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Sampling from vinyl is a common practice amongst Hip Hop producers, going all the way back to the early days of beat creation. Digging and finding that hidden gem has led to a slew of well known tracks and certified hits. However, like almost everything today, technology has slowly pushed vinyl digging to the side and has ushered in a new way to make beats.

There has been a disturbing trend in the world of Hip Hop over the past decade or so, and it's something that needs to be addressed NOW. I actually first discovered it back in 1996. I know it's hard to believe but it began back in the day when a friend of mine came over one day to freestyle. What happened next deeply disturbed me but at the same time it made me laugh hysterically. The trend? Finger smelling rappers!

For some, making beats is a hobby and for others, it's big business. If you want to make money selling beats, then there are a few things you should consider first. Forget about just making a beat, uploading it somewhere and then spamming social media. That is not beat selling. What you need to do is make beats a certain way, which will in turn help you get sales.

In other genres of music, it's common practice to have a songwriter write for the artist and it's widely accepted, of course. The issue is with Rap music. Rappers are expected to write their own lyrics and if they don't, they get clowned. But is that right? I think so.

The Beastie Boys have been presented with a lawsuit claiming that they used un-cleared samples on "Licensed to Ill" and "Paul's Boutique". The tracks in question are Trouble Funk's "Say What" and "Drop The Bomb". The lawsuit claims that these samples were used without permission and the fact that these two albums have been in circulation for over twenty years, means that they have profited tremendously off of this illegal practice.