Sample-Based Hip-Hop
tagStarted 1979Peak 1988–2006Last big hit still active
Sample-based hip-hop foregrounds the act of musical collage: digging, chopping, layering, looping, and recontextualizing existing records into new rhythm and meaning. It can be vocal rap, instrumental hip-hop, or somewhere between turntable science and beat-poetry.
History
Sampling is foundational to rap, but sample-based hip-hop becomes a distinct sensibility when the flip itself is central to the artistry. DJ Shadow, Pete Rock, J Dilla, Madlib, Kanye West, and innumerable beatmakers turned it into one of hip-hop's deepest compositional traditions.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Pitchfork sample-oriented rap canon
- Pitchfork Syl Johnson deep sample lineage