Beyoncé, Taylor Swift & Drake Have All Sampled The Same ’90s Hit
Three of the biggest artists on the planet have all used pieces of "I'm Too Sexy" in recent releases, with all of them becoming smash hits.
There are countless examples of one artist using some part of another act’s song in the creation of a new one, and the process – sometimes called sampling or interpolating, depending on some technicalities – is becoming more and more popular.
Top talents these days are known for mining past hits for catchy melodies, harmonies, or familiar lyrics, and listeners often respond positively to the usage, as it drums up nostalgia and makes the new effort seem instantly familiar.
Some songs are so beloved that they are sampled (or interpolated) over and over again by a number of big stars, which goes to prove just how incredible and popular the first track really was.
One such example is Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy,” the silly-but-suave and boundary-pushing single from the ’90s that defined a decade and is remembered fondly.
Three of the biggest artists on the planet have all used pieces of that tune in recent releases, with all of them becoming bestsellers and chart hits.
Here’s a rundown of three recent smashes that have all borrowed from “I’m Too Sexy” and the musicians who used the ’90s No. 1 hit to create new wins of their own.
Taylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do”
This trend of borrowing from “I’m Too Sexy” to create modern-day smashes started in 2017 with Taylor Swift, an unlikely user of the adult-leaning tune.
The former country star borrowed heavily from Right Said Fred’s biggest success for her single “Look What You Made Me Do,” which introduced her album Reputation to the world. The cut essentially used the same rhythmic pattern in the chorus, because Swift surely figured if it’s worked before, why not try it again?
“Look What You Made Me Do” debuted fairly low on the Hot 100 upon its arrival, as it was released mid-week. The following frame, after a complete seven days had passed, the tune shot right to No. 1 on the chart, becoming Swift’s fifth leader on the tally.
Drake – “Way 2 Sexy”
A few years after Swift interpolated “I’m Too Sexy,” Drake took things a step further and did the same, only he didn’t take just a part of the tune, he based his entire composition on the ’90s favorite.
“Way 2 Sexy” is so similar to the original, their names are even nearly identical, as the Canadian rapper wants people to be fully aware of the reference.
“Way 2 Sexy” served as the lead single from Drake’s album Certified Lover Boy, and it was released on the same day as the full-length. Both the tune and the album debuted at No. 1, with the hip-hop titan reaching the highest spot on the Billboard 200 (albums chart) and Hot 100 (songs chart), nabbing his the tenth and ninth leaders, respectively.
Joining Drake in the success of “Way 2 Sexy” were fellow rappers Future and Young Thug. All three artists were nominated for the Best Rap Performance Grammy for their work, but Drake shockingly asked the Recording Academy to rescind the honor, which the organization did.
Beyoncé – “Alien Superstar”
Beyoncé is the latest global star to use some part of “I’m Too Sexy” in a new song, and this time around, the sampling is not without some controversy.
Queen Bey lifted a piece of the ’90s standard on her track “Alien Superstar” from her 2022 album Renaissance. While not released as an official single, “Alien Superstar” did debut and peak at No. 19 on the Hot 100, making it the fourth song related to the Right Said Fred behemoth to break into the top 20 on the ranking (including the original).
While the band seemed pleased with the use of their hit by both Swift and Drake, they were vocal about how upset they were that Bey did the same, calling the singer “arrogant” for apparently not asking for their permission first. While they weren’t thrilled, neither was Bey, and she had no issue calling the duo out on their inaccuracies.
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