Chic's "Le Freak" (1978) was born from frustration. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards had been turned away at the door of Studio 54, and their irritation fueled a writing session that produced one of the biggest-selling singles of all time. The original lyric was reportedly less radio-friendly than "freak out" — but the track's irresistible rhythm guitar pattern, Edwards' propulsive bassline, and Tony Thompson's powerhouse drumming made it a global phenomenon regardless.

Tony Thompson's drumming on "Le Freak" — crisp, powerful, perfectly pocket — made it a natural for hip-hop sampling. The break has appeared in tracks across the genre, and Thompson's influence extends beyond this single record: his combination of rock-level power with funk precision made him one of the most in-demand session drummers of the era, and his work with Chic provided some of the cleanest, hardest-hitting drum recordings of the disco period.