Tyler, the Creator, Missy Elliott, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Nas & More R&B and Rap Artists Who’ve Sampled & Interpolated Old African Songs

Tyler, the Creator‘s latest single “NOID” from his seventh album Chromakopia, which dropped on Monday (Oct. 28) finds the Nigerian American rapper paying homage to his African roots: He samples Zambian rock band Ngozi Family’s 1977 track “Nizakupanga Ngozi.”

And it’s not the first time the revered MC (real name Tyler Okonma) — who’s become more vocal about his heritage (see his comment underneath OkayAfrica‘s Instagram post about not being included in the platform’s roundup of African artists who performed at Coachella this year) — has sampled an old African song. “I THINK,” from his Grammy-winning 2019 album IGOR samples Nigerian disco artist Bibi Mascel’s “Special Lady” as well as Cameroonian funk multi-instrumentalist Nkono Teles’ “Get Down.”

Tyler’s not the only major artist who’s paid tribute to the continent. Canadian-Ethiopian superstar The Weeknd honored his Ethiopian motherland when he sampled Aster Aweke’s “Y’shebellu” on his 2016 Starboy single “False Alarm.”

The late and legendary Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango‘s 1972 smash “Soul Makossa” is perhaps the most sampled African record ever, as its various instrumental elements have been heard in Jay-Z‘s “Face Off” (featuring Sauce Money), Beyoncé‘s “Deja Vu – Homecoming Live” (which Hov was also featured on) and countless more songs. The “Mama ko mama sa maka makossa” hook has been adapted and used on hits like Michael Jackson‘s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” and Rihanna‘s “Don’t Stop the Music,” but there was quite a bit of legal controversy surrounding those two songs. Dibango sued both artists in 2009 for copyright infringement after Rihanna only asked Jackson for permission to borrow the hook from “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” for her 2007 track without reaching out to Dibango. He had previously reached a financial settlement with the King of Pop, but Dibango demanded €500,000 in damages and for Sony BMG, EMI and Warner Music to be barred from making money off those songs until the matter was resolved. But the judge threw the case out because Dibango had accepted publishing credit on Rihanna’s song.

Billboard rounded up 15 songs by R&B and rap artists that sample and interpolate vintage African songs, in order from newest to oldest.