Comments on: Get Off Your Dead Ass and Sample!

Get Off Your Dead Ass and Sample!

jonp72 — Fri, 24 Sep 2004 21:43:27 -0800

Three Notes and Runnin' has decided to protest the recent court decision that cited N.W.A. with illegally sampling a snippet of Funkadelic's Get Off Your Ass and Jam that had been modified to the point of unrecognizability. So in the tradition of online civil disobedience such as Grey Tuesday, Downhill Battle has issued a challenge to sample-based artists to create 30-second remixes that consist of nothing but the disputed 1.5-second Funkadelic sample.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 02:11:54 -0800

Thanks!

By: sklero

sklero — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 03:08:34 -0800

Hm. I'm pretty sure I've heard that same Funkadelic sample used MUCH more prominently and recognizably in a Public Enemy song. Anybody know which one I'm thinking of?

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 06:09:15 -0800

I'm pretty sure I've heard that same Funkadelic sample used MUCH more prominently and recognizably in a Public Enemy song. Anybody know which one I'm thinking of? According to this, Get Off Your Ass and Jam was sampled in Public Enemy's Bring the Noise. I just remember that when that song came out in '88 or so during high school, it was so badass. Given that a lot of rap my white suburbanite peers were exposed to was of the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince variety, this blew more than a few minds. In fact, somebody handed me the cassette and said, "Jon, this ain't no happy rap."

By: mert

mert — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 07:56:51 -0800

I never realized that sampling without getting permission from the original artist was illegal... I'm having trouble seeing both sides of the argument--it seems very clear that this sort of law would stifle creativity. So much of rap and hip-hop, not to mention dance and electronic music is about recycling musical riffs and re-presenting them. It's almost like tipping your hat to your predecessors.

By: Satapher

Satapher — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 15:32:11 -0800

i think they should outlaw influences all together

By: Satapher

Satapher — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 15:40:06 -0800

also, the sample in the NWA song is not beyond recognition, obviously.... so whatchoo talkin about?

By: Satapher

Satapher — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 20:42:32 -0800

in fact, if your samples are truely beyond recognition, you dont have anything to worry about right?

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 21:07:35 -0800

Satapher, the whole point (as previously discussed) is that the samples now don't have to be recognizable. You could take a fraction of a second of a sample, muck about with it untill it's completely unrecognizable, but if someone tells the original copyright owner what you've used you are still in trouble.

By: Satapher

Satapher — Sun, 26 Sep 2004 00:02:14 -0800

but if its not recognizable how would they recognize it?

By: Satapher

Satapher — Sun, 26 Sep 2004 00:06:21 -0800

whos gonna tell?