This Video Explores the Countless Songs That Sample Manu Dibango's 'Soul Makossa'
In their new video, Sample Chief highlights how influential 'Soul Makossa' has been on popular music.
Manu Dibango's 1972 record "Soul Makossa" is the most sampled African song ever. A new video from the African music knowledge-sharing platform Sample Chief highlights just how widely his classic song has been used across genres and time periods.
According to Sample Chief, the song has been sampled and covered over 125 times. The video maps out the song's explosive journey from a B-side for the Cameroonian national football team to one of the most recognizable records of all time.
READ: Sample Chief, a Go-To Platform for African Music Knowledge, Share 5 of Their Favorite Samples
While the song's vocal chants were perhaps most famously used by Michael Jackson on 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," and Rihanna on "Please Don't Stop the Music" (he later sued both artists for reportedly using it without his permission), the video shows that the song's influence has spread to countless tracks. In its earlier days, it was used by Kool & The Gang on the hit track "Hollywood Swinging" and it was later used on a number of hip-hop songs from the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes and more. It's even been heard in some unexpected places: it was used on the Buckwheat Boyz's novelty track "Ice Cream and Cake," which then landed in a popular Baskin Robbin's commercial.
READ: 10 Essential Manu Dibango Songs
The video also provides a history lesson on the late Cameroonian musician's illustrious career as Africa's first international star and the father of Afro-jazz.
Check out the full video below and keep up with Sample Chief on Twitter and Instagram.
Soul Makossa Is The Most Sampled African Track Of All Time! www.youtube.com
