In African music today, sampling has become one of the most resorted approaches to creating global sounds. From hip hop to Afrobeats to hiplife and highlife, artists tend to borrow from past recordings, reinterpreting classics their way and creating modern and fresh bangers.

But for African creatives in music making, the question arises: Should artists lean more toward sampling as a standard practice, or should they focus more on crafting original classics that the future generation of creatives can sample from?

Particularly, sampling at its core is a powerful creative tool. It takes an incredible talent to reinterpret a known classic to sound original, and this technique bridges generations, allowing artists to reintroduce older music in such a way that it resonates with contemporary or newer audiences.

Many African classics from legends like Cardinal Rex Lawson, Angelique Kidjo, Brenda Fassie, Musiliu Haruna Ishola, Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango, Alhaji K. Frimpong, are being sampled in modern Afrobeats, hip hop, hiplife, highlife, and dancehall records, bringing them back to life for younger audiences.

Typical examples are Flavour N’abania Nwa Baby (2008) sampled in Rex Lawson’s Sawale (1969), Vulindela (1997) by Brenda Fassie sampled in Davido’s Funds (2024), Angelique Kidjo’s We We (1991) sampled in Burna Boy’s Anybody (2018), K. Frimpong’s Kyenkyen Bi Adi M'awu sampled by Reggie Rockstone on his 1998 hiplife record Keep Your Eyes on The Road, and the rest.

Moreover, sampling provides an opportunity for collaboration between eras. When ID Cabasa reimagined Photocopy, he created a bridge for two eras of Nigerian artists at the top of their game at their respective eras in Vector and original song owner 9ice. When Wizkid sampled Fela’s Shakara in Jaiye Jaiye, he not only paid homage to an icon but also introduced Fela’s sound to fans who might not have explored his catalog.

On the other hand, Africa has always been the home of innovation, from the combination of the African polyrhythmic drumming style with Western instruments to the creation of genres that are still in the mainstream today.

While sampling is good in many ways, overreliance might stifle originality. Because if past legends like Osita Osadebe, Franco Luambo, and Brenda Fassie, relied heavily and spent their careers reinterpreting already existing records we might not have timeless records that we look up to today.

The answer to the earlier question is finding balance.

Sampling when done properly, is an art but it should never replace creativity. It should create a sense of originality for each era of music that comes and goes.

We have done a great job reinventing and honoring the past while pushing the boundaries of creativity to the extreme. An example is the creation of the Amapiano genre. Although it is heavily influenced by Kwaito and Deep House, it has evolved into something original and uniquely South African.

African creatives should continue crafting classics that the future can hold on to because as the industry grows and gains international attention, originality will be the key to sustaining that momentum.

Sampling has become one of the most resorted approaches to creating global sounds. But is that the best way to go?

Embracing Sampling or Creating Classics?

Sampling has become one of the most resorted approaches to creating global sounds. But is that the best way to go?

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