Some people say it was largely due to sampling laws but I think many of those producers bragged about not having to use samples.

I remember an article in one of the major magazines that said Swizz was the hip-hop Mozart solely based on the fact he didn't sample. Think about how dumb that is for a second.

Hip-Hop's version of a musical genius became a cat that hit no more than 3 notes on a Casio.