@fribbledom, I wouldn’t say sampling is the same as making a cover. Speaking of the Weeknd, his recent hit is actually a cover of a track sampling a classic which in turn sampled multiple other songs.
Hip hop’s made heavy use of sampling since its very start and thanks to its mainstream popularity and classic precedents, such form of derivation can still survive in this age of corrupted copyright. On the other hand, we have to endure monstrosities like software patents.
Cc: @hollyjahangiri