15 of the Best Bowie Samples in Hip Hop and R&B

Your favorite artists rock to Bowie too.

R.I.P Bowie, You’ll Be Missed - On January 10, 2016, music lost one of its most innovative musicians. David Bowie’s music was beloved all over the world, and while at face value it’s easy to think the English musician had very little to do with hip hop or R&B; that couldn’t be more wrong. Bowie was an inspiration for so many of the genres' producers. His songs managed to trickle their way into timeless tracks. Check out our favorite 15. Don’t worry, we obviously left Vanilla Ice off this list. — Jon Reyes(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

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R.I.P Bowie, You’ll Be Missed - On January 10, 2016, music lost one of its most innovative musicians. David Bowie’s music was beloved all over the world, and while at face value it’s easy to think the English musician had very little to do with hip hop or R&B; that couldn’t be more wrong. Bowie was an inspiration for so many of the genres' producers. His songs managed to trickle their way into timeless tracks. Check out our favorite 15. Don’t worry, we obviously left Vanilla Ice off this list. — Jon Reyes(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Public Enemy, 'Night of the Living Baseheads' (1988) - This ultimate anti-dope PSA by Public Enemy was rambunctious in its message and audio, it had to be. For a couple of seconds deep into the record you can hear an opening riff from Bowie’s “Fame.”(Photos from left: Peter Kramer/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival, Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Public Enemy, 'Night of the Living Baseheads' (1988) - This ultimate anti-dope PSA by Public Enemy was rambunctious in its message and audio, it had to be. For a couple of seconds deep into the record you can hear an opening riff from Bowie’s “Fame.”(Photos from left: Peter Kramer/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival, Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Jay Z, 'Takeover' (2001) - When Yeezy Tweets about David’s influence on him, he isn’t just saying it. On the opener for Jay Z’s critically acclaimed The Blueprint West used a Bowie sample to interpolate into Hov’s rhymes dissing Nas.(Photos from left: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images, Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIDAL)

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Jay Z, 'Takeover' (2001) - When Yeezy Tweets about David’s influence on him, he isn’t just saying it. On the opener for Jay Z’s critically acclaimed The Blueprint West used a Bowie sample to interpolate into Hov’s rhymes dissing Nas.(Photos from left: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images, Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIDAL)

EPMD, 'It Wasn’t Me, It Was the Fame' (1989) - The New York native hip hop duo sampled Bowie’s “Fame” for an ode to their own come up and how things had changed after they made it.(Photos from left: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Tribeca Film FestivalScott Gries/Getty Images for Vh1)

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EPMD, 'It Wasn’t Me, It Was the Fame' (1989) - The New York native hip hop duo sampled Bowie’s “Fame” for an ode to their own come up and how things had changed after they made it.(Photos from left: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Tribeca Film FestivalScott Gries/Getty Images for Vh1)

Puff Daddy, 'Been Around the World,' Featuring the Notorious B.I.G. and Mase (1997) - This party record had both that awesome Lisa Stansfield interpolation and the bass line from Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.”(Photos from left: Peter Kramer/Getty Images for CFDA, SGranitz/WireImage)

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Puff Daddy, 'Been Around the World,' Featuring the Notorious B.I.G. and Mase (1997) - This party record had both that awesome Lisa Stansfield interpolation and the bass line from Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.”(Photos from left: Peter Kramer/Getty Images for CFDA, SGranitz/WireImage)

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J Dilla, 'Take Notice,' Featuring Guilty Simpson (2007) - Ever the prolific producer, J Dilla used the drums from Bowie’s “Soul Love” for a track off his reissued album in 2007. (Photos from left: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images, Stones Throw Records)

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J Dilla, 'Take Notice,' Featuring Guilty Simpson (2007) - Ever the prolific producer, J Dilla used the drums from Bowie’s “Soul Love” for a track off his reissued album in 2007. (Photos from left: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images, Stones Throw Records)

P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family, Featuring David Bowie, 'American Dream' (2001) - For the Training Day soundtrack (the film in which Denzel won an Academy Award) Diddy featured Bowie singing vocals from his 1975 track "This Is Not America."(Photos from left: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images, Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

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P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family, Featuring David Bowie, 'American Dream' (2001) - For the Training Day soundtrack (the film in which Denzel won an Academy Award) Diddy featured Bowie singing vocals from his 1975 track "This Is Not America."(Photos from left: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images, Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

James Brown, "Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" (1975) - The trend of artists using backing music of just-released tracks to put on their mixtapes isn’t a new one. A couple of months right after Bowie’s “Fame” was released, Brown used that contagious guitar riff as the star for the title track of his 1976 album, Hot.(Photos from left: Rob Loud/Getty Images, Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)

