Tag: Eminem

  • Eminem – Loose Yourself

    Last week there was some controversy concerning Eminem and sampling. While you expect the rap artist was being sued for lifting a sample and using it in his own song, it’s actually the other way round. He got cloned.

    In 2002 Eminem released the song Lose Yourself as part of the soundtrack  from the film 8 Mile in which he plays the lead character. Contrary to a lot of his other songs, the song uses no discernible samples from other music and is what is called ‘an original work’ under copyright laws.

    In 2011, car company Chrystler licensed the song and used a reworked version of the song and got Eminem himself to act in an ad for their Chrystler 200 campaign. The slogan was ‘Imported from Detroit” and hints both on the origins of the car company and Eminem.

    But then also in 2011, German car company Audi rolls out this ad for the Audi A6 Avant. Yep, they completely cloned Lose Yourself and used it in their ad. Notes were changed, arrangement were changed, but every one will recognise it as the same song. When I was writing this, the company that holds the copyrights to the song has decided to sue Audi. Chrystler was yet undecided.

    It’s clear that Audi’s use of the song is intentional, though the launch of their ad while the one for Chrystler is out may be just a poor coincidence. Regardless, in the end this will probably produce more attention for both their products. There’s no such thing as bad publicity.

  • Led Zeppelin – When the Levee Breaks

    There’s a number of drum samples that are have become the grand daddy’s of entire genres and have been extensively used in hiphop, dance and such. I could talk about the Amen break, but luckily there’s an excellent documentary on that. There’s a more peculiar history surrounding the drum loop from Led Zeppelin’s When the Levee Breaks. Or more specifically, an old blues song called When the Levee Breaks.

    In 1927 the levee did break and cause the Great Mississippi Flood. Two years after, Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie wrote, performed and recorded a song entitled When the Levee Breaks. The lyrics deal with losing everything in the flood and having to move from South to the North (Chicago), thus also exporting many blues musicians and blues lovers there.

    More than 40 years later in 1971, Led Zeppelin dusts off the original and makes their own reworked cover version, in essence ‘sampling’ it and making it into something new. On drums as always is legendary drummer John Bonham. The track opens with just a few seconds of his drums.

    The fact that it’s just the drums however makes it ideal for sampling and when sampling takes a rise starting in the late 80’s Bonham’s drums end up on many, many records. Not just whole but cut up as a breakbeat as well. Just to name a few where the drum loop is intact: Eminem’s Kim, Coldcut & Steinski’s Beats & Pieces and Enigma’s Gravity of Love.

    The ultimate bit of irony is that while all the music I linked above is on YouTube, the YouTube video containing the original 1929 version of When the Levee Breaks has been pulled due to copyright claims by Sony, despite it being way pas it copyright date. So for now, here’s the sampled ‘original’ by Led Zeppelin:

  • Labi Siffre – I Got The

    Some great songs lean on samples of even better songs. One example is Labi Siffre’s I got the (blues). It’s a great summer night soul song, you can put on and hang back. Until about halfway through the song there’s a small break and something familiar starts up. And then you realise you’re listening to Eminem’s Hi… my name is .