Snoop Dogg has expressed his frustrations about younger rappers who sample classic records, arguing that many of them are tarnishing the original works rather than honoring them.
In an interview with Stephen A. Smith, the legendary West Coast rapper, joined by Dr. Dre, highlighted the importance of music returning to a place of originality and quality.
“Get back to musicianship. Get back to making quality music. Get back to having a whole body of work and get back to having a project that visually connects to the sonics,” Snoop explained before Dre chimed in to accuse many producers of using the same rolling 808 drum instrumentation in music. He calls this a “little bit of a cheat.”
Snoop lamented that while sampling can be a powerful tool for creativity, it often leads to a lack of originality and authenticity in contemporary music. He even slammed newer acts for taking original songs and “f**king it up.”
“Most of these hit records are based off of a sample,” he explained. “We complemented the sample that we used. If we took a sample from somebody, we didn’t make your record depreciate. We actually made it appreciate…And now it has a different sound or texture to it that didn’t exist at that time.”
He and Dre’s call to action resonates with many within the hip-hop community, who believe that innovation should coexist with appreciation for the genre’s roots. Don Toliver recently sampled Snoop and Pharrell’s track “Beautiful” for his single “Attitude” alongside Cash Cobain and Charlie Wilson. It’s unknown if Snoop is feeling this flip, but the track has undoubtedly become a viral hit.
