10 Perfect Hip Hop Music Samples Of Classic Rock Songs
3. A Tribe Called Quest's Can I Kick It? - Walk On The Wild Side (Lou Reed)
A Tribe Called Quest are the undisputed kings of alternative '90s hip hop. The New York based group were a far cry from the prevalent West Coast gangsta rap that was dominating the mainstream scene. They offered up albums like People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990) and The Low End Theory (1991). Both of which were monumental in shaping a jazz-influenced approach to hip hop. The former record contained the group's most widely recognised track "Can I Kick It?".
Although sampling offers up almost infinite options for creating new music, it isn't without its downsides - notably the issues of licensing and copyright. Without getting clearance to use someone else's material you'll likely be faced with a fat lawsuit or have to offer up all your earnings - something Tribe found out the hard way.
Using Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" as a basis for lo fi alternative hip hop, was a stroke of genius. The melody lent itself perfectly to Q-Tip's mellow flow. To a generation unfamiliar with Lou Reed, this track no doubt introduced swaths of kids to his music. But due to Tribe's management failing to secure the rights to the sample, Reed received all the profits as well as the free piece of advertising.