I recently watched a video on YouTube about the Amen Break, a drum beat sample that, according to the Wikipedia, is "the most influential 5.20 seconds in the history of electronic music". Although that sounds like hyperbole, the statement may not be far from the truth.

The video, entitled "Can I Get An Amen?" is, in the words of the author Nate Harrison, "an audio installation that unfolds a critical perspective of perhaps the most sampled drum beat in the history of recorded music". At around 18 minutes long, "Can I Get An Amen" gives a historical overview of the Amen Break, citing numerous examples of its use (with accompanying audio samples), and proceeds to touch upon the broader issue of how important sampling was in the development of modern hip-hop and electronic music. Although it is a video, the presentation is really just an audio documentary with visuals attached that consist of little more than shots of a record player spinning. Visually, it is artistic, but not engaging. It is, however, worth listening to if the subject interests you.

The Amen is 16 beats of a drum break from a song entitled "Amen My Brother", a B-side to a 1969 single by funk/soul outfit The Winstons, performed by drummer G.C. Coleman. It sounds like this. It became popular with DJ's in the mid-1980's when it was compiled onto a breaks and beats bootleg series and took off in hip-hop music. A year later the electronic sampler was introduced which helped to facilitate the process of sampling music and incorporating it in a new composition, further popularizing the break as it made its way into numerous albums of the time.

The Amen Break is somewhat iconic in hip-hop music, which is why it is of interest to me. It appears in a dozen or so tracks from the late eighties to early nineties, most notably N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton" (1989, Straight Outta Compton), a song and album that are generally considered the genesis of Gangsta Rap music. Amusingly by contrast, the break is also the foundation for the Powerpuff Girls theme song.

Although not mentioned in "Can I Get An Amen", an equally iconic sample in hip-hop is the Funky Drummer, a drum break from James Brown's "Funky Drummer" (1969) performed by Clyde Stubblefield. It sounds a little something like this. Probably more prolific in the rap world than the Amen Break, the Funky Drummer appears in such famous hip-hop tracks as Dr. Dre's "Let Me Ride", Kris Kross's "Jump", L.L. Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out", Run DMC's "Run's House", N.W.A's "Fuck tha Police", and both "Bring the Noise" and "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy. It's even seen popularity outside of hip hop, in songs by Prince ("Gett Off"), Depeche Mode ("My Joy"), Enigma ("Carly's Song"), Fine Young Cannibals ("I'm not the man I used to be"), KMFDM ("Superhero"), Sublime( "Scarlet Begonias" ) and others. Hell, even Strong Bad used it in "Everybody to the Limit".

So, what's the point? Well, other than being an interesting music history topic, the story of the Amen Break reveals a time in history right before the explosion of music and media-related lawsuits and legislation. Certainly artists deserve to retain the rights to works they have created, but there are some (many) who believe that to prevent anyone from taking existing works and using them to create a new a different work is stifling a creative freedom that artists deserve to have. Sampling was very important in the early days of hip-hop and electronic music but the creative restrictions on artists (and average joes like you and me) that exist today create a hostile environment in which that type of innovation in music (and the arts in general) is stifled and suppressed. If, for instance, "Straight Outta Compton" had never been made (due to fear of lawsuit), and N.W.A never made it big (according to the Wikipedia, Straight Outta Compton reached Double Platinum status with no airplay support), Gangsta Rap may have taken years to develop. The world would have never heard of Eazy-E, Ice Cube, or Dr. Dre (all members). In turn, the world may never have heard of Bone thugs-n-harmony, Snoop Dogg, or Eminem, all of whom were discovered/signed by N.W.A alums. Throw 50 Cent in there (signed by Dr. Dre and Eminem), and you're looking at what must be trillions of dollars in combined revenue thrown away, as well as the elimination of of what many consider three of the top 20 rappers of all time (Eminem, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg).

I'll leave you with this thought. In 2004, a talented young producer and DJ named Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) mixed an acapella version of Jay-Z's The Black Album with beats he crafted from samples of The Beatles' White Album to create The Grey Album. He originally made it for himself and some friends but it made its rounds on the Internet and drew praise from the general audience and critics alike (it is, in fact, a really impressive piece of work). EMI, who holds the rights to the Beatles' record, showed their litigious mindset and outdated thinking by quickly serving him with a cease and desist. What was Jay-Z's response? He loved it.