I was playing Kanye's "Graduation", when I noticed the instrumental for "Big Brother" sounded a lot like "It's Gonna Be Lonely" from The album Prince (1979). I'm pretty sure he sampled it though the Purple One is not credited...

Okay Prince, if U read this, if U sue Kanye, send me check

Seriously, what do you think?

Do you know any song that sounds too similar to a Prince song to be a coincidence? (another popping in my mind is "Live In Die in L.A." by Tupac which sounds like "Do me Baby"...)

Yeah Mr. West sampled this song, same with the Tupac single. I cannot remember, but there is a website that actually lists all songs written by Prince, and sampled by rappers. These were on the list, and I was quite surprised by how many of his songs were sampled over the years.

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. That's the worst thing I've heard in years.

Kanye is usually a creative man, but this is not good at all IMO. And yeah, not directly sampling, but playing it very similar. Sampling is usually when you copy paste. When you record others material, and paste it in your own. Kinda like a collage. Done often in both picture art, video art and in music art. But I guess you can say it's sampling when recreating it too similar. This one though is a bit hard, someone would say its obvious, someone would disagree. I don't know.

[Edited 2/15/11 13:02pm]

cuerpoyalma said:

Yeah Mr. West sampled this song, same with the Tupac single. I cannot remember, but there is a website that actually lists all songs written by Prince, and sampled by rappers. These were on the list, and I was quite surprised by how many of his songs were sampled over the years.

http://www.whosampled.com...ed/Prince/

[Edited 2/15/11 16:03pm]

cuerpoyalma said:

Yeah Mr. West sampled this song, same with the Tupac single. I cannot remember, but there is a website that actually lists all songs written by Prince, and sampled by rappers. These were on the list, and I was quite surprised by how many of his songs were sampled over the years.

'Pac sampled "Darling Nikki" for "The Heartz Of Men" and had "777-9311" replayed for "What'z Ya Phone #", both on the "All Eyez On Me" album. Prince got credit (writer's) for both. There was a rumor back in the day that Prince had a discussion with him about getting out of his contract with Death Row and changing his name. This was right around the time he was killed and right before the Makaveli album dropped. Don't know if that was actual rumor or truth, but Prince was very adament at the time about not giving clearance to rappers with "bitches and ho's" lyrics. This was even before the JW affiliation started.

As far as the Kanye thing, it was a replay by DJ Toomp.. or better yet interpolation. He wasn't given credit because it was a very clever way to replay a sample without actually playing it. It was a "sound alike". That's why you hear so many Prince "sound-alike" tracks. Because they can't get clearance. One of the best Prince-sounding producers is Los Da Mystro, who did some of The-Dream's production as well as "You" by Chris Brown (not "With You"), and most notably "Bed" by J. Holiday and "Last Night Part 2" by Diddy-Dirty Money, which are VERY heavily Prince influenced.

Toomp, on the other hand, probably originally sampled it and couldn't get the clearance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS4l_ILGBwQ

theregoesmybaby said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS4l_ILGBwQ

That is sooooooo bad. Bad not meaning good.

Purple Rain is Prince´s trademark song and should not be butchered like that.

FrenchGuy said:

(another popping in my mind is "Live In Die in L.A." by Tupac which sounds like "Do me Baby"...)

"2 Live & Die in LA" is a replayed interpolation, not of the original version of "Do Me Baby", but of Meli'sa Morgan's cover of it.

I personally confirmed this with Quincy "QD3" Jones III, who produced the 'Pac track and is a friend of mine, when I interviewed him for a Tupac documentary I made a few years back.

FrenchGuy said:

I was playing Kanye's "Graduation", when I noticed the instrumental for "Big Brother" sounded a lot like "It's Gonna Be Lonely" from The album Prince (1979). I'm pretty sure he sampled it though the Purple One is not credited...

Okay Prince, if U read this, if U sue Kanye, send me check

Seriously, what do you think?

Do you know any song that sounds too similar to a Prince song to be a coincidence? (another popping in my mind is "Live In Die in L.A." by Tupac which sounds like "Do me Baby"...)

Prince was actually credited on the Graduation CD. have it so know.

KoolEaze said:

theregoesmybaby said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS4l_ILGBwQ

That is sooooooo bad. Bad not meaning good.

Purple Rain is Prince´s trademark song and should not be butchered like that.

Oh no! They didn't!!

Kanye also mentions Prince in his song "Stronger".... "You know how long I've been on you?
Since Prince was on Apollonia" I believe that is also on the Graduation album.

Weirdly I can hear Venus De milo in that