15 Songs Where Great Sampling Fuels the Fire

Reading Time: 17 min read

15 Songs Where Great Sampling Fuels the Fire features music courtesy of Beyoncé, Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X, Meghan Trainor, Nicki Minaj and Quadeca.

Repurposing in music is all the rage, PERIOD! Sampling has the ability to reintroduce classic songs to an entirely new audience. For years and years, sampling has fueled the fire for various music styles, primarily rap, R&B, and pop. With so many songs that use samples in a captivating way to make something new, I thought it would be interesting to compile a playlist of songs that sample other songs, hence 🎧 15 Songs Where Great Sampling Fuels the Fire 💪! On 🎧 15 Songs Where Great Sampling Fuels the Fire it’s safe to say that there is NO SAMPLE LEFT BEHIND 😝! This list, comprised of rap, R&B, and even a pop joint, features music courtesy of 🎙 Beyoncé, 🎙 Jack Harlow, 🎙 Lil Nas X, 🎙 Meghan Trainor, 🎙 Nicki Minaj, and 🎙 Quadeca among others. So, grab your headphones and join us on this alluring, repurposing of musical ride! H.E.R. said it best – it’s 🎵 “The Journey”!

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1. Nicki Minaj, “Red Ruby Da Sleeze”

🎵 “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” • 🏷 Republic • 🗓 2023

SAMPLE: Lumidee, “Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)”

“Who the fuck told bitches they was me now?” Da-yum, 🎙 Nicki Minaj! The ever unapologetic rapper gives no fizzucks on 🎵 “Red Ruby Da Sleeze”, her first single of 2023. Always ferocious when it comes to energy and bars, she has a popular aughts classic fueling her fire. That’s right, producers 🎛 Go Grizzly and Cheeze Beatz sample 🎵 “Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)” courtesy of 🎙 Lumidee. Nicki takes the rhythmic, spirited instrumental and runs with it.

Besides the lift Lumidee gives Nicki Minaj, it is Minaj’s colorful rhymes that ‘take the cake.’ It is safe to say there are shots fired – an understatement. “But I don’t fuck with horses since Christopher Reeves” appears to be a cold diss towards Megan Thee Stallion. There is also the shady “We don’t be Karen like Donna-na, na-na-na-na,” another diss to multiple Nicki enemies. All the female rappers seem to get dissed with lines like, “When the Queen leave, bitches wanna come out like a cockroach,” or “Shout out to hoes that’s watchin’ me like Movados.” So, what does one make of 🎵 “Red Ruby Da Sleeze”? It’s a surefire rap banger, PERIOD. Is Nicki Minaj pressed by the competition? Perhaps, but to her credit, she brings the heat here, backed by a killer choice of sample.

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Appears in 🔻:

Awesome Songs: March 2023

2. Lil Nas X, “Old Town Road” (Ft. Billy Ray Cyrus)

💿 7 (EP) • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2019

SAMPLE: Nine Inch Nails, “34 Ghosts IV”

“Yeah, I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road / I’m gonna ride ‘til it can’t go no more.” 🎙 Lil Nas X is responsible for the brief, countrified/melodic hip-hop Billboard Hot 100 no. 1 hit, 🎵 “Old Town Road”, that topped the charts for a record 19 weeks! Also, worth noting, this record-breaking single which appears on the EP, 💿 7, arrives courtesy of a black LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 artist – more history. “Old Town Road” was certainly an interesting endeavor, with the results being a song that no one is sure to forget. 🎙 Billy Ray Cyrus guests on 🎵 “Old Town Road – Remix,” singing the excerpted refrain (once), as well as the third verse.  “Old Town Road” is quite charming for a variety of reasons including lyrics that play off of clichés associated with country music. On the second verse, Lil Nas X kicks things off pop-rapping, “Ridin’ on a tractor” and later adds, “Bull ridin’ and boobies / Cowboy hat from Gucci / Wrangler on my booty.” ‘Furthermore, the hip-hop beat, coupled with ‘country-folk’ guitars, fueled by a prominent 🎙 Nine Inch Nails sample (🎵 “34 Ghosts IV”), add to the sheer excellence. A novel cut by all means that arguably, lacks substance, “Old Town Road” is infectious and does initiates important discussions musically as well as regarding race.

