10 Rap Songs That Sampled Classical Music

10. Paparazzi - Xzibit (1996)

Sample: Pavane (Vocalise) by Barbara Streisand (cover of Gabriel Fauré's Pavane)

Producer: Thayod Ausar

Thayod Ausar produced four tracks of Xzibit's 1996 debut work At The Speed of Life and Paparazzi, the album's lead single, is his masterstroke. At first glance, sampling Pavane is the weirdest of choices. A slow, mellow composition from 1887, rooted in court dance music and whose author originally intended to be played at a "series of light summer concerts", it doesn't scream West Coast gangsta rap.

And that's what makes this track stand out: the contrast between the soft melody and X's aggressive style. Deploring the state of the game is a common trope for rappers, but that beat, paired with Streisand's choir and a clip that features an orchestra playing on a cliff, gives it that extra ceremonious (and frankly, grandiloquent) vibe.

It's songs like this that turned X into one of the biggest names in the West Coast rap scene at the turn of the century. Sadly, his impact on the game has been minimum ever since, and it seems his earlier works will remain what he's best known for.