WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch Sonic Necessity and Compositional Invention in #Blues-Hop: Composing the Blues for Sample-Based Hip-Hop Exarchos, M. This is an electronic version of a paper presented at the New Zealand Musicological Society Annual Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand, 19 to 20 November 2016. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: ((http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail
[email protected] New Zealand Musicological Society Annual Conference Contemporary and Future Paths in Music Performance, Composition and Analysis Sonic Necessity and Compositional Invention in #Blues-Hop: Composing the Blues for Sample-Based Hip-Hop Michail Exarchos, London College of Music, University of West London Abstract Rap, the musical element of Hip-Hop culture, has depended upon the ‘recorded’ past to shape its birth, present and, potentially, its future. Founded upon a sample-based methodology, the style’s perceived authenticity and sonic impact are largely attributed to the use of phonographic records, and the unique conditions offered by ‘composition’ within a sampling context. Yet, while the dependence on pre-existing recordings chal- lenges traditional notions of authorship, it also results in unavoidable legal and financial implications for sampling composers who, increasingly, seek alternative ways to infuse the sample-based method with authentic content.