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3. Meghan Trainor, “Mother”

💿 Takin’ It Back (Deluxe) • 🏷 Epic • 🗓 2023

SAMPLE: The Chordettes, “Mr. Sandman”

“I am your mother… / You listen to me.” 🏆 Grammy-winning pop star 🎙 Meghan Trainor released the deluxe edition of her fourth studio album, 💿 Takin’ It Back, in 2023 (the original LP was released in October 2022). Prior to the arrival of the deluxe, one of the biggest talking points was 🎵 “Mother”, and for good reason! “Mother” is… something, that’s for sure! In the intro, prior to Meghan asserting she’s a mother, the assertion is made, via a TikTok vid sample, “The fact that Meghan Trainor is literally mother right now.” Woo!

An entire essay could be written on this two-and-a-half minute record. Mother itself is used literally and as a queer term 🌈. As far as the literal meaning, Trainor is a mom, and interestingly, “Mother” samples a lullaby: 🎵 “Mr. Sandman” by 🎙 The Chordettes. This sample gives “Mother” a retro-pop sensibility which is idiomatic of her work throughout her career. Besides the retro-pop vibes, there are also modern pop vibes as well (🎛 Justin Trainor and Gian Stone produce). Naturally, the record is incredibly gimmicky, particularly when Trainor quotes “Mr. Sandman” with the repetitive “bum-bum-bum(s).” It is worth noting, Trainor is calling some men, who act anti-feminist and ‘mansplain’ as bums. Her man, of course, is no bum, as Trainor asserts, “Y’all need a masterclass from my man / Learn how to satisfy like he can.” Wow! Although “Mother” is corny (understatement) and a wee tough to take seriously, she serves up some relevant points and no shortage of confidence. So, what does one make of 🎵 “Mother”? It is SOMETHING!

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Appears in 🔻:

Mother: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 21 (2023)

4. Angie Stone, “Kiss You

💿 Love Language • 🏷 Conjunction Entertainment / SoNo Recording Group • 🗓 2023

SAMPLE: Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, “I Miss You”

“Ooh, boy your lips (Boy your lips), the way they sittin’ (Sittin’) / I can’t focus, I can’t even pay attention.” 🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Angie Stone is clearly turned TF on by this boy on 🎵 “Kiss You”, a highlight from her 10^th studio album, 💿 Love Language. She continues in the steamy pre-chorus, “I lick my lips (Lick my lips), they start to glisten (Glisten) / You wanna bite ‘em every time they’re in your vision.” Woo! So enticing! For “Kiss You,” Stone samples the 🎙 Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, 🎵 “I Miss You”.  A popular source for many contemporary R&B/neo-soul joints, with the help of the producers, “Kiss You” gets some modern swagger thanks to those epic drums anchoring things down 💪. “Kiss You” is a classy sex song. In the verses, Stone establishes the sensual vibes.  In the first, she wants his hands on her body – ooh la-la! In the second, she wishes to “go somewhere low-key and private.” Hmm, wonder why! In the third, this man has her feeling some type of way – “I find it hard to keep my composure.” Angie, a good man will do that to you… or so I’ve heard!

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5. Anthony Hamilton, “Real Love” (Ft. Rick Ross)

💿 Love is the New Black • 🏷 My Music Box / BMG Rights Management • 📅 2021

SAMPLE: Ahmad Jamal, “Swahililand”

“Real love, the kind you dream of / Comes once in your life.” Woo! After an excruciating five-year wait, 🏆 Grammy-winning, contemporary soul singer/songwriter 🎙 Anthony Hamilton released a brand-new studio album, 💿 Love is the New Black. One song I’ve had on repeat from the 2021 LP is 🎵 “Real Love” featuring 🎙 Rick Ross. “Real Love” provides a brilliant balance between old- and new school. Neo-soul is firmly in play, amplified by interpolation of 🎵 “Swahililand” (🎙 Ahmad Jamal). Those syncopated, jazzy chords are nothing short of awesome. Besides the kick-ass jazz sample, the beat provides a more contemporary anchor, while also recalling the hip-hop soul of the 90s.

