Very well stated and I completely back your perspective both as an occasional user of Royalty Free Loops & 100% From Scratch Production approaches. The tools n

Very well stated and I completely back your perspective both as an occasional user of Royalty Free Loops & 100% From Scratch Production approaches. The tools now are so powerful to create new sounds - Figure by Propellerhead, Garageband, etc - that it seems just dishonest to argue sampling is a "necessary" function of art. Maybe it was for the Beastie Boys, but not for some up and comer with even basic access to a phone. Really, it's that low-level and accessible now. Fundamentally I dislike people claiming that jacking a sample, adding an MPC hip-hop beat over the top, and then rapping / adding vocals is an impressive accomplishment. There's an artistic process in there, sure, but it's built on the skill of others fundamentally. Not a popular opinion, but I'm also able to compose without lifting other people's stuff to start with...because, well, 20+ years of practice and effort is a lot more investment than buying a turntable, records, MPC & a mic.