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April 8, 2026
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The complete archive of 100 legendary breakbeat samples that built hip-hop.

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Archive/The Champ
SURF ROCK/INSTRUMENTAL
1968
124 BPM
Am

The Champ

An unlikely breakbeat source from a surf rock instrumental that features a thunderous drum break

The Mohawks
"The Champ"
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The Mohawks - The Champ
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Original Track

The Mohawks - "The Champ" (1968)

The original track containing the legendary 6.0-second drum break

Break occurs at 0:00 - 0:06

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The History

The Mohawks were a British funk group, and "The Champ" (1968) was their biggest record — a hard-driving instrumental built on a relentless drum groove and an insistently funky bass line. The track's title and energy evoke a boxing match: it punches forward with a determination and aggression that make it one of the hardest-hitting breaks of the late 1960s.

"The Champ" was one of the earliest breaks to be used in hip-hop, and its aggressive energy made it a natural fit for the b-boy battle culture that defined the genre's early years. The break has been used extensively in both hip-hop and electronic music, and it remains a testament to the fact that great funk was being made on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1960s.

Notable Samples

LL Cool J

"Mama Said Knock You Out"

1990

Public Enemy

"Bring the Noise"

1987

Ice-T

"6 in the Mornin'"

1986

Tone Loc

"Wild Thing"

1989

Digital Underground

"The Humpty Dance"

1990

Tags

rock
surf
classic
breakbeat

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