‘Sampled songs dominate Billboard charts’ – State of Sampling report 2021

The annual report includes data on a number of Billboard Hot 100 hits, trends in sampling, and significant clearance cases.

Samples were found to be a persistent factor in Billboard hits and Grammy Awards, most notably hip hop music, which boasted the highest number of sampled songs with 48% of the Grammy-nominated tracks in the Best Rap Album category.

More than 54% of the albums on Billboard during the year had samples from other previously released tracks, and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy is the most sample-based album of all Billboard charting collections, boasting 15 samples in the 21-track LP.

About 14% of the Billboard Hot 100 list in 2021 comprised songs previously released, which was up by 13% from last year’s figure. The list saw the highest number of samples in the last three years, with 111 samples across the 89 charting hits that were sampled from other songs.

“The sample usage in this year’s Billboard Hot 100 hits shows how new trends continue to emerge, while old classics come back around, too,” Tracklib said. “2021 sees the oldest samples since 2013. And the decades of the 90s and 70s play an important role in this year's sound.”

The report found that the 70s, 90s, and 2010s are the most popular decades to sample. Rock, which has not featured in the annual report for some time, recorded 8% samples, a steep increase from the almost zero figure documented in the past three years. The data indicates signs of a resurgence of sampling based on the upward trajectory in sample usage. The list is also influenced by a new generation of producers who sample sounds from the 90s such as classic hip-hop and R&B hits, according to the report.

Tracklib boasts a catalogue of more than 100 000 recordings from over 400 labels and publishers.

Read the full report here.