What is the Amen break?

The Amen break is a six-second drum solo played by Gregory Coleman of the funk group The Winstons on the 1969 B-side 'Amen, Brother.' The break — a rapid snare fill with open hi-hats — was included on a 1986 breakbeat compilation and became the most sampled drum loop in music history, appearing in over 6,000 songs and forming the rhythmic foundation of jungle, drum & bass, hip-hop, and rave music.

Who played the Amen break and did he get paid?

The Amen break was played by Gregory Coleman (1944–2006), the drummer for The Winstons. Coleman never registered the copyright, never received a penny from the thousands of samples, and died homeless in Atlanta in 2006. The band leader Richard L. Spencer had retained the copyright to 'Amen, Brother' but chose not to pursue licensing — partly on principle, believing the samples had enriched music culture. Coleman's contribution was entirely unacknowledged for most of his life.

What famous songs use the Amen break?

The Amen break appears across an extraordinary range of music: NWA's 'Straight Outta Compton,' Salt-N-Pepa's 'I Desire,' Mantronix productions, and then the entire UK rave canon — The Prodigy ('Out of Space,' 'Break & Enter'), Goldie, LTJ Bukem, and thousands of jungle and drum & bass tracks. It also appears on Oasis's 'D'You Know What I Mean?' and Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab.' Artist and academic Nate Harrison made it the subject of a 2004 sound installation — the only formal eulogy Coleman ever received.

The Six Seconds That Built the Future

Genre: soul, jungle, drum and bass, hip-hop, sampling, Amen Break

February 27, 2026

A homeless man died in Atlanta having never received a penny for the seven-second drum solo that built jungle, drum & bass, and reshaped hip-hop

Tracks

1. Amen Brother — The Winstons
2. Color Him Father — The Winstons
3. Straight Outta Compton — N.W.A.
4. King Of The Beats Lesson #1 — Mantronix
5. Chopper - Shy FX Remix — The Terrorist, SHY FX
6. Inner City Life — Goldie
7. Firestarter — The Prodigy
8. Renegade Snares — Omni Trio
9. Original Nuttah 25 — Uk Apache, SHY FX

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