sampling

Sampling involves digitally copying a section of a pre-existing recording — a drum break, bass line, vocal phrase, or melodic riff — and incorporating it into a new track. The sample can be looped, pitched, chopped, filtered, or otherwise processed. Sampling technology emerged in the 1980s and became the foundation of hip-hop production. The practice raises complex legal and ethical questions about copyright and creativity. Some samples are cleared (licensed) from the original rights holders; others have led to lawsuits. The Amen break — a six-second drum solo from a 1969 song by The Winstons — has been sampled in thousands of tracks across hip-hop, jungle, and drum and bass, making it the most sampled recording in history.