Mp3bullet.ng presents Foreign songs that you were unaware sampled Nigerian artists.
Some Nigerian songs have been sampled by foreign artists over the years, demonstrating that the Nigerian music industry has been thriving for a long time.
It demonstrates how large and international the Nigerian music business is, as well as how foreign artists admire Nigerian works.
In music, sampling is the act of taking a section of one song and putting it into another.
When someone samples a song, it means the owner of the sampled music did an excellent job on it, to the point where people would want to use it in their own songs to spice it up.
Instrumentals, lyrics, melody, tune, and other elements can be sampled by artists.
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Let Nas Down” by J. Cole samples “Gentleman” by Fela Kuti
“Let Nas Down” is from J. Cole’s sophomore album, and it features a sample of the hook and riff from Fela Kuti’s “Gentleman.”
This exemplifies the cross-cultural appeal that samples contribute. Fela Kuti is the most sampled Nigerian artist, and his influences can be heard in hip-hop luminaries like Nas, Missy Elliot, and The Roots.
“Freak Me” by Ciara ft Tekno samples “Before Nko” (2015) by Tiwa Savage ft. D’Prince
Ciara’s inaugural venture into Afrobeats resulted in the release of “Freak Me,” a collaboration with Tekno.
The song is heavily influenced by Tiwa Savage’s “Before Nko” from her sophomore album, RED.
Ciara later acknowledged the song’s influence on social media, despite concerns that proper approval was not granted for the sample prior to release.
She said “Shout out to Tiwa Savage on the inspiration and sample used in #FreakMe! She’s a beast! I fell in love with the melody when I first heard it in Africa 3 years ago. So good. #AfroWave”
“A Million” by Veronica Vega ft Quavo samples “Ise Oluwa Ko Seni Toye” (2000) by Musiliu Haruna Ishola
Veronica Vega samples the son of famed Nigerian Apala musician Musiliu Haruna Ishola at the beginning of “A Million.” Following the release of this song, Ishola’s estate requested that the record be cleared before Vega could release the video.
She later confirmed the sample in a social media post saying “I feel incredibly honoured to be able to clear the sample especially because of the message of God that was in the original record”.
“Hitman” (2020) by Kelly Rowland samples “Mr. Follow Follow” (1976) by Fela Kuti
The musician released “Hitman” in 2020, which incorporates Fela Kuti’s popular instrumentals from “Mr. Follow Follow.”
Despite the fact that both records cover diverse subjects, Rowland maintains the sanctity of the Nigerian classic as she sings about a special someone with whom she is in love.
Speaking of the sample, the singer said; “Most high respect to the legend and icon that is Fela Kuti. Oak played me this sample and I lost my mind
“Champion of the World” (2019) by Coldplay samples “Otuto Nke Chukwu” (1975) by Harcourt Whyte
A gospel vocalist from Port Harcourt and a western rock band don’t usually mix, but Coldplay managed to pull it off.
The band released a homage to Frightened Rabbit’s lead singer Scott Hutchison, who committed suicide in November 2019. The song began with an intro from Harcourt Whyte’s Igbo gospel hymn. This is how it goes:
Gi nwa nke chukwu, gini ka ina ekwu
N’ihi ihe nile
Nke chukwu mere
Translated from Igbo to English, the lyrics say:
“You that is of God, what are we going to say?
For everything, God made it”
This is definitely one of the wildest sampling combinations we must say.
https://youtu.be/bsaP2lFJRrE
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- Popular Nigerian Afropop songs that sampled from Fuji songs
Find Your Way Back by Beyonce samples “Maradona” by Niniola
In 2019, Beyonce dropped the “The Gift” which was the soundtrack album for the Lion King Movie. It featured Nigerian superstars, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade and other African artists on the album.
In one of the tracks, “Find Your Way Back” Beyonce samples elements of Niniola’s hit single “Maradona”.