“Real love, the kind worth heaven

You’ve gotta hold tight

Real love, real love, real love, real love

Real love.”

Phew, Anthony Hamilton, that’s a lot of ‘real love’ right there! As always, Hamilton is locked in, blessing the soulful, love-oriented track with his anointed, distinct pipes. In the first verse, he speaks about a special love, one that doesn’t appear to be ‘romantic’: “And I was a child in your arms of love / And I just wanted to make you proud.” As for Ross, he excels at a soulful, old-school beat, but opts for a romantic brand of love, sex, and of course, touts his drip. There’s no gray area when ‘The Bawse’ asserts: “Baby girl, I’ma kill somethin’ / Let me eat you out and I’ma kill somethin’.” WOO! “Real Love,” produced by 🎛 9^th Wonder, is ‘really’ good, NO CAP!

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6. Latto, “Pussy”

🎵 “Pussy” • 🏷 Streamcut / RCA • 🗓 2022

SAMPLE: Betty Wright, “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”

🎙 Latto raises eyebrows on 🎵 “Pussy”. The expectation is that this record is nothing more than sex before listening to it. However, “Pussy” is empowering with Latto calling out the boys! One of the best aspects of “Pussy” is the sample. Producer 🎛 Johnny Goldstein samples the 🎙 Betty Wright classic, 🎵 “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”. Wright’s vocals grace the chorus, hence, making it central to the record. Latto contributes with ad-libs, but it’s the core by Wright that seals the deal (“Girls, you can’t do what the guys do / And still be a lady”).

Of course, it’s not just the epic production or sample alone that makes “Pussy” so good. Latto gets these men together and speaks up for the ladies. “Y’all sexualize lesbians for y’all entertainment,” she bites in the first verse, later adding, “If you don’t give the pussy up, then they’ll take it (Fuck it) / Y’all misogynistic ways sow the size of your dick.” Woo! In the second verse, she goes H.A.M. at the end, asserting:

“How you ain’t got a pussy, but got opinions on pussy?

That’s pussy (Pussy), my ovaries ain’t for you to bully

Y’all the reason we make music, teaching bitches how to use you (Yeah)

Speak up and they gon’ defend the abuser, these niggas losers.”

“Pussy” is explicit and makes sexual references. That said, Latto makes some excellent points about how men treat women as well as how there is a double standard for women. In her eyes, the girls should be able to do what the boys do – “and still be a lady!”

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7. Jack Harlow, “They Don’t Love It”

💿 Jackman. • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 🗓 2023

SAMPLE: Connie Laverne, “Can’t Live Without You”

🎵 “They Don’t Love It” marks a highlight from 💿 Jackman., the brief, surprise album by 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Jack Harlow. “They Don’t Love It” clocks in at under two minutes in duration. Harlow opts for a backdrop (produced by 🎛 Hollywood Cole) built on sampling – 🎵 “Can’t Live Without You” by 🎙 Connie Laverne. This sound, hearkening back to the music of the past, marks a bright spot throughout Jackman. Generally, Harlow gives us more substance with the bars though falls short with “The hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters.” 😬 Notably, he does shout out the 502 (Louisville) asserting, “It’s not that crazy anymore, my city used to a come up / Bryson, Jack, Gee, James is up next.” Woo! One thing is for sure: “They don’t love it.”

