At the top of 2024, rapper Stunna Girl put out a song with YG called “Stand Up.” The track sampled R&B stalwart Ciara’s iconic hit “Goodies.” However, it didn’t take long for the singer’s team to take action. She was asked to remove the track from YouTube due to copyright infringement. The single does remain on her DSP accounts, but it’s safe to say that Stunna Girl was incredibly frustrated over the whole debacle. “I literally hate when producers use samples. These artists be actin’ like they made the beat it’s so many people that used that beat but @ciara team writing me saying she personally contacted them about me.”
Fans clapped back at her for putting CiCi and her team on blast saying that she doesn’t know the correct protocol for clearing things. After that spat in January, things have remained dormant, at least until this past weekend. Megan Thee Stallion used the exact Ciara sample on the MEGAN: ACT II cut with Flo Milli “Roc Steady.” However, there are reports out there that she cleared “Goodies” for the Houston act and not Stunna Girl.
This sparked a pretty intense debate amongst fans of all three artists in The Neighborhood Talk‘s IG comment section. Some are staunchly defending Ciara’s reported decision with them saying she’s allowed to give the OK to whoever she wants. Others feel that it had to do with who was going to bring in the most revenue for CiCi. Given that Megan is globally more popular than Stunna Girl, they feel it was a no-brainer. Furthermore, there’s people theorizing that Ciara likes what Meg represents compared to the Cali talent. Finally, others claimed that Stunna’s track was too horrific for her to use the record.
What are your thoughts on fans arguing over Megan Thee Stallion reportedly getting the OK to use a Ciara sample that Stunna Girl wasn’t allowed to use? Do you think the former handled things the right way with the R&B act’ and her team? Or do you think CiCi is playing favorites? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Megan Thee Stallion, Ciara, and Stunna Girl. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Did you expect Big Sean to be sampling an USHER song at any point? To be honest, we didn’t. But he did just that on his new album, Better Me Than You. It occurs on the album’s attempt at a catchy hit with “Who You Are (Superstar)”, which is track five. It’s not such an obvious sample, but when you play the songs back-to-back, you can hear it a little more clearly. That USHER track we are referring to is “Superstar” off of one of the singer’s most successful records to date, Confessions.
However, instead of just getting clearance through other means, Sean decided to go right to the source to get his blessing. The Neighborhood Watch reshared the clip of USHER and the Detroit MC vibing to the demo from the latter’s IG account that centers around his website. With there currently being a lot of bitterness between artists in the industry, it’s nice to see two respective stars giving each other love like this. USHER was all in for Sean’s sample flip, as you can see in the video below.
Sean gave some extra context to the post, revealing that “Who You Are (Superstar)” had been in the works for a little bit. “This was like a year ago when the song was just the demo. I had to make sure it was appropriate to sample such a classic ”, he said. Hopefully with this now out there, maybe we could get a collaboration between them?
What are your thoughts on USHER giving Big Sean approval to sample his work for the latter’s Better Me Than You? Were you aware that Sean utilized a song from the R&B legend? Is it crazy to think that USHER is that far into his career where others are sampling his music? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Big Sean and USHER. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Drake is in the midst of a comeback following his devastating defeat to Kendrick Lamar but unfortunately, his attempt has led to new hurdles. The single, “Blue Green Red,” part of the first 100 Gigs drop, was quietly pulled from streaming services this week. The 100 Gigs 3-pack on DSPs has replaced the song with “Circadian Rhythm.”
Per Dancehall Mag, the song was pulled due to allegations of copyright infringement of Tiger’s 1991 “When.” Producer Cleveland “Clevie” Brown spearheaded the claim against the Canadian rapper, claiming that the song illegally interpolates elements of the dancehall single. Below, we dove into the details surrounding why the single was removed from streaming services.
The trouble began when “Blue Green Red” was shared last month as part of Drake’s dump of unreleased content. The track was officially released on August 10, 2024, through OVO/Republic Records, a division of UMG Recordings. However, just days later, Clevie, who produced “When” as part of the iconic duo Steely & Clevie, claimed that Drake’s song used the melody and lyrics from Tiger’s hit without proper clearance. Clevie spoke with DancehallMag, revealing that his publishers, SONY/EMI, had reached out to discuss clearance. The problem is they did not provide the track for review. Despite the lack of approval, Drake’s label went ahead and released the song.
