An Open Apology To Kanye West
Hotsauce84
8,450 Posts
So tonight I'm at my first ever Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings show. Shit was DOPE. Took Moms - who's also 50-ish and can saaaaaang her ass off - and she loved it. Really though, everything I can say has been said many times before and in better ways. In short, if you have the opportunity to see them perform, GO.
Okay, now that I got that out of the way....
So after the standard "Thank you and goodnight!" faux-walk-off-stage-and-return-for-encore maneuver, the band kicks in with a rather familiar beat. I snap into "OH SHIT!" mode, trying to figure out who sampled it. I pulled out my celly cell and used the 'record' function to capture a snippet of it in case I got distracted and "lost" the sound. (I'm the type of dude who usually has to replay the sample over & over in my head - sometimes for hours - before I can remember.)
During the final seconds of the song it hits me:
"I don't like it unless it's BRAND NEW!/You might see me in my BRAND NEW! whiiiiiip with my BRAND NEW! biiiitch..."
That Rhymefest/Kanye shit! So right after the song, dudes (and Sharon) get off stage and into the audience to meet & greet folks. So I got my little Sharpie and the Dap-Dippin' With... LP that I had just bought (and more importantly to the story, NEVER before heard) and approach them for an autograph.
After huggin' and cheek-kissin' Ms. Jones, I hit up one of the band members:
Me: "Great show, man! Hey, what was that last song you just played?"
Band dude: "It's called 'Pick It Up, Lay It In The Cut.'"
Me (in sample-spotter mode & not necessarily "up" on my Funk knowledge): "Dope, Kanye just sampled it. Who's it by?"
Band dude: "Wait, Kanye just sampled it?"
Me: "Yeah. Well, actually, it's a Rhymefest song, but Kanye's on it and he produced it. So who did the song?"
Band dude: "Ummmm, us. It's on this album right here."
Me (to self): "Ohhhhhhh fuuuuuuck."
Dude turned around and told the rest of the crew what I had just told him and they all started talking about it.
Damn, I fucked up. But in my defense, I thought they were doing another cover! I mean, they started the night with that song that Ice T sampled for "Lethal Weapon" (Sample FAQ says it's "Razor Blade" by Little Royal & the Swingmasters), so I figured they were ending the night with one, too! I mean, dude in the band IS Daptone Records, right? So if the sampled was cleared, he'd have already known, right? Well apparently, HE didn't and I guess IT wasn't.
So, if you're reading this Kanye or Rhymefest, I AM SORRY. I didn't meant to put you on blast and I hope this doesn't affect you at all legally. Who knows, maybe J Records DID clear the sample and maybe dude doesn't own his publishing so that's why he was unaware of it. In any case,
I apologize.
Herm
Okay, now that I got that out of the way....
So after the standard "Thank you and goodnight!" faux-walk-off-stage-and-return-for-encore maneuver, the band kicks in with a rather familiar beat. I snap into "OH SHIT!" mode, trying to figure out who sampled it. I pulled out my celly cell and used the 'record' function to capture a snippet of it in case I got distracted and "lost" the sound. (I'm the type of dude who usually has to replay the sample over & over in my head - sometimes for hours - before I can remember.)
During the final seconds of the song it hits me:
"I don't like it unless it's BRAND NEW!/You might see me in my BRAND NEW! whiiiiiip with my BRAND NEW! biiiitch..."
That Rhymefest/Kanye shit! So right after the song, dudes (and Sharon) get off stage and into the audience to meet & greet folks. So I got my little Sharpie and the Dap-Dippin' With... LP that I had just bought (and more importantly to the story, NEVER before heard) and approach them for an autograph.
After huggin' and cheek-kissin' Ms. Jones, I hit up one of the band members:
Me: "Great show, man! Hey, what was that last song you just played?"
Band dude: "It's called 'Pick It Up, Lay It In The Cut.'"
Me (in sample-spotter mode & not necessarily "up" on my Funk knowledge): "Dope, Kanye just sampled it. Who's it by?"
Band dude: "Wait, Kanye just sampled it?"
Me: "Yeah. Well, actually, it's a Rhymefest song, but Kanye's on it and he produced it. So who did the song?"
Band dude: "Ummmm, us. It's on this album right here."
Me (to self): "Ohhhhhhh fuuuuuuck."
Dude turned around and told the rest of the crew what I had just told him and they all started talking about it.