8. Beyoncé, “Church Girl” 

💿 RENAISSANCE • 🏷 Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia • 📅 2022 

SAMPLE: The Clark Sisters, “Center of Thy Will”

“Nobody can judge me, but me / I was born free.” True, 🎙 Beyoncé received ample controversy with her phenomenal album, 💿 RENAISSANCE.  🎵 “Church Girl” rubbed some Christians the wrong way. Why? Bey and her production team construct a soulful, gospel-tinged backdrop, which delivers churchy vibes.  Furthermore, one of the four samples used arrives courtesy of renowned gospel collective, 🎙 The Clark Sisters (🎵 “Center of Thy Will”). The problem is that many disapprove of the likes of “She gon’ shake that ass and them pretty tig ol’ bitties’,” as well as THOT-driven lyrics like “I’ll drop it like a thottie, drop it like a thottie,” which do not align with such values. Regardless, songwriter (and Clark sister) 🎙 Twinkie Clark thanked Beyoncé for sampling it! Others have defended it too. “Church girls actin’ loose, bad girls actin’ snotty!” Woo!

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9. BIA, “Can’t Touch This”

💿 For Certain • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2021

“My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard / And they’re like, it’s better than yours / Damn right, it’s better than yours / I can teach you, but I have to charge.” Does anybody remember this aughts classic? Well, if not, let me fill you in! It’s 🎵 “Milkshake” by 🎙 Kelis. Why do I mention this R&B song when I’m supposed to write about the 🎙 BIA ‘this’ song, 🎵 “Can’t Touch This” (💿 For Certain, 2021)? Well, BIA sampled the aughts gem in “Can’t Touch This,” featuring that stellar production by 🎛 The Neptunes. Besides sampling “Milkshake,” BIA also lifts off the chorus, tweaking it to her liking in the second verse: “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard (Oh) / in the foreign cars / And they’re like, it’s better than yours / Damn right, it’s better than yours.” Woo! It’s not all borrowing though! BIA brings ample personality in the verses and of course, the centerpiece, the chorus. Over banging production by 🎛 IRoccOnTheBeat, London Jae, and DJ Young Pharaoh, she spits:

“No stylist, I don’t do repeats

I got money, bitch, I’m knee-deep

All hunnids, drippin’ in CC

Might pop that pussy like FreakNik

No mileage, boy, you can’t touch this

No bodies, boy, you ain’t fuck shit

I’m on islands, whippin’ them Porsches (Skrr)

Run shit, and your nigga endorse it (Sheesh).”

Woo! BIA doesn’t play around in the least! “Can’t Touch This” BE-OTCHES!

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10. Powfu, “death bed (coffee for your head)” (Ft. beabadoobee)

💿 Poems of the Past (EP) • 🏷 Columbia • 🗓 2020

SAMPLE: beabadoobee, “Coffee”

Canadian rapper/singer 🎙 Powfu raps about his 🎵 “death bed (coffee for your head)” (💿 Poems of the past (EP)), getting a mighty assist from indie-pop singer/songwriter, 🎙 beabadoobee. Beabadoobee plays a big role, thanks to a sample of her song, 🎵 “Coffee”, fueling the fire. 🎛 Otterpop does a nice job producing this chill yet potent and thoughtful record. Powfu rides the beat with ease. He reflects on love, life, and God. “I been praying for forgiveness, you’ve been praying for my health,” he raps on the first verse, continuing, “When I leave this earth, hopin’ you’ll find someone else…” The second is shorter but keeps the same energy. He’s happy she’s with him, recollects the memories, but also, sadly tells her, “Soon you’ll be alone, sorry that you have to lose me.” Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus on one of the best songs of 2020:

“Don’t stay awake for too long, don’t go to bed

I’ll make a cup of coffee for your head

It’ll get you up and going out of bed.”

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11. Shareefa, “Cry No More”

💿 Point of No Return • 🏷 DTP • 🗓 2006

SAMPLE: The Stylistics, “The Miracle”

“I just can’t cry no more ‘cause I’m over you.” WOO! 🎙 Shareefa (Shareefa Cooper) is done crying and done with the BS on 🎵 “Cry No More”. “Cry No More” graces Cooper’s one and only album to date (😢), 💿 Point of No Return, which was released in 2006. Giving this hip-hop/hip-hop soul track a boost is a marvelous sample of 🎙 The Stylistics’ 1974 song, 🎵 “The Miracle”. Besides the terrific choice of sample, producer extraordinaire 🎛 Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins stitches up a stellar backdrop for Shareefa to sing upon. The syncopation, carried by the beat and programming is one of the best features of the production.

