Sampling

The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book The Art of Sampling, 3rd Edition. Copyright law recognizes that creative borrowing is always at work and unavoidable, and that it thrives necessarily on the widespread use of on…

When certain names in beatmaking get tossed around with praise, it’s not always easy to pinpoint exactly what all of the acclaim is about. But then, there are some names where it’s not hard to tell. For me, some names are heavy weight…

Here’s a simple truth. Within the beatmaking tradition (of the broader hip hop/rap music tradition), the more beatmakers who make beats, the more fluid the notions about what constitutes a dope beat. But hip hop/rap music, perhaps more than…

The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book The Art of Sampling, 3rd Edition, which I’m currently running a Kickstarter campaign for.  If after reading you have learned anything from this article and you would like to learn much…

Kool & The Gang’s “Little Children” is an obscure prayer for the youth of the ‘70s, wishing them godspeed in their pursuit of a better world. In the hands of the titular children - namely, Buckwild, Ez Elpee, Ghetto Professionals and…

The demise of sampling has been greatly exaggerated. We continue to see the art of sampling power many of the hits of today. Whether it's trap or a trap-blend, sampling still remains a go-to for its sound and flavor. And what stands out…

Brooklyn MC Saga and Chicago producer Thelonious Martin rock out on their collaborative LP, Molotov. This LP features most of Martin’s traditional sample-based beat style and Saga’s smooth rhyme flow. They clearly found a winning formula on…

A menacing apparatus, “Keep It Thoro” personifies how light and heavy textures co-mingle and combine, giving a beat a powerful sonic impression When certain names in beatmaking get tossed around with praise, it’s not always easy to…