Song Clearance Sheet
3 sources citedAtomic Dog
See all P-Funk (George Clinton, Parliament & Funkadelic) in the catalogue →
Funk1980s107BPM
F♯ minKey
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The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriters of record (Clinton, Shider, Spradley) and one of the most-sampled tracks in existence — 300+ songs. A confirmed 2009 Sixth Circuit ruling involving the song is flagged for follow-up in the Rights Status; its substance isn’t asserted here.
Sampled 300+ songs (reported) times
Used by independents?
No — no independent use documented so far; only major-label artists.
Quick Facts
Released1982
AlbumComputer Games
GenreFunk, P-Funk
LabelCapitol Records
ProducerGeorge Clinton
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — George Clinton, Garry Shider & David Spradley
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — likely within UMG via Capitol, but unverified; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — one of the most-sampled tracks in existence (one count: 300+ songs), including Snoop Dogg’s “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” (1993), Dr. Dre, Public Enemy, MC Hammer, Nas, Tupac and seven separate Ice Cube tracks.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found, but an extraordinarily deep record of legitimate use across decades and hundreds of songs.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
The 1993 hit most famously built on “Atomic Dog” (itself a multi-source sampled track)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)George Clinton, Garry Shider & David Spradley
A confirmed federal appellate ruling existsIn November 2009 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Circuit Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey) issued a ruling involving “Atomic Dog.”
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
The most famous sampling track is itself heavily layered
Snoop Dogg’s “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” doesn’t just sample “Atomic Dog” — it also uses the bassline from Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep,” an interpolation from Parliament’s “Give Up the Funk,” a vocal sample from Parliament’s “P-Funk,” and an intro sample from The Counts’ “Pack of Lies.”
Wikipedia (What’s My Name?) · read it →
An unexpected cultural adoption Clinton embraced
The song became the unofficial stepping song of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity (“Que Dogs”); Clinton has personally embraced this, working on an official new version with the fraternity as of 2022.
Wikipedia (Atomic Dog) · read it →
Clinton on P-Funk’s sampling scale
George Clinton has stated Parliament-Funkadelic recently surpassed James Brown as the most-sampled artist of all time, and that “pretty much every hip-hop artist” has a song sampling this specific track.
Yahoo Entertainment · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
300+ songs (reported)
Times sampled
—
Covers
—
First flip
Big names who used itSnoop Dogg · Dr. Dre · Public Enemy · MC Hammer · Nas · Tupac · Ice Cube
Who to Contact
GC
George Clinton, Garry Shider & David Spradley
The confirmed songwriters of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (SEO Batch)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass