,

Madlib: Suffering From Bitchassness?

Madlib, you get the gas face for asking Kevin Nottingham to take down the Madvilliany sample set. Anytime I listen to anything having to do with underground rappers and backpackers, it's always on some "today's Hip-Hop fan has no idea about its roots", and that the kids of today are uneducated. Thing of it is, your job is then to teach these niggas what time it is. In terms of Hip-Hop production, one of the cornerstones (if not THE cornerstone) is the use of samples to weave new tapestries. How can you sit there and seriously consider sample sets as a threat to Hip-Hop?

If it wasn't for sampling, not only would many fans not know about genres like Soul, classic R&B, Jazz, Reggae and others, but producers like yourself wouldn't be held in such high regard for the amazing things you DO with samples. It goes back to the black tape on the vinyl labels. DJs trying to keep their tools secret, which I can understand. And I appreciate. What I don't do is agree that someone trying to educate the masses on the originals that you flipped is somehow stopping your money. There's already been a Madvilliany, which has been critically acclaimed out the wazoo. And what, do you think no one else in the world can sample what you used? How many times have we heard the Amen break, or the Apache, or Tighten Up. These basic breaks ARE Hip-Hop, and the beauty of this music is the ability to flip known sources and make them yours and unique. If someone were to bite samples and try to recreate gems, that's something the public would sort out (i.e. bashing and annexing these bitches out of the scene). But to stop soemone from a) praising you and b) shining light? Fuck off for that shit.

You lost a lil' bit of shine in my eyes, nigga. S'all good, though. KEEP THE SAMPLE SETS ALIVE!
Share:

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good looks on the blog, kid...

Jorge said...

In the words of the late great Charizma, here's a smirk.

I understand his point of shit not being cleared and wanting to protect his ass, but sample sets I think are what's giving new life to crate digging culture and the golden age of Hip Hop.

Unknown said...

a label will think twice about putting an album out like this, so unless some type of sweeping sample reform is in the pipeline, being discrete with shit like this doesn't seem like such a bad idea. In any case, i think the guys who posted up the story did a good job - give it some attention and have a debate about it, because Madlib is not wrong, and neither are the diggers who use his records to delve deeper. It's not a case of bitchassness, its a complicated issue which is the result of impossible sampling laws and practices which are detrimental to hip hop. Madlib is dealing with those in a more direct way than the diggers, so respect to him at least by being open about the problem. I love his records and i hope he can keep working in the way he has thus far, the way he likes.

Anonymous said...

In the immortal words of DJ Premier..."Ya'll are violatin!"
Madlib the badkid is not wrong for his reasoning. Stones Throw records is an indie and probably don't have the loot to clear every sample listed. These sample laws are redorkulous, as a producer myself i understand where he is coming from. I don't have a problem with exposing samples but have some discretion, don't just put the shit on blast all over the net, that ain't the way kid. Real dudes do real things, and them cats just posting samples all willy nilly must have never been raped by the sample police. I'm all for paying the original artists but a producer like madlib whose music is solely sample based, those charges would put him in the poor house, now if u feel his music let him do him, and pm those lists or something, let the man live.

J. Bizness said...

Nah... I think that it's pretty tacky to put someone's work on blast like that. Not only can a producer run the risk of being potentially sued for the lack of clearence, but also these brothas really put thier time and money into digging for these records so that the fans can enjoy the fruits of thier labor. Regardless of the fact that some of the samples may been recogizable or used often, I wouldn't want anyone to expose my recipe to the masses. SEARCH FOR YOURSELF.