She claims that dude stole her song and gave it to another artist.

@JeanGreasy
So I say that, I find a real ethical problem with someone stealing my work. We've had a conversation about it and... yeah no. Not okay.

@JeanGreasy
U&Me&EveryoneWeKnow 1/1/12 https://soundcloud.com/m-phazes/jean-grae-u-me-everyone-we … VS Holy, Holy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC1eLqUZGKo … Vic Mensa/Ab-Soul/BJ prod Cam J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League

@JeanGreasy
So, not that it's just the same chords, or the same bass, or the same piano runs, cause it is. But the same KEY? C'mon. So, JUST, FUCK ME?

@JeanGreasy
What that says is, "nah.. no one gives a fuck about Jean Grae. I'ma just take the whole song. Make it a new song." Oh, okay.

@JeanGreasy
No. You can't steal music. Inspiration is one thing. Plagiarism is another. You got to get the entire fuck outta here Shia LaBeouf-ing me.

If you care you can read the other tweets here https://twitter.com/JeanGreasy

Unless there is no sample.

It appears to not be a sample. I don't see it on WhoSampled, that is.

The M-Phazes track credits a bunch of musicians on keys, bass, horns, so obviously those parts aren't sampled

Sonically, the two tracks are completely different, none of the instruments are the same...M-Phazes sounds like some live stuff, JUSTICE League sounds like all VSTs

Jean is saying if you were to write out the chords/bassline/melody flourishes, they're identical.

It seems too similar to possibly be a coincidence, which is pretty foul and bizarre of the JUSTICE League guy to have purposely replayed all that stuff.

With that being said, "You can't steal music. Inspiration is one thing. Plagiarism is another" in this context is kinda funny to say for an artist who's released a ton of music with long, uncleared samples. Hip hop production culture aside, is recreating someone elses melody without crediting them *that* much different than lifting a sample without crediting the original artist?

This is such a dope joint that M-Phazes created for Greasy...I have a feeling that J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League got a hold of this song and decided to recreate it for the most part

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogz9BSS7xho

> Hip hop production culture aside, is
>recreating someone elses melody without crediting them *that*
>much different than lifting a sample without crediting the
>original artist?

Only in the court of law and how much money separates sampling from interpolation. It's fundamentally the same thing. And I say that as someone who's replayed and re-scored quite a few tracks, primarily for the purpose of stretching out chord progression and live performance ability.

...so this was pleasant little surprise. The song is dope as hell.

Sun clearly shark-finned her shit.

Ain't no grey areas on this one.

Get'eem Jean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ0gC8hs0jE


"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams

>

so agree
she is right up there
with mc lyte

like, if you gonna steal a track, at least try to make something of equal quality. That other track is just phoned in

bink! had a problem with them biting one of his beats

One of the more uncomfortable twitter exchanges I've seen.

Y'all buggin, although Jean's MCing is superior between the two songs (and yes, there seems to be some "inspiration" on display via the Vic Mensa track), both respective songs are hella dope. Different approaches, but quality efforts on both ends.

Just chiming in on the seeming dismissal of the effort placed by JUSTICE League and crew. Might be biting, but they delivered solid work. Props definitely go to M-Phazes for his talent of course.

Snoop feat. Dre & D'Angelo "Imagine" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGHEtHSmMSI




// Fresh Selects releases: http://freshselects.com
Mndsgn - Breatharian tape out now http://bit.ly/FSX001_

I mean....

Ionno man. Unless she knows 100% for sure young cam heard her shit.. Them's just chords man.

those chords are super specific - i learned the whole thing for a live performance of it with jean. there is no way in this world that two people would randomly come up with the same progression with no differences. the same bass notes, possibly, but the same specific qualities to each chord ? no way. no how.

a: i doubt there's no way in the world that happens, its not like 12 different chords going on there, or some super exotic use of them, but ok let's say you're right...

b: its just a chord progression. SO MANY of the great musical works in human history (from folk to classical to jazz to soul) either took the chord progression from another song or often took entire melodies and everything. We'd be missing so much great historical music if people were this anal back when music was understood as a cultural exchange.

c: like someone else alluded to...does Jean clear all her samples? Does everyone she admires? This is nothing new

d: both songs stand on their own and the latter certainly doesn't come off like another version of Jean's song. Why not coexist? Is it about royalties? ^^ C ?

And I'm a big time Jean Grae fan. She might be on my top 5 emcees period list on certain days, and never exists the top 10. I just think this is kinda silly

here is the exact transcription i made of jean's track:

http://mashibeats.com/images/umejean.jpg

when you write notes down on paper, there can be no misinterpretation of what they are. the subtle qualities of each chord are determined by specific note placements. each subsequent chord is a decisive statement by the composer. there's nothing random about this creation.

the cam produced joint is exactly the same thing, verbatim. no change in rhythm of the chord placements, no change in the specific exact notes that make up each chord.

there *are* common chord progressions and sequences in music, but every creator brings something of themselves to them to the extent that you get completely different pieces of music as a result. this is the same as if i played the rhodes break from minnie riperton's inside my love and didnt say it was that. now, i can be creative and take those chords as an inspiration and create a new musical idea influenced by it, but if i was to play them using the same notes as on the original and in the same sequence and rhythmic pattern, then there's no question what i'm playing. that is the law of physics when it comes to harmony, melody and rhythm.

charlie parker often took pop tunes of the day and rewrote his own compositions over them. if you listened close enough you could hear the root of where his composition came from, but you could also very clearly hear his composition and where the idea has been embodied and evolved by him without reservation.

re the 'sample': it isnt a sample on jean's track. it's original music. it's a totally different issue to when someone uses a sample and doesnt clear it. this would be a much clearer case if he HAD sampled her track. but to go to great lengths to recreate it's musicality verbatim ?!?

it's about intellectual property and integrity. i would be a little flattered if that happened to me, but if there was zero acknowledgement i'd have to take issue with it. that's just a diss. as a composer, my legacy is my creations. my intellectual property. it's protected by law because it is a thing of value.

>a: i doubt there's no way in the world that happens, its not
>like 12 different chords going on there, or some super exotic
>use of them, but ok let's say you're right...
>
>b: its just a chord progression. SO MANY of the great musical
>works in human history (from folk to classical to jazz to
>soul) either took the chord progression from another song or
>often took entire melodies and everything. We'd be missing so
>much great historical music if people were this anal back when
>music was understood as a cultural exchange.
>
>c: like someone else alluded to...does Jean clear all her
>samples? Does everyone she admires? This is nothing new
>
>d: both songs stand on their own and the latter certainly
>doesn't come off like another version of Jean's song. Why not
>coexist? Is it about royalties? ^^ C ?
>
>And I'm a big time Jean Grae fan. She might be on my top 5
>emcees period list on certain days, and never exists the top
>10. I just think this is kinda silly

I hear a small similarity but not flat out theft.

....listen to what's playing minus the drums...
those chords are played in a particular order and timing...

listen to jean grae's version from like 1:20....listen to what's playing..minus the drums...
same chord progression (order that the chords are played in)...progressions often set the emotional tone of the record...invoke a feeling..

the keyboard sounds are different....the drums and additional sounds are different..but same progression..