I always thought using loops was cheating, I had hip hop ejay(remember that? hahahaha) that felt like cheating and turned me off loops for life, unless I specifically chop a loop, then thats my favorite way of sampling. Its a complicated love hate thing i have going on hahahahahaha. If I choose what to loop then its technically my loop hahahaha.
Sometimes when trying to come up with a melody to start a beat I hit a brick wall and the creative block is a problem, thats when I look for something to sample, and usually that solves the problem. Composing from scratch can have its issues too, I went through a stage of everything sounding the same, sounding like a dre beat, I found my playing on the keyboard had become predictable and I was always doing the same things, but now Im composing like I never have before, just stick with it and believe in yourself, It was believing in myself that took my playing to the next level and has me where I am now, still broke as fuck, but Im back at it and doing well, especially here in the battles, so I know Im on the right track.
At this point I can find the key and scale of any particular song in seconds and then improvise within that scale and do whatever I like with it, its liberating.