“SONY/EMI [his publishers] called on Friday and said they were seeking clearance for When but they did not send the song. We can’t clear a song without hearing it. But Drake went ahead and leaked it before. The record company [UMG] blocked Drake’s release and then went ahead and released the song over the weekend without us giving any clearance. Because they did this before the fact, that can mean problems,” he said. “They used the melody just in a section, and it was repeated twice. So this is a clear infringement.” The line in question on Drake’s song comes in the post-chorus when he raps, “What the clock inna London? Yeah, Big Ben.” Tiger’s original lyrics are “Weh di clock inna London name? (Big Ben).”
Ongoing Legal Battles
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
What’s perhaps worse about this situation is that Drake has previously faced similar accusations by Steely & Clevie Productions. In the past, the duo has filed lawsuits against 160 artists and record labels, including Drake and UMG. Specifically, they claim the parties infringed on their 1989 riddim, “Fish Market,” which they allege was used on songs like “One Dance” and Bad Bunny’s “Mia,” which are part of 1,800 songs listed in the lawsuit.
Clevie explained that last-minute clearance requests are common in the music industry. “They often wait till the last minute to seek clearance. But we need to know the frequency of how the work is used so that we can evaluate what is reasonable in terms of copyright share,” he said.
Interestingly, Clevie also discovered that another popular song had used “When” without his knowledge. Usher and Nicki Minaj’s 2014 track “She Came II Give It II You” featured elements of the song. Still, no clearance had been obtained at the time. Clevie pointed out that there is a three-year statute of limitations on songs. However, there is also a non-discovery rule that allows legal action if it can be proven that the infringement was not known within that time frame.
This situation highlights the complexities of clearing samples and publishing splits – a prevalent issue in the music industry. Clevie elaborated on how copyright infringement affects not just the author of the lyrics but also the composition and authorship of the music itself. “When they infringe on a song, it affects the composition and authorship of the song as it relates to the share of the publishing rights,” he explained.
The Legacy Of Tiger’s “When”
Tiger is a legendary dancehall figure whose distinctive growl and energetic delivery helped him dominate the 1980s. Songs like “Wanga Gut,” “Puppy Love,” and “Ram Dancehall.” His collaboration with Steely & Clevie on “When” in 1991 marked a significant comeback that subsequently led leading to his first album on a major American label. Claws Of The Cat, was released through Sony Music’s Chaos subsidiary.
The single undoubtedly has had an understated impact globally but according to Clevie, the song was born from a casual conversation that he had with Tiger. “We wrote ‘When’ in half an hour, we did the riddim, and Tiger was searching songs when someone called him about a show, and he kept asking them ‘when?’,” Clevie recalled. The producer explained that the organic process behind the song has provided an enduring appeal. Evidently, they created a timeless record that has clearly influenced some of the biggest musicians.
As the legal drama unfolds, the future of “Blue Green Red” remains uncertain. It seems likely that it wasn’t intended to hit streaming services ever, considering it was released for free on 100gigs.org. Unfortunately, “Blue Green Red” is facing similar restrictions to “S.O.D.,” a collaboration with Lil Yachty that debuted on Kai Cenat’s stream. The problem with the latter is that the artist they sampled, Mr_Hotspot, wanted them to create a clean version of the record for an official release, Billboard reports. Though Drake later re-released the song sans Yachty through the 100gigs.org website, it still hasn’t hit streamers yet. DJ Akademiks, however, stated that there is a music video for the song.
For now, it appears that only a select few records from the content dump will make their way onto DSPs. At least, the ones that have gone through the proper channels to gain clearance. However, we could imagine that something could be worked out in the future. Hopefully, it will allow these records to return to platforms like Apple Music and Spotify.
Star Boy may not be a household name, but the producer is on the rise. He’s worked with several notable artists this decade, including Ken Carson and Lil Uzi Vert. His production style is so enticing that massive names like Destroy Lonely and Kanye West have reportedly booked sessions with him. Unfortunately, for both artists, Star Boy has decided to draw a line in the sand. The producer announced that he will not be clearing the sample for his anticipated Destroy Lonely collab “Holding It Down.”
