Sampling in Hip Hop Part 2

Revealing the Source: Keep it on the Low
A Hip Hop On My Mind 2 Part Series

In Part 1, I left off discussing sampling’s history and legal status. Now we move into sampling today. 

Like I mentioned before, current producers have expressed concerns that sample sets posted on forums 

are hurting the game. Personally, I agree. As a producer myself, I would admit that for the most part I don’t want my samples revealed.

The most recent producer that has spoken out is Madlib. Apparently, ‘Lib found blogger Kevin Nottingham’s sample set from the album Madvilliany and demanded via a myspace message that it be taken down. 

"Pages like this on the internet are no help at all to people like Doom, Madlib, and those that work with them" said Madlib, originally born Otis Jackson Jr. 

Fellow bloggers like Ivan on Hip-Hop is Read defend their counterparts in the matter. He posted, “We're just trying to learn about the art form (of sampling in particular) and spread it forth for everyone who shares our interests in this great music, culture and lifestyle we call Hip-Hop.”

While we have wikipedia, the-breaks.com and other sites dedicated to finding samples, one must consider the legal ramifications that come with disclosing samples. Sure many albums reveal samples in their liner notes. However, producers like Madlib, Dilla, and Doom chop the most obscure records in the smallest of doses for their tracks. 

They fly under the radar and since they’re not “mainstream, commercial” artists, they can 

avoid sample clearances. However, when you make a detailed list of the songs sampled, somehow the original artists come a callin’ through the grape vine looking for owed royalties.

This argument has been thrown through the ringer as of late, and I do not wish to try and restate what many other bloggers have already said. I would just like to dedicate my support to Madlib and other artists that would like to keep their craft special. I know that if and when I make my mark on the business, I will not want half-ass producer wannabees compiling and posting all the samples I’ve made to make hits. 

Honestly, when I am digging, and happen to find a sample I’ve heard before, it’s cool. I might bring it up if someone has the record on and we’re chilling; however to go out of the way and identify the samples really ruins the fun of digging. Get out there and find that Jackson 5 sample that Dilla flipped, or try and get any of the 45’s that Mack the 45 King used in his sample career. But whatever you choose to do, remember that music is a business, and people will always strive to collect their checks. 

Though I will admit that I bought the official Blue Note sample set, Sources For Madlib's Shades Of Blue Untinted, for the Sources of Blue album that Madlib made for them, and the chops are crazy!

Keep sampling people, keep real hip-hop alive.

10 Digging Secrets

Fuck the sample CDs and Compilations...Go out and dig yourself. Fortunately we have movies like the Deep Crates Series and The Beat Kings to keep the excitement of digging up. If you're looking for some tips, try these:

1. Follow The Leader – If someone has already sampled an artist chances are that there are more hot used and unused breaks & samples by that very same artist.

2. Follow The Musicians & Producers – So you like that crazy piano sample, sound, or that unique feeling the song seems to evoke? Guess what… you can probably find that same artist playing even better on another album. Many times musicians and producers worked on different projects with each other and you can catch someone early on in their career putting down some great sounds with another group.

3. Watch The Year - Just like the golden age of Hip Hop, each genre has had its highs and lows and there are virtually no exceptions. Jazz, Funk, Soul, and Rock have all had their great time periods containing distinctive styles of the times.

4. Know Your Resources – Read the All Music Guide, Read album liners, online sample databases, Wax Poetics, sample dictionary books.

5. Make Friends With Diggers – Although digging is generally very secretive and almost anitsocial, if you have a friend that knows their stuff you can both put each other up on records while digging.

6. Trust Your Intuition – A certain spidey sense tends to develop after spending a bit of time getting dusty in the bins.

7. Become A Label Whore – Many of the best artists had a tendency to hang around the same label and be produced by the same people. Some of the more known examples of this are Kudu, Blue Note, Westbound, and CTI.

8. Develop Your Ear, Personal Style, And Love For Music – This is probably the most important piece of the lesson. You will only become a successful digger if you truly have a love of music. This may be beyond the comprehension of many; however loving Hip Hop and loving music are two completely different concepts. I know many people who claim to love music, but the only time they listen to anything other than Hip Hop is when they are looking for samples. Most diggers I know would rather listen to Soul, Funk, Rock or Jazz than Hip Hop. For some reason it’s a natural progression to appreciate the true creativity of the original players. After falling in love with an artist’s work and really getting into their catalog, you’ll eventually be able to recognize the styles of many musicians and develop the ability to guess an artist when you hear them playing on another unknown track.

9. Purchase A Portable Turntable – This is the single most important factor that has caused a great increase in my digging success. I have saved an immense amount of time, money, and aggravation by avoiding worthless records. I’ve also been able to pick up many records that I would have passed over and would have never known about because of the fear of taking a risk and plunking down large sums for unknown records with nothing on them. The investment hurts a little bit in the beginning, but the key word is investment and it eventually pays huge dividends.

10. Keep An Open Mind – Listen to everything and I mean everything, except for Country of course! You will stumble upon finds in some of the most surprising areas and genres. Also, to contradict my earlier tip… don’t judge a record by its cover. You will find great breaks and samples on some of the worst looking covers.

Bonus Tip:

Keep Digging – Be strong, develop your endurance, and dig until you can’t dig anymore. The best diggers keep digging for hours and entire days to make sure that they have covered every bit of whatever location they may be at. This may mean that you have to run out and grab a coffee, but make sure that you get make into the mix. You never know what you could be passing up.