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RTÉ News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Rap Battle: How Gilbert O'Sullivan changed hip hop forever
Gilbert O'Sullivan's song 'Alone Again (Naturally)' was released in Ireland and the UK in early 1972. At the same time, though, on the other side of the Atlantic in New York (and, it should be said, completely disconnected from Gilbert O'Sullivan) there was a new musical movement taking shape. Eventually developing into what we now know as hip hop, the genre was initially referred to by some as 'disco rap' – which does tell you a lot about its origins. Because much of the scene developed out of DJs taking popular disco and funk records and messing around with them on turntables – slowing them down, speeding them up, looping parts of them, mixing different records together. And, in doing so, they creating something that sounded totally different. And because disco wasn't very lyrics-heavy, there were also big gaps in these creations, which ended up being filled by the likes of beat boxers and then rappers. And this all started out as an underground movement – it would be individual DJs crafting these things, often on the fly at block parties and night clubs, and they were constantly developing new sounds and finding new techniques that would give different results. This scene continues to develop over the course of the 70s and, as mixing and recording technology improves, it allows for the sound to become more elaborate. That means you go from a DJ blending two records together on their turntable to pieces of music that perhaps contain a beat from one song, some strings from another, a hook or a refrain from somewhere else altogether, a small snippet of backing singers from another song – and all looped. And then a rapper adds their original vocals on top of that. And in a lot of ways you can argue that this practice of taking existing music and re-working it is quite similar, in spirit at least, to the folk tradition that was also thriving in New York at the time. That also saw artists borrowing tunes and even lyrics from traditional and new songs, incorporating them into something new, or putting a twist on them, and making their own song out of it. But then money comes along, and things start to change... Yes – because all of this "borrowing" of beats and music is fine when you're talking about what is essentially an informal and fairly niche movement like this. In the early days artists probably didn't even know their music was being used like this and, even if they did, it's not like anyone was making much of a profit off it. But as hip hop develops into a fully-fledged genre through the 70s and into the 80s, record labels start to take notice, and money starts to be made, things start to change. For example, The Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight', which came out in 1979, is seen by many to be the first mainstream hit from the genre. But the music from that song is basically two existing tracks mixed together – Chic's 'Good Times' and Love De-Luxe's 'Here Comes That Sound Again'. And The Sugarhill Gang's management initially released the song without crediting anyone else - until Nile Rodgers happened to hear an early version in a nightclub, threatened to sue, and got his name added to the credits. Though in that case at least the music was actually an interpolation rather than a sample – in other words they recorded new music that sounded the same, rather than just playing the original and rapping over it. And that idea of copying other people's compositions isn't new – so there was some kind of precedent there for dealing with it when it happens. But in the 70s and even into the 80s, actually sampling from another song is still new, people didn't really know how it should be dealt with. Because it goes without saying that, if someone copies another song's tune entirely, there's a copyright issue there. But if they take a two second long fragment of a song and loop it – to the point that it's not even recognisable – does that count as copyright infringement too? What if it's one of 20 such samples in a song? What happens then? So the arrival of sample-heavy hip hop creates this kind of no-man's land where other people's work is being used left, right and centre – entire songs are often built up of existing pieces of music that are cobbled together – but the creators of those pieces aren't getting credited, or compensated in any way. The Beastie Boy's 1989 album 'Paul's Boutique', for example takes samples from 105 songs – with one track alone having samples from 24 other songs. Most of those were used without permission. So where does Gilbert O'Sullivan come into this? In 1990, a rapper called Biz Markie is working on his third studio album – and one of the songs he plans to put on it is called 'Alone Again'. And in it, he loops the piano part from the intro of the Gilbert O'Sullivan song of a similar name and then, in between rap verses, he sings 'alone again, naturally' in the chorus. So it's very clear where he got the inspiration for his track from – and, in fairness, his label did write to Gilbert O'Sullivan to ask for his blessing in using the sample from his song. O'Sullivan told them he wanted to hear the song before he will give it his blessing, so they sent it to him. He then listened to it, decides he doesn't want his sample to be used, and turns down their request. But