Few have had as big an impact on music as vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone. He may have passed away last night (June 9) from longstanding lung complications, but, as one of the most sampled artists of all time, his voice is still finding new ears to this day, almost 60 years after he debuted with his Family Stone in 1966.

Indeed, it is alongside the Family Stone – which, in its initial iteration, included Sly’s own siblings Freddie, Rose and Vaetta – that the progressive soul and funk artist achieved such a prolific legacy. The group were one of the first racially integrated bands in America, forming just two years after the Civil Rights Act outlawed racial segregation in 1964, while their high-octane fusion of funk, soul and rock music is regarded as the driving force behind the ‘progressive soul’ movement – of which Sly & The Family Stone’s Woodstock ‘69 performance is a masterclass in.

The group had dissolved by the early 1970s, reportedly driven apart by Sly Stone’s erratic behaviour and drug addiction, but the group’s releases continue to inspire musical innovation today. Perhaps the longest lasting legacy of Sly and The Family Stone is their centrality to hip-hop music, with the drum breakdown on 1968 release “Sing a Simple Song” in particular soundtracking countless rap hits across the 70s, 80s and 90s. 

Riding the euphoria of the Civil Rights period into the chronic uncertainty of the Cold War period that followed, there is an impressive breadth to Sly and The Family Stone’s original seven-year run, and it is this diversity that has allowed their compositions to live on for so long since.

Below, in honour of the late vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, we look back at five of the most iconic samples of his music. 

“INTO MY OWN THING”

Sampled by: Fatboy Slim ft. Bootsy Collins – “Weapon of Choice”

Hit play on the video above. I rest my case. The ensemble opening to the Family Stone’s “Into My Own Thing” hit the big time when Brightonian big beat producer Fatboy Slim sampled it in the Grammy Award-winning track “Weapon of Choice”, featuring guest vocals from Parliament-Funkadelic musician Bootsy Collins, as well as a music video starring Christopher Walken and directed by Spike Jonze.

The iconic sample has since been used in everything from Malcolm in the Middle to numerous TV adverts, but there’s nothing commercial about the Family Stone’s 1968 original, which speaks of “meditation” and freedom of expression in the wake of the first summer of love. Speaking to Mojo in the wake of the “Weapon of Choice”’s release, Bootsy Collins described Sly as the “most talented musician” he’s ever met. 

“SING A SIMPLE SONG”

Sampled in: Tupac – “Temptations”; Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre – “Deep Cover”; KRS-One – “Sound of Da Police”; and more

Simple is evidently best, because the drum breakdown two minutes and 12 seconds into Sly Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song” is one of the single most prolific loops of all time. It’s all over 80s and 90s hip hop – Eazy E, Tupac, KRS-One, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre; need we continue? This prolific legacy is a testament to Sly Stone’s limitless funk. Where most hip-hop samples are sped up and layered to make them fit for the party, the “Sing a Simple Song” breakdown is unique for almost universally being slowed and toned down in its later interpolations. 

“SEX MACHINE”

Sampled in: Primal Scream – “Slip Inside This House”

You have to listen all the way to the end of Sly and the Family Stone’s 13-minute-long track “Sex Machine” to hear the leathery laugh that is sampled in Primal Scream’s “Slip Inside This House”, but it’s packed with emotion. The tiny vocal clip was looped on Primal Scream’s landmark rave album Screamadelica, adding quite literally a primal energy to the track. A similar effect is achieved in the breakdown of 2006 Gotye release “A Distinctive Sound”.

“POET” 

Sampled in: De La Soul – “Description”

This is another track that has been interpolated almost beat-for-beat. Appearing in the first few seconds of the track, “Poet”’s kick drum and distorted lead guitar are looped in De La Soul’s posse cut “Description”, creating a laid-back, plodding rhythm that allows Trugoy, Posdnuos, Maseo and China to introduce themselves.

“DANCE TO THE MUSIC”

Sampled in: “Something 2 Dance 2” – N.W.A

Appearing on incendiary debut album Welcome to Compton by pioneering gangster rap group N.W.A, “Something 2 Dance 2” interpolates Sly and the Family Stone’s original chorus almost word for word, transporting the classic funk party starter into a new world of hip-hop sequenced drums and 808 cowbells. Elsewhere, Sly’s original has contributed acapella doo-woops to Queen Latifah’s “Dance for Me” and will.i.am’s “Dance to the Music”, as well as the breakdown for the Beastie Boys’ “Egg Man” and Primal Scream’s “Rock”.