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Mac Miller v. Lord Finesse Could Change Hip Hop Forever
July 13th, 2012
(photos from left to right: John Ricard / BET, Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
By Dan Reagans
Some of you might not know who legendary producer/MC Lord Finesse is, but he’s one of the founding members of the early ’90s rap coalition D.I.T.C. and the man credited for bringing iconic Harlem wordsmith Big L to the game. As a prominent figure in the underground NY rap scene, Finesse has also helped launch the careers of Bronx-bred Terror Squad leader Fat Joe and others. But just like the Lord giveth, the lord taketh. The rap vet has recently made a declaration of legal war against young star Mac Miller that could potentially change the mixtape game forever.
In 2010, the Pittsburgh rap upstart sampled Finesse’s “Hip 2 Da Game” for his standout mixtape K.I.D.S. (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope S–t), which eventually went on to help propel him into the hip hop spotlight and land a No. 1 album on the Billboard charts with his debut, Blue Slide Park. Mixtapes have become a pillar of creativity and a key factor in helping artists showcase versatility and skill. Sampling and beat jacking has been somewhat the norm over the years.
Some might argue that since mixtapes aren’t distributed for retail, Finesse’s case may be invalid. They’d better think again. Although Mac never gained a dollar off the actual project, he did benefit from it indirectly by securing shows and tours. If the hailed beatsmith can setup a strong argument proving this, he might pull off a victory and all may be lost for the mixtape game as we know it.
Case in point: Rock group The Eagles threatened to take legal action against R&B crooner Frank Ocean for his sampling of their song “Hotel California” on his mixtape cut “American Wedding.” The legendary rock band legally blocked him from performing the song live.
On the flip side, some may feel this legal issue will help concentrate the over-saturation of music that has flooded the hip hop industry via the mixtape circuit. While we all love free stuff, too much of anything can be detrimental to your health…or ears. In recent years, trying to digest the large quantity of music that’s been released has become a full time job and some may feel regulation might be in order. So while the case is still pending a legal outcome, we’ll all have to wait and see if the way today’s MCs pay homage and pay bills will drastically change.
Good read. But shame on Finesse. Let’s not ignore the obvious green-eyed, outright greed that would challenge Finesse’s argument. The fact is, if Finesse wins in this case, other established artists who have involuntarily lent their music to the up-and-comers (like Mac Miller once was) could essentially sue artists for their success, saying “I know you didn’t profit from sales of the song, but you DID get famous by sampling/remixing it and you made money thereafter. So, wheres my cut?” Give me a break.
Where would it end? Not only could you then have an enormous amount of retroactive law suits like “Jay-Z sues Drake for use of ‘Ignorant Sh*t’ on ‘So Far Gone’ mixtape” or “Talib Kweli suing J. Cole for ‘Get By’ remix on the ‘The Warm Up,’” but folks could, in essence, sue even more established artists for unofficial remixes (Sorry, Lil’ Wayne). And consider the fact that sometimes lyrics, in homage, are reused in hip-hop too. If used on a free, mixtape song, would that, too, be grounds for litigative action? If that sounds like a stretch, consider the fact that those lyrics might be sung repeatedly on the chorus of a song.
I don’t think we should sacrifice artistic liberties on the gamble that this might bring more creativity to hip-hop; certainly not in the not-profit, mixtape realm. Let’s regulate retail and maintain freedom in the underground. Power to the people.
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