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Exclusive analysis of and insight to music sampling, copyright law, and more from The Art of Sampling.
Sample Flips: Diamond D – “The Hiatus” (Prod. By Diamond D)
Diamond D is a producer and a rapper from The Bronx, New York who came up in the '90s. He is one of the original members of the hip hop collective D.I.T.C. The collective featured Lord Finesse, O.C., Big L, Fat Joe, Buckwild, Showbiz and…
Source Material: Johnnie Taylor – “Who’s Making Love”
Johnnie Taylor was a gospel and a soul singer from West Memphis, Arkansas. In the '50s, he started his career as a singer in the gospel group The Highway QC's. In 1957, he replaced Sam Cooke as the lead singer in the gospel group The Soul…
Source Material: Noel Pointer – “We Took The Long Way Home”
Noel Pointer was a violinist from Brooklyn, New York who recorded for several decades. His career started in high school at The High School of Music and Art. He studied classical violin, and after high school, he was a freelance artist for…
Sample Flips: The Click – “Let’s Get Drunk” (Prod. By The Click, Studio Ton,…
The Click was a hip hop group from Vallejo, California who came up in the '90s. The group featured four rappers: E-40, B-Legit, D-Shot, and Suga-T. One thing I think is cool about the group is that they’re all family. B-Legit is E-40’s…
Source Material: Freda Payne – “Band of Gold”
Freda Payne is a singer and a actress from Detroit, Michigan who primarily recorded in the '60s and the '70s. Her biggest song is "Band of Gold" (1970). Here's a brief backstory on the single: The song was composed by the legendary…
Sample Flips: Maxo Kream – “11:59” (Prod. by Groove)
Maxo Kream is a rapper from Houston, Texas, and his career started on the mixtape circuit. In 2012, he released his debut mixtape, Retro Card. The mixtape was led by his cover of Kendrick Lamar's "Rigamortis." Kream followed with two…
Source Material: Jackie Mittoo – “Ghetto Organ”
Jackie Mittoo was a Jamaican songwriter, keyboardist, and musical director who recorded for three decades. In the '60s, he was the musical director at the esteemed Studio One label, and Mittoo was a member of several bands. Studio One is…
Sample Flips: Common Ft. Dwele – “The People” (Prod. by Kanye West)
Common is a rapper and a actor from Chicago, Illinois who has been rhyming since the '80s. In high school, Common was apart of a rap trio called C.D.R. After the trio split in the early '90s, Common pursued a solo career. He started…
Source Material: Avolonto Honoré – “Tin Lin Non”
Avolonto Honoré was a percussionist from Benin, Africa. In 1969, he started his recording career. In the beginning, he only played the conga, but as his career evolved, Honoré started recording his own compositions. As a solo artist, he…
Sample Flips: 2 Chainz – “Threat 2 Society” (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
2 Chainz is a rapper from College Park, Georgia who has been recording since the late '90s. In 1997, he rhymed under the name Tity Boi, and he formed Playaz Circle with his friend and local rapper Dolla Boy. They enjoyed a decent run in…