Samples 🔁

 Yesterday. All my troubles seemed so far away.

    Sampling on songs is one of the greatest game-changers in all of music history. Seriously. When you sit and think about it, it’s absolutely mind-blowing. 

    I always remember an interview I once watched with Prince. He said that songs were now samples. And that samples, would soon be taken of samples, making songs nothing more than samples of samples of samples of songs. Try saying that one three-times fast, eh? Regardless- he was right. Music has now become nothing more than a repeat of a repeat of what somebody else once wrote. There’s no fighting change- only embracing it.

    Honestly, it is what it is. I suppose one could argue that true talent is fading, and now music is simply a by-product of production within the machine. So be it. That is the future of the world. software running the entire show. I feel like if you can’t beat them, you might as well join them, eh?

    Sampling opens up a whole new world of possibilities, making the entire world accessible to your fingertips. Seriously, just think about it for a moment. The ability to take any song, any sound, any segment, and chop it, twist it, distort it, to ones desire. You can begin to bend and deconstruct reality as you please. The ultimate power. And once you have finished manipulating the chosen sample- boom! A new creation is born. Kind of like Frankenstein, when you sit and think about it.

    There is a conversation within there about the ethics and morals surrounding the art of sampling. The question of being about to simply steal another artists work, and use it to your own advantage. However, the future is constantly changing. There is no going back. Once we have begun on this slippery slop, it is difficult to ever return to what art once was. 

    Legally, there are plenty of safeguards to protect artists. The owner of the masters and catalogues of these artists must approve and clear all the samples being used by these new artists, as well as pay them for it. These safeguards at least give control to the individual who wrote the original piece, allowing them flexibility to determine what can be used and what cannot. Although there is an argument that everybody should have access to another artists’ work, the safeguards at least allow the individual to feel like they are in control. 

    J. Cole has a great line at the end of 2014 Forest Hills Drive, where he is basically just speaking and reading off the credits. He talks about the struggle he had to clear certain samples, and argues that the process should become much easier for everybody to benefit. He argues that “you were inspired by the world, so let the rest of the world be inspired by you”. Which makes a ton of sense, when you sit and think about it. As an artist, we are constantly being inspired by our surroundings. What we see, what we hear, what we feel. 24/7, observing and absorbing everything around us. Allowing other artists to share and use our same products is something which should become an easier task.

    Art is a weird thing, which one cannot fully control and own. I know, legally, we have done everything in our power to allow individuals in society to be the masters of their own creations. But in reality, how can one own certain sounds? How can one take an audio recording, and believe they hold power over certain waves? The thought process behind it is simply flawed. 

    Think about it. The Mona Lisa. One of the most famous paintings in the world. Does Leonardo Da Vinci own the very paint on the canvas itself? Does he, the artist, now own the colours used on the portrait of the young girl? Should every single artists, from that moment out, owe Leonardo Da Vinci financial gain every time they use the same colours as he did? What about the paintbrush? Should an artist no longer be allowed to use the same tools as he once did?

    All of these arguments are purely hypothetical, and slightly ridiculous. However, they serve to demonstrate the point regardless. The concept of owning art is one which simply is elementary in thinking. It lacks conviction. In modern days, XXXtentacion used his BMW seatbelt warning system as a sample, and mixed it into one of his greatest hits of all time. Does XXXtentacion own that sound now? If so- did he pay BMW? Can no artist ever again use a BMW sound wave? Things just get loopy from there.

    You were inspired by the world, let the world be inspired by you. Seriously. Great quote. J. Cole always seems to know what to say, in my humble opinion. Samples are pieces of audio, which inspire the next generation of artists which use them. As they should. Art- music, painting, dancing, acting- is constantly evolving. The process of becoming something more, something greater. I believe it is important to pay homage and respect the artists who were able to pave the way, and give us an opportunity to become inspired by their works. However, the fact remains that things are changing. The world is moving at an unprecedented pace. Perhaps we as a society should not be fighting against the flow of time, the flow of technology. Perhaps, we should simply embrace it and accelerate into the new world.

Dread it, Run from it- Destiny arrives all the same. End Sample.

        Glory Be,

                    Amen.