Destroy Lonely previewed “Holding It Down” back in May. The rapper told fans that he wanted to put it on the second version of his new album, Love Lasts Forever. The second version is now available on the rapper’s personal site, but the song is nowhere to be found. Lonely even took to Twitter to explain why the song was omitted. “‘Holding It Down’ going on streaming,” he explained. “We waiting on Star Boy to clear the track blow him up.” The plea for fan assistance didn’t pan out, though. Star Boy went on IG and stated, definitively, that he wasn’t clearing anything. “I ain’t clearing sh*t,” he wrote.
Fans were confused by the harshness of Star Boy’s words. There was some confusion as to whether there was beef between the producer and Destroy Lonely, or whether the two men had a falling out after recording the song. Apparently, Star Boy had a change of heart. He posted a follow up on Instagram, and explained that he will not be clearing songs he considers to be against his beliefs. “Not clearing anything ungodly,” he wrote. “For no amount of money.” Kanye West then caught a stray, when Star Boy said the same rules applied to him. “I ain’t clear @Ye sh*t either,” he added. “No one getting swag.”
Star Boy’s sudden line in the sand is surprising, given his production history. He’s lent his talents to songs with plenty of “ungodly” messages in the past. He has multiple credits on Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red, as well as Ken Carson’s A Great Chaos. Star Boy has also worked with artists who have done and said controversial things in the past, like West and DaBaby. Regardless of the reasoning, it appears as though Destroy Lonely fans are going to deprived of “Holding It Down” for the near future.
Drake has managed to drum up lots of excitement with his 100 Gigs releases. They have garnered millions of views on Instagram and Twitter. The problem is, the translation to streaming services has been hampered by sample problems. Ones that Drake’s OVO team have allegedly failed to resolve. The rapper’s song “Blue Green Red” samples Steely & Clevie’s “When,” but one half of the duo is claiming that Drake put the song out without properly clearing the sample.
Clevie sat down with Dancehall Magazine to discuss this alleged dispute. He said that Sony/EMI reached out to him with a clearance clearance request, but failed to include Drake’s new song in the request. “We can’t clear a song without hearing it,” Clevie noted. “But Drake went ahead and leaked it before.” He then said that the label put the song on streaming without getting the okay from him or Steely. It goes without saying that there’s a massive legal problem here if true. “Because they did this before the fact, that can mean problems,” the artist added.
Drake Allegedly Leaked The Song Before It Was Cleared
VANCOUVER, BC – SEPTEMBER 17: Canadian rapper Drake performs onstage during his ‘Summer Sixteen Tour’ at Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena on September 17, 2016 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)
The sample in question is during the post-chorus for “Blue Green Red.” Drake raps the bars “What the clock inna London? Yeah, Big Ben,” which is an interpolation of a similar line in Steely & Clevie’s “When.” Clevie notes that the line gets used twice in the song. “They used the melody just in a section, and it was repeated twice,” he asserted. “So this is a clear infringement.” Clevie acknowledges that sample issues are not always the fault of the artist, but notes that he deserves compensation for a lyrics and melody he helped create. “Efforts were made to get to us, but it is the record company’s responsibility to clear the song,” he concluded.
Drake can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to song complications. “Supersoak,” his anticipated collab with Lil Yachty, was said to never come out to due to issues with the creator being sampled. It did make its way to streaming, but by then, Yachty’s verse had been removed. “No Face” ran into a similar issue in which the Instagram version featured Playboi Carti, and the streaming version was forced to remove the Opium founder.
Juicy J has been making music since 1987. He is a legend in the game, and his work with Three 6 Mafia continues to have an impact on the current wave of artists. There’s no ASAP Mob without Three 6, nor is there dozens of Southern acts who grew up listening to them. Juicy J reflected on his impressive legacy during a Spring Hill interview with Wiz Khalifa. If the rapper is to be taken at his word, his impact on music is even more substantial than we realized. Juicy J claimed that he makes money off a whopping 90% of new rap songs.
The whole thing came about from a simple question. Wiz Khalifa asked Juicy if he keeps tabs on the new wave of artists. The latter confirmed that he did, but not for the reasons one would expect. Juicy J knows who’s popping and who’s not because he gets tons of sample clearance requests on a daily basis. “I feel like the new trends is the old trends,” he explained. “Everybody’s sampling Three 6 Mafia, so I’m already in.” Juicy J went on to estimate that he gets 5-6 sample clearance requests a day from younger artists.
