio album, I Told Them.
- Remedies — MC Lyte’s Keep On, Keepin’ On— Shakomo
As their first hit single, Shakomo was released by The Remedies music group composed of Idris Abdulkareem, Tony Tetula and Eddy Remedy. They sampled the instrumental elements of American singer and rapper MC Lyte’s 1996 song Keep On, Keepin’ On. They transformed the song into a club jam.
- PSquare — Fugees’ Ready or Not — Bizzy Body
The popular hit Bizzy Body by the Afrobeats music duo PSquare was a sample of the American hip-pop group Fugees’ Ready or Not (1996). PSquare dropped their version in 2007, exploring a high-tempo pace to the instrumentals of the original song.
Top 6 Nostalgic Afrobeats Samples of 2024
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that in the evolution of Afrobeats, song sampling, which involves reusing portions of existing recordings in new compositions, has become a permanent fixture.
In analysing some Afrobeats songs which are spill-offs of old Nigerian songs. TheRadar highlights six most recent samples that bridged generational gaps in Afrobeats history and culture.
