Kanye West's 10 Greatest Samples Of All-Time
1. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger – Daft Punk
Whilst most of West's iconic samples are found on obscure 1970s soul albums, his greatest comes from a very different place - a French electronic music duo.
This is, of course, Daft Punk's Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger which was sampled by West for Stronger, a track on his 2007 third studio album Graduation.
The song, which was reportedly mixed over 75 times before deciding on the final studio version, is an absolute masterclass on how to use a sample for maximum effect.
The combination of Daft Punk’s robotic repetition alongside West’s masterful rapping has proved to such a winning formulation that it has generated a heated debate over which version is truly the better song.
Unusually for him, upon the song's release, even West admitted in interviews that he felt the French duo's version was superior. However, when asked about their take on the record, Daft Punk were full of praise for West's interpretation of their electro-house classic.
In addition to winning Best Rap Solo Performance award at the 2008 Grammy Awards, the song has since been credited for the increased use of house and electronic music in hip-hop music.