“Sample This” – A Feature Documentary Film
The Incredible Story of The Incredible Bongo Band.
On the streets of the Bronx in the summer of 1973, DJ Herc took the percussion
breaks from an obscure album and extended them by playing them back to back.
The song he used: “Apache” is considered the national anthem of hip hop and is one
of the most sampled tracks in the history of the genre used by artists from Will Smith
to Missy Elliott to Amy Winehouse to Naz, Kanye West and Jay-Z.
Where did this come music from? If not for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy it
might never have happened, the gunshots that rang out in the Ambassador Hotel
kitchen in June of 1968 started a musical revolution—
“Sample This” is the true story of how an unknown music producer and the greatest
studio musicians of the 70’s entwined to create of one of the most influential albums
in history. It’s the story of a band that never was, a cult movie and revolutionary
music from the streets of New York. A pop culture odyssey that includes Charles
Manson, a former Beatle and an infamous mobster.
“Sample This” tells contemporary rap fans where their music comes from and how
seemingly unrelated people and apparently random events set the stage for
greatness. It is powerful, tantalizing, informative and above all, emotionally riveting.
The film is narrated by music icon Gene Simmons, directed by Dan Forrer
and cinematography by Philip Hurn.