Sampling is one of the defining elements of hip-hop. There’s something special about another song being sampled, especially if it’s an older song, that adds so much life to a piece of music. Some of the best examples of sampling come from musicians such as Kanye West, Metro Boomin, And Pharrell.
Songs like “Amen brother” by The Winstons have been sampled thousands of times since its release in 1969. A more recent example would be “Mask Off” by future, in which Metro Boomin sampled “Prison Song” by Carlton Williams.
So, you may be asking, how can I use samples when I’m producing music? It’s very easy with the internet. Firstly, there is music that is part of “public domain”. This is music that was released by an artist who passed away over 70 years ago. You can use this music with no worry about legal issues (however double check, because the timing is a bit different for music groups and labels).
You can also use sites like Tracklib, wavgrind.com, or splice to find music samples you can use in your project. In my experience, samples with live instruments are the best to sample. Pitching up or down, changing the tempo, and chopping up the sample can make it original to you, and make your tracks much more interesting to listen to.
Best of luck!