“On some real sh*t,” he told Wiz Khalifa. “5 to 6 samples a day. I get paid off of pretty much every song. Like 90% of the songs that’s out right now.” Juicy J made it clear that he wants younger artists to sample his music and build on his style. “It’s a blessing,” he asserted. “I love when people sample… I just keep doing what I’ve been doing.” This isn’t the first time Juicy J had shown love to artists who continue to pay homage to Three 6 Mafia. The rapper hopped on Twitter in 2023 to express how grateful he was to still be considered a relevant musical force.
“Peace & love to Three6Mafia,” he wrote. “Great to witness our Music still going strong like it never left. People across the world sampling & remaking the songs we are grateful thank you All.” Juicy J is dead on when he noted that his style still sounds fresh today. The rapper just dropped a new solo album, Ravelite Social Club, and it’s one of his best to date. Juicy pushes his sound into a smoother, jazzy area, and it led to some absolute standout moments.
Jon B is not an S-tier R&B singer, but he’s got classic songs. So many classics, in fact, that he’s become a popular source for samples. A little Jon B goes a long way in giving a song a retro, 90s feel. Gunna and Chloe Bailey were going for this precise feel on their 2022 collab, “You & Me.” Unfortunately, they didn’t clear the sample of Jon B’s “They Don’t Know” that plays throughout the song. Jon B was not pleased when he found out, and he let it be known how much he hated the new song during a recent interview with Can We Talk RNB.
The R&B singer went on the podcast shortly after the Gunna and Chloe Bailey single dropped. He did not mince words when asked what he thought of the sample. Jon B said he “couldn’t stand” what the artists had done to his original composition. He dubbed their version of “They Don’t Know” as “ratchet,” and he lamented that “You & Me” ever saw the light of day. “My lane is my lane… I earned that,” Jon B explained. “Just like, if you made a hit, in your area… I’m not just gonna come into your area and take your joint and make it mine. And then not pay you.” Damn, tell us how you really feel, Jon.
Jon B speaks on Gunna and Chlöe sampling his song “They Don’t Know” for their song “You & Me” and calls their version ratchet, and says he wishes they never put it out.
Also, Jon B makes it clear he can’t stand Gunna and Chlöe’s song “You & Me,” and reveals that Gunna never got… pic.twitter.com/qchzJHD51l
The criticisms didn’t stop there. The singer accused Gunna of failing to clear the sample, which could result in legal action. “They never got my rights to do the record,” he asserted.” Jon B is obviously not a fan of the Gunna and Chloe Bailey collab. That said, he understands that music is subjective. He told Can We Talk RNB he was more bothered by the lack professionalism with regards to clearances. “Gunna we got to holler about that,” he stated. “That’s some business sh*t we got to handle.”
Jon also had some strong words for his blue-eyed successor, Justin Timberlake. During the podcast appearance, the singer laid into Timberlake’s latest single, “No Angels.” He was somehow even more brutal with JT than Gunna or Chloe Bailey. “That new single is trash,” he plainly stated. “I’m not feeling his music at all anymore. And the video is even more trash.” One of the few people Jon B has has nice words for, ironically, is everybody’s enemy in 2024: Drake. The 6 God sampled Jon B on his 2011 opus Take Care, and the latter gave love in return. “One of the most humble ppl I’ve met in the industry,” he wrote on Facebook in 2012. “It’s nice to know the respect is mutual. Big up Drake.”
Megan Thee Stallion is going through an exciting time right now. Overall, she is in the midst of a massive tour that has brought about tens of thousands of fans. Furthermore, she is going to be releasing a new album on Friday called Megan. Fans have been incredibly excited about this new project, especially since she has had dropped some dope singles. For instance, “Hiss” was a number-one record earlier in the year, mostly thanks to the feud it sparked with Nicki Minaj.
In the tracklist for this new album, fans were intrigued by a song that features an anime sample. Of course, Meg is a huge anime fan, so it comes as no surprise she would do something like this. Unfortunately, there have been some massive last-minute clearance issues. For instance, on Wednesday night, Meg revealed that the show’s creators emailed her telling her that she had to take out the names of the characters from her verse. It was either that, or she wouldn’t get the sample itself, at all. Knowing that the sample was important to her, Meg sprung into action and re-recorded the verse.
