pancakebunnny
needs more fartnoise
(NOTE: I posted this in the Lounge, too. I just realized it's probably more relevant here though... oops...)
Yo.
I want to take a moment to give a shout out to a group of people who often don’t get the respect they deserve. Big ups to all of the artists out there who've had their music sampled, stolen, borrowed, bitten, remixed, raped, and whatever else producers do to get the unique sound we call hip-hop. If it weren't for these original artists, hip-hop would have gone a totally different direction, and in my opinion, it wouldn't have the same appeal it currently has. Without the creative work of these original artists, hip-hop wouldn't have that goose bump-inducing, hair-raising, shiver-causing quality that defines it. The amount of work and talent that these original artists had to put in to create their art is massive, and often times it goes unappreciated, unacknowledged, or just plain overlooked. (That’s not to say that hip-hop producers don’t put in their share of work, mind you. Some producers innovate, some emulate, some imitate, and some just impersonate. It all depends on the perception and inspiration of the producer).
I guess by paying sampling-clearance fees and royalty rights, most producers feel that money is the equivalent of true appreciation and gratitude to these artists who went at it from scratch. I genuinely feel bad for the artists who got heavily sampled and didn’t get the appreciation they deserved for the artistic blood, sweat, and tears they put into their work. Many times I find myself looking at tracks that I’ve made as my babies, and I’m sure that musicians feel this way many times over. To have your child just taken like that, often without permission, and manipulated that way, without any credit to the parent, has to be disappointing and discouraging.
I’m just as guilty as most other producers for sampling material, and trying to conceal it as much as possible. I guess by sampling it, sometimes we feel that we had something to do with that track, or maybe in an adopted-kind of way that it’s now our baby.
Also, big ups to the producers who DO sample and give credit where credit is due, and also shout outs to the producers who do justice to the original songs by re-envisioning the original artistic objective, enhancing and innovating it, and adding to the collection of good music. More often, it’s easier to find a really good sample with all of the right musical elements, and being lazy with it, just adding new rhythm and percussion and thinking that that’s enough to constitute innovation.
One last shout out to the producers who don’t sample. That takes an entirely different artistic approach than sample-based production, and often times it just sucks. For the few out there who are really bringing something to the table by building from the foundation to the very last musical element and creating something memorable, thanks for adding something to the library.
To those that make beats without sampling and the end result is a synthetic cacophony of bells, clicks and whistles, don’t quit your day job. You’re probably doing more for the world by being a laborer or blue-collar worker or whatever it is you do to make ends meet. We NEED people to drive trucks, flip burgers and whatnot; America just couldn’t function without them. Plus, music is usually judged by what’s most popular. And since 95% of people are lame, have little musical appreciation or bad taste, what’s usually most popular is most likely garbage. So, by sticking to other things and using that creative energy to make popsicle-stick picture frames and origami, you’re actually contributing to art by not diluting the quality.
My whole point of this is to give respect to those artists who I can’t personally say thank you to. Every time I make a beat I think is really good, I get happy, but I also feel a little guilty for it. Thanks to people like Donald Byrd, Billy Paul, John Bonham, Teddy Pendergrass, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Michael Bolton, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Wendy Carlos (AKA Walter Carlos), Jimmy Hendrix, and countless other artists who inspire me, motivate me, or who provided me with good music to sample. Y’all gangsta for that.
Also, big ups to Fade for taking care of that prostitute for me back in ’03. THAT broad got it good. Sorry I couldn’t help you clean up the mess.
- Dantson
PS: I was kidding about Michael Bolton. He sucks ass.
Yo.
I want to take a moment to give a shout out to a group of people who often don’t get the respect they deserve. Big ups to all of the artists out there who've had their music sampled, stolen, borrowed, bitten, remixed, raped, and whatever else producers do to get the unique sound we call hip-hop. If it weren't for these original artists, hip-hop would have gone a totally different direction, and in my opinion, it wouldn't have the same appeal it currently has. Without the creative work of these original artists, hip-hop wouldn't have that goose bump-inducing, hair-raising, shiver-causing quality that defines it. The amount of work and talent that these original artists had to put in to create their art is massive, and often times it goes unappreciated, unacknowledged, or just plain overlooked. (That’s not to say that hip-hop producers don’t put in their share of work, mind you. Some producers innovate, some emulate, some imitate, and some just impersonate. It all depends on the perception and inspiration of the producer).
I guess by paying sampling-clearance fees and royalty rights, most producers feel that money is the equivalent of true appreciation and gratitude to these artists who went at it from scratch. I genuinely feel bad for the artists who got heavily sampled and didn’t get the appreciation they deserved for the artistic blood, sweat, and tears they put into their work. Many times I find myself looking at tracks that I’ve made as my babies, and I’m sure that musicians feel this way many times over. To have your child just taken like that, often without permission, and manipulated that way, without any credit to the parent, has to be disappointing and discouraging.
I’m just as guilty as most other producers for sampling material, and trying to conceal it as much as possible. I guess by sampling it, sometimes we feel that we had something to do with that track, or maybe in an adopted-kind of way that it’s now our baby.
Also, big ups to the producers who DO sample and give credit where credit is due, and also shout outs to the producers who do justice to the original songs by re-envisioning the original artistic objective, enhancing and innovating it, and adding to the collection of good music. More often, it’s easier to find a really good sample with all of the right musical elements, and being lazy with it, just adding new rhythm and percussion and thinking that that’s enough to constitute innovation.
One last shout out to the producers who don’t sample. That takes an entirely different artistic approach than sample-based production, and often times it just sucks. For the few out there who are really bringing something to the table by building from the foundation to the very last musical element and creating something memorable, thanks for adding something to the library.
To those that make beats without sampling and the end result is a synthetic cacophony of bells, clicks and whistles, don’t quit your day job. You’re probably doing more for the world by being a laborer or blue-collar worker or whatever it is you do to make ends meet. We NEED people to drive trucks, flip burgers and whatnot; America just couldn’t function without them. Plus, music is usually judged by what’s most popular. And since 95% of people are lame, have little musical appreciation or bad taste, what’s usually most popular is most likely garbage. So, by sticking to other things and using that creative energy to make popsicle-stick picture frames and origami, you’re actually contributing to art by not diluting the quality.
My whole point of this is to give respect to those artists who I can’t personally say thank you to. Every time I make a beat I think is really good, I get happy, but I also feel a little guilty for it. Thanks to people like Donald Byrd, Billy Paul, John Bonham, Teddy Pendergrass, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Michael Bolton, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Wendy Carlos (AKA Walter Carlos), Jimmy Hendrix, and countless other artists who inspire me, motivate me, or who provided me with good music to sample. Y’all gangsta for that.
Also, big ups to Fade for taking care of that prostitute for me back in ’03. THAT broad got it good. Sorry I couldn’t help you clean up the mess.
- Dantson
PS: I was kidding about Michael Bolton. He sucks ass.
