We may cherish originality in pop music, but reinvention offers its own sort of innovation. How else to explain the unique thrill of hearing a familiar tune flipped and reverse into something entirely new — or learning that a well-worn classic is based on an obscure fragment you've never heard of? So let's celebrate the art of the sample in this latest edition of the annual tournament you've all been waiting for.

 

Yes, it's that time again! As college basketball fever sweeps the nation, we here at ATRL turn to what we do best: pitting celebrities against one another. We've already crowned the #2 hit that deserves a turn at the top, the most indispensable cover, the most scene-stealing guest verse, the most legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, the dreamiest song by a teen idol, the supreme girl group track, the most bloody brilliant British single, the most iconic album cover, Oscar's gold standard Best Original Song, our favorite female video, the one-hit wonder we'll never tire of, the best Record of the Year winner, the greatest #1 hit of all time and Hollywood's hottest hottie. For our 15th (!) contest, we're digging into the music that wouldn't exist without a tradition of crate-digging.

 

Throughout the tournament, everyone will have a chance to participate by voting for their favorite samples in one-on-one match-ups, whittling down the field of 64 songs until we reach our champion. But I need your help before we can begin! Please nominate your list of ten tracks that most creatively use their sample (no ranking necessary) in the thread below. These ballots will be used to determine the final list of competitors and help decide their tournament seeds. Now get to it, because the fun begins in a few days and you don't want your picks to be left out!

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We're back, baby!

 

OMG!!!!! Let's do this!!!!!

The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony

Coolio & L.V. – Gangsta's Paradise

Eric Prydz – Call on Me

Britney Spears – Toxic

Beyoncé – Crazy in Love (feat. Jay Z)

Eminem – Stan (feat. Dido)

Jax Jones & RAYE – You Don't Know Me

Amerie – 1 Thing

Beyoncé – Naughty Girl

Sugababes – Round Round

Edited March 19, 20251 yr by prézli

Got Til It's Gone - Janet Jackson, QTip & Joni Mitchell

Hung Up - Madonna

Toxic - Britney Spears

Fantasy - Mariah Carey

Crazy In Love - Beyoncé & JAY-Z

Paint The Town Red - Doja Cat

Bootylicious - Destiny's Child

I'm His He's Mine - Katy Perry & Doechii

Stronger - Kanye West

Super Freaky Girl - Nicki Minaj

Edited March 17, 20251 yr by KatyPrismSpirit

de la soul - say no go
ariana grande - break yr heart right back 
selena gomez - bad liar 
dua lipa - love again 
rihanna - don't stop the music 
Grandmaster and melle mel - white lines 
Mariah Carey - fantasy 
Wu tang clan - protect ya neck
amerie - 1 thing 
Beyoncé - crazy in love 

 

 

Beyonce - Break My Soul

Eric Prydz - Call On Me 

Megan Thee Stallion - Girlz In the Hood

Saweetie - My Type 

Halsey - Without Me

Rihanna - SOS

Rihanna - Cheers (Drink To That)

Doja Cat f. SZA - Kiss Me More

Mariah Carey - Loverboy 

Nathan Dawe & Ella Henderson - 21 Reasons 

 

 

Kanye West - I Wonder

Kanye West & Jay Z - Otis

Kanye West - Believe What I Say

Kanye West - Diamonds from Sierra Leone

Kanye West - Blood On the Leaves

Kanye West - Fade

The Weeknd - Out of Time

Madonna - Hung Up

Beyonce - Crazy In Love

Nicki Minaj - Everybody

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 20251 yr by McNulty

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

 

 

Samples “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles

Hung Up - Madonna

Fantasy - Mariah Carey

The Roof - Mariah Carey

Your Love - Nicki Minaj

Rihanna - SOS

Rihanna - Cheers 

Beyonce - Naughty Girl

Fergie - Fergalicious

Paper Planes - MIA

Len - Steal My Sunshine

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 20251 yr by naval23

You've done it again  

 

Are we only counting officially credited samples? And are we distinguishing between samples and interpolations or would that be too complicated? 

Janet - Someone To Call My Lover's samples of Ventura Highway + Gymnopédie No. 1 is of all time  But what counts if it's multiple samples in one song/entry

 

Will get back to this post tho 

Edited March 17, 20251 yr by Reverie

2 hours ago, supaspaz said:

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

 

 

Samples "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles

And Livin' La Vida Loca 

3 hours ago, makeawish said:

amerie - 1 thing 

?

Edited my post @supaspaz 

4 minutes ago, prézli said:

?

Quote

"1 Thing" is a song by American singer Amerie from her second studio album, Touch (2005). Written by Amerie and Rich Harrison and produced by the latter, the song is influenced by go-go rhythms and prominently samples the Meters' 1970 funk recording of "Oh, Calcutta!", written by Stanley Walden. Its lyrics focus on an unidentified "thing" that fuels a romantic attraction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Thing

 

1.41

 

 

i have sources for all these if anyone wants them

yaaaaas love this  

 

 

is this a sample or an interpolation? how do we differentiate? 

3 hours ago, Quicksand said:

You've done it again  

 

Are we only counting officially credited samples? And are we distinguishing between samples and interpolations or would that be too complicated? 

45 minutes ago, Frozen99 said:

yaaaaas love this  

 

 

is this a sample or an interpolation? how do we differentiate? 

I know they’re not the same, but I’m just going to include interpolations within this bucket. The theme is meant to recognize songs that use other songs.

2 hours ago, Reverie said:

Janet - Someone To Call My Lover's samples of Ventura Highway + Gymnopédie No. 1 is of all time  But what counts if it's multiple samples in one song/entry

 

Will get back to this post tho 

I didn’t really think that through…

 

I wasn’t necessarily planning to specify the samples within the draw. The competitor would be “Someone to Call My Lover,” not the sample itself.

8 minutes ago, supaspaz said:

I didn't really think that through…

 

I wasn't necessarily planning to specify the samples within the draw. The competitor would be "Someone to Call My Lover," not the sample itself.

That's fine with me, I'll mentally give bonus points for making multiples samples/ideas work together in a song

I'm gonna think about it before I submit 

Rosalía - DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA

Mariah Carey - Honey

Beyoncé - SUMMER RENAISSANCE

SWV - Right Here (Human Nature Mix)

Lil' Kim - Crush On You (Remix)

Lumidee - Never Leave You

P.M. Dawn - Set Adrift On Memory Bliss

Mylo - In My Arms

Robbie Williams - Rock DJ

Jennifer Lopez - Jenny From The Block

 

It was so hard to narrow this down so I'll post some of my honorable mentions FYC 

Edited March 17, 20251 yr by Quicksand

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!!!

 

 

Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna

Fantasy - Mariah

Ready or Not - The Fugees

King Night - SALEM

Look at Me! - XXXTentacion

Money Trees - Kendrick Lamar

House of Balloons - The Weeknd

I'm Real (remix) - JLo

Addicted - Truth Hurts

Blue Jeans - Lana Del Rey

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 20251 yr by Cannon