Considering the fact that she is on tour right now, none of this was ideal. It was completely last minute and certainly put the artist’s album at risk. However, her quick thinking ultimately allowed her to get the song in without further issues. Numerous artists bring make-shift studios with them on the road, and now you can see why that’s so important.
Let us know what you think about all of this, in the comments section down below. Are you excited to hear the new anime-inspired track from Megan Thee Stallion? What are your expectations for her brand-new album? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
During a Shade 45 interview with Superstar Jay, Hitmaka made some interesting claims about Diddy amid his various sexual assault lawsuits and accusations. However, this new set of claims has nothing to do with his alleged crimes, but rather his alleged nepotism. The producer accused Sean Combs of denying artists the right to sample his material, but then giving it to his son, rapper King Combs, instead. Specifically, the beatmaker formerly known as Yung Berg used the example of his song “Naughty,” which was produced for Boosie Badazz but, after Puff’s interference, ended up going to King’s catalog instead.
“No disrespect to Christian [Combs] because we got a bunch of other records that went cr*zy too [but] I love Boosie’s version more,” Hitmaka shared. “Puff called Craig Kallman [CEO of Atlantic Records] and was like, ‘No, I need that record.’ And Craig calls me like, ‘What did you do to Diddy?!’” To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with choosing who can have your sample and for what purposes, but the relationship with King Combs makes it harder to swallow.
Diddy’s Sample Preferences: Compare Conway & King Combs’ Tracks Below
Regardless, then Superstar Jay pointed to an unreleased Conway The Machine track called “Can’t You Be.” It samples Total and Biggie’s hit “Can’t You See” from 1995, and Hitmaka explained how the Griselda (and Drumwork) boss got the short end of the stick. “Puff will do that, though…” he claimed. “The Conway situation, I ended sampling a Diddy song and he wouldn’t clear the record for us. He wouldn’t clear the record for nobody except his son. That’s why Christian Combs got that record too.” Previously, the hitmaker had called the Bad Boy mogul out for trying to sabotage him while he worked on The Love Album: Off The Grid.
“Puff hit me, he like, ‘Yo, I’m doing an R&B album, I need you, you the guy. It’s gonna be London on Da Track, you and me and I think we should do everything together. Send me some joints,’” he began. “I send him a 10 clip, cr*zy s**t. He hit me back like, ‘I want that [Yung] Berg s**t, stop trying to be me. It sound like you trying to do what I do, n***a. Send me some different s**t.’ So I didn’t send him nothing. I was like, ‘F**k it.’ Next thing I know, the n***a deciphered my records and reached out to everybody I collaborated with and dissected me from the situation.” For more news on Hitmaka, Diddy, Conway The Machine, and King Combs, check back in with HNHH.
When it comes to Kanye West, he is going to ruffle somebody’s feathers is some shape or form. He did plenty of that during the rollout of VULTURES 1 which saw its fair share of sample clearing issues. The ones that were the most difficult involved Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon and Donna Summer’s estate. Additionally, Nicki Minaj and The Backstreet Boys were also not willing to give their blessing to Ye for various reasons. However, there has been one person who wanted to show love back and that is Juvenile.
According to HipHopDX, the New Orleans, Louisiana rapper sat down with TMZ to talk about why he was so chill with giving Ye permission to sample his song. That track is nonother than the classic strip club anthem “Back That Azz Up.” It was sped up for the VULTURES 1 cut “DO IT.” “I give everybody a chance man, and Kanye’s a good dude. He’s actually one of those cats when we released the Juvie, Wacko, and Skip album that showed a whole lot of support.” Juvenile continued, “So it’s one of those situations. I’m kind of flattered that the guy chose me to sample my music. It’s how you look at it.”
Furthermore, he went on to say that the antisemitic issues surrounding the controversial rap mogul were not taken into account. “Nah, not with me. I don’t get into what everybody else get into. I kinda like to stay in my own world and stay out the way.” In the end, it is clear that it is “all love” with Juvenile and that is a good sign for the rap community.
What are your thoughts on Juvenile not having any issues with Kanye West sampling “Back That Azz Up” on VULTURES 1 for “DO IT?” Did you catch the sample when you heard the track? Is it one of the better songs on the record, why or why not? Is the album still in your rotation? Do you think VULTURES 2 will actually drop on March 8? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign, Juvenile, and VULTURES. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on around the world of music.
”, he said. Hopefully with this now out there, maybe we could get a 
