Brigitte Sire

How does a hip-hop artist flip a sample to make a sonically pleasing beat? For Charles Hamilton, the 27-year-old rapper and multi-instrumentalist, the whole process can be summarized in a mere 90 seconds.

Watch Hamilton chop up Herbie Hancock’s “I Thought It Was You” to make a simmering beat, in a clip shot during the hip-hop artist’s recent interview with Billboard:

“Hip-hop doesn’t like talking about giving what the original samples are,” says Hamilton, “but I don’t mind sharing what the sample is, as long as you know that every element in my beat, including the drums, is the original sample. It’s just manipulated via force.”

Click here for more with Hamilton, including his thoughts on his struggles with mental illness and his future music plans.