Cut, Copy.... Hit!

Mornin y'all! I know we're all probably sick of turkey after Thanksgiving but Jazzy Z has gotta tell ya bout these turkeys that are stealing music and claiming it as their own. I'm beginning to think that there is just no good music being made today... I woke up this morning listening to George Clinton pandora radio station when I came across this gem, Leon Haywood-"I want'a do somethin freaky to you".

I wish i was able to upload the video straight to the page cuz you definitely gotta check that one out! You only have to listen to the first minute to catch that this beat (to it's entirety) is sampled in Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's hit "Aint Nuthin But A G Thang". I was completely blown away as I listened because these two rap artists were at the top of my list growing up. After being shocked that they had copied it, I came back to reality and said to myself "of course, thats what all hip hop artists do". That reality check actually brought a smile to my face because I have known this for years and thats why I have soo much R.E.S.P.E.C.T. for funk and soul music. The reason I thought Dr. Dre and Snoops classic was so good when I was young was probably due to the fact that it had that soulful beat. But is what Dr. Dre and Snoop did "wrong"?

After watching a documentary Copyright Criminals this has been the question for decades. Modern music has taken a rapid turn from creating, to copying-- and its perfectly legal. Most artists albums today consist of an average of 2-4 music samples from past artists. Some can be small and minuscule-- like a short drum beat, a shout, vocal harmony, or piano solo-- while others like "Ain't Nuthin But A G Thang" are to the songs entirety a beat for beat copy. If an artist today samples a past musician they have no legal obligation to give that person any part of that track or albums sales. Some artists such as James Brown have been sampled thousands of times by different groups and never see a pennie.

Want to hear more modern samples that are complete copies like these, well be prepared cuz what you're about to hear you may not dig. Lets do a couple of artists who made one hit wonders off completely copied soul songs from the 1970's. One hit wonders are the best to talk about because these are artists that litereally made millions off one song and you are about to hear that this million dollar hit wasn't even theres to begin with.

How bout Coolio... Remember that guy!? Ya i'm sure we've all heard "Gangsta Paradise" and thought whata bad ass... More lika turkey! That's because that song had already been created by a musical genius named Stevie Wonder. If you listen to Stevies "pastime paradise" you'll hear that the beat the melody and the chorus are all about 90% the same. All Crapio had to do was take out the lyrics and rap over them, then change the name of the song to Gangsta Paradise. I doubt Stevie even got a thank you...

Styles P was another one hitter... This bad boy went from rags to riches from his hit single "Good Times". This tasteful sample originally was created by Freda Payne in her track "I get high (in your memory)". This stoner kept up with the times and sought after all those reefers who loved smokin weed, and the kids ate it up! He butchered a love song that had meaning by speeding up the beat and adding junk lyrics. That's why my girl Freda is making our song of the week.

In conclusion do I think music sampling is wrong, not necessarily. As a matter of fact it just inspires me to listen to more old funk and soul classics, and although the artists who are being sampled may be getting ripped off, I'm sure they get a kick out of it when they realize that after 30 years their music is still being admired. After all they deserve all the credit, and I really hope a feeling of overwhelming accomplishment fills their soul knowing that they were that good. Until next time funky bunch, get your boogie on.... FUNK YEA!