Double Take

1. This book explores the cultural and artistic practices of sample-based hip-hop, focusing on how producers create new tracks by recontextualizing sounds. Schloss examines the technical processes, ethical considerations, and artistic motivations behind sampling, situating it within the broader hip-hop tradition. Schloss’s exploration of sampling as an art form offers critical insights into how rappers and producers construct their music. This work connects directly to the topic of doubling by showcasing how samples create layered meanings. His focus on the creative process will help frame the argument about the artistic duality of sampled songs. This source will serve as a foundational text to explain the artistry and cultural context of sampling, providing key examples and definitions for the paper.

Schloss, Joseph G. Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop. Wesleyan University Press, 2004.

2. Exarchos delves into the transformative nature of sample-based music, examining how producers reimagine and reconstruct existing material. He also discusses the philosophical and legal debates surrounding sampling. The emphasis on “making records within records” ties into the course’s theme of doubling. This source provides theoretical grounding for the argument that sampling is a form of artistic doubling, enriching the discussion with perspectives on authenticity and reinterpretation. This book will contextualize the dual identity of sampled tracks, supporting arguments about how sampling connects to notions of memory and innovation.

Exarchos, Michail. Reimagining Sample-Based Hip Hop: Making Records Within Records. Intellect Books, 2020.

3. Perchard analyzes how hip-hop artists in the 1990s drew on jazz as a source of inspiration, creating a dialogue between past and present. He focuses on the cultural and historical implications of this intertextuality. This article frames sampling as a cultural conversation, linking it to broader themes of memory and tradition. By highlighting how sampling jazz invokes cultural memory, Perchard provides a lens to view sampled songs as historical doubles. This source will be crucial in connecting the argument to the larger cultural and historical significance of sampling, adding depth to the discussion of identity and doubling.

Perchard, Tom. “Hip Hop Samples Jazz: Dynamics of Cultural Memory and Musical Tradition in the African American 1990s.” Journal of American Studies, vol. 40, no. 2, 2006, pp. 317-330.

4. Marshall critiques the decline of sampling due to legal restrictions, exploring how this shift affects the authenticity and creativity of hip-hop music. He argues that sampling is essential to hip-hop’s identity. Marshall’s discussion of the “death of sampling” provides a counterpoint to the artistic celebration of the practice, raising questions about authenticity and ownership. This perspective will enrich the paper by introducing ethical debates about doubling in music. This source will support a potential counterargument and provide context for the evolving legal and cultural landscape of hip-hop.

Marshall, Wayne. “Giving up Hip-Hop’s Firstborn: A Quest for the Real after the Death of Sampling.” Callaloo, vol. 29, no. 3, 2006, pp. 868-892.

5. Chang explores how sampling creates a dialogue between the past and the present, recontextualizing sounds to produce something new yet familiar. She emphasizes the temporal and spatial layering involved in the practice. Chang’s focus on temporal and spatial layering aligns with the concept of doubling, framing sampling as an act of simultaneous preservation and reinvention. Her analysis of the “present past” will be instrumental in discussing how sampling reflects duality. This source will provide theoretical support for the argument that sampling functions as a musical double, reinforcing key points about innovation and memory.

Chang, Vanessa. “Records That Play: The Present Past in Sampling Practice.” Popular Music Studies, vol. 22, no. 3, 2010, pp. 253-275.

Kanye West’s popular song “Stronger” is based on a well-known sample from Daft Punk’s song “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” which in turn reimagines Edwin Birdsong’s 1979 song “Cola Bottle Baby.” A musical doppelgänger is produced by this sample layering, in which each version both mirrors and changes the original. West’s Daft Punk sampling turns into a kind of doubling, where he takes elements from their song and adds his own twist to make it something fresh. Hip-hop’s use of samples might be interpreted as a metaphor for the idea of doubles and doppelgängers. A sample replicates the original music but modifies it to fit a new setting, much like in literature, where a doppelgänger frequently denotes a reflected or warped image of a character. The duality of public and private personalities is echoed by Kanye’s conversion of Daft Punk’s robotic, future sound into a human-centered hymn of self-empowerment. In “Stronger,” West raps on inner strife, popularity, and personal resiliency—themes frequently linked to the difficulty public figures and celebrities experience in trying to maintain a private sense of self while living up to expectations. The idea of a double identity in art and life is analogous to this tension between the old and the reimagined, the sampled and the new. Kanye’s musical doubling in “Stronger” reflects the tension that many people, particularly those in the spotlight, face on a daily basis between their genuineness and public persona.

“Kanye West – Stronger Samples.” Genius, genius.com/Kanye-west-stronger-sample.

Kanye West’s “Power,” from his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, is a perfect example of the use doubles in music. At the heart of this track is a interplay of doubles and doppelgangers—musical elements that both pay homage to the past and reinvent it for the present. One of the most famous features of “Power” is its use of samples. The song prominently features a vocal sample from the song “21st Century Schizoid Man” by the British progressive rock band King Crimson. This track, originally released in 1969, is known for its intense guitar riffs and politically charged lyrics. Kanye West recontextualizes this iconic sound into a modern hip-hop framework, creating a bridge between the rebellious spirit of the late ’60s and the contemporary assertiveness of his own music, This sampling technique is more than just a nod to the past; it’s a form of musical doppelganging. By integrating this classic rock sample into “Power,” Kanye creates a duality where the old and new coexist. The original song’s raw, confrontational energy is mirrored and reinterpreted in Kanye’s track, making it both a tribute and a transformation. Moreover, the song’s use of samples extends beyond just King Crimson. It also incorporates elements from other sources, including a vocal snippet from “Woman to Woman” by Joe Williams, and a choir from “A Heavy Soul” by the soul singer, John R.

“Kanye West – POWER Samples.” Genius, genius.com/Kanye-west-power- sample/samples.