despite that Biz Markie decides to leaves the track – and its sample - on the album, which is released in 1991. Maybe he thought that would be the end of it – his 'Alone Again' song follows a very similar template to the big hit on his previous album 'Just a Friend', which was based on a song called 'Got What I Need' by Freddie Scott. Scott wasn't credited on that track and that didn't seem to result in any lawsuits. But O'Sullivan clearly had a different attitude to Scott - and sues Biz Markie's record label. The court rules in O'Sullivan's favour – saying the unauthorised use of song samples constitutes copyright infringement. The label is ordered to pay $250,000 – and forced to halt sales of the album, which is obviously costly too. And what really goes against Biz Markie is the fact that he asked for permission first – and when that wasn't given, he went ahead and used it anyway. So he couldn't really pretend to be ignorant of the need to get the original artist's approval. He also seemed to get a particularly hardline judge in Kevin Thomas Duffy. He quoted the Bible in his ruling – and even referred the case to the criminal courts, because he saw Markie as a thief... though no criminal case ever took place. Gilbert O'Sullivan's case wasn't the first attempt by an artist or record label to go the legal route to resolve a row around sampling – there would have been plenty of cases settled out of court, some cases would have been tied up in the courts at the time. But O'Sullivan's is the first one to secure a ruling. And so it became the industry precedent – and it set the bar for everything that came after it. So what impact did it have on the music industry? Well one immediate impact it had was the name of Biz Markie's next album – which he called 'All Samples Cleared'. But more significantly it really had a chilling effect on the practice of building songs out of countless samples – because suddenly there was a significant price to be paid if you did so without permission. And as it had been officially deemed copyright infringement, the copyright holders would have a right to be compensated for any use, and they have the right to refuse. If you look at that Beastie Boys album 'Paul's Boutique', with 104 songs sampled – some of those samples were approved but many weren't, and it's estimated that it would have added millions of dollars to the cost of the production if they had to pay for each of them. Realistically, that album never would have been made if the ruling had come a few years earlier. And you see the style of hip hop production shifting very quickly – from that sample-heavy example of 'Paul's Boutique' in 1989, to a much lighter approach by the likes of Dr Dre with 'The Chronic' in 1992. He tended to use only a handful of samples, often from artists he knew were okay with their stuff being reworked, and then he'd add in his own instrumentation around that. And that kind of became the new template for hip hop – which continues all the way through to today. And even though the ruling was made more than 30 years ago, there are other ways that it's continuing to shape the music industry. How? Well two consequences – one perhaps intended, the other probably unintended. The intended one is that we're now seeing more people being given a credit on modern pop and hip hop songs. Beyoncé got a lot of criticism for the fact that her Renaissance album had a total of 104 writers credited across its 16 tracks... one song in particular, 'Alien Superstar', has 24 writers credited. And part of that is because Beyoncé collaborates with a lot of writers and artists. But part of it is because she also uses lots of samples in her songs and now, when you use a song sample, the creators of that song get a credit on your song. So you might have cases now where an artist uses three samples in a song, each one from a song with two writers. And that means you have to add six names to your writing credits. Among the 'Alien Superstar' credits, for example, are Richard and Christopher Fairbrass. Most people won't know who they are – but they probably will know some of their music. Because Richard and Christopher Fairbrass are better known as Right Said Fred, and their song 'I'm Too Sexy' was the inspiration for the chorus of that particular Beyoncé song. So they both got a writing credit (and a few quid too). The other unintended consequence of the Biz Markie ruling is that pursuing writing credits has kind of become a sub-industry in its own right. There are now a number of companies who's whole business model is to buy up the rights to the music of niche or obscure, older artists. They then hunt down cases where their songs were sampled without permission, and file lawsuits looking for compensation. And sometimes the samples are so small, or they've been so heavily reworked, that they're nearly unidentifiable – so they use special software to analyse songs to find potential samples. In other cases it takes them getting the stems from the original recordings so they can listen to the various tracks in isolation and identify what the parts are made from. And, surprise surprise, Paul's Boutique is one of the albums that's been targeted by these types of companies. And it may not even matter how long ago the sample was used without permission - because as long as new versions and special editions of an album keeps getting released, the statute of limitations on a case keeps getting reset.
