18-11-2008, 02:04
To be blunt it appears to me you do not understand rap music. It is not the "lyricist" as you call the rapper (or MC) who makes the non-vocal part of the music. Well, sometimes but usually not. That is the role of the producer. Sometimes the producer uses a sample for the hook or chorus of the song. But not always. It is something that makes rap stand out from other forms of popular music. But other musicians borrow hooks and riffs from other songs all the time. It may be a little less obvious because it is not a direct copy.
The reason why samples are so prevalent in rap music is because of how it got started. It wasn't meant to be recorded. It was a DJ taking two records, playing only the breaks, and making new music from this. Then a rapper might add their own original rhymes over the top. It was a live event. A party. Then when songs were recorded they were made almost entirely from samples, with perhaps a programmed drum pattern added. Using samples goes in and out of favor. Sometimes rap music is made entirely from live (in the studio) instruments.
Some people misunderstand samples. A sample is usually not simply a snippet of the original song. A skilled producer takes that sample and stretches it, compresses it, changes the pitch, etc. They put it into a new context which completely changes how the listener perceives it. Very often samples become unrecognizable from their original use.
I'm beginning to write an essay here so I'll cut myself off. I feel that people who criticize rap with statements like "it is not music" are ignorant. I'm trying to educate.
The reason why samples are so prevalent in rap music is because of how it got started. It wasn't meant to be recorded. It was a DJ taking two records, playing only the breaks, and making new music from this. Then a rapper might add their own original rhymes over the top. It was a live event. A party. Then when songs were recorded they were made almost entirely from samples, with perhaps a programmed drum pattern added. Using samples goes in and out of favor. Sometimes rap music is made entirely from live (in the studio) instruments.
Some people misunderstand samples. A sample is usually not simply a snippet of the original song. A skilled producer takes that sample and stretches it, compresses it, changes the pitch, etc. They put it into a new context which completely changes how the listener perceives it. Very often samples become unrecognizable from their original use.
I'm beginning to write an essay here so I'll cut myself off. I feel that people who criticize rap with statements like "it is not music" are ignorant. I'm trying to educate.