Without debating the morals and talent required to borrow any number of parts from a finished composition to reshape and redefine its sound, digging in the crates searching for the perfect beat is a cherished staple in Hip-Hop production. Craftsmen like DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip, Pete Rock and scores more are revered for their reimaginings in turning the classics and the obscure to brand new masterpieces.
But today, a stroll around the Hot 100 reveals no funky drummers; chunky guitar loops are few and far between and there are very sparse movin' groovin' basslines. To me, it all sounds like the same tempo trap drums and dreary minor key melodies. (Yes, I have been out of the target market for years now. So kind of you to point out.)So my simple reasoning has been laid out. Next, it was time to actually research sampling in music.
Heading over to the WhoSampled.com archive database and browsing through their user-curated annuls by year, I found my assumption was NOT the case.
Sampling has not slowed down at all. In fact, there appears to have been a big resurgence that's only gained traction since 2010.
Take a look at this chart:
It is easy to assume that Hip-Hop is the genre which makes up the highest percentage of songs that contain samples. And you'd be absolutely correct: Hip-Hop accounts for, on average, 66% of all songs containing samples since 1986. But interestingly enough, as Hip-Hop goes, all genres went. The corresponding rises and dips are no coincidence either.A little history provides the insight.
Hip-Hop music climbed to reach an overdue level of cultural acceptance in the early 1990s. It began to influence Pop, Electronic, R&B, Rock and even [eventually] Country.
Within that same period, right in the thick of Hip-Hop's "golden age", sampling numbers saw an apex. Peaking in 1992-1993 after steady increases since an initial takeoff around 1986 (thanks to new, readily available beat machine and sequencer advances for the 'home user'), sampling became an art unto its own. Producers perfected a mature sound and Hip-Hop's Boom Bap and G-Funk beats were now globally infectious.
...Until the "Biz Markie" sample laws went into effect. Record companies releasing albums were required to adhere to a much more stringent policy in regards to clearing and declaring samples used by their artists.
While this new roadblock (original composers now demanding songwriting credits, additional royalty and publishing payments, etc. no matter how small or indistinguishable a sample was) hindered some artists and smaller labels, others were able to pivot to take the genre to even great popularity.
As records sold in the millions, those industry execs with the deepest pockets saw the financial reward outweighing the investment risk of paying for sample clearance. While sampling did dwindle for a few years, those still looping beats got a little lazy (thanks, Puffy!).But meanwhile, cut-n-paste beatsmiths like MadLib, Jay Dee and DJ Shadow were dwelling under the surface and finding ways to alter a sample enough to skirt the samples. Or they dug even deeper in for literally unheard of music. Coupled with the sharp rise of mixtape culture in the early 2000s, it was almost open season again.
Then the mood all changed. Here we sit today:
Entry level access to creating music is at its lowest level ever. Technology is rendering some gatekeepers obsolete. Anyone can go the DIY route, bypassing the old channels to reach the masses. At the same time, there is now less and less money to be made in selling music. A fair trade off?
Sure, independent artists aren't raking in the money on music their predecessors did, but with no record labels (the ones that are still left, that is) or publishers to answer to, it is truly a Laissez-faire time for sampling again.
Finally, with my original deduction of sampling being down now fully ripped to shreds, I forgot to even take into consideration mashups and remixes. Search YouTube or Soundcloud for about any song popular from 1975 - 2015 and I betcha it's been remixed by a dozen different bedroom producers.
Wow! That oversight aside, I can successfully assume there are more people composing musical tracks than any point in history. Of course, they're continuing to sample, and the numbers just keep piling up.
Long live the chop, the loop and the sample.
