Turning over a new leaf .. or, one that sounds really familiar

One of my least favorite songs, of any genre, is "Come With Me" by Sean "Puffy" Combs (is it just Diddy now? P. Diddy? No clue). It came out back in the late '90s for the movie "Godzilla," and it doesn't take a music prodigy to figure out that he blatantly ripped off Led Zeppelin's song Kashmir . Also, I hate how he included a really good Isley Brothers song at the beginning of the music video. Blasphemy!

Now, I'm not morally opposed to hip-hop artists sampling music from other sources, but if you are going to do it, at least try to make it your own. The above video bothers me on many levels, especially since Diddy (or Puffy) tried to legitimize this song by inviting Jimmy Page to play that famous guitar riff. If you ask me, it made things even worse, because now he's just trying too hard and embarrassing himself.

Exhibit B: the "Making the Band" shows. Did you know, that last week, Diddy (Puffy... P. Diddy), broke up Danity Kane, his hand-picked girl group formulated from 2 previous seasons of the show? After 3 years of Diddy (Puffy ... etc.) training these fame-hungry, slightly talented girls for success that only he knows how, he dumps 2 of them. After a modest top 40 hit.

OMG.

Aside from Diddy's (Puffy's ... oh, screw it. You know who I mean) musical flaws, it brings up a really interesting argument: at some point, even when a new artist thinks he is the most clever, original artist on the scene, he probably gets influences from somewhere or someone. Eventually, those influences materialize themselves into becoming derivative, because over time, there is a slim chance that an artist is 100 percent original, 100 percent of the time.

So, the question is: is "originality" totally original? Or is it just re-packaging?  And, if it is re-packaging, how do you "sample" something while making it your own?

I became really interested in this subject after I decided to turn over a new leaf in my personal life. 3 weeks ago, I left my job and my life in Connecticut to pursue happiness, enlightenment, and a graduate degree in New York. I didn't have an actual plan when I moved here, but I had the desire and a semblance of a plan. Oh, and free rent thanks to my parents. 

After the first couple of weeks, I (rightfully so) went through a host of emotions. I had no regrets about the location change, but I was nervous about everything that I suddenly had to do. I left a job that "looked good on paper," and friends who I loved ..  and all of a sudden I had no income, nowhere I had to be, and no one I had to answer to (thanks to Mom and Dad's trip to Europe, no one was even at our apartment). 

Sounds great, right? Liberating, yes? And it was. But after living my entire life, up to this point, with "structure," and then having absolutely no structure, it was also extremely overwhelming.

My big problem? I wasn't "making it my own." I had all of these "original" and wonderful ideas (ie, I'm gonna join a chorale! Take improv classes! Be a yoga instructor! Train for a marathon! Get a freelance job!), but I had no clue how to reel them in and make the best of the situation. It wasn't as if I was naming things that were completely out of character; if there were resources in Connecticut for me (or if I had the desire to research them), I would have done a few of the aforementioned things. But that wasn't what I wanted to do with my time there. 

So now, I'm repackaging myself, because you can never truly "change" what you like to do and who you are. But at the same time, I'm turning over a new leaf, learning from my mistakes, acknowledging my flaws, and tapping into that "originality" I know is there somewhere. Being stuck in a rut in your 20s is a depressing reality, and sometimes it takes guts to dig yourself out. 

But to be "drastic" just for the sake of being drastic? Doing something and not making it your own? Well, then you'd be trying too hard. Like our friend Diddy/Puffy/P. Combs.

And, while we're on the subject, here are a few of my best examples of hip-hop samples (with the original song), in no particular order:

-G-Unit, "Wanna Get to Know Ya," samples "Come Live With Me," Marvin Gaye.

The only thing they stole was the "hook" in the song. Other than that, both versions are vastly different. I also appreciate the fact that they didn't speed up the track, or Marvin's voice, because you really shouldn't bastardize a Marvin Gaye song like that.

-Alicia Keys, "You Don't Know My Name," samples "Let Me Prove My Love to You," The Main Ingredient. 

The great thing about these two tracks are the vocals. The lead singer for the Main Ingredient, Cuba Gooding, Sr. (yes, he is Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Omar Gooding's dad), expertly walks that fine line between raw emotion and subtle, smooth passion. And Alicia Keys? She just kills it. 

-Jay-Z, "Party Life" samples "Get into the Party Life," Little Beaver. 

Jay-Z has the uncanny talent of sampling to not only further his own abilities as a rapper, but to also showcase the musicianship of the artists that he samples from. Where Diddy just rips off with no regard, you can tell that Jay-Z listens to the track, thinks about how to use it, and laces his rhymes throughout, in an effort to create a new sound from and old standby. Honorable mention: "Girls, Girls, Girls," from Tom Brock's "I Love You More and More."

Honorable Mention #2: "Feelin' It," from Ahmad Jamal's "Pastures."

-Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, "Uptown Baby" samples "Black Cow," Steely Dan.

The original is from Steely Dan's album "Aja" - quite possibly their best. I'm not sure if they realized it at the time, but this hook was meant for hip-hop.

-Notorious B.I.G., "Big Poppa" samples The Isley Brothers, "Between the Sheets."

You know that song I mentioned earlier? The one in the "Come With Me" video? Well, there's a reason Puffy put it in there. Because his boy, Notorious B.I.G., sampled from it a few years earlier. The difference here is that Biggie's rhymes, and his smooth persona, are far superior to Mr. Combs.

-The Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight," samples "Good Times," Chic. 

Because there's nothing like the original.