"Substitution" is an obscure 1973 funk single closely associated with the breakbeat sampling tradition. The track features a raw, punchy drum break with a character similar to other early-70s funk recordings that hip-hop producers gravitated toward — dry, unprocessed, and heavy on the snare.

The break's lo-fi quality and aggressive feel made it attractive to producers seeking that gritty, unpolished sound that defines classic boom-bap production. Like many obscure funk 45s from the early 1970s, the record's commercial failure in its own era only enhanced its mystique among the crate diggers who rediscovered it decades later.