Sample This tells the remarkable, real-life story behind a single album that would quietly reshape popular music and lay the groundwork for a whole new genre. It begins in June 1968, when Michael Viner, then an aide to Bobby Kennedy, shares a crowded moment with his roommate, ex-NFL star Rosey Grier, who serves as Kennedy’s bodyguard. They are there when Sirhan Sirhan’s shot rings out in Los Angeles, and Grier wrestles the pistol away from the attacker while Viner watches, stunned and shaken. The tragedy leaves Viner with a sense of urgency about music, a drive to channel energy and memory into something enduring.
From the ashes of political life, Viner pivots to the MGM lot, taking on a spectrum of roles that eventually bring him into the realm of movie soundtracks. One notable project is the film The Thing With Two Heads, which features his former roommate Grier. To complete a soundtrack for that film, Viner organizes a recorded collaboration in 1972 at the MGM studios, harnessing the talents of a tight circle of Los Angeles studio musicians led by arranger and composer Perry Botkin Jr. Out of those sessions comes a group that Viner dubs The Incredible Bongo Band, and with them he records a collection of tracks that would eventually be tied to a broader cultural moment. A soundtrack-inspired set emerges with pieces like Bongo Rock and Bongolia that bear the stamp of the Incredible Bongo Band, released later that year and intended to live beyond the film itself.
In the spring of 1973, the project shifts geographic gears as Viner heads to Vancouver, seeking to polish and expand the material so an album can reach a wider audience. Can Base Studios becomes the second home for a fresh batch of sessions, this time under Botkin Jr.’s leadership, with a different cadre of LA players including notable names such as King Errisson, Jim Gordon, Mike Deasy, and Steve Douglas lending their skills to the evolving album. When the dust settles, MGM finally releases the album, Bongo Rock, under Michael Viner’s Incredible Bongo Band, in May 1973. The record, despite its ambitious roots, fails to catch on commercially in the United States, and a follow-up released in 1974 — featuring the group on the cover — does not break through either.
The story takes a pivotal turn in the summer of 1973, when a Jamaican-born DJ in the Bronx discovers the Incredible Bongo Band record languishing in a local shop. That DJ, [DJ Kool Herc], recognizes the album’s long percussion breaks as something ripe for manipulation. He develops a groundbreaking technique of extending those breaks by playing them back-to-back from two copies of the same record, creating a continuous groove that invites dancing and improvisation. The breaks from Bongo Rock, along with Apache and other tracks, are recognized as foundational elements of hip hop, a movement that grows from the energy of the streets into a global cultural force.
Over the ensuing years, the Incredible Bongo Band’s music is sampled by an expanding roster of artists, a testament to the enduring power of that breakthrough sound. Names such as Moby, Grandmaster Flash, Will Smith, Missy Elliott, Nas, the Sugarhill Gang, Hammer, C+C Music Factory, Tone Loc, LL Cool J, Freddie Foxx, Faith Evans, Double D, Busta Rhymes, Goldie, Kanye West, and Jay-Z are among those who mine its grooves, confirming the album’s unlikely role as a wellspring for generations of music. The documentary invites viewers to hear how a meticulously crafted soundtrack, born from a moment of political tragedy, becomes the unlikely engine of an entire genre.
Sample This chronicles the astonishing arc from an assassination’s aftermath to a creative gamble that reverberates through decades of music. It assembles fresh interviews with a constellation of voices, including [Questlove], [Melle Mel], [Grandmaster Caz], [Rosey Grier], [Freda Payne], [Jerry Butler], [King Errisson], [Afrika Bambaataa], and others, weaving their memories with archival material to illuminate how the project’s breaks traveled far beyond their initial purpose. The film is anchored by a commanding narration from [Gene Simmons], who guides viewers through the twists of the project, from studio sessions to the broader cultural impact. Directed by Dan Forrer and produced by Bob Burris, the documentary treats a single album as a case study for how sound, sampling, and collaboration can alter popular music history. The New York City Breakers also appear, underscoring the live culture that would soon orbit around the music’s transformative rhythms.
In sum, Sample This is not just a tale of a record; it is a portrait of timing, luck, and ingenuity. It shows how a soundtrack project intersected with a moment of political upheaval, how a cadre of session players and visionaries built something larger than themselves, and how a Bronx DJ’s rediscovery of ancient breaks helped ignite a movement that would redefine music for generations. The narrative remains accessible and engaging, with a clear throughline about creation, influence, and the enduring power of a simple rhythm pushed to its breaking point. It is a story that respects its players, honors its sources, and celebrates a piece of audio history that continues to echo through the songs we hear today.
