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Sampling is becoming increasingly popular in modern day music. If you aren’t familiar with the practice, artists take existing songs and “sample” a portion of the original recording. It can be very obvious or it can sometimes be very subtle, but it’s been happening for a long, long time. The hip-hop genre made it way more commonplace in the 1980s, and the method of making new music from old is still very prominent today. Look at any hip hop tracklist these days and you’ll see dozens of samples credited. Interpolation on the other hand, is when you take a song melody or some lyrics (usually both), and essentially repurpose it into a new work. It goes hand in hand with sampling, and the two are often weaved together, but think of songs like Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which takes from J-Kwon’s 2004 hit “Tipsy,” Jake Owen borrowed from Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” with his song “On The Boat Again,” and most recently, Morgan Wallen put together a song (that received mixed reviews) called “Miami” that included interpolation of “Miami, My Amy” by Keith Whitley. If a sample or interpolation is done right, it creates something new while also tipping the cap to the music of yesteryear. Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” was a decent example. So is Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” If it’s done wrong… then it all just comes off as kind of lazy. But it’s become WAY too common in country music these days, and more times than not, results in a pretty cringey finished product. And on that note, I’ll let you come up with your own opinion about Chris Lane’s new track called “FRIEND” that’s set to come out in just a couple of days. From the artist that brought the world the song “I Don’t Know About You” (which included a line that sings “Girl I know your favorite beer, because you told me, and I bought it”) comes a reimagining of a popular 1980s hip-hop song. Chris Lane took Biz Markie’s smash hit “Just A Friend,” which itself is an interpolation the 1968 song “(You) Got What I Need” by Freddie Scott… it’s interpolation inception… and he decided country-ify it… sorta. And well, it’s certainly something. There’s a chance you think you don’t know the original song, and if that’s the case, I promise that you do. The chorus of the track goes a little something like this: “You, you got what I need but you say he’s just a friend And you say he’s just a friend, oh baby You, got what I need but you say he’s just a friend But you say he’s just a friend, oh baby You, got what I need but you say he’s just a friend.” “Just A Friend” was released by Biz Markie in 1989, and it went on to be his most successful single. Fast forward to 2026, and Chris Lane is trying to get in on some of that song’s success through interpolation. The 41-year-old country artist has been teasing the song’s January 16 release date for a while now, and just recently shared a video which shows him singing the slightly modified chorus that his song will present: “Cause you, you got what I need And I can’t be just your friend No, I can’t be just your friend. Baby, you, you’re all that I need And I can’t be just your friend.” View this post on Instagram What do you think? A fresh take on a classic? Or a song that was probably better off left alone? I guess we’ll have to wait until the song actually drops to make a final conclusion, but I have a hunch we just might have an early front-runner for worst song of the year. Until then… here’s the original: “Just A Friend” by Biz Markie And the OG rendition from Freddie Scott: The post Chris Lane Reimagines Biz Markie’s 1989 Hit, “Just a Friend,” For A Country Remix That Absolutely Nobody Asked For first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Teenage Tyler Childers. It’s always great to see videos of country music stars before they hit it big, and this clip is no exception. Below you’ll see a video of a 16-year-old Childers singing what I’m assuming is an original song (props to him for penning this one at such a young age, if he did), and it’s absolutely glorious. How did this video come to be? Well, the “Lady May” singer grew up in the hollers of Lawrence County, which is in the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield region of the state. He then moved to Johnson County and lived there, graduating from Paintsville High School in 2009. Before even getting his high school diploma, he was exploring his musical talent and showcasing it here and there. Like with this event in 2007 that was referred to as “Big Sandy Idol.” If you are assuming that’s some sort of singing competition, you’d be correct. It was basically a local version of American Idol, and Tyler Childers chose to show off his talent on stage at the young age of 16. On one hand, it’s crazy to watch this footage and connect it with the country music megastar. On the other hand… there’s no doubt this is Childers, as his mannerisms and vocal control align perfectly with the Tyler that we know today. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? The 7-time Grammy nominee and the owner of Platinum and Gold albums (as well as multiple Platinum singles) evidently got started with “Big Sandy Idol.” I doubt this 16-year-old would have ever dreamed of selling out massive venues night after night, and being widely regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters in modern country music. And to add to that, I’m sure everyone that was there that day and heard Tyler Childers’ performance had absolutely no idea that they were witnessing the humble beginnings of one of country music’s brightest stars. The talent was undoubtedly there from the very beginning. An account that calls themselves “Tyler Childers Fans” recently shared the rare footage online, saying: “When Tyler Childers was just 16 years old, he was already getting his music career started. This video is from 2007 when Tyler was auditioning for ‘Big Sandy Idol,’ a local Kentucky talent show. You can still hear the resemblance and that old Childers sound today.” According to an old program from the performance, the song appears to be titled “My Name”: Not bad for a high school kid. His stage presence has gotten a whole lot better over the years, and it’s funny to see some old habits are still sticking around. Vocally he’s improved tremendously (as you would expect), but he still has a tendency to hold that right hand down near his belt-buckle in the modern day when he’s singing… just like he did when he was 16-years-old. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Rather, it’s fascinating to see what stuck and what didn’t for Tyler Childers. I know it probably hurts some out there to say this, but 2007 was a long, long time ago. Nearly two decades later, it’s cool to be able to look back and see that Tyler Childers still deploys some of the same techniques that he did as a high schooler. For young Tyler’s sake, I hope he won “Big Sandy Idol” that year…The post WATCH: A 16-Year-Old Tyler Childers Proves He Was Destined For Stardom In Rare Clip From 2007 Talent Show first appeared on Whiskey Riff.