Big Shout to RTC Shogun for giving us the scoop… The previous claim by Wu-Tang that the upcoming 8 Diagrams album will feature the first legally cleared Beatle sample was incorrect. According to Randall Wixen, of Wixen Publishing which handles publishing for the Harrison estate, “In this case, the Beatles’ master sample is not being used and has not been approved by Apple Records.”
In other words, when technically referring to the musical basis for Wu-Tang’s “The Heart Gently Weeps”, the sample is in question is actually not a sample, but an interpolation (or the famous replayed sample used to circumvent clearance troubles). It may seem like we’re splitting hairs; however, the significance of this means that the sampling world has not been turned upside down, but is quite intact with no major history being made.
Lesson learned: Dig deep in those crates, just don’t you dare think about sampling the The Beatles!
Wikipedia definition of Interpolation – Interpolation can also refer to when an artist uses a melody from a previously recorded song – but records it themselves. This differs from sampling, where the artist uses an existing melody without recording it themselves. Using an interpolation is often easier than sampling to clear through legal channels.
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