Top 10 Most Famous Hip Hop Samples You Might Not Be Aware Of

Used in the song "California Love (Remix)," by 2Pac. I still get Mad Max flashbacks every time I hear this, even if it's the original tune.

Turns up in "Breathe," by Fabolous. Gotta love Supertramp. It's not their first use as a sample either, though, I don't think. Right now I can't remember what the other one was, though.

Believe it or not, the Beastie Boys took the opening drum part from this for "Rhymin' and Stealin'" on Licensed to Ill. Speaking of the Beastie Boys...

Adam Yauch, Mike D and the King Ad Rock borrowed the bassline for "High Plains Drifter." Ah, the '80s, when you could sample almost anything and no one really cared. Nice job, Vanilla Ice, for screwing that up.

Used for the chorus of Common's "The Light," one of the great hip hop love songs of all time. Hmmm... maybe that's another list...

Okay, they slowed this one WAY down to use here, but the funk-soul family's bass and guitar loop are all over Ice Cube's signature solo song.

Is disco gangsta? The Notorious B.I.G. seemed to think so (or at least Puffy did), since it wound up forming the basis for the song "Mo Money Mo Problems."

I was stunned when this song came on a mix tape someone made for me, as it's the sample for one of my all-time favorite hip hop tunes: "Award Tour" by A Tribe Called Quest.

I couldn't resist one more Beastie Boys example, which this time turned up in "She's Crafty." And she's just my type!

I remember Puff Daddy's 1997 song "Victory" for its way-over-the-top music video that made Puff out to be some kind of hip hop batman without the cheesy costume. Whatever. The song is actually a really entertaining listen, coupled with an epic beat using this song from the Rocky soundtrack.