When you recreate someone’s creation, you learn their story: every piece of brilliance, tradeoff, and imperfection.
I'm applying the same principle to learning music composition and production. I'm terrible at it, but only because I haven't put in the reps yet. And in my mind, the best way to put in the reps is to steal.
I'm starting by transcribing other songs as my own compositions, which helps me to better understand rhythm, harmonies, and melodies. And as I do it, I noodle around a bit too, throwing my own flair into the song.
These stolen compositions will never see the light of day. They're just there to help me learn the ropes. Though almost certainly, their echoes will be heard in the songs I eventually compose myself.
Everything I do references something that influenced me. - Virgil Abloh