Hip Hop: Mash Up/Bootleg

This has not only affected hip hop, many genres of music have also declined in artistic quality in recent years. As a response to this, many DJs around the world have created their own genre of music originally called mash up but that term quickly became too mainstream for these underground types who now prefer it to be simply be called bootlegs.

Bootlegging involves taking samples from two or more songs and mixing them together to create a pseudo "new" song. This is quite similar to hip hop djing even though most mash up djs don't consider themselves to be related to hip hop there is still that unmistakeable link.

The most common form of mash up is the A+B mix. This is where the vocal track (or acapella as it is called) is mixed over the top of the instrumental or looped instrumental section of another song.

Ideally these two songs should come from completely different genres with rock and rap being a very common combination. Despite this mixing of genre, mash up aren't usually so-called "musical jokes". They are usually a means for a dj to increase the song's appeal.

 

 

Here are some bootlegs that could almost now be referred to as classics:

•  DJ Prince - We Will Rock Ya

  Probably the best example of the genre so far. This track combines the acapella of "We Will Rock You" by Queen with the instrumental of "Hey Ya" by Outkast. Absolute gem when it first appeared a few years ago and is still yet to be knocked off the top position.

•  Loo & Placido - Horny as a Dandy

  A version of this gained comercial release as a single almost three years after its first appearance. Acapella of "Horny" by Mousse T with the music from "Bohemian Like You" by the Dandy Warhols.

•  SoundHog - Enter Sandman/Superman

  A nice rock/rap A+B mix featuring the vocals of Eminem's "Superman" over the top of "Enter Sandman" by Metalica. Initially Soundhog didn't think this mix was very good but still floated it out there on the net and got a great shock when, after a while "Americans started e-mailing me to tell me that I rock! ".

•  Whipsta... (can't remember the dj, think it was DinBot?)

  This mix made 50 Cent's "Wanksta" bareable to my ears by combining it with the music of "Whip It" by none other than Devo.