How do you feel about ghost writing in music? i recently watched about video that was specifically on ghostwriting in hip-hop... but i mean of any forms of music.

You know i never till a few years ago that Dr. Dre has wrote very little and has an entire team of ghost writers that helped with The Chronic, The Chrnoic 2001, and even some Aftermath artists.

I will admit i sometimes hate hearing an artist, song, album etc. I like by an artist was heavily ghost written i get dissapointed... especially if the artist is known as being lyrical.

People like Diddy, Dre, Timbaland etc. There producers and not really rappers in the sense so it makes sense i guess... but then you hear about stuff like Nas had Jay Electronica ghost writing on Untitled or something of that nature.

How does everyone feel about ghostwriting? does it ruin the impact of certain songs for you?

[Edited 9/8/13 22:25pm]

No, the performance itself is the alpha & the omega for me.

I think I read that "Do Me Baby" was originally by Andre Cymone and "Partyup" was by Morris Day. If thats true, it didn't change the fact that they were great performances IMO.

I don't think folks realize just how big ghost writing really is.

I approached this subject a few years ago here and someone claimed I had no idea what I was talking about. All I could u was laugh.

Gunsnhalen said:

How do you feel about ghost writing in music? i recently watched about video that was specifically on ghostwriting in hip-hop... but i mean of any forms of music.

You know i never till a few years ago that Dr. Dre has wrote very little and has an entire team of ghost writers that helped with The Chronic, The Chrnoic 2001, and even some Aftermath artists.

I will admit i sometimes hate hearing an artist, song, album etc. I like by an artist was heavily ghost written i get dissapointed... especially if the artist is known as being lyrical.

People like Diddy, Dre, Timbaland etc. There producers and not really rappers in the sense so it makes sense i guess... but then you hear about stuff like Nas had Jay Electronica ghost writing on Untitled or something of that nature.

How does everyone feel about ghostwriting? does it ruin the impact of certain songs for you?

[Edited 9/8/13 22:25pm]

Why do people keep spreading those lies, Nas NEVER had any ghostwriters. I know the Jay-Z camp and his friends have always wanted to take away some of his talent by saying this, but even Jay Electronica said and I'm going to quote him. “I met Nas on a humble submission, you know what I mean. And Nas is one of the greatest ever. He never has or never will need a ghostwriter. He’s legendary. His pen game is unquestionable. And salute to Nas. And all the other bullshit is just bullshit... Don't believe everything just because you hear it...

People like Kanye West should be questioned though, because he apparently doesn't even produce his own beats anymore.

I think that people should be honest and let the credit say who wrote the song or produced the song.

Its not just ghostwriting, its ghost producing, too. I know Timbaland and Dre have used musicians to put entire tracks together. On youtube, a young guitarist recounted a job he worked on for a major unnamed hip hop producer. He was paid a few hundred dollars to play a few guitar licks on track and ended up laying down the beat, the bassline, and keyboard riffs basically the whole track. The producer refused to pay him more. The musician didn't take him to court for fear of being blacklist in the industry, but said he learned his lesson.

Chucky Thompson was the ghost producer for Puffy for years. Of course others ghost wrote his "rhymes". And others gave him samples so Puffy didn't really contribute anything. But I think Dre had more ideas than Puffy ever had.

As far as rappers having uncredited people write words for them, I kind of expect that.

I hear there are name producers of EDM now who don't even press their own buttons! Producers have ghost producers!

And that's, like, ALL they are expected to do - produce a hot track - and they won't even do that more than once. Once they get a name they can just pay other people to do it while they get on stage and point at the ceiling.

Whatever, as if I care who makes that stuff or gets paid for it. Whatever we old fashioned people refer to as "integrity" is no longer a requirement for that audience, so they're not gonna get any.

What about songwriters who are forced to give a co-writing credit with the singer? Beyonce is known for taking credit for songs she didn't write. There was one songwriter who said Avril Lavigne didn't write or cowrite most of her songs. She later took it back probably to save her career.

