VA - Funky Breaks & Sampled Soul (2002)

How many times have you heard a rap or hip-hop track and thought to yourself that the sample sounds familiar, wonder who it is, or even wish you could hear the original version? If that sounds like you, then Funky Breaks & Sampled Soul is right up your alley. The 13 funk and soul tracks compiled here have served as the backbone for some of the biggest and best rap tracks. The back cover helpfully lets the listener know who did the sampling of each track. Some of the highlights are James Brown's "Funky Drummer," which has been sampled by almost everyone who ever used a sampler; Cameo's "Candy," which was lifted by Mariah Carey; and Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep," which was used by De la Soul, among others. Along with these well-known tracks come some rarities like Sylvia Striplin's "You Can't Turn Me Away," Jimmy "Bo" Horne's "(Let Me) Let Me Be Your Lover," and the Ohio Players' "Funky Worm." This mixture of fresh and well-worn tracks helps the compilation succeed as a sampling of good funk and soul and not just play like an hour's worth of oldies radio. It also serves as a nice history lesson -- one you can dance to.