Is Collage a Crime?
Chapter 12 looks at sampling, the technique of incorporating other sound recordings into a new composition. It is one of the most ubiquitous and most controversial practices in modern pop, offering unbridled creativity to musicians but also exposing them to claims of unoriginality and copyright infringement. Sampling entered popular music through hip hop, when instrumental breaks were repeated and recorded on a loop, forming the beat against which an MC could rap. The appearance of digital samplers in the 1980s enabled a proliferation of sample based music but heralded continuing legal battles to curtail the practice of sampling. "Paper Planes" is a collage of musical and lyrical referents that creates an indelible sonic texture while also indexing the themes of immigration and criminality that M.I.A. satirizes in her hit track.
Switched On Pop