Have you ever felt that feeling of déjà vu when you hear a song? Believe it or not, your mind is not playing tricks on you. With the emerging genre of hip-hop in the 1970s, DJs began to cut and splice tracks during their sets, reusing motifs to craft their own art. This practice, according to the popular website MasterClass, came to be known as sampling, or more formally, interpolating. Today, interpolation is one of the most utilized elements in modern music, and much of popular music today builds on the work of others who came before it.
Music sampling has been around for quite some time. The Sugarhill Gang, a popular hip-hop group in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, created the hit, “Rapper’s Delight,” which is a well-known early example of interpolation that has echoed through the decades.
The single was so groundbreaking that the story of “Rapper’s Delight” became the subject of a history.com article that chronicled how the track’s bassline was sampled from the hit disco tune, “Good Times,” by Chic, which topped the charts in the late 1970s. Since “Rapper’s Delight,” sampling has become part of the fabric of modern music, and listeners of current music are often brought back to hits from decades prior.
The use of samples and interpolations has been prevalent throughout hip-hop history, with artists like Frank Ocean and Dr. Dre being noted for their genius repurposing of songs. Music mogul Tyler, the Creator has used samples throughout his discography, but his self-sampling, repurposing his own already-released work, sets him apart from other artists. On his Grammy award winning album, IGOR (2019), Tyler showcases complexity in his work through the glittery notes recreated by the synthesizer in the background of the track “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU.” On his sixth studio album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (2021), the arpeggio patterns make a return in “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE,” once again bringing his previous creations into the main sound of the track.
While some Tyler, the Creator fans may enjoy the blend of new and familiar sounds, some do not. Ricardo Guzman-Volpe (I) critiques self-sampling, reasoning that “the new piece will be very bland relative to older releases and eventually no one will want to listen to more than one song of the artists because they all sound the same.”
In recent music, a multitude of artists are sampling songs that have been brought to the mainstream, through their significance on social media and meme culture. Yung Gravy rose to fame with his song “Betty” in 2022, which uses an interpolation of Rick Astley’s renowned song, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Gravy took the act of “Rick Rolling” to a new level, turning Astley’s hit into his own chart topping song.
For some, original creations are the gold standard of the industry. Eleonora Pisani Ricciarini (II) points out, “I find myself disappointed that a lot of older artists are having pieces of their music become popular without getting credit, especially because I personally tend to prefer the original songs whose music has been used for a new sample.”
Others, however, see sampling as a way of paying homage to the original artist and ensuring that their work lives on. As Boston Latin School long-term substitute teacher Mr. Danny DeVelis explains, “Sampling and interpolations have done a lot of good for the preservation of music history. When utilized thoughtfully, they not only add extra layers of instrumentation to a track, but they can also add a spiritual link to a past song.”
As technology becomes more sophisticated and it becomes easier to blend music together, there is no doubt that sampling, and the debate about its merits and flaws, will continue. In the meantime, we at least get to enjoy the nostalgia of our past playlists today.