Past-Rocking Redux

I'd like to piggy-back from the previous post. E. mentions sampling as the future of hip hop. In this sense, sampling accounts for the cross-section of hip hop's interests and effects, but in another sense, sampling is also hip hop's past. 

In the 1997 film Men in Black, Will Smith played a NYPD officer turned secret government agent who investigates alien activity on earth. We can see a direct link between a string of hits Smith had in the 90's made popular by obvious and easily identifiable sample material and the classic line from the film that Smith says, "I make this look good."

While Will Smith's early career can be defined by his ability to use comedy to soften hip hop's hard edge, I'd like to define his later career by his use of sampling and how he, "makes this look good." His first album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, took the urban soundscapes of LL Cool J and Run DMC and catalogued them to a more relatable suburban experience. "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" are two examples of Smith's comedic sensibility and skill at hip hop storytelling. By the time Men In Black was in theaters, Smith was a television and movie star. His comedic outlets allowed him to explore other areas of his music. This is to say, as Smith became an actor, his music became less cinematic. This shift is characterized by an emphasis on style not substance. The song "Men In Black" keeps the entire chorus of Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots" in tact and "Just the Two of Us" samples the Bill Withers song and includes lyrics from the original. 

The obvious reference to sampling in the 90s as an example of hip hop's style and sophistication is Puff Daddy. From a stylistic standpoint, his use of other people's music borders on bricolage. But in the case of Will Smith, he truly does make this look good.

Like the Will Smith quote suggests, sampling, is not about music, it's a stylistic choice. That is why when we talk of sampling, we should not only discuss melodic elements in hip hop, but what designer Kanye West chooses to wear, what producer Rihanna chooses to work with, or who is going to direct OutKast's next video.