Questlove on Sampling, Earth, Wind & Fire and the Evolution of Hip-Hop

Sampling has shaped some of the most influential music of the last 50 years — and Questlove has been there for much of its evolution. The musician and music historian joins Billboard’s Kristin Robinson for Billboard On The Record for a conversation about his Earth, Wind & Fire documentary — Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) — the history of sampling and his work as a music historian. From the lawsuit against Biz Markie, which made sampling more difficult and expensive, to AI-generated crate digging and the surge of catalog sales, Questlove shares his insight into sampling’s evolution and how it changed the music business.

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Host:
Kristin Robinson

Executive Producers:
Diona DaCosta
Jade Watson

Produced By:
Kayla Forman
Mateo Vergara

Edited By:
Rachel Derbyshire

Kristin Robinson: We’re gonna talk about the history of sampling.

Questlove: Really what a record is, is you’re trying to capture a compelling performance, an audio picture, a Polaroid, a moment in time. Think the reason why sampling works is because the idea of a community of people creating something together. The June of 1988 release of Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is the moment, that eureka moment. Dad has that record. Wait, Dad has that record, and suddenly my dad’s entire record collection comes alive

Kristin Robinson: A lot of older music is changing hands, and as a consequence there’s a lot of people who’ve just bought catalogs that are looking for ways to revive it and to bring it back into, you know, kind of popular culture once again. Um, and so they’re reaching out to folks like you.

Questlove: That’s one way to put it. There is a company that’s actually like, “Hey, we have a plentiful catalog. Come use our work.” Second to the legalization of weed is something appealing of the outlaw-ness of it all. There’s also people like, you know, cops on the highway with the radar like, “Er, I, I dare you. I double dog dare you. “

Watch the full video above!