As rapper Kanye West continues to find success in his musical ventures, former Bomb Squad member, Public Enemy collaborator, and legendary producer Hank Shocklee [click to read] recently expressed his opinion as to why ‘Ye has been able to build a large following in an industry that is currently declining.
In an interview with Exberliner.com, Shocklee stated West’s sampling choices of big name artists has given him the ability to tap into other fan bases. “Kanye West is a huge artist. So why is Kanye West huge? Only because he has the “luxury”, alright, and I’m gonna put that in quotes, of being able to afford to be able to sample an artist that he truly admires.”
Continuing, Shocklee explained, “He can afford to pay a Ray Charles sample for a hook, he can afford to pay Daft Punk. And if you look, he’s the only artist that has that luxury, so thus his stock and credibility shoots up to the roof because of that, and so that’s a direct reflection of the power of sampling and what it does. It immediately injects you into the fan base or the culture of that particular artist that you’ve taken from.”
Asked if a classic album like Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, which used a large amount of diverse samples, would be possible today, Shocklee simply stated, “You couldn’t afford it; you couldn’t afford it.” The hearing stemmed from West’s physical altercation with a photographer last September 11 [click to read], in which West and his manager Don C were both charged with three misdemeanors [click to read]. His attorney asked for a continuance on the case.
