AMERICAN pop sensation Selena Gomez has sampled Buju Banton’s 1995 hit song Champion for her latest single, Like a Champion.

The song is from Gomez’ new album Stars Dance which was released this month.

Selena Gomez uses Buju Banton’s original lines, ‘Walk like a champion/ talk like a champion/ ram-pa-pa-pam-pam’ for her introduction and hook.

The 21-year-old uses Banton’s original lines, ‘Walk like a champion/ talk like a champion/ ram-pa-pa-pam-pam’ for her introduction and hook.

Banton, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence in the United States on drug-related charges, recorded Champion for producer Donovan Germain.

The song is from his seminal 1995 album ‘Til Shiloh. Germain said he heard of the Gomez remix this week.

“I didn’t hear about the track until Wednesday when someone sent me a YouTube link,” he told Splash.

Donovan Germain

“All I can say is that it is a ‘good look’ for the industry. While we are busy trying to copy the pop stars, they are busy trying to copy reggae, a genre that some critics say is dying,” he continued.

Germain says although he did not give permission for the song to be sampled, Universal Records, the company that owns publishing rights for ‘Til Shiloh, has authority to do so.

This is not the first time that Champion has been sampled by an overseas act. In 1998, French hip-hop group Suprême NTM sampled it for their song Pose Ton Gun; that same year, American rapper Eve could not resist it on her Eve of Destruction; while British producer Sub Focus used it for Soundguy in 2004.

Gomez is among the most popular of the new wave American pop stars. She became a tabloid favourite through her romance with Canadian pop star Justin Bieber.

Her hit songs include Come and Get It and Love You Like a Love Song.