THE CURRENT PROBLEM WITH MUSIC SAMPLING IN HIP HOP

Sampling has allowed for so much growth & creativity within rap music and since the beginning of Hip-Hop, samples have played a heavy influence on what's created. This genre was birthed solely due to producers and DJs chopping up samples of songs from other genres. Sampling is the reuse of a portion of music in another recording. Samples can take elements from songs, ranging from rhythm, speech and sound.

Kanye West redefined the genre with the use of soul samples and changing their pitch with his album "The College Dropout." His samples are a great example of truly reinventing past work and providing innovation to that sound. More recently Queens drill rapper Shawny Bin Laden and producer-turned-artist Cash Cobain took drill to new heights by including samples in drill, The trend started a wave that no one saw coming (and staying) and now almost all NY drill records include a sample of some kind. Although samples have allowed us to recieve an abundance of great music, a lot of current music trends in Hip Hop manipulate fan's nostalgia and the hard work of past artists, through the action of sampling already successful old songs. Sampling today, is sadly more like a copy and paste, and is used as the main ingredient to a beat, instead of an enhancer. It seems that the genre has pushed creativity to the side in order to garner more attention and hope for a viral moment. As society has transitioned to enjoying more short formed content with TikTok's massive popularity, artists must be able to catch many listeners attention within the first 10-15 seconds of the song. Artists and record labels know this and seem to be capitalizing on familiarity. The only 4 rap songs that went #1 in 2022, all feature a vocal sample that is heavily implemented into the track. These mainstream hits include "Super Freaky Girl" by Nicki Minaj, "Jimmy Crooks" by Drake featuring 21 Savage, "Wait For U" by Future featuring Tems and Drake and "First Class" by Jack Harlow.

At the end of the day, the music industry is a business and as consumers, we may be at fault here. Humans tend to gravitate towards songs that they're familiar with and provide them comfort rather than discovering new music. Overall, sampling is essential to Hip-Hop and allows listeners to become award of old great songs. However, it is important for artists to prioritize creativity and limit the elements they take from past songs in order to keep Hip-Hop refreshing.