Born Gloria Lavern Collins, Lyn Collins rose to fame in the company of James Brown who produced her two official LPs for the People label, 1972's 'Think (About It)' and 1975's 'Check Me Out If You Don't Know Me By Now'. While both albums were popular (and have since proven ripe for sampling), it was the former for which Collins will largely be remembered. The title cut, 'Think (About It)', an uptempo funk/soul cut with prominent drums and tambourines, was Collins' biggest commercial hit and by far the most heavily sampled, having clocked up close to 2,000 samples at the time of writing.

The track, which sits at around 115bpm throughout, contains numerous distinct break sections, offering clean drums, drums with energetic adlibs and even one section of clean tambourine. Here we chart the history of the popular break with highlights from its storied history in sample based music:

Synonymous with the James Brown influenced sound of late '80s Hip Hop, the Think Break is often thought to have been broken on wax by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's 1988 hit 'It Takes Two' (more on that later), but in truth the record's heritage as a popular breakbeat with early Hip Hop DJs resulted in it being a frequently used source in the first significant wave of sample based cuts as early as 1987. Latee's The 45 King-produced 'This Cut's Got Flavor' is one of the more transformative uses that year, shunning the popular loops in favour of a pounding staccato kick and snare pattern. The drum track from the song also appeared on 45 King's 'Master of the Game' album/breakbeat collection, leading to heavy use in later years in dance and Drum & Bass, much like 'Think' itself.

For a more familiar use, UK's Cookie Crew were dropping raps over the iconic 'Woo, Yeah' refrain a year prior to Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's smash hit with a degree of chart success both on home turf and across the pond in the US.

'It Takes Two' however is the track with which the break is arguably most frequently associated. The Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock anthem uses the track much more substantially than 45 King's subtle snatch of kicks and snares or Cookie Crew's loop based cut. Backed with drum machine hand claps, the Think drums and that familiar 'Woo, yeah' form the body of the track while Lyn's vocals deliver the hook: 'It takes two to make a thing go right, it takes two to make it out of sight'. To say that 'Think' was a popular sample in '88 would be an understatement: The record was sampled close to 50 times that year alone, making it a go to source for funky drums in uptempo rap joints.

If '88 was the year that 'Think' blew up, then '89 was the year that it became industry standard. An astonishing 150 uses in '89 alone are documented. Heavy D's DJ Eddie F produced 'You Ain't Heard Nuttin Yet' offers a sign of sample trends to come with a jazz funk sample of the kind that would typify the early 90s courtesy of Grover Washington, Jr., backed with 'Think' drums. This track would also offer a glimpse of the talents of a young producer by the name of Pete Rock (Heavy D's cousin) who although uncredited is said to have provided the samples from which the track was made and had a hand in its creation.

1990 ushered in a new era for Hip Hop, with producers increasingly turning their backs on the James Brown staples that underpinned much of the previous decade's output in search of deeper and more obscure sources. Much used, perhaps over-used, sources such as 'Think' slowly fell from favour as a key component of the Hip Hop producer's tool box, but the break was no less popular in broad terms. In fact, the break was used over 200 times in 1990 alone. The number of uses in Hip Hop however is a mere fraction of previous years - usages in early House music (and to some extent Hip-House) dominate the 1990 listings.

In 1991, trends for the break's usage reach a fork in the road. In the US, the break finds a new home with the advent of Swing Beat and New Jack Swing, where 80s style breakbeats, glossy production and close harmonies collide to create the fledgling 90s RnB sound.

Meanwhile in the UK and Europe house music is evolving rapidly into the myriad of sub-genres that make up the rave scene and the 'Think' break is in the mix with various other breakbeats popularised by Hip Hop as the rhythmic counterpoint to 4/4 drums and synth hooks.

Nowhere in dance music of this period is the breakbeat more central than the emerging 'Hardcore' sound of the UK, the drum led dance genre that is the pre-cursor of Drum & Bass. In 1991 2 Bad Mice throw 'Think' into a melting pot of popular breaks, Hip Hop vocals and sped up soul samples for an early Moving Shadow release. The label went on to be one of the most influential in the early Drum & Bass scene.

By 1992, tempos in this scene are on the rise and Hardcore is slowly starting to resemble the more familiar sounds of Drum & Bass and Jungle that would shortly follow. The Skeleton Krew's 'Luv to Luv Ya' offers a solid example. A handful of samples of 'Think' in Hip Hop continue in this period, although typically at the more commercial end of the spectrum (see Marky Mark and Vanilla Ice), but some more credible uses remain.

By 1993 Drum & Bass in a recognisable form had arrived and a slew of breakbeats that formed the backbone of the genre were in heavy rotation. Chief among them of course was the Amen Break, but 'Think' surely came in a close second. 'Valley of the Shadows' from Andy C project Origin Unknown is one of the most highly regarded 'Think' based cuts from the period.

Of the 100 or so samples of 'Think' listed for 1994, the vast majority relate to Jungle and Drum & Bass, including many anthems of the day, among them 'Burial' by Jumping Jack Frost alias Leviticus. Beyond the mid 90s, the relative popularity of the most heavily used breaks in the genre was subject to ever changing trends. While the Amen break remained consistently popular, Think fell from favour somewhat in the late 90s while harder, choppier drum styles emerged at the techier end of the Drum & Bass spectrum.

Think experienced a resurgence in Drum & Bass however as the 'Liquid' sound of Drum & Bass emerged in the early to mid 2000s, offering a rolling layer of texture beneath a typically punchier kick snare pattern from other sources.

Meanwhile stateside, the Think break was experiencing an entirely different renaissance, in the clubs of Baltimore. The Baltimore Club scene (sometimes simply referred to as 'Club Music') dates back to the 80s where early house, hip house and Miami Bass sounds were blended by DJs to create a sound which was signified by chanted rap style lyrical hooks over bass heavy 4x4 beats and uptempo breakbeats. Many of the popular tracks of the genre's formative years contained the Think break and the scene's gradual evolution reached its zenith in the early to mid 2000s when many of the tracks now considered Baltimore classics were produced. Scottie B's 'N***** Fightin' from 2006 is a textbook example, marrying brash vocal hooks lifted from Busta Rhymes with the classic house of Marshall Jefferson over the ubiquitous Think break.

It's often touted that Think is to Baltimore Club what the Amen break is to Drum & Bass, and as such the Baltimore club sound of 2006/2007 might be the last emerging sub-genre to have been truly defined by its use of this sample. That's not to say use of the sample has not continued to be popular though - last year for example saw 100 or so documented uses, not significantly less than the late 80s.

In the last decade, the sample has frequently been called on by high profile artists looking to add an old school feel to a contemporary track. Dizzee Rascal channelled the spirit of Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock in 2007's 'Pussyole (Old Skool).

The same is no less true in dance music. In 2011, Plastician drew on 'Think' for throwback feel on the aptly titled 'Retro'.

Leading the charge in the current wave of breakbeat revivalists is Paul Woolford alias Special Request who throws both Think and the Amen break into the mix with pop vocals on 2013's 'Soundboy Killer'.

In 2017, the Think break is not merely the sample of choice in nostalgia driven tracks, but a ubiquitous tool in the producer's armory that crops up as subtle references and obvious loops alike in tracks from all corners of the spectrum - from obscure sub-genres to high profile pop. In fact, just this week Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie has released a new 80s Hip Hop inspired single, backed by the break throughout.

Explore 2,000 or so samples of the 'Think' break listed to date here.