Damn, I fucked up. But in my defense, I thought they were doing another cover! I mean, they started the night with that song that Ice T sampled for "Lethal Weapon" (Sample FAQ says it's "Razor Blade" by Little Royal & the Swingmasters), so I figured they were ending the night with one, too! I mean, dude in the band IS Daptone Records, right? So if the sampled was cleared, he'd have already known, right? Well apparently, HE didn't and I guess IT wasn't.
So, if you're reading this Kanye or Rhymefest, I AM SORRY. I didn't meant to put you on blast and I hope this doesn't affect you at all legally. Who knows, maybe J Records DID clear the sample and maybe dude doesn't own his publishing so that's why he was unaware of it. In any case,
I apologize.Herm
Comments
Actually, I don't think Sharon Jones composes any of the material. It's my understanding that dude that owns Daptone does.
BTW, you can hear a snippet of the OG here. Kanye freaked that shit lovely.
Herm
P.S. I hope Daptone was paid for this, especially since they're the smaller fish in this situation.
Are you sure it was them he sampled?
I always thought that shit was just some throwaway beat.
But yeah, not your smoothest move holmes-slice
oh.
doh!
There's no sample credits on the 12" - it's a J Records promo.
I can only find my 45 of "Pick It Up..." but is the "Brand new" vocal hers too?
Sharon Jones & Dap Tones = Get paid!
SONIC
"Fuck a sample, Pay us Royalties!"
- spidey
But its only out on promo- no one's made any $$$ off it yet
I don't think you need to clear something you're giving away
You for sure need to clear it.
I've been battling with this on a promo CD I'm working on.
If you not a big dude it doesn't really matter, but if you're established and promoting something no matter if it's free or not, you need to clear it.
If you are marketing yourself by using something you need to clear that shit.
It sucks.
Daptone needs to get PAID
Yes.
And The_Hook_Up, despite the buzz, Kanye's album is rather weak IMO. But if you really just don't get it, listen to Crack Music and Gold Digger (the only two incredible songs on the record to me). If you don't get those, then don't try to get hip-hop anymore, it's clearly not gonna happen.
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Sharon Jones
Kanye
To cosign for the 10,000th time, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings is one of the most killer shows you will see live. If they are playing 100 miles away, take a sick day and go see them. They and the Daptones label continue to put out some amazing music.
for those who haven't heard the song in question yet, Rhymefest just updated his website a few days back and it's on there:
http://www.rhymefest.com
The stuff i've heard from this album sounds good to me. i hope the daptones get paid.
Btw Herm you shouldn't feel bad at all. When you don't clear samples there is always that chance you'll get caught. I would imagine they will clear it before the album comes out. If not whatever label put out that Sharon Jones will get at them and get it resolved. Shit happens all the time.
Its actually probably good you said something. Seems like label policy these days is just to put it out and handle the lawsuits later. Probably saves alot of time and they can get the record out, and if no one says anything...hey!
Its not really a label though, its pretty much self-released... don't know if they could afford to pursue it if the song went uncleared
I think that 'Gone' song could blow up hugely - it's 'pop' to the Nth degree.
Canny crossover moves is probably Kanye's main forte - he should hook up with the Daptones for an MTV unplugged appearance & bring out Celine Dion & Dipset for a real head-fuck.
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Its actually probably good you said something. Seems like label policy these days is just to put it out and handle the lawsuits later. Probably saves alot of time and they can get the record out, and if no one says anything...hey!
I know J Records didn't clear the sample on the promo only Rah Digga record I did either. I think they will handle it before it commercially drops though.
it's out for real though. i bought it at Gramaphone in Chicago on Tuesday. full-price and in the plastic.
i hope Kanye sampled that shit thinking it was some deep 70's shit. that would be humbling for the guy who supposedly "brought back sampling" like he's some super digger. And Ye, please don't use those Joe Farrell drums again. You done them to death.
The Lord Tariq And Peter Gunz Deja Vu track? Where it blew up on the underground and Sony picks it up with no clearance... I heard that cost them over a mill.
What other ones are biggies?
Dudes, it's not promo-only. It's out commercially as well.
Truth Hurts. From what I understand the sample clearance ended up wiping out the profits from the single, which was enormously successful, leading to Ms. Hurts being dropped from Aftermath.
I think it's hilarious that Dre also didn't clear "Backstrokin", as if the Fatback Band wouldn't notice and hasn't been sampled a million times already.