Shakira and Anuel AA kicked of 2020 with their catchy “Me Gusta,” which sampled Inner Circle’s “Sweat” iconic hook “a la la la la long.”
“Is this too crazy?”, Shakira asked on an Instagram post of a behind-the-scenes of the making of the song. “Since everyone is sampling, let’s sample this. If [they] have sampled Shaggy, why can’t I sample Inner Circle?” And so she did.
Sampling and interpolating prominent hooks from previous generations isn’t new in music, but it seems like Latin hitmakers have been employing the practice more than ever these days.
Last year, Daddy Yankee released his smash hit “Con Calma,” recruiting Snow, the original singer of the 1992 song “Informer.” Plus, J Balvin teamed up with The Black Eyed Peas on “Ritmo,” which samples Corona’s 1993 Eurodance hit “Rhythm of the Night,” and Anuel followed the trend with “China,” sampling Shaggy’s 1999 smash “It Wasn’t Me.”
This year, aside from Shakira and Anuel, Bad Bunny and The Black Eyed Peas released sample-heavy albums, while other Latin artists like Nicky Jam and Sebastián Yatra were inspired by previous hits such as Latin Dreams’ “Quiero Una Chica” and Wayne Wonder’s “No Letting Go.”
From Shakira and Anuel AA’s “Me Gusta” to Black Eyed Peas and Ozuna’s “Mamacita,” check out 10 Latin songs that sampled or interpolated well-known hooks in 2020. Then, vote for your favorite re-imagined tune below.
Shakira & Anuel AA “Me Gusta”
Sampled: Inner Circle’s “Sweat” catchy hook “a la la la la long”
Bad Bunny, Ñengo Flow, Jowell y Randy “Safaera”
Sampled: Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”; bassline from Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved”; Cosculluela’s “Pa’ La Pared” featuring Jowell & Randy and the Jaws sample from Alexis y Fido’s “El Tiburón,” among others
Bad Bunny “Si Veo A Tu Mamá”
Sampled: Bossa nova tune “The Girl From Ipanema” by Astrud Gilberto, João Gilberto and Stan Getz
Sebastián Yatra, Guaynaa “Chica Ideal”
Sampled: Latin Dreams’ “Quiero Una Chica”
Black Eyed Peas, J. Rey Soul, Ozuna “Mamacita”
Sampled: Madonna’s 1987 hit single “La Isla Bonita”
De La Ghetto, Nicky Jam “Sube La Music”
Sampled: Wayne Wonder’s “No Letting Go”
Daddy Yankee, Anuel, Kendo Kaponi “Don Don”
Sampled: Sisqó’s “Thong Song”
Nicky Jam, Carla Morrison “Desahogo”
Sampled: Carla Morrison’s “Disfruto”
Nicky Jam, Daddy Yankee “Muévelo”
Sampled: Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes the Hotstepper”
Static & Ben El, Pitbull “Further Up (Na, Na, Na, Na, Na)”
Sampled: Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes the Hotstepper”
