Discussion Section Questions:

1) In McLeod and DiCola’s chapter they talk about the golden age of sampling (1987-1992), a period where most of this week’s assigned songs come from. Since this was a time when hip hop music producers made music before thinking about lawsuits and sample clearance, why do you think this allowed De La Soul, Tribe, Jungle Brothers, etc. to have more creative freedom; or how would their music be different? Do you think this creative freedom helped advance production technique (i.e. how producers learned to manipulate the digital sampling technology)? Based on what you read in this chapter, is sample clearance about money, artistic control, or both?

2) Listen to the songs for this week and think of them in comparison to the songs from 1982-1989 (Run-D.M.C. to Public Enemy). How did the sound of hip hop change with Native Tongues from the previous era? What types of records/sounds were the Native Tongues’ producers seeking out and why would they deviate from the using Ultimate Breaks and Beats and James Brown records, as well as drum machines as source materials (hint: think about the prioritization of having a unique style and being different in hip hop)?