So, what has Shareefa crying foul, or rather, ceasing the tears? This lowdown, no good man – ugh, it’s always a man, isn’t it! “Can’t be playing games with you / Because the craziness come with you and I just hate it,” she asserts in the first verse. Furthermore, his added mess only triggers are rough past: “You’ll never stop to think about all hardship that I done seen / People shot in front of me.” No need for additional trauma! In the second verse, she makes it clear, “You don’t deserve me, shut your mouth / Save the talk, I’m out.” Say that, girl! The bridge offers a fantastic change of pace musically yet maintains the same attitude and tenor lyrically. Perhaps the lyric of the song hail from this section:

“I could never be the sucker woman who scorn

I’ve been fighting heavy since the day I was born

‘Cause baby girl’s a rider, I’m a soul survivor.”

Shareefa is CLEARLY making the right choice on 🎵 “Cry No More” – let this man go! Sure, it’s technically an R&B joint, but man, oh, man, is it a banger that deserved far more attention, much like Shareefa did in 2006.

Appears in 🔻:

Shareefa, “Cry No More”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 23 (2023)

12. Lauryn Hill, “Ex-Factor”

💿 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill • 🏷 Ruffhouse • 📅 1998

SAMPLE: Wu-Tang Clan, “Can It Be All So Simple”

Grammy-winning hip-hop/R&B musician, 🎙 Lauryn Hill captivated us with the soulful 🎵 “Ex-Factor” from her 1998 masterpiece, 💿 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. “Tell me, who I have to be / To get some reciprocity.” Those timeless lyrics hail from one of the truly great classics about exes, sigh. Even north of two decades since the release of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, both the album, and the particular single carry ample weight. Focusing only on the song itself, “Ex-Factor” is a prime example of the plight of love, as well as how potent songs incorporating break ups can truly be. At one point, Hill sings, “And when I try to walk away / You’d hurt yourself to make me stay / This is crazy.” Crazy indeed Ms. Lauryn Hill, but, again, exes and broken-off relationship serve among the preeminent topics in music regardless of genre. Notably, “Ex-Factor” samples the 1993 🎙 Wu-Tang Clan song, 🎵 “Can It Be All So Simple.” On “Ex-Factor” you can totally feel Hill’s struggle with love. Arguably the best section of this 90s classic is the breakdown:

“(Care) Care for me, care for me

I know you care for me

(There) There for me, there for me

Said you’d be there for me

(Cry) Cry for me, cry for me

You said you’d die for me

(Give) Give to me, give to me

Why won’t you live for me?”

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13. Quadeca & Moxes, “Schoenberg”

🎵 “Schoenberg” • 🏷 Quadeca • 📅 2019

SAMPLE: Arnold Schoenberg, Verklärte Nacht (“Transfigured Night”), Op. 4 (1899)

“I’m like oh shit / Call me Schoenberg, lil bitch, I’m own my own shit / I can’t fuck ‘round with you cause you a broke bitch…” Rapper 🎙 Quadeca managed to pique my interest more with the release of his single, 🎵 “Schoenberg”, which clocks in at less than two-and-a-half minutes in duration. There’s clearly a ‘classical’ vibe, not to mention an assist from rapper 🎙 Moxas. Notably, of course, Quadeca samples famed Austrian-American composer, 🎙 Arnold Schoenberg. Specifically, the masterwork by the leader of the Second Viennese School that is sampled is Verklärte Nacht.

The lush, expressionistic strings of Verklärte Nacht set the tone, before a turned-up Quadeca drops confident rhymes that definitely go hard. A string loop is anchored by a sick hip-hop beat that anchors things down. Q drops the chorus, excerpted above, before dropping an entertaining, drippy verse, commencing with, “Diamonds on my hip, I need some more drip / I got all these bitches on my own dick.” As for Moxas, he has his fair share of fire. That fire includes referencing Folgers (“I eat souls, I be scolding them all, wake ‘em up like Folgers then”), haiku (“Got a five stack on top, haiku”), and Breaking Bad (“I feel like Walt White, I’m cooking up this dope shit”). Of course, Q provides the final chorus, and an outro, accompanied by those marvelous Schoenberg strings of Verklärte Nacht. While neither rapper serves up deep rhymes, both are quite entertaining and confident. 🎵 “Schoenberg” is definitely a banger.

