TR-808

I am unsure of how one can truly appreciate something without at least attempting to explore its roots and origins. With that said i often find myself searching for songs from which my favorites have sampled. Any true fan of hip hop knows that it is a sample based music. Originally, rappers spit over the break downs of looped disco records on vinyl, a method innovated back in the 70s by Bronx DJs like Cool Herc and Afrika Bambatta. Later, Japanese electronic companies put out rhythm and drum machines and samplers like the TR 808 (hence the name of Kanye's new album). This allowed producers to pull individual hits (perhaps just a high top, or kick drum) from a song and rearrange them into original beats with synthetic baselines.



While Hip Hop has become a massive global "culture", the purists are few and far between. Many of us are unaware that its roots lie in our parents' disco and soul records from the 60s. While I do not agree with the iconic status which seems to have formed around Mr. West as a rapper as of late, I do believe he ranks among the most prolific producers and he has put out some of the best Hip Hop of recent years. Although I was very disappointed with his new record (the auto tuner is only the beginning of what is wrong with that album), I do enjoy his previous work and respect his knowledge of music. He samples from a wide variety of sources and produces rather creative songs.



This is not a local phenomenon. Take a look at the album lining of your favorite CD and you can see the samples used in your favorite tracks. Now spend an hour on a Sunday afternoon and youtube some of those songs. Perhaps with the knowledge of the history behind the production methods and the creative sources of the material you will appreciate Hip Hop that much more.