Blind I | The Boutique Music Blog | Quality Over Quantity.

THE ORI-GO-NA-TORS

Yeah you have to say the title like Jazo did in “Ni**a What.”

Back in the day going to Costco was the move because of Saturday which =sample day. You could literally spend hours walking up and down the aisle of the warehouse and pick and choose whatever you wanted to eat. Employees even handed to you on a toothpick with a smile. Everything from frozen yogurt to hot links. Costco hoped you’d be impressed enough to bring that item with you to the checkout line. But more often than not, folks (including myself) continued to be greedy and sample without buying. You know I am random with the posts, but trust me I am getting somewhere with this one.

I feel like Music is Costco and right now hip-hop is enjoying the benefits of sample day. Producers are going around and putting their hand in the *free*cookie jar and getting full without *paying* homage to the hands that labored. Bear with me.

I love Keyshia Cole to pieces. But the fact that she and Missy Elliot reincarnated “Juicy Fruit” for the umpteenth time kind of makes you want to bang your head into the wall. It takes me to that era where Diddy would take the most obvious sample on the planet (see: Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out”) and for lack of better term fuck it up. The key to doing a sample is to improve it or disguise the original and I feel like some producers are mad lazy with taking someone else’s hit and not even attempting to flip it. One night I was at Lotus and ?uestlove played current hits and segued into the original song. This provoked mixed reactions. I was like wow that’s where that came from, surprised or how good it was hidden. Or, I was like wow the original was way better. And usually it was the latter.

Don’t get me wrong I am by NO MEANS anti-sampling. I’m just anti-sampling when there is no talent involved. The likes of Dilla, Madlib, 9th Wonder etc. do a helluva job. Magnificent. I’m thrilled for the happy medium. Kanye’s “Stronger” is an ill rebirth but sadly the masses will give Daft Punk no credit for that. I think it’s kind of wack when a newer artist gets full credit for something that was technically someone else’s brilliant idea without giving due props (i.e. taking a HIT from the 60s or 70s and merely adding a new drum line and going platinum). Same applies to song covers.

Music was DOPE back in the day because people actually brought ideas and instruments into the studio and beasted them out. Recently, there was a beat contest for producers for Vh1 Hip-Hop Honors to have their music featured in the show. I immediately alerted all of my producer heads so they could get the exposure. Then to my disappointment there was a *no sample* rule that made every single one of them ineligible.

So all of my rambling was just to say that producers should think of themselves as musicians. You don’t have to be a part of a six-piece band to create an original beat. A sample-free one. Or if you do want to keep the dabbling going, hit up a record store or cop some unfamiliar albums. Branch out. Explore. Get ballsy. Now not original like Soulja Boy because a toddler could bang on a keyboard and I could snap in the background and make that. Ahhhhh…Yoooouuuu (need to stop)! But go Timbo and Pharrell on em’ and get a keyboard or something! Invest in yourself and your craft if nothing else. Because just like Costco you can sample and be full but if your fridge at home is empty you are shit outta luck!

And email them to us. If they’re dope enough we could post them. And *ahem* we get hits from important people! *Beep-beep. Toot -toot.*

DROPPED BY ericw1

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16 Comments to THE ORI-GO-NA-TORS

1. 

   this post makes me feel all…warm and tingly and shit…
*pbbt! on September 18th, 2007
2. 

   Dont forget all the wack ass remakes that have recently shitted in peoples ears; She’s Like The Wind? The fuck is that about?
Nel on September 18th, 2007
3. 

   Good post. Artist are not working any more. They’ll take a pattern from another song in a min. And im not even talking about from songs from the 70s. Im talking about songs from like 2 years ago.
Melrose on September 18th, 2007
4. 

   Yo, It’s entertainment. Hate it Or Love it, Either Or. Music is in the best plac it’s been in a while. If you like the Original better, buy the Original and rock to that, plain & simple.
Excursion on September 18th, 2007
5. 

   Sampling is much more creative nowadays then in the past! Wanton use of old breaks was a much larger issue ten years ago then it is today. Beef surrounded groups re-using samples, check into Jack Bruce- Born to be Blue….

   Whats interesting to me nowadays is that current top-tier producers are going back and re using a sample the same way someone else did ten years ago, like Timabaland’s “Make me better” compared to rza’s “Rainy Dayz”. I guess thats what you’re saying though with Mtume’s “juicy fruit”, but how can u not re-use those drums? howmany tracks used the impeach the president drums?

