10 Best Rock Samples In Hip Hop
9. Gyöngyhajú Lány - New Slave (Kanye West)
Gyöngyhajú lány was recorded way back in 1968, a blend of grand operatic choruses and Eastern-European gothic rock. It's a stirring piece of music but it was the last thing fans were expecting to be nestled in a Kanye record.
The sample from Hungarian rock band Omega drops in around the 2:50 mark of Kanye's track New Slaves. And, despite it being a stark contrast to the first half of the track, in terms of pace and feel, it's one of the most unexpected and brilliant samples deployed in the last 20 years. Usually these kinds of obscure samples are reserved for the likes of MF DOOM.
It's the combination of the hauntingly defiant guitar tone in the original track, laid beneath the vocal outcries of Frank Ocean that make it one of the most powerful climaxes to any of Kanye's songs.
Kanye would end up being sued by the original composer of the song Gábor Presser, for not seeking his blessing before using the sample. But with money like Kanye, it was probably worth it for this iconic melding of '60s opera rock and modern hip-hop.