If Adele were thinner, more crack-addled and a bigger train wreck of a human being, then she’d be just as famous as Amy Winehouse. Her voice is just as strong. Lyrics are just as poignant. And her album, 19, is right up there with Back To Black as a near-flawless piece of work. One of the best tracks from 19 is the anthem, “Hometown Glory.” The song is an ode to Adele’s city and the beauties of having a place to call home. It has a universal appeal driven home by Adele’s Siren-like voice. The song’s universal message combined with rappers’ desire to put on for their cities makes the hook perfect for sampling. In the last year, at least four producers have flipped the sample to great results.

Big K.R.I.T. – “Hometown Hero” (Prod. by Big K.R.I.T.) — Powerful. Of course we could say that for most of K.R.I.T.’s music, but this track stands out on the brilliant K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. The song, produced by K.R.I.T. of course, utilizes the original’s piano keys throughout and plays Adele’s crooning at the middle of each verse to accentuate the emotional crescendos that come every eight bars. The hook, though, is the highlight. Adele’s voice dancing around, chopped and screwed refrains and record scratches? Yes, please.

<a href="http://widget.uproxx.com/b/52/http://5thchildmusic.bandcamp.com/track/hometown" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview','/outbound/smokingsectionoutbound-article/http://5thchildmusic.bandcamp.com/track/hometown']);">Hometown by 5th Child</a>

5th Child – “Hometown” (Prod. by Strongarm)– Poor 5th Child. He played this song for me right after he performed it at a show in Jackson, MS. The crowd ate it up and the song was on its way to being major. About a week later, I heard K.R.I.T.’s version that had already taken off. The songs are so similar, but I can attest that they were made completely independent of one another. Still, 5th’s track, produced by Strongarm, holds its own. The song takes a literal approach, speaking specifically about Jackson and his upbringing. Again, Adele dominates the hook, fitting well over the Southern-fried slaps.

Big Sean – “Home Town” (Prod. By Elised of Treal) — Sean’s track highlights the “I like it in the city” line from the original, which is a unique take on this sample. The intro is very similar to 5th’s in the way Adele introduces the song. Have I mentioned that her voice is amazing? Sean does well by playing off of the sample before obliterating his verses. Her voice is used as a soft backdrop in the verses and storms in for the hook. Like the rest of these songs, this sounds like a duet, which is a testament to the voice on the sample.

The Incomparable Shakespeare – “Hometown” (Prod. By Silver) — According to the date this was released, it looks to be the first Hip-Hop track to use the sample. But this is the last one I’ve heard and that only happened while I was digging around to see if anyone else used the sample. The song is more of a remix to the original as Adele still takes the spotlight, even having some of old clips of her spliced into the video. It’s interesting to note that something about the sample seems to bring out the more morose elements of each artist’s respective hometowns and this track is no different.