Sampled Songs Sound Old Compared to the Originals Over Time

(Image taken from: armondwhitebook.wordpress.com)

So, I went to the gym the other day, and I heard this:



Does that beat sound familiar? Well, it should, because it's ripped right off of this:



Honestly, when I heard the beat start up at the gym, I got excited. Why? Well, just listen to it. That beat is HOT! But so was the song back in the day. So, does adding T.I.'s mediocre lyrics make the beat any better, or worse? In this case, I'm going to have to go with worse. And that's only because unlike many samples today, where they're at least altered a LITTLE bit from their original counterpart, this is a blatant rip-off. All it does is make me want to listen to the original instead of this carbon copy. In fact, it got me to thinking. Over time, the newer versions actually sound older than the originals, because they pretty much date themselves. And this means, that when you hear the copycat song on the radio many years down the line, the first thing you think about is the original version, and not the copied version. Don't believe me? Then just listen below and tell me that the older songs doesn't sound fresher today than the ones that were released not too long ago with the same beat.

So, which sounds fresher today? This?



Or this?



I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the "ohhhhh, ohhhh," of the M.C. Hammer version just as much as the next guy, but it sounds old, like, 1990 old. While the original, Rick James version, sounds, well, classic. And fresh. Two good combinations that go a long way.

Or how about this?



And this?



I mean, the Men in Black? Seriously? Didn't that movie come out like a million years ago? But I heard the Patrice Rushen song just a few days ago and it sounded delightfully modern.

Or how about this baby?



And this?



Oh, but I'm sorry. That last one was a complete accident. if you think that those two songs sound similar, then you couldn't be more wrong. Vanilla Ice breaks it down for you in case you were wondering.



So, you see? Thankfully, the full on sampling has died down quite a bit over the years, but it's still here today in small doses, with T.I.'s song being a prime example of that. So the next time that you hear a song on the radio that has the exact same beat as one of your favorite songs, just remember this blog post and think to yourself, 'Am I really going to like this version ten years down the line? Or would I rather just hear the original?'

I'm pretty sure the answer will be clear once you download that older song off of iTunes.