Belfast Telegraph
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Music legend Nile Rodgers stumps up £35k to help protect ancient NI woodland
Belfast-bound Chic star's enduring love of nature prompted Faughan Valley gift One of music's biggest stars is helping to protect a rare and ancient woodland in Northern Ireland. Nile Rodgers and his band Chic — famous for hits such as Le Freak and Good Times — are donating more than £35,000 to support the Faughan Valley in Co Londonderry.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Scarlett Johansson Pops in Strapless Saint Laurent Dress, Mia Threapleton Goes Green in Elie Saab and More From ‘The Phoenician Scheme' NYC Premiere
Members of the cast and creative team of 'The Phoenician Scheme' came together on Wednesday for the film's New York City premiere. The Wes Anderson-directed film features an ensemble cast of past collaborators and burgeoning stars. Several high-profile figures attended the event, including 'Phoenician Scheme' actors Scarlett Johansson and Kate Winslet's daughter Mia Threapleton. The film previously held its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Ahead, WWD breaks down the celebrity style moments from 'The Phoenician Scheme' NYC premiere. More from WWD Sarah Jessica Parker Goes Boho Chic in Paris, Kristin Davis Favors Florals in Rixo Dress and More Looks at the 'And Just Like That...' Season Three Premiere Ana de Armas Goes Strapless in Louis Vuitton for 'Ballerina' Premiere in Paris Queen Letizia of Spain Welcomes Summer in Espadrille Wedges and Floral Dress Scarlett Johansson opted for a pop of color and strapless design courtesy of Saint Laurent. The two-time Oscar-nominated actress wore an orange gown with a fitted bodice and draped fabric at the waist. The actress accessorized her look with jewelry courtesy of Taffin, including an ornate statement necklace. Johansson's makeup was done by artist Hung Vanngo, with hair styling provided by David von Cannon. The actress' look was curated by stylist Kate Young, who WWD named Best Stylist at the 2025 Style Awards. Kate Winslet's daughter Mia Threapleton also wore a strapless dress. The burgeoning star, who co-leads 'The Phoenician Scheme' alongside Benicio del Toro, wore a flowing green dress courtesy of Elie Saab's fall 2025 ready-to-wear collection. Threapleton accessorized her dress with jewelry pieces courtesy of Boucheron. The actress' hair was styled by Ben Skervin, with makeup provided by artist Quinn Murphy. Threapleton's look was curated by stylist Farrah O'Connor, who's also collaborated with Ambika Mod and 'Bridgerton' star Hannah Dodd, among others. 'The Phoenician Scheme' star Benicio del Toro suited up in gray. The Oscar-nominated actor wore a double-breasted blazer with a muted dress shirt with a collar and a sleek black tie. Del Toro completed his attire with black patent leather shoes. Wes Anderson opted for a black suit. The director of 'The Phoenician Scheme' wore a white shirt and black patent leather shoes to complete his ensemble. 'The Phoenician Scheme' follows Zsa-Zsa Korda (del Toro) in an effort to save his business and reconnect with his daughter (Threapleton). The film hits theaters June 6. View Gallery Launch Gallery: 'The Phoenician Scheme' New York City Premiere: Scarlett Johansson and More Celebrity Style, Photos Best of WWD Princess Charlene of Monaco's Grand Prix Style Through the Years: Louis Vuitton, Akris and More, Photos Princess Charlene's Monaco Grand Prix Style Evolution at Full Speed: Shades of Blue in Louis Vuitton, Playful Patterning in Akris and More Kate Middleton's Royal Rewears Through the Years
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Victoria Beckham looks effortlessly chic in a red shirt and flared jeans from her own brand as she steps out in Paris amid ongoing family feud
Victoria Beckham looked effortlessly chic as she stepped out in Paris wearing an ensemble made up of almost entirely her own brand. The Spice Girl, 51, slipped into a smart red shirt and flared indigo jeans from her range as she strutted down the street in the French capital. Victoria accessorised her stylish looked with oversized shades, finishing off her look with Hermes Birkin Kelly bag draped over her shoulder. The brunette beauty was also seen carrying a tan jacket in her hand should the weather take a turn for the worst. The fashion designer appeared in good spirits despite her and husband David, 50, being in the midst of an escalating rift with eldest son Brooklyn Beckham and his actress wife, Nicola Peltz. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Victoria Beckham looked effortlessly chic as she stepped out in Paris wearing an ensemble made up of almost entirely her own brand The Spice Girl, 51, slipped into a smart red shirt and flared indigo jeans from her range as she strutted down the street in the French capital Brooklyn, 26, appeared to make his feelings clear in an Instagram video shared in May, in which he pledged his unwavering loyalty to Nicola, 30 - the daughter of Miami-based billionaire businessman and investor Nelson Peltz. The influencer whisked his wife off for an early morning motorbike ride and captioned the video: 'My whole world x I will love you forever x I always choose you baby x you're the most amazing person i know xx me and you forever baby.' Those close to the Beckhams have now told The Sun that the message seemed 'very pointed'. The insider added: 'It shows how much this situation with his family has escalated. 