{"id":36720,"date":"2025-07-18T17:30:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T21:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=36720"},"modified":"2025-07-18T17:30:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T21:30:59","slug":"sampling-in-hip-hop-key-eras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/sampling-in-hip-hop-key-eras\/","title":{"rendered":"Sampling in hip hop: 4 key eras"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before Splice,<\/strong><\/a> before DAWs,<\/strong><\/a> and before the MPC,<\/strong><\/a> there were turntables, a good ear, and a remarkable sense of rhythm.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sampling in hip hop didn\u2019t start in a studio\u2014it started at block parties in the Bronx. DJs like Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash weren\u2019t just playing records; they were looping drum breaks, using two turntables to extend the parts of funk and soul records that had the most energy for dancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That<\/em> was the seed. The sampler hadn\u2019t even entered the picture yet. But, the idea of repurposing sound\u2014flipping something old into something new\u2014was already a core element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take “Apache” by the Incredible Bongo Band, for example. It was originally a rock-influenced percussion jam from the \u201870s, but in the hands of hip hop DJs, it became a breakbeat anthem. Everyone from Kool Moe Dee to The Sugarhill Gang rocked over it, and it\u2019s still a go-to for producers today, with artists like Nas and Jay-Z recently rapping over the classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n