From records like Kay Flock’s “Shake It” to Jack Harlow’s #1 single, “First Class,” there’s a huge surge in producers utilizing hit records from the 2000s and crafting them into modern-day bangers. Sampling remains a cornerstone of hip-hop but it seems that some have found the popularity of rehashing nostalgic hits lazy.
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Jay-Z’s engineer Young Guru chimed in on the controversy on Twitter this week. In his opinion, what the producers of today are doing is no different from the techniques used in the 90s. Guru explained that he was sampling songs from the 70s during the mid-90s, so it should be fair game for the youth to sample records from the late 90s and early 2000s, especially since many of them were only kids when these songs were released.
“In 94 we sample records that were 20 years old from 74,” he tweeted. “Please stop critiquing the youth for sampling records that are from 2000 or even the 90’s. Let the youth be the youth!! You 50 trying to argue with a 20 something. Stop!!!”
Sampling hasn’t died as an art form with a plethora of producers still digging through the crates to find that one sound that’ll hit. However, it’s quite obvious how songs like “First Class” are positioned to top the charts off of the strength of the sample.
Check out Young Guru’s tweet below. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.