Appears in 🔻:

11 Awesome Songs: October 2019

14. Alicia Keys, “You Don’t Know My Name”

💿 The Diary of Alicia Keys • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2003 

SAMPLE: The Main Ingredient, “Let Me Prove My Love to You”

“Baby, baby, baby / From the day I saw you / I really, really wanna catch your eye.”  On 🎵 “You Don’t Know My Name,” 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Alicia Keys had a serious crush.  The problem? He doesn’t notice her or know who she is! “Will you ever know it? / No, no, no, no, no, no, no.”  “You Don’t Know My Name” ranks among the biggest hits of Keys’ career, peaking at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Furthermore, the song, written alongside 🎼✍ Harold Lilly, J.R. Bailey, Kanye West, Ken Williams, Mel Kent, won the 🏆 Grammy for Best R&B Song.  Worth noting, Kanye West produced this neo-soul gem, which samples 🎙 The Main Ingredient (🎵 “Let Me Prove My Love to You”).  

The good news about this 💿 The Diary of Alicia Keys standout is that Keys ensures he DOES know her name! Check out the music video and Keys’ crush frequents the coffeehouse where she works.  So infatuated, Keys informs us that, he “always orders the special.”  She eventually reveals her feelings via cell, eventually securing the date during the spoken word interlude (“I know girls don’t usually do this / But I was wondering if maybe we could get together / Outside the restaurant one day”).  Ultimately, “You Don’t Know My Name’ is a fabulous song about crushing on someone.  Furthermore, it’s one of the finest songs of the aughts.   

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15. Usher, “Throwback” (Ft. Jadakiss)

💿 Confessions • 🏷 LaFace • 📅 2004

SAMPLE: Dionne Warwick, “You’re Gonna Need Me”

“Aww, baby, what you say now? Mm, you’re gonna want me back.” #FACTS! 🎵 “Throwback” is one of many stellar songs from 💿 Confessions, the 2004 contemporary R&B tour de force by 🎙 Usher. How did Confessions NOT win more 🏆 Grammys 🤯? Four of his nine no. 1 hits came from this album 😮! Anyways, one of the reasons why “Throwback” stands out is the soulful backdrop produced by 🎛 Just Blaze. The talented producer gets a huge boost courtesy of a colorful, dynamic soul sample: 🎵 “You’re Gonna Need Me” by the legendary and versatile 🎙 Dionne Warwick. Without Dionne, there would be no “Throwback,” PERIOD!

“Throwback,” which added rapper 🎙 Jadakiss on the reissued, deluxe edition of Confessions, smartly uses the Warwick sample as dual inspiration. First, the mere presence of this classic-sounding cut is “throwback” nature. Furthermore, as the excerpted lyrics from the sample suggest, “Throwback” is throwback contextually given the fact Usher wants to take it back to how things/they were. The 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer says it best on the first verse: “You never miss a good thing ‘til it leaves ya / Finally I realized that I need ya back / I want ya back…” Whether or not Usher was successful in “reuniting and it feels so good” is secondary. Primary, however, is the fact that Usher’s love loss is our – the listener’s – gain. Oh, the schadenfreude!

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Appears in 🔻:

Usher Chlöe: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 14 (2023)

15 Songs Where Great Sampling Fuels the Fire [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Atlantic, Columbia, Conjunction Entertainment / SoNo Recording Group, DTP, Epic, LaFace, My Music Box / BMG Rights Management, Quadeca, RCA, Republic, Ruffhouse; Dirk (Beeki®) Schumacher from Pixabay]

15 Songs Where Great Sampling Fuels the Fire | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on June 26, 2023June 26, 2023