'It's very sad for everyone involved, especially David and Victoria who love him very much. This isn't the Brooklyn his family knows and loves. 'This post was like a dagger to their hearts but they will always be there for Brooklyn.' Hours after the post, Cruz, the Beckhams' youngest son waded in on the row for the first time by writing an Instagram post in support of his parents, showing he does not side with Brooklyn. The 20-year-old musician wrote: 'I love my family. I love you guys more than anything, mum and dad you gave us life and cared for us no matter what, I cannot tell you how blessed we are to have you in our lives.' David and Victoria have resigned to the fact that they have become estranged from their beloved son after he failed to attend any of the football ace's 50th birthday celebrations last month. 'This post was like a dagger to their hearts but they will always be there for Brooklyn,' a source said on Monday Despite flying to London, Brooklyn and Nicola didn't attend the big family party at the Beckhams' Cotswolds home or an idyllic trip to France or a meal at Notting Hill restaurant, Core. Last month, there was further proof of the irreparable nature of the rift when Brooklyn and Nicola jetted to the capital from their home in Los Angeles for a joint photoshoot with Italian luxury fashion brand Moncler. It took place less than two miles away from the Beckham family home in Holland Park, west London. Brooklyn didn't even tell David and Victoria they were in the country - let alone meet with them. Harper - who turns 14 in July - was exceptionally close with Brooklyn and Nicola, who often shared pictures of her on Instagram gushing over the teen and calling her 'my younger sister'. attend her 14th birthday celebrations.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The groove was so thick. It was unbelievable': The making of Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's incredible to think that Addicted to Love – while obviously a surefire smash once it was in the can – was actually the third single to be released from Robert Palmer's 1986 album Riptide. Following a disappointing UK number 95 for lead-off single Discipline of Love and the number 85 'hit' of its title track, Palmer had gone from the top of his game to being on his uppers. The early projections for the new album – his eighth – weren't looking good and yet, just a year earlier Palmer had been flying high. Following his quirky new wave early eighties hits Clues and certified '80s classic Some Guys Have All The Luck, the established solo artist (following his time with Vinegar Joe) had, in 1985, landed the lucrative gig fronting The Power Station, the rockier Duran Duran side project featuring the band's Andy Taylor and John Taylor. The project would be a sure-fire winner and play a huge part in boosting Palmer's quirky soul/new wave profile in a new pop direction. What's not to like? Plus, the band would also bring in not one but two members of Chic, with their bassist Bernard Edwards in the producer's chair (alongside his regular engineering collaborator Jason Corsaro) and Chic's inimitable Tony Thompson on drums. The Duran/Edwards/Corsaro combination had already been put together to devastating effect for Duran Duran's global hit bond theme A View To A Kill in early '85. And the Duran member's hook-up with Edwards would be a natural progression for the band after working with his Chic bandmate Nile Rogers for The Reflex and Wild Boys the year before. After the project's predictable success (with lead single Some Like It Hot becoming a US Billboard number six) Palmer departed after a job well done to consider his new direction and newfound fame, with label Island cleverly able to score the services of that same Power Station production dream team for his next solo album. With Edwards and Corsaro in the bag, getting Thompson in on drums once more was a formality, effectively putting the Power Station band and their producer and engineer back together sans the (now reformed) Duran Duran contingent. The subsequent recording sessions would be financed by Island Records and take place at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, The Bahamas, which – conveniently – was where Palmer was living at the time. What could go wrong? Well, there was the small matter of those two flop singles. Perhaps by the end of '85 the post-Power Station new pop/rock Palmer wasn't such a bankable prospect? By this point, Palmer's management's relationship with Island Records had grown rather fractious with the company willing to indulge the obvious star-power and potential of Palmer (top producers… session musicians… and financing his stay in The Bahamas) while seemingly unable to obtain the hits required to keep the entire enterprise afloat. It looked like his off-beat early 80s charm and fortuitous hook-up with two-fifths of Duran Duran were now far behind him, with the fate of the yet-to-be-released '86 album Riptide album