"Numbers" appeared on Kraftwerk's 1981 album Computer World, and alongside "Trans-Europe Express" it formed the electronic backbone of early hip-hop electro. The track is pure Kraftwerk minimalism — a pulsing, robotic rhythm overlaid with synthetic vocal counting in multiple languages. It sounds clinical, precise, and deliberately inhuman, which is exactly why the Bronx DJ scene fell in love with it.

Afrika Bambaataa sampled "Numbers" alongside "Trans-Europe Express" for "Planet Rock," and the combination of both Kraftwerk tracks became the sonic DNA of electro-funk. The influence extends through Miami bass, Detroit techno, and into modern electronic hip-hop — a straight line from a Dusseldorf recording studio to every 808-driven beat that followed.