The WORST EXCUSE in Music History
Rock N' Roll True Stories 2
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In 1990, the biggest rap song on the planet was built on one of the most famous basslines in rock history. And when Vanilla Ice was asked about it, he gave what might be the worst excuse in music history: his version was different because he'd added an extra note.
This is the story of "Ice Ice Baby," Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure," and the bassline that ended up costing Vanilla Ice a fortune.
"Under Pressure" came out of a 1981 session between Queen and David Bowie. Its famous riff almost didn't survive. According to Roger Taylor, John Deacon came up with it, the band went out for pizza, and when they came back Deacon had forgotten it. Nearly a decade later, a young Rob Van Winkle found that same song in his brother's record collection and built a hip-hop track around it.
"Ice Ice Baby" wasn't even supposed to be the hit. It first came out on the small label Ichiban Records as the B-side to his cover of "Play That Funky Music." Then DJ David Morales flipped the record over and played the B-side, and the song took off. By November 1990, it was the first rap single to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. There was one big problem: nobody had cleared the sample. Queen and David Bowie weren't credited and weren't being paid.
Then came the infamous interview. Asked about the similarity, Vanilla Ice insisted the two riffs were different and sang them both out loud to prove it. They sounded exactly the same. Brian May later told the Los Angeles Times that he first saw it as a big joke, until he heard it was about to hit number one: "My God. Is this what music has come to?"
The dispute was settled out of court, and David Bowie and all four members of Queen were added as songwriters on "Ice Ice Baby." Vanilla Ice later claimed he paid $4 million, and in 2017 he said he'd actually bought "Under Pressure." Queen's camp quickly shot that down. On top of all that, the A-side caused him trouble too, and Wild Cherry's Robert Parissi reportedly got a settlement over "Play That Funky Music."
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The WORST EXCUSE in Music History
Rock N' Roll True Stories 2
580 views
My Main YouTube Channel with LONGER stories!
@rnrtruestories
In 1990, the biggest rap song on the planet was built on one of the most famous basslines in rock history. And when Vanilla Ice was asked about it, he gave what might be the worst excuse in music history: his version was different because he'd added an extra note.
This is the story of "Ice Ice Baby," Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure," and the bassline that ended up costing Vanilla Ice a fortune.
"Under Pressure" came out of a 1981 session between Queen and David Bowie. Its famous riff almost didn't survive. According to Roger Taylor, John Deacon came up with it, the band went out for pizza, and when they came back Deacon had forgotten it. Nearly a decade later, a young Rob Van Winkle found that same song in his brother's record collection and built a hip-hop track around it.
"Ice Ice Baby" wasn't even supposed to be the hit. It first came out on the small label Ichiban Records as the B-side to his cover of "Play That Funky Music." Then DJ David Morales flipped the record over and played the B-side, and the song took off. By November 1990, it was the first rap single to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. There was one big problem: nobody had cleared the sample. Queen and David Bowie weren't credited and weren't being paid.
Then came the infamous interview. Asked about the similarity, Vanilla Ice insisted the two riffs were different and sang them both out loud to prove it. They sounded exactly the same. Brian May later told the Los Angeles Times that he first saw it as a big joke, until he heard it was about to hit number one: "My God. Is this what music has come to?"
The dispute was settled out of court, and David Bowie and all four members of Queen were added as songwriters on "Ice Ice Baby." Vanilla Ice later claimed he paid $4 million, and in 2017 he said he'd actually bought "Under Pressure." Queen's camp quickly shot that down. On top of all that, the A-side caused him trouble too, and Wild Cherry's Robert Parissi reportedly got a settlement over "Play That Funky Music."
#queen #vanillaice ---CONNECT ON SOCIAL---
TIKOK: / rocknrolltruestory
Instagram: / rnrtruestories
Facebook: / rnrtruestories
Twitter: / rocktruestories
Blog: www.rockandrolltruestories.com---CONNECT ON SOCIAL---
TIKOK: / rocknrolltruestory
Instagram: / rnrtruestories
Facebook: / rnrtruestories
Twitter: / rocktruestories
Blog: www.rockandrolltruestories.com