Did you know the song "It's Tricky" by Run DMC sampled "My Sharona"?

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If so, you officially are more in the loop than the writers of "My Sharona," who apparently just found out and are now suing for back royalties. Is there a 20-year statute of limitations that they're trying to squeeze into, or what?

― musically (musically), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 04:41 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe they were just waiting for the drummer to die.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 04:43 (nineteen years ago)

Oh crap, don't tell Davy Jones about "Mary, Mary" anyone.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 04:50 (nineteen years ago)

Wasn't this one released before they sort of settled the rules for how much you are allowed to sample? May be hard to win the case then, plus the riff from "My Sharona" was hardly very original or unique in the first place.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 07:46 (nineteen years ago)

Did they ever sue the Dead Kennedys for Pull My Strings?

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 07:57 (nineteen years ago)

I believe there is a statute of limitations for this.

I also believe they are way too late.

Also, what Geir said about the rules has a grain of truth in it.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 08:02 (nineteen years ago)

First of all, has it been clearly established that "It's Tricky" used an actual sample? It sounds more like they got someone to play a similar guitar riff over a generic beat.

Second, I would think all samples prior to the case that required them to be cleared (was that the Biz Markie case, or The Turtles vs. De La Soul?) were grandfathered into the clear. Otherwise the Beastie Boys had better be ready to completely re-record Paul's Boutique.

Third, I thought Doug Fieger was dying. What does he care?

― Dan Heilman (The Deacon), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 12:46 (nineteen years ago)

I am not sure whether it is a sample, and if it is, it still lacks the bit that was sort of the main hook of the "My Sharona" riff - the part where the riff suddenly stopped and was turned into "Myyyyy Sharona" instead.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 13:24 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe they were just waiting for the drummer to die.

Run DMC had a drummer? You're more in the, uh, loop than I...

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

Oh crap, don't tell Davy Jones about "Mary, Mary" anyone

Especially since it was written by Mike Nesmith

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

Mike's getting his, don't choo worry!

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 13:34 (nineteen years ago)

has any "real" musician ever been sued for nicking a hip-hop beat?

just wondering, is all...

― hank (hank s), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 14:09 (nineteen years ago)

Upcoming Norwegian electro-indie act Hongroe got sued in 2005 for stealing the beat from a Suga Free track, dunno if there's any other examples.

― Sadly, he will be the next Alexis Petridish. (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 14:15 (nineteen years ago)

has any "real" musician ever been sued for nicking a hip-hop beat?

Yeah, why have The Boogie Boys never sued Sly Fox (Gary Muddbone Cooper of P-Funk) for "Let's Go All the Way"?

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 14:36 (nineteen years ago)

PE sued Madonna for stealing thebeat for justify my love, but i think you want more "real" musician type examples

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 14:41 (nineteen years ago)

PE did? I had no idea. Why does Hank Shocklee not address this by name when addressing the topic? And did Lenny Kravitz take any responsibility being he was the one who sampled it?

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

Doug Feiger is suing Run DMC and he is not using his brother as his lawyer? He's the ultimate sleazy ambulance chaser, he should love a suit like this.

― GILLY'S BAGG'EAR VANCE OF COUPARI (Ex Leon), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 14:53 (nineteen years ago)

Suing Run DMC on behalf of the Knack would not bode well for his ambitions as a Detroit mayoral candidate.

― BrianB (BrianB), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

Run-OTMC

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:26 (nineteen years ago)

It sounds more like they got someone to play a similar guitar riff over a generic beat.

Please never post again, thx.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

Otherwise the Beastie Boys had better be ready to completely re-record Paul's Boutique.

Also, dudes ended up clearing all those samples years after the fact and it cost like half a million dollars or something.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:54 (nineteen years ago)

Presumably, suing Killing Joke for "Tension" royalties would be a lot less lucrative!

― M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

PE did? I had no idea.

nah I thought they considered suing but then changed their mind because of the obvious huge can of worms it would have opened up

haha googled it and found Xgau 1991

For a while there was talk of a lawsuit, preceded by a press conference where Hank and Chuck could explain how their rights had been infringed and their feelings hurt ... But cooler heads prevailed. SOUL prexy Bill Stephney notes that all the aggrieved are "staunch defenders of sampling,"

― dmr (Renard), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 17:18 (nineteen years ago)

shocklee got young black teenagers to dis madonna

― and what (ooo), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 17:21 (nineteen years ago)

that was in the article too, I left it out with the ellipsis (too much lyric quoting)

― dmr (Renard), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 17:29 (nineteen years ago)

Please never post again, thx.

Please eat me, thx.

― Dan Heilman (The Deacon), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 17:46 (nineteen years ago)

Can we just sample you?

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 17:58 (nineteen years ago)

You'll have to clear it with my attorney, Geoffrey Fieger.

― Dan Heilman (The Deacon), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 18:43 (nineteen years ago)

Dan Heilman : Well, it's a sample in as much as it's Jam Master Jay cutting a vinyl copy of My Sharona over a programmed beat. Listened to a lengthy Def Jam documentary on Radio 2 in the UK, and Rubin said that when they made that record, as well as the first Beasties album, they didn't have a sampler, so just pieced it together live onto the multitrack. Public Enemy's first album (and some of the second) was recorded in a similar - although often using tape loops running all the way around the studios, with the loop derived from a "jam" session with turntables and whatever else came to hand.

Dunno about the rest of you - but that sounds an awful lot more fun than sitting at a Pro Tools rig all day.

― Clumsy Colin in ACTION BIKER (coach_mcguirk), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 19:36 (nineteen years ago)

Really though, this is Hip-Hop history 101.

The SP1200 came out in very late 1987. This was nearly the universal piece of sampling gear after Eric B and Marley Marl made great use of it late that year.

Before that, sampling was done first with tape loops (Steve Ett was the greatest engineer for getting this to work) and turntablism. Rick Rubin was the first producer to make GREAT use of the DJ, usually giving two or more tracks to overlap cuts -- and by cuts, I don't mean scratches, I mean cutting the music off and on as a micro-sample or whatever. Think the opener of LL's Rock the Bells.

It's Tricky was produced by Rubin, and Run DMC were very adamant from day 1 that Jammaster Jay had a real function in the group at all times.

It's Tricky was recorded in 1986, at the height of Rubin's techniques.

There were certainly samplers in use within Hip-Hop circles before the SP1200, but what made the 1200 so popular, aside from its price, was how much sampling time it offered. Prior to that, sampling time was really tiny.

Listen to the Rubin produced Peter Piper and you can hear the difference from when Jay cuts the Mardi Gras break, and when Rubin overdubs the loop.

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 19:46 (nineteen years ago)

translation for recently converted rockists in denial.

Peter Piper = Layla
Tape loops = Eric Clapton
Live cuts = Duane Allman
Rick Rubin = Tom Dowd

― and PappaWheelie, author of Have You Ever Been Poxy Fuled? (PappaWheelie 2), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 19:49 (nineteen years ago)

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