Sampling isn't about "hijacking nostalgia wholesale," says Mark Ronson. It's about inserting yourself into the narrative of a song while also pushing that story forward. In this mind-blowingly original talk, watch the DJ scramble 15 TED Talks into an audio-visual omelette, and trace the evolution of "La Di Da Di," Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's 1984 hit that has been reimagined for every generation since.

How sampling transformed music

Sampling revolutionized music by allowing artists to take pieces of existing songs and create entirely new works. A track like 'La Di Da Di' has been sampled over 500 times, reinvented by everyone from Snoop Dogg to Miley Cyrus. This process is not about copying, but about joining the narrative of music’s history and making it one’s own. True originality comes from reimagining what came before and adding a fresh voice.