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James Brown, "Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" (1975) - The trend of artists using backing music of just-released tracks to put on their mixtapes isn’t a new one. A couple of months right after Bowie’s “Fame” was released, Brown used that contagious guitar riff as the star for the title track of his 1976 album, Hot.(Photos from left: Rob Loud/Getty Images, Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)

Dr. Dre, 'Fame,' Featuring RC, King Tee and Jheryl Lockhart (1996) - That long and droned out “Fame” is a sample darling. In 1996, Dr. Dre used the Bowie sample for another ode to how fame doesn’t necessarily make things easier.(Photos from left: Splash News/Corbis, Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Dr. Dre, 'Fame,' Featuring RC, King Tee and Jheryl Lockhart (1996) - That long and droned out “Fame” is a sample darling. In 1996, Dr. Dre used the Bowie sample for another ode to how fame doesn’t necessarily make things easier.(Photos from left: Splash News/Corbis, Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Ice Cube, 'Alive on Arrival' (1991) - That Bowie “Fame” riff makes another appearance in Ice Cube’s vivid storytelling about poor medical care fueled by prejudice.(Photos from left: Walter McBride/INFphoto/Corbis Images, Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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Ice Cube, 'Alive on Arrival' (1991) - That Bowie “Fame” riff makes another appearance in Ice Cube’s vivid storytelling about poor medical care fueled by prejudice.(Photos from left: Walter McBride/INFphoto/Corbis Images, Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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Ol' Dirty Bastard, 'Dirty Run,' Featuring Rhymefest (2005) - “Dirty Run” (off ODB's posthumous mixtape) uses David Bowie’s riff on “Fame.” (Photos from left: Carstensen/dpa/Corbis, Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

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Ol' Dirty Bastard, 'Dirty Run,' Featuring Rhymefest (2005) - “Dirty Run” (off ODB's posthumous mixtape) uses David Bowie’s riff on “Fame.” (Photos from left: Carstensen/dpa/Corbis, Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Ultramagnetic MC's, 'Break North' (1988) - For their 1988 debut, “Critical Beatdown,” the Bronx group uses “Fame” to back up their braggadocious rhymes.(Photos from left: Splash News/Corbis, Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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Ultramagnetic MC's, 'Break North' (1988) - For their 1988 debut, “Critical Beatdown,” the Bronx group uses “Fame” to back up their braggadocious rhymes.(Photos from left: Splash News/Corbis, Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

MC Lyte, 'Put It on You' (1998) - This track was taken from MC Lyte’s sixth album, Seven & Seven. Sound familiar?(Photos from left: Image Press/Splash News/Corbis, Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Neighborhood Awards)

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MC Lyte, 'Put It on You' (1998) - This track was taken from MC Lyte’s sixth album, Seven & Seven. Sound familiar?(Photos from left: Image Press/Splash News/Corbis, Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Neighborhood Awards)

Sir Mix-a-Lot, 'Posse on Broadway (The Godzilla Remix Edit)' (1988) - On this 1988 remix of a track from his debut album Swass the artist took a play from the hip hop book to sample Bowie’s “Fame” track. (Photos from left: Jo Hale/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Dick Clark Productions)

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Sir Mix-a-Lot, 'Posse on Broadway (The Godzilla Remix Edit)' (1988) - On this 1988 remix of a track from his debut album Swass the artist took a play from the hip hop book to sample Bowie’s “Fame” track. (Photos from left: Jo Hale/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Dick Clark Productions)

Luther Vandross, 'Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)' (1976) - For his debut album Luther sampled from Bowie’s Young Americans album. Using an interpolation of “Fascination,” Luther was able to prove his voice was always good for more than just ballads.(Photos from left: Scott Gries/Getty Images, Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)

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Luther Vandross, 'Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)' (1976) - For his debut album Luther sampled from Bowie’s Young Americans album. Using an interpolation of “Fascination,” Luther was able to prove his voice was always good for more than just ballads.(Photos from left: Scott Gries/Getty Images, Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)

Saigon, 'Breathe Thru the Years' (2005) - On his 2005 mixtape Saigon uses a piano sample of a track off Bowie’s 2003 album Reality called “Bring Me the Disco King.” (Photos from left: Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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Saigon, 'Breathe Thru the Years' (2005) - On his 2005 mixtape Saigon uses a piano sample of a track off Bowie’s 2003 album Reality called “Bring Me the Disco King.” (Photos from left: Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)