Dec. 1, 2009 – New website offers a unique and fun way to discover music by “exploring music’s DNA”. Urban music fans can now find, share and discuss the originals behind their favorite samples and cover songs, from Hip-Hop and R&B to Soul, Funk, film soundtracks and beyond. 

Sampling has always been deeply rooted at the heart of Hip-Hop music, and served as the main building block for some of the best music of the last 30 years, from the early rap records of the late 1970’s to the latest Hip-Hop releases. Sampling has become so widespread in recent years, that it is now an integral part of mainstream pop culture too. WhoSampled.com, a website that officially launches today, allows music fans to discover and discuss the originals behind their favorite sampled music, providing them with fascinating insight into how urban music is made and what influences it.

WhoSampled.com is a community-based site building the world’s largest database of music samples and cover songs. It was quietly opened in late 2008, and has since amassed a solid following of deeply engaged, passionate music fans. The database is growing quickly and already lists more than 17,000 tracks by 7,500 artists, submitted by hundreds of contributors and managed by 30 moderators from across the globe. All songs are presented as videos displayed side-by-side, and the timing of each sample is specified, so that musical connections can be listened to, appreciated, understood and discussed. The top-ranked sample is currently Hip-Hop classic “Insane in the Brain” by Cypress Hill, who chose an unusual source for their track: a sample of a horse. Cover songs were only recently added to the site, but there are already thousands listed.

“Until recently, music fans would often struggle to identify the true origins of songs, and would sometimes be unaware that their favorite music is actually based on older music” says Nadav Poraz, founder of WhoSampled.com. “We created a unique knowledge-sharing platform that allows for a new world of musical journeys to unfold. Many long-forgotten musicians can now be recognized for their influential work, while modern musicians can be appreciated for their use of those influences.”

WhoSampled is an invaluable resource for urban music fans looking to dig deeper into the music they love and transform their musical knowledge.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
WhoSampled PR
+44 (0)7960 531089
pr@whosampled.com

http://www.whosampled.com