Nobody Has To Know singer Kranium told DancehallMag that the biggest challenges that artists should expect to face when sampling music are the harsh realities of the free market. These facts raise the question: is the barrier to entry for sampling really so insurmountable that the technique is doomed to scarcity in Jamaican music? It Costs Too Much The practice, at its best, crosses the threshold into the realm of art and it’s clear that Reggae and Dancehall practitioners possess both the imagination and the source material necessary to stretch the creative bounds further. The genre’s musicians have sampled sporadically–and have been sampled frequently–for years, going as far back as the experiments of Dub pioneers like Lee “Scratch” Perry and King Tubby in the late ‘60s. So it’s unfortunate that for all the cultural exchange that has occurred between these genres over the past half-century, sampling hasn’t taken root in Reggae and Dancehall. Producers like J Dilla, Kanye West, and Madlib have achieved legendary status among fans for their ability to build off the foundation of the past when designing the sounds of the future. While it’s not uncommon for burgeoning artists to forgo clearance and run the risk of a copyright takedown or lawsuit, others center entire workflows around keeping their sample flips above board. Across the pond, The Guardian reported on Tuesday (May 31) that UK rappers are currently obsessed with “plundering 00s choruses to help their tracks up the charts”. It is firmly entrenched in American Hip-Hop culture, with sample-laden tracks making up half of last week’s top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

Sampling remains wildly popular among artists and producers in the US and UK, however. But, for many Jamaican artists and producers, there are hurdles standing between sample-based recording and release. The creative and commercial potential of sampling in Dancehall music remains endless, and can fill the “production deficit” with which the genre is now struggling, according to McGregor.

Ears perk up at the sounds of the familiar and, if used well, these vibrations often swell the hearts and minds of listeners with the zap of nostalgia. Consider the repurposed Freddie McGregor vocals on Protoje & Lila Iké ’s In Bloom, Bob Marley ‘s Redemption Song drifting in and out of Koffee ’s x10, the traces of the Trinidadian soca smash Work peppered into Shenseea ’s Lick, or the catchy lyrics from General Smilie & Papa Michigan’s 1979 hit Nice Up The Dance in Demarco & Stephen Marley ‘s Dance My Stress Away. The production technique involves the reuse of the rhythm, melody, and/or vocals of a previously-recorded song in a new recording. As Jamaica’s Dancehall sound tries to find its footing in new territory, sampling offers the guidance of the past.

Dancehall sample