   I guess it comes down to the producer. Pete Rock’s sample game is better than it ever has been right now, he’s using the same samples he did over ten years ago and flipping it so fresh, Keni Burke’s “Rising to the Top” is a great break to consider, obviously you can hear where Pete crafted the original “Take you there” from with that, but listen to the bassline and you can start to hear the more recent “Pete’s Jazz”, althoug in that its flipped totally diffferent, but still knocks.

   so i guess i agree with you, but i feel like people cant just loop an old break anymore and be done, everyone wants a check. But then you got people like ghostface who are just rhyming over an old track- almost going in the opposite direction of sampling. aight im done….
Anonymous on September 18th, 2007
6. 

   Not saying there aren’t good producers out there or that I have a problem with sampling. I can list a shitload of great samples. Just saying it would be NICE to see producers come up with some new original tracks. Ya dig?
*Maiya* on September 18th, 2007
7. 

   I, as an artist, wish that people in the hip-hop industry would stop LIMITING themselves to a certain boundary. I, for one, want to explore all types of musical genres. Now i’ve got an idea for a post that’s gonna kill shit.
$ulaiman on September 18th, 2007
8. 

   Remain Anonymous says: Wait, Kanye gets a pass for “Stronger”? That was a lazy attempt of a “rebirth”. He straight ripped it and didn’t change shit. He raped that Daft Punk song. That just puts a “black eye” on this post. He’s flipped a few samples in his time, but he got lazy on that one. Peace to all real musicians who look for the obscure sample and create something new/better out of it. And the ones who take the obvious and make it hit while simultaneously being nearly indecipherable. My personal faves (none are perfect though): Jay Dee, Pete Rock, Large Pro, RZA, Ski, Organized Noize, Easy Moe Bee, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Havoc, T-Mix, Coughee Bros. (of Rap-a-Lot), Kanye (sometimes), Beats by the pound (back in the day), Pimp C and Cory Mo’, Dat Nigga Daz, Madlib, MF Doom, Neptunes, Juicy J, Ant Banks, Dr. Dre (mostly his ghost producers)…. I have more, but I just wanted to keep it to legends and not newbies.
Anonymous on September 18th, 2007
9. 

   I do like Stronger. But note that after that I said it’s unfortunate that Daft Punk won’t get the nod. Of course their version was better!!!
*Maiya* on September 18th, 2007
10. 

    If you say that Stronger was a weak attempt, you might as well say that about all of his singles & all the songs on his new album.
    I think thats just his style of production: taking the song, laying his drums down and rapping on it. I don’t think it’s anything wrong with how Kanye samples. As long as the finished product is hot Im GOOD.
Excursion on September 18th, 2007
11. 

    Actually daft punk sampled that beat fromm Edwin Birdsong’s “Cola Bottle Baby”. And they didn’t change the beat at all.
Anonymous on September 18th, 2007
12. 

    I honestly don’t think that 9th Wonder is that talented of a producer. He does the same thing that Kanye does except Kanye’s beats sound more complete. I also think that Dilla is highly overrated as a producer. He was aight but he doesn’t have to many beats that stand out to me. Honestly i think Just Blaze is the best. He can sample better than Kanye and unlike most producers, he can make a hot beat from scratch. He is also versatile enough to make a club song.
Anonymous on September 18th, 2007
13. 

    I honestly don’t think that 9th Wonder is that talented of a producer. He does the same thing that Kanye does except Kanye’s beats sound more complete. I also think that Dilla is highly overrated as a producer. He was aight but he doesn’t have to many beats that stand out to me. Honestly i think Just Blaze is the best. He can sample better than Kanye and unlike most producers, he can make a hot beat from scratch. He is also versatile enough to make a club song.
Anonymous on September 18th, 2007
14. 

    Great post. It brought up something I never understood. How could one like a song that uses (read: str8 jax) another song, but can’t feel the original material. That boggles my mind. I mean, I LOVE finding out out where the sample of a song came from. I had a spot on my blog where I was doing something similar to what Questlove was doing in his set. To me, listening to Isaac Hayes’ “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” and Dynasty’s Adventures in the land of Music” is as enjoyable as listening to “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” and “Luchini” (respectively) any time!
    But, I guess that’s a talent for those who really appreciate the music.

    And also, this must be realized. I’m kinda thankful to Biz Markie, because if that mess hadn’t went down with him, this sampling thing would be a whole lot crazier than what it is. And it’s ridiculously rampant now.

    Keep up the great work!
Roddykat on September 19th, 2007
15. 

    Word to, well, everyone! Great post, M! And who the HELL likes that Keysha song? That shit is wack from the intro to Missy trying to tell me it’s hot. No, Missy, it’s not. And I agree with whomever said if you make the joint hot, then we can look past the lack of creativity…..sometimes. And I also agree that it’s time to see producers, especially the young ones, try something new!
Sister Toldja on September 19th, 2007
16. 

    yeah please stop the “give credit to poor Daft Punk” movement.

    they not only sampled Edwin Birdsong & but they fucked him badly on the licensing too
Kem on September 19th, 2007

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