now in limbo. Nevertheless, at Compass Point, Palmer and team had been successful in capturing magic. It was just that Island and the record-buying public didn't know it yet. Tony Thompson set the scene for Riptide's turnaround track to Modern Drummer: 'We did Addicted To Love in a recording studio in the Bahamas called Compass Point. At the time Robert lived across from the studio. So Bernard Edwards, one of my favorite guitarists, Eddie Martinez, keyboardist Jeff Bova, Andy Taylor, who also played guitar on that track and me went down to do Robert's record.' "[Palmer] had such eclectic tastes," Martinez told UCR. "He'd listen to Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and then have Sepultura and Husker Du on the same cassette. It was great music, irrespective of the genre. "I remember hearing Addicted to Love for the first time. He told me he dreamt the song and then wrote the lyrics. We recorded the tracks with Bernard Edwards producing, Jason Corsaro engineering and printing all of the stuff. "He brought down a Sony 24 track digital machine to the sessions, which as you know, this is pretty early on. People were still hanging with analog, but Jason was such a brilliant engineer." 'As a member of Chic and the Power Station, Tony was a powerhouse drummer that put together a style which transcended the styles of rock, funk, and pop,' explained The Legends of Music. 'When you celebrate hits such as Good Times and Le Freak by Chic, everyone can't talk enough about how infectious the groove is. Who do you think invented that? 'Tony really had a talent for creating tight, danceable beats and that is what made him stand out in a rhythm-driven disco era. However, where he really came into his element was on Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love. His performance on that track was conclusive proof that Tony was a master at blending rock's intensity with funk grooves.' Elaborating on that Addicted To Love drum sound, 'Everyone always assumed that there was some kind of special knobs turned when we did that first Power Station record,' explained Thompson. 'All it basically was, was a brand-new Yamaha kit in a very live, brick, recording studio in London called Mason Rouge. 'I hit the drums very hard. That's it! [laughs] We did Some Like It Hot, and everyone had all these stories, saying all kinds of things, about tricks that were going on. Samples weren't even around back then. So, bottom line, the sound came from a good kit, hit hard, in a nice live room.' And Addicted to Love would take that idea and Thompson's hard-hitting playing to the next level. 'That was the first time anyone ever spent time to get a drum sound like that,' Thompson explained. 'I remember my drums were set up in the room, and there was a door that led to a hallway. The engineer, Jason Casaro, took a tube the size of my bass drum and built this tunnel from my bass drum all the way out into the hall and up the stairs. It was this weird thing he hooked up. And it worked.' "Jason [Corsaro] had created a scenario where Tony Thompson's drum set was facing out of the room,' recalls Martinez. 'The doorway to the studio was kept open, and he set up Tony's drum set right at the opening of that door. Then outside that door there was a long hallway, I'd say, easily, 30 feet, if not longer. 'He set up microphones, respectively, at different distances and through his madness, came up with [that sound]. I mean, the drum sounds on that album, and Addicted in particular, I just listened to an isolated track of Tony playing on that and was just blown away." And, of course, it's not just the drums that makes Addicted magical. "[Riptide] enabled me to go into everything that I know, or everything I knew at that time as a guitarist,' relative to harmony and things like that, in terms of chord voicings," says Martinez. "I think that was really important for that record to be able to have that kind of background and apply it to the music. It was like a blank canvas and whatever you heard, you were allowed to explore. 'To me that's heaven for a guitarist working on a record." Then of course there's the music video. Directed by English photographer Terence Donovan, it features a set of rouge-lipsticked expressionless mono models miming as Palmer's backing bands while Palmer goes through his frontman motions as if this kind of thing happens every day. Speaking to Q magazine, Mak Gilchrist (on bass) said: 'We were meant to look and act like showroom mannequins. Director Terence Donovan got us tipsy on a bottle of wine and as we were having our make-up retouched I lost balance on my heels and knocked the top of my guitar into the back of Robert's head, and his face hit the microphone.' The video proved to be such a hit that Palmer would recycle its stoney-faced model concept for I Didn't Mean to Turn You On (also from Riptide), and follow-up album Heavy Nova's Simply Irresistible, and the animated Change His Ways. But we'll leave it to Thompson to sum up Addicted's magic: 'The groove in the house was so thick, and what am I playing? A simple, Boom-Bop-Tish-Bop-Boom-Bop. It was unbelievable. 'I locked into that with everyone else swinging, and it brought the walls down. That song was a masterpiece.
