The Smooth DJ

Pete Rock, one of the best hip-hop producers of all time, gives us a peak into his creative process: drawing from a wide breadth of musical knowledge, chopping up samples, and creating drum lines.

Sample-based hip-hop, the kind that permeated the golden era of hip-hop in the late 80's and early 90's, is unfortunately becoming more rare. And that's why a lot of contemporary hip-hop doesn't sound good to me - the beats and melodies are all synthed (think dirty south and the rise of producer duo The Neptunes). Not that synthed beats are inherently wrong, but it's not the sound that I associate with hip-hop. I need that scratch chorus of a DJ Premier; the snap, crackle, and pop of an old jazz sample.

Why did the industry move toward synthetic beats? In the early days of hip-hop, sampling was done without permission. For the most part, this wasn't an issue until rap music became big. Copyright owners became more interested in collecting royalties. As a result, record labels became weary of the legal effort and costs of clearing samples. Rap albums with original beats became more attractive; they were much cheaper (read: more profitable) to produce because of the low legal overhead.

Thankfully, the art of sample-based hip-hop is not dead. A new generation of producers like 9th Wonder, Kanye West, and Kev Brown are fueling a mini-resurgence. Licenses must still be obtained if the original track of a sample can be recognized. Using single notes (chopping) or altering samples, however, seems to mitigate any copyright infringement and fall under fair use.