Have you ever heard a song for the first time and caused you a déjà vu? I bet it has happened to you so many times that you just decided to do a little research on the track. You probably found out that the “rhythm” belongs to another song, maybe with some changes, but it still felt like the same song. The truth is that lots of artists do this, and yes, we include R&B interpreters, especially in this century.
Of course, we don’t know for sure how many songs there exist since the begin of time because it’s just impossible to think about a number. What we do know is that there are thousands or even millions of songs. However, today we are going to focus on the R&B musical genre. Believe it or not, some artists have sampled other artists’ songs, and today we will see some of the reasons why they might have sampled the songs.
Why do R&B artists sample other artists?
Well, there are a few reasons why some artists sample other artists. Sometimes they don’t precisely sample songs, but they also write similar lyrics, they just change a few things about them, because that could be way easier to them. But why? Why do they do that? Today’s goal is to answer these questions, based on some interviews and facts said in them.
First of all, some songs should never go out of style, same as genres, just like R&B. R&B is such a beautiful and meaningful genre, but it has been unrated lately, which is sad. Now, that could be or is one of the reasons why artists sample other artists. To keep the legacy, to continue making history.
Every human being has a musical taste; they’re all different, so, haven’t you been into a song, feeling like you love it so badly that you want to sing it all day long? Well, you’re not the only one. That’s why artists sample other artists sometimes. They make covers about the song because they can, they have the gift, the fame, and everything needed for it.
The reason behind samples
As said before, they also don’t exactly sample other songs. Sometimes, they make a similar one. Why do they do it? Well, usually, R&B stars do this because there are old but still good songs that people still want to listen. They may have done it with a good intention, but some criticise that is easier for artists to change a few words and create a new hit -which wouldn’t be new at all- than starting a song from scratch.
The critics often say that artists who sample just make some adjustments and create something that while it sounds new to some people, others recognise that beat. However, supporters say that sampling is significant, and we should feel very grateful to the job these artists do, because they make us remember the old-school Rhythm and Blues songs, and they do a pretty good job of doing so.
Credit: Kiki Ruiz
