In Memoriam: Ozzy Osbourne Hip-Hop Samples

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Metal and hip-hop are diametrically opposed in many ways – both culturally and sonically – but I need an excuse to write about Ozzy Osbourne. Like most kids, he was a favorite of mine before ever even getting into hip-hop and a big reason why I remain a metalhead to this day.

Not many genres have such an undisputed goat – certainly not Nas or Jay – whose iconic look, voice, and influence penetrate the zeitgeist like Ozzy. Whether it’s Sabbath’s enduring, unavoidably popular hits, their progenitor Doom metal albums which remain among the genre’s greatest, or aesthetic influence that is mere degrees of separation from practically any artist today.

Here, we will discuss some iconic Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath samples and tributes in hip-hop (keeping in mind I jacked whosampled for a lot of this). Some takeaways to consider:

Ice-T has sampled him several times, coming from an era where rock samples were hot thanks to Def Jam
- Ice himself dabbled in metal with his band Body Count
Numerous horrorcore artists have fittingly made references
Master of Reality – one of the great Stoner metal albums – is sparse on hip-hop samples, despite opportunity for weed references
- Such a slow, deep subgenre is likely difficult to incorporate in rap production
- Ozzy is a drug abuse icon; you’d think some samples or skits of his ridiculous interviews would come up more
While modern hip-hop is sparse on rock samples, many young artists (especially in Rage) adopt an edgy, dark style outside of their music that can be traced back to artists like Ozzy
- Sampling some songs as famous as the below can come across as corny unless some serious chopping is done. It’s like sampling “In the Air Tonight” at a certain point.