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On the latest episode of Billboard on the Record, Questlove joins the video podcast to dive into the history of sampling and how new trends like microchopping, catalog sales, and generative AI may pose new opportunities or risks to the art form.
Why do you think certain artists are sampled over and over again?
? I think records are a metaphorical protest against time moving forward. A record captures a compelling performance, an audio picture, a Polaroid, a moment in time, and it stays with you. Sampling works because of sound and vibration, but also because of the idea of a community creating something together. If you watch The Last Dance, the story of the Chicago Bulls, you see the synergy of that team. I think that’ s one of the underlying reasons we use old music to make new music. As we search for perfection, there’ s always a debate about AI versus making something yourself, microwaving versus cooking a full meal. To me, there has always been magic in imperfection. There’ s magic in capturing human emotion and synergy. That’ s why we do it. Recorded music has always involved these ideas. If you listen to Marvin Gaye’ s“ What’ s Going On,” there’ s a moment after flying high in the friendly sky when a keyboard captures a woman’ s operatic voice. That’ s one of the early examples of capturing a recorded voice.
Flashmag! Edition 177 Octobre 2026
Sampling as we know it developed through new technology. Trevor Horn, who was once a member of the Art of Noise, had access to a Fairlight. The Fairlight was so expensive that only a few people could afford it. At one point, that group included Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and Quincy Jones. If you had one hundred thousand dollars, you could be a Fairlight operator.
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