[Edited 9/9/13 16:33pm]

[Edited 9/9/13 16:33pm]

lrn36 said:

What about songwriters who are forced to give a co-writing credit with the singer? Beyonce is known for taking credit for songs she didn't write. There was one songwriter who said Avril Lavigne didn't write or cowrite most of her songs. She later took it back probably to save her career.

[Edited 9/9/13 16:33pm]

I still don't understand why people can't be honest about what the artist did to take their songs and they don't say anything? And before anyone blames it on Elvis, check this quote:

I thought this was going to be about Motown or SAW. What your talking about I can't stand, ESPECIALLY when the people aren't given credit.

aardvark15 said:

I thought this was going to be about Motown or SAW. What your talking about I can't stand, ESPECIALLY when the people aren't given credit.

Speaking of Motown and ghostwriting:

http://www.nytimes.com/20...l&_r=0

Timmy84 said:

Graycap23 said:

Timmy84 said:

One of the reasons? Tax free loot. It is one of the main reasons 2 ghost write.

Hmm. Interesting observation...

lrn36 said:

What about songwriters who are forced to give a co-writing credit with the singer? Beyonce is known for taking credit for songs she didn't write. There was one songwriter who said Avril Lavigne didn't write or cowrite most of her songs. She later took it back probably to save her career.

[Edited 9/9/13 16:33pm]

Change a word and claim a third, that what that talentless whore madonna has based her career on.

lazycrockett said:

lrn36 said:

What about songwriters who are forced to give a co-writing credit with the singer? Beyonce is known for taking credit for songs she didn't write. There was one songwriter who said Avril Lavigne didn't write or cowrite most of her songs. She later took it back probably to save her career.

[Edited 9/9/13 16:33pm]

Change a word and claim a third, that what that talentless whore madonna has based her career on.

lazycrockett said:

lrn36 said:

What about songwriters who are forced to give a co-writing credit with the singer? Beyonce is known for taking credit for songs she didn't write. There was one songwriter who said Avril Lavigne didn't write or cowrite most of her songs. She later took it back probably to save her career.

[Edited 9/9/13 16:33pm]

Change a word and claim a third, that what that talentless whore madonna has based her career on.

Yep.

DaveT said:

lazycrockett said:

Change a word and claim a third, that what that talentless whore madonna has based her career on.

Madonna is my fave, but I can't disagree...this does annoy the hell out of me. Madge I can forgive because of the way she performs it and still gives a sh*t after all these years, and well its Madonna and she's my fave But when I read that Beyonce did this, it killed her for me. The sad thing is, its not needed. I'd have more respect for Beyonce, and others, if they were just honest and relied on the talent in their performance rather than trying to lie their way into being a singer/songwriter.

Thing is Madonna has always been honest. Even onstage one time she claimed "I can't sing but look at where I'm at now!" (she said this when she brought "Dick Tracy" out on stage during the Blond Ambition Tour). And I'm sure others wrote for her while she suggested "changing a chord". So her having ghostwriters does not surprise me. In fact, it's understandable. *coughsamewithJanetcough* But Beyonce definitely acts like she does more than what she did. Boy would I like to be a fly in the wall during her recording sessions because those "4" sessions she had in her documentary didn't truly convince me...

Timmy84 said:

It is a good idea for some stars, especially ones totally wasted by drugs and booze (Although Keith Richard's LIfe was a great book, but how much of it was his own words?). I think it may be a good idea for Prince too, as I know if he ever bothered to write an autobiography it would more like be a cryptic mess rather than anything cogent and revealing.

Just one problem, its hard enough to get ghosts to speak in a seance let alone getting them to write memoris about Bizarre rock stars. I mean you would need to be on the ouija boards for several months to get a book size piece about Prince, plus you have the ris of the sessions being interrupted by demons and other evil spirits!!