At the Incubate Pirate Conference, Job de Wit interviewed Hank Shocklee (The Bomb Squad/Public Enemy) about his method of production, his view on (the future of) copyright, and sampling and the recycling of material to build a new work and a new context. You can now watch the full interview above.

The Incubate Pirate Conference took place on September 17 and offered reflection on the comprehensive piracy-program of Incubate Festival and on the value of creation in society. What do artists think about the current state of issues? How can they best react to the current operation of copyright? What strategies, tactics and interventions can be used? How do we shape creativity and innovation as a society, and what could businesses learn from these tactics?

The Bomb Squad is a hip hop production team, mostly known for their groundbreaking work on Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. This album, released in 1988 (before the record labels and lawyers really started paying attention to sampling), is known for its dense, sample-heavy production, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. Because of this highly influential sound and production method Hank Shocklee is viewed by some as the Phil Spector of hip-hop. Shocklee has been a force behind some of the most significant music and film projects of the last two decades including Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J and countless others.

You can also watch videos of Matt Mason, Rob Scholte and Xavier Le Roy & Mårten Spångberg at the Incubate Pirate Conference.