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Discover music sampling at its best. From sampled-based hip hop music to soul, funk, jazz, and more, The Art of Sampling features music that inspires and helps you better understand music creativity.
Rhythm Roulette: Large Professor
"I'm not just gon make some bullshit." —Large Professor
This is one of the best installments of Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette series. It finds Large Professor, one of the pioneers of beatmaking, flip records that at first seem…
Classic Samples: Nas – Illmatic
Illmatic, arguably the greatest hip hop/rap album ever recorded, features some of the biggest pioneering names in the history of beatmaking: DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock (of Pete Rock & CL Smooth), Q-Tip (of a Tribe Called…
World Flavor: Reggae: Toots and The Maytals – “Time Tough”
Toots and The Maytals are absolutely essential reggae/Jamaican soul music.
https://youtu.be/TXxOU49TVKA
Rock to Know: The Doobie Brothers – “Black Water”
The Doobie Brothers has had a profound effect on me in many ways. I've always enjoyed the study of history, and through my exploration of The Doobie Brothers, I was able to gain a much better understanding of black and white relationships…
Soul Control: Donny Hathaway – “Someday We’ll All Be Free”
As with all soul music, there's a strong sense of feeling that is underscored by an ironic mix of personal pain, collective oppression, and joy on the shoulders of hope. That being said, Donny Hathaway qualifies as the personification of…
Jazz to Know: Dorothy Ashby – “Soul Vibrations”
Almost hard to believe that the harp could be so soulfully recontextualized. A reminder that instruments can be made to yield a variety of music forms; it all depends on the imagination and skill of the composer.…
Funk That Goes: The Meters – “Soul Machine”
Formed in 1967 in New Orleans, The Meters are among the founding architects of funk music. One listen of "Soul Machine" by The Meters, and you will recognize the roots of the hip hop/rap music. Drums and rhythm galore. What also stands…
Check This: Showbiz & AG – “Fat Pockets”
When Showbiz & AG dropped "Fat Pockets" in 1992, I hadn't yet owned an Akai S950. I was still a teenager, and technically I couldn't even get into The Fever (infamous Bronx nightclub) yet. Even still, I used to roll up to the Bronx, at…
Check This: Saga & Thelonious Martin – “Mongolian Cashmere” (Prod. by Thelonious…
Brooklyn MC Saga and Chicago producer Thelonious Martin's collaborative LP, Molotov. features most of Martin’s traditional sample-based beat style and Saga’s smooth rhyme approach. I think they've found a winning formula on this project.…
Fresh Ears & Classics: Black Moon – ‘Enta Da Stage’
Editor’s note: I'm a strong advocate for music that stands the test of time. When new music is released in a particular period, each subsequent generation of listeners is entitled to its own opinion of the music that became before them.…