Since its inception, Hip-Hop and Rap and all of their subsequent sub-genres had been founded on the sampling of snippets of older songs, from a multitude of different genres, in order to create an unrecognisable whole; which was in many instances, greater than the sum of its parts...
The prominence of samples in the early years of hip-hop can be, in some part, put down to the fact that many of these up and coming hip-hop artists were deprived of studios, instruments, bands, producers and in essence the bare essentials needed for creating the sounds (never mind recording them) needed in order to produce a track.
Sampling allowed people to essentially ‘produce’ a track with nothing more than a ‘boombox’ a few old tapes and a mic. Barriers had been felled and the playing field, if not even, was at least now open to all competitors.
With all this considered , the art of sampling in Hip-Hop probably was never better observed than when acts such as Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys dropped their iconic albums, ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back’ and ‘Licence to Ill’, respectively.
Public Enemy's Rebel Without a Pause had an overall 7 samples (Funky Drummer by James Brown (1970) The Grunt by The J.B.'s (1970) I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To by The Soul Children feat. Jesse Jackson (1972) Get Up Offa That Thing by James Brown (1976) Rock Music by Jefferson Starship (1979) Pee-Wee's Dance by Joeski Love (1986) Rock 'N Roll Dude by Chubb Rock (1987))
The tragic irony of this was the fact that due to their unbridled success, coupled with the vast amount of samples incorporated into their tracks, such albums as the above mentioned, ultimately led to the demise of the sample in Hip-Hop.
With sampling scrutiny now at an all time high, it has put the shackles back on artists, at least, back on those who can’t afford to pay the huge premiums associated with getting permission to use the desired samples.
The problems for me are simple. New artists are once again at the huge disadvantage of not being able to build their tracks up using studio produced tracks and secondly, and perhaps more annoyingly, established artists are using samples as a new form of ‘bling’ and their ‘artistry’ is suffering drastically for it.
Kanye West is perhaps the greatest example of a modern exponent of the sample. Be this positive thing or a negative thing is firmly in the eye of the beholder. I however, am of the opinion that it has been detrimental to his music.
‘The College Dropout’ was released in 2004 and was an instant success that propelled Kanye West into Hip-Hop super-stardom. But why did everyone love this new sound? Was it because he openly questioned Hip-Hop’s ingrained culture of ‘Bitches, Blunts, 40’s and 9’s’? Very possible. Perhaps it was more to do with the hype of a new Roc-A-Fella Records release coupled with the mystery of this rapper who survived a car crash? Again, a possibility.
Maybe it was something else? Kanye West himself has made no secret of the fact that he ‘sat on’ beats, some of them for years, waiting for his moment. He was an infinitely talented producer who had, in the years leading up to the release of The College Dropout produced tracks for artists such as Jay-Z, Nas, Talib Kweli and Mos Def to name a few.
The whole College Dropout album is a seamless bit of production. Each track meticulously thought out and beats tweaked and tuned to perfection. Such albums stand the test of time. His next two, however, do not.
Kanye West's "Stronger" took direct influence from Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."
So what happened? Sure there are some great tracks on the following 2 albums, but the brilliance is arguably only observable in single tracks and not the albums.
Laziness, brashness, ego tickling; call it what you will, but for me the downfall of Kanye West was cemented when I first heard ‘Stonger’. A set in stone chart topper upon its release, however it was lazy. I can only imagine the price the sample cost Mr West. But at imagination I stop. I wouldn't do him the favour of researching how much it did cost, because in my opinion, doing so would only fulfil his desire for everyone to see how successful, rich and talented he is.
Whether I like it or not, the fact remains that up and coming artists will have to delve into the abyss of musical history in order to find suitable samples, so obscure that no one would ever know. Or, even more shocking, come up with their own stuff.
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