I am a big
fan of hip hop and electronic music. In
my mind these artists are innovators, otherwise, these genres of music simply wouldn’t
exist. This blog post is going to
examine these music producers and the way they sample others work in their own. Many of the greatest hip hop records were
created back in the 1980’s when sampling wasn’t as big an issue as today. And current electronic producers and DJs use
their skills as samplers as an innovative technique, rather than simply stealing
other artists music and using it as their own.
In hip hop’s ‘golden
era’ (McLeod 2011, p. 19) in the 80s, rap groups and producers had creative
freedom to make the music they wanted to make, with pioneering artists such as
Public Enemy, De La Soul and Boogie Down Productions creating universally acclaimed
records which sampled a range of artists from soul and blues to hard rock like
AC/DC. McLeod recalls in his book that ‘the
golden age was an important moment during the development of hip hop as a
musical art form, and it opened up a range of artistic possibilities that largely
weren’t censored by legal and economic interests’ (2011, p. 20). In today’s hip hop world, it is impossible to
create the sort of tracks that were abundant in the 80s, with so many copyright
laws protecting the songs owned by the big record labels. It is important to note that many artists who
are on these labels actually like their work sampled, but the greed of the big
business prevents producers from accessing them legally. If current hip hop producers were given the
free reign that existed in the 80s, hip hop’s current landscape would be a very
different place.
Electronic
artists are often criticised for not performing their own content in their live
sets. But in reality they are performing
other artist’s songs in different methods and styles than the originals. Most accomplished electronic artists have a
style or flair that makes their music instantly recognisable, and when they
sample other songs, you can really hear their own influence coming through the
music. It is this method of sampling
that makes these artists’ true innovators.
Reference
McLeod, K 2011, Creative Licence: The Law and Culture of Digital Sampling, Duke University Press, Durham USA
Hello Tim,
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow fan of both Hip Hop and electronic music I can side with you on your claims about the value of both producers and DJs alike, however your post is compromised by being perhaps to informal as opposed to being scholarly or academic. In your first paragraph you claimed that you were” going to examine these producers,” while your passion for the topic is clearly evident, not a great deal of your examining is backed up by substantial scholarly evidence, as the blog could of benefited from a wider source of references, it becomes increasingly hard to persuade a reader without such scholarly reassurance. However I can acknowledge that this topic is difficult to find significant scholarly information about as I myself found that the art form of the DJ is a rather understudied phenomenon when I did my own research for this topic.
Hi Tim
ReplyDeleteI found this blog post read really well. I like your writing style and your knowledge of both hip hop and electronic music shone through quite clearly (I'm a big supporter of electronic but not as much on the hip hop front). Given your knowledge however, I felt that you may have rested to much on knowledge rather than giving scholarly evidence to support your arguments. I think more academic engagement would've tied a great deal of credibility to the post. But regardless I did enjoy your arguments and I can agree with alot of the misconceptions at least in electronic music.
Hi Tim,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your love for Hip Hop and electronic music. I agree with your points made about the value of both producers and DJs alike. Your passion for the topic is clearly evident although looking at your reference list, not a great deal of your research is backed up by substantial scholarly evidence. This can be a downfall for your blog because it becomes hard to persuade a reader without such scholarly reassurance. However I did enjoy reading your blog and I can agree with the misunderstandings with hip hop and in electronic music. Enjoy blogging!