Would like to have seen the dates of the songs being sampled.

*related=https://videosift.com/video/The-ubiquitous-Amen-Break-explained

The ubiquitous "Amen Break" explained has been added as a related post - related requested by notarobot.

Yeah, for real. I'm with Xax. That's nuts! It's like the Ubiquitous Break Beat.

Holy crap, I unknowingly used this break in a couple DnB tunes I made back when I was a techno-junkie. I knew was an "amen break" but I didn't know or care what that meant. cool.

So it is, funny how it didn't show up when I searched for amen or amen break.

*discard

It's still there:
http://www.videosift.com/video/The-ubiquitous-Amen-Break-explained

I would download sets of wav files for making simple mod music in highschool (late 90's) and many would include a version of the amen snare and amen break. Its a fast, punchy snare, and the break itself was so cleanly isolated and easily looped in its original form that it was never too surprising to me why it first became such a mainstay for lazy producers.

As an even further aside, theres a really fun mix that ?uestlove of The Roots did on BBC 1 not too long ago, entirely composed of the songs sampled for the backing to famous rap songs (usually 70's funk songs with clean breaks or some interesting flair). search 'questlove bbc The Lesson: Sample Montage'

Long video, but worth the watch. I have HATED the Amen Break ever since it first came out and I find that 99% of songs that use it to be practically unlistenable.