Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969) was a number-one hit that showcased the group's revolutionary fusion of rock, funk, soul, and psychedelia. Larry Graham's slap bass technique — which he invented while playing with Sly — drives the track with a percussive energy that transformed what the bass guitar could do in popular music. The drum groove matches the bass's intensity, creating a rhythmic foundation that sounds like nothing that came before it.

The break's influence on hip-hop is both direct and indirect. Directly, the drum groove has been sampled by producers across the genre. Indirectly, the slap bass technique that Graham pioneered on this track became the standard for funk bass playing, influencing every funk recording that followed — which means Graham's innovation echoes through every funk sample that hip-hop has ever used.