The Amen Break

Nate Harrison's 2004 documentary Can I Get an Amen? on the "Amen Break", uncovers the story behind one of the seminal breaks of the electronica/jungle/drum-n-bass scenes. Though I'd argue that James Brown's "Funky Drummer" break is even more influential, and that the Kraftwerk/Africa Bambaata breaks are equally seminal in other genres, this is a fantastic demonstration of open culture and the profound ways that sampling can have an impact that no one could predict.

See also:

• Contrafact and the Rhythm Changes, about the essential role that appropriation plays in creating music.
• Holding a gun to Dick Clark's head, which outlines the contempt the record industry has for its own agents, such as DJ Drama.
• Collecting samples. This was just random links, but along the same theme.