Tuned In: Songs That Sample TV Show Themes

Cam'ron's recent flip of Golden Girls is just one example.

Cam'ron - Around the turn of the new millennium, Cam'ron demanded to be released from his Epic/Sony contract. Thereafter, he signed with Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam and ushered in the "Hey Ma" and "Oh Boy" era. Killa Season then followed as he hooked up with Asylum Records under Warner Music Group in 2006. (Photo: John Ricard / BET)

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Tuned In: Songs That Sample TV Show Themes - Thank you for being Cam'ron's friend. The Harlem rapper released a new song earlier this week, "Golden Friends," that samples the famous theme song to classic sitcom Golden Girls. An awesome idea, and one we're surprised someone else hadn't done first. After all, TV-show theme songs have long been fodder for dope hip hop tracks. Read on to see some notable examples. —Alex Gale (photo: John Ricard / BET).

Nas, "Got Ur Self A..." - Nas' 2001 single samples "Woke Up This Morning" by British rock band Alabama 3 — better known as the theme song to HBO drama The Sopranos. (Photo: Columbia Records)

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Nas, "Got Ur Self A..." - Nas' 2001 single samples "Woke Up This Morning" by British rock band Alabama 3 — better known as the theme song to HBO drama The Sopranos. (Photo: Columbia Records)

Nice & Smooth, "Hip Hop Junkies" - Bronx duo Nice & Smooth’s 1992 classic “Hip Hop Junkies” lifted the opening bars of the theme from '70s show The Partridge Family. (Photo: Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records)

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Nice & Smooth, "Hip Hop Junkies" - Bronx duo Nice & Smooth’s 1992 classic “Hip Hop Junkies” lifted the opening bars of the theme from '70s show The Partridge Family. (Photo: Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records)

Cam'Ron (@mr_camron) - Killa Cam got his promo on to help out his DipSet brethren.TWEET: "Thx for all da support everyone on Gunz & Butta!!! In stores and On Itunes right now!! Huuhhh @VADO_MH voice"(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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Cam'ron, "Harlem Streets" - Cam’ron’s been down this road before. “Harlem Streets,” from his 2004 album, Purple Haze, sampled the moody piano chords of the theme to 1980s drama Hill Street Blues. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for AXE)

Photo By Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Turned Up - In 2008, Wale signs a joint deal with Allido and Interscope Records for $1.3 million. The following year, his fifth mixtape, Back to the Feature, was released.  Guest appearances on the mixtape include Talib Kweli, Joell Ortiz, Curren$y, J. Cole and Bun B. (Photo: MMG)

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Wale, "The Opening Title Sequence" - Wale not only based two mixtapes — The Mixtape About Nothing and More About Nothing — on Seinfeld conceptually, but he also sampled the legendary sitcom's theme song for the intro to the former. (Photo: MMG)

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Ma$e, "Welcome Back" - Mase's 2004 comeback single appropriately sampled the late-'70s sitcom Welcome Back Kotter. (Photo: Bad Boy Records)

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Ma$e, "Welcome Back" - Mase's 2004 comeback single appropriately sampled the late-'70s sitcom Welcome Back Kotter. (Photo: Bad Boy Records)

St. Lunatics feat. Nelly, "Batter Up" - Nelly and his St. Lunatics crew interpolated the soulful song from The Jeffersons for the hook of their 2001 single "Batter Up." (Photo: Universal Motown Records)

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St. Lunatics feat. Nelly, "Batter Up" - Nelly and his St. Lunatics crew interpolated the soulful song from The Jeffersons for the hook of their 2001 single "Batter Up." (Photo: Universal Motown Records)

American Idol - In 2007 Doug E. Fresh performed variations upon "The Show" with finalist Blake Lewis on the season-six finale of American Idol. It was the first ever hip-hop performance on the show.(Photo: Reality Records)

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Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew, "The Show" - Doug E. Fresh's 1985 classic jacked the theme song from 1980s cartoon Inspector Gadget. (Photo: Reality Records)

Photo By Photo: Reality Records

Panjabi MC feat. Jay-Z, "Beware of the Boys (Remix)" - The beat from British bhangra star Panjabi MC's 1998 hit "Beware of the Boys" — and the remix, which featured a Jay-Z guest verse — interpolated the synth-heavy theme to '80s action series Knight Rider. (Photo: Sequence Records)

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Panjabi MC feat. Jay-Z, "Beware of the Boys (Remix)" - The beat from British bhangra star Panjabi MC's 1998 hit "Beware of the Boys" — and the remix, which featured a Jay-Z guest verse — interpolated the synth-heavy theme to '80s action series Knight Rider. (Photo: Sequence Records)

Timbaland feat. Magoo and Missy Elliott, "Here We Come" - The beat "Here We Come," the lead single from Timbaland's 1998 album, Tim's Bio, featuring Missy Elliott and Magoo, took its melody from the theme song to the 1960s animated TV version of Spiderman. (Photo: EMI Records)

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Timbaland feat. Magoo and Missy Elliott, "Here We Come" - The beat "Here We Come," the lead single from Timbaland's 1998 album, Tim's Bio, featuring Missy Elliott and Magoo, took its melody from the theme song to the 1960s animated TV version of Spiderman. (Photo: EMI Records)

Ghostface Killah, "Slept On Tony" - Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah made no secrets about being an Iron Man fan, as he christened that the title of his 1996 solo debut. Ghost also uses the aliases Tony Stark and Iron Man, which are the two identities of the Marvel character.In 2008, Ghostface recorded the theme song, "Slept On Tony," for the Iron Man movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard. He also had a small cameo in the film, but didn't make the final cut when it hit theaters.  (Photo: Fergus McDonald/Getty Images)

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Ghostface Killah feat. Raekwon and Superb, "Good Times" - This underground classic, left off Ghostface Killah's Bulletproof Wallets due to clearance issues, sampled the unforgettable theme song from the sitcom of the same name. (Photo: Fergus McDonald/Getty Images)