Do you see anything wrong with the art of Sampling? Is it any different, better or worse than covering?
I just watched this documentary,
Copyright Criminals, on the history of sampling and DJing in hip hop and rap music.. I think a fundemental point was lost.. that when a hip hop artist, producer or DJ samples another artist's tune, he is not necessarily stealing, but is in fact advertising for!
For example, hip hop and DJing in a hip hop style evolved directly from the Jamaican reggae dance hall DJs and especially the SingJays who pioneered this art form. In the late sixties up unto the mid seventies, all kinds of Jamaican artists and DJs were spinning 'standards' and singing and toasting over the 'rhythms' What made this style so fucking successful was that a singer or singjay who you do not know, will be singing to you ALL TIME favorite rhythm or tune from your favorite artists, and so you automatically are interested. You dance without even necessarily even listening to the singer, but just the riddim that is runnin. When you hear one of a dozen artists like I-Roy, Dillinger, Militan Berry, the Wailing Souls etc etc singing to your favorite John Holt or Sly and Robbie riddim, you damn well know and acknowledge the original, often more so than the artist singing over it! It is BECAUSE it is a John Holt or Sly and Robbie riddim that you like it so much!
These DJs brought their 'sound systems' to the east coast as long as their toasting which directly inspired hip hop to do the same things reggae artists were doing with reggae standards records to their R&B standards (an exceptional irony considered these R&B records were the direct influence for the reggae artists)..
I do believe that part of the excitement of hearing good DJs in the early hip hop scene was to hear your favorite and also obscure records. Sampling in recorded albums (as opposed to live DJing in dancehalls) just evolved out of this process, and to hear a hip hop tune with a sample you like on the radio would probably have the same effect as the DJ spinning your favs on the dancefloor.
This is the point of cover tunes right? If someone covers a song real good, they will perhaps seek the original, and this is why artists allow covers right? Further, it is a privilege if you ask me, to let other artists enjoy your music, and it is the penultimate compliment as a musician for people to so enjoy your original creations that they play themself as if it were sheet music..
so what is all the fucking beef or sampling? what do y'all think?