Rap, sampling and the neoliberal era

Abstract

The essay expands on some ideas presented in the author’s Undergraduate thesis, entitled “Mundo-sample: a transição neoliberal do Brasil na forma do rap nacional”. In its first movement, it utilizes part of what has been written on rap music in the attempt to outline the specific position of sampling for this musical culture. After that, important ideas about neoliberalism in its initial moment are summarized, being made a link between this central position of sampling and this neoliberal reality via ideas such as historic abstraction, technical reproduction and montage. In a third moment, some raps which use sampling and montage in an interesting way are analyzed. Finally, I propose an adornian reading of the rap tradition focused on the use of the sample, arguing that there is a radical appropriation of identity, repetition and the commodity form in the direction of the production of something non-identical, new, original and radical.

Key words: Rap; sampling; neoliberalism; technical reproduction; montage.