J Balvin, AJR & More: 5 Songs That Sample ‘Spongebob Squarepants’
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? A surprisingly prolific source of music samples named Spongebob Squarepants.
Over the last decade, the kid’s television show created by the late Stephen Hillenburg has become one of the most-memed programs in television history. Thanks to its impeccable reputation online, many artists have found ample material in the show’s moments and music for sampling in their music, from Spongebob’s laugh to even the iconic theme.
From Tainy and J Balvin’s newest contribution, to AJR’s pop-infused reimagining of the characters iconic catchphrase, here are five songs that sample moments from Spongebob Squarepants.
Tainy & J Balvin, “Agua”
In their brand new collaboration for the upcoming Spongebob Movie, Tainy and J Balvin reinterpreted the character’s iconic “nose flute” from the show’s opening credits as a slick new sample for their hot new reggaeton track. Plus, the song’s opening features Patchy the Pirate and his band of kids singing the end of the theme song before Tainy and Balvin transcend into a club-ready banger.
AJR, “I’m Ready”
When you’ve written an entire song titled “I’m Ready,” it’s almost expected that a certain undersea sponge should be able to make an appearance. That’s certainly the case with AJR’s “I’m Ready” — in their 2013 single, the song opens with Spongebob himself proclaiming his iconic catchphrase before the band launches into their poppy single, getting a lover ready for a good time.
Lil Pump ft. Smokepurpp, “Ignorant”
For their track “Ignorant,” Lil Pump and Smokepurpp took a different approach and repurposed Spongebob’s closing theme music into a hard-hitting beat, courtesy of producer J. Price. The pair spend most of the track going hard after their haters — so, to set the tone early on, the two open the track with a clip of Spongebob robbing a bank, as he screams for the listener to “put the money in the bag!”
Ski Mask the Slump God feat. Pollari, “S–t Talk”
Megafans of Spongebob Squarepants will be able to recognize the song “Jelly Fish Jam,” where the titular sponge gets a chorus of sea life to create simple dance track. When putting together his Drown In Designer mixtape, rapper Ski Mask the Slump God decided to add in a very short sample of the song for his opening, as if playing on a speaker in the background, before he and Pollari launch into their bossed-up trap track.
Joey Trap ft. KG Smokey, “I Got Top in Bikini Bottom”
With his breakout single, Joey Trap decided to not just sample the show, but to use every bit of imagery from it he could in his lyrics. Sampling the show’s closing theme, Trap fires off some truly filthy lyrics using characters like Spongebob, Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks and Squidward for some creative imagery of what exactly he did to his last lover.