Is Sampling Killing Originality in Pop Music?

If you’ve been listening to pop music over the past few years, you might have noticed something: a lot of songs sound familiar. The melodies, hooks, or beats remind you of something you’ve heard before—because they often are! Sampling, the technique of using portions of one song in a new track, has become so pervasive in modern pop music that it sometimes feels like there’s nothing new under the sun. But does this mean pop music has run out of original ideas? Let’s explore the rise of sampling and whether it signals the end of originality or if it’s simply an evolving creative tool in the music industry.

This post concludes our samples series, looking at the practice of sampling decade by decade.

Sampling Is Everywhere—More Than Ever Before

Today, sampling seems more prevalent than ever. Turn on the radio, scroll through a Spotify playlist, or even open TikTok, and you’ll hear a blend of familiar sounds from decades past layered into new pop hits. Whether it’s a nostalgic throwback to the early 2000s or a clever use of a 70s classic, sampling has become a core part of today’s music production. Artists like Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, and Jack Harlow have embraced it to appeal to both older fans and younger listeners alike.

But the rise of this practice may leave some wondering—has pop music simply run out of fresh ideas?

Sampling Has Been a Staple of Pop for Decades

Before we decide that pop music has lost its originality, let’s not forget that some of the most iconic tracks of the past also heavily rely on samples. Many songs that listeners assume are entirely original creations are, in fact, built around samples. For example, Beyoncé’s massive hit Crazy In Love prominently features a horn sample from the Chi-Lites’ 1970 song Are You My Woman (Tell Me So). Similarly, Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy samples a 1960s Italian track, Nel Cimitero Di Tucson, while Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie borrows from Wyclef Jean’s Dance Like This. These songs are considered classics in their own right but rely heavily on older material.

So while sampling might feel more widespread now, it’s been an integral part of pop’s DNA for years. What’s changed is perhaps the way it’s being used.

When Sampling Feels Lazy vs. When It Feels Creative

Not all samples are created equal. Sometimes, a sampled song feels lazy—like the artist simply re-recorded someone else’s track and slapped some new lyrics over it. Latto’s Big Energy, for example, largely rests on the back of Mariah Carey’s Fantasy (which itself sampled Tom Tom Club’s Genius of Love). While Big Energy brought the sample to a new generation, the reuse feels straightforward without adding much that feels fresh or distinct from its source material.

On the other hand, some songs take a sample and transform it into something entirely new. Beyoncé’s Break My Soul, for example, samples Robin S.’s 1990s hit Show Me Love, but rather than rehashing the old track, she reshapes it into an empowering anthem of resilience and freedom. Similarly, Kanye West (for all his flaws) has built much of his career on taking older samples and recontextualizing them in innovative ways.

The difference lies in the creative process. Some artists simply recycle the old, while others reinvent it.

Millennials Feeling the Nostalgia (Or Is It Just Too Soon?)

For millennials especially, the increasing use of samples from their childhood can feel jarring. Jack Harlow’s First Class, which prominently samples Fergie’s Glamorous from 2006, sparked a wave of nostalgia for some listeners—but for others, it raised the question: is it too soon to sample songs that still feel fresh? Similarly, Nicki Minaj’s Are You Gone Already samples Billie Eilish’s 2019 hit when the party’s over. The speed at which recent tracks are being sampled adds to the feeling that pop music is recycling itself at an accelerated rate.

For younger audiences, these samples might introduce them to tracks they’ve never heard before, but for those who grew up with the originals, it can feel like pop is speeding through its own history.

Lawsuits and the Question of Coincidence

The other side of the sampling debate involves artists being sued for allegedly copying older songs—even when the similarity might just be a coincidence. Recent high-profile lawsuits, such as Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud being compared to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, raise concerns about how difficult it is to create something “new” when so much music already exists. Dua Lipa’s Levitating was similarly targeted in a lawsuit, and while both artists resolved their cases, these legal battles highlight how fine the line can be between “inspired by” and “copying.”

These cases raise a troubling question: Are we running out of new melodies, or is it simply harder to avoid unintentional similarities in an era where nearly every song ever recorded is easily accessible online?

Is Originality Dead?

So, does the widespread use of sampling mean that pop music is out of ideas? Not necessarily. While sampling is certainly a dominant trend, we still see artists pushing boundaries and creating original work. New pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan have gained attention for their innovative sounds without relying on obvious samples. Their music suggests that while sampling is popular, it’s not the only path to success in today’s pop landscape.

At the same time, there are plenty of artists who use sampling as a tool for creative reinvention, bringing something entirely new to the table. Rather than seeing it as the death of originality, perhaps we can view it as an evolution—an ongoing conversation between the past and the present, with artists sampling to create something that resonates with new audiences.

The Future of Pop

Sampling may feel ubiquitous, but pop music has always evolved by borrowing from what came before. While it can sometimes feel like originality is fading, the truth is that pop music has always been about both reinvention and creation. The most successful artists are those who know how to walk the line between the two, finding new ways to make old sounds feel exciting again.

So is originality in pop music dead? Not quite. It’s just wearing a new outfit.