Why Tribe Made ZERO Dollars from “Can I Kick It” 

Industry rule #4080, record company people are shadyy

"can i try something, COURSE YA CAN"

Aww man this is a tragic story. The session bassist is like the drummer from the Amen break. Billions have heard their work and they got paid nothing. Wild.

Note that after Tribe’s song dropped, Walk On The Wild Side was back on top 40 radio in 1990, even when they didn’t play Tribe. Old guys complaining about clearance and then making money so many different ways was so cynical.

Same thing happened with the verve's bittersweet symphony. I always wonder how many great songs we haven't heard because of sampling cost.

Fortunately Tribe made money on shows and merch. All wasn't lost... Plus they have a historic record that they can STILL get paid off today for performing it!!! RIP Phif Diggy

"Record industry people are shadyyyyyyy" - A Tribe Called Quest.

Same problem with The Sneaker Pimps's "6 Underground" and John Barry......and so many others. Only solution, play the song yourself. Then sample. Then you have only to deal with cover rights. Even Dilla stopped sampling for years because of the sample clearing conundrum.

Iron-clad defense that no one has ever tried: "My client didn't sample this song; he simply sampled himself, LISTENING to this song! That's way different!"

performance royalties for musicians would be a good start. It's crazy to me how America there still aren't performance royalties for musicians the same way as everywhere else in the world.

This episode makes me think of De La Soul, Biz Markie, Pharoah Monch and many others. Sampling is an art and if weren’t for hip hop I wouldn’t know where these songs came from

Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band for that slide guitar, “sunshower” August Darnell aka Kid Creole, killer sample that sticks out in other songs that likely used it to reference this track like MIA’s All I Wanna Do. Flipping stations one day ran into Sunshower and went on a deep dive researching the band, and then the sample history on something so simple that’s become so iconic via the samples.

Same thing happened to Peter Gunz when he sampled Steely Dan for Déjà vu

youtube monetization works like that too, you could make an hour of truly original content but if there's a 30 second piece of copyrighted music in the middle somewhere they get whatever the whole video makes. That ain't right. They should get paid for their contribution but all of it isn't fair play.

I think you're missing a thread here. You touched on it, but it goes deeper... Lou Reed (certainly in his solo career - and especially on 'Transformer') was really pushing the edges of "rock and roll" into R&B, jazz and even the soulful side of funk. "Walk on the Wild Side" could even be seen as a primordial precursor to rap, or at least Blondie's version of early rap. He was rhythmically speaking much more than he was "singing" and that bassline and loose, jazzy drums were fucking delicious! I think he was a genuine fan of hip-hop and probably saw himself as one of the early brick layers (as you allude to with his 'The Original Wrapper'). I think he may have been wanting to be recognized as such but, much more so, he wanted to be involved and continue to evolve and blend genres. Given his musical styles, I imagine he would have been a fan of Tribe and what they were doing, so when they just wanted the sample of his (not his) bassline, and given the pale performance of 'Wrapper', I think it was less that he felt slighted or pissed at them, than he saw the writing on the wall and knew the genre was moving on without him. Sure, it was a douche move, but he saw his career ending and wanted to get what he could while he could, because those collaborations just weren't going to come and nobody was seeing him as the godfather - or even grandfather - of hip hop. Tribe could have just refused and went with another sample, but I'm damned grateful they didn't!

Peace brother. Method Man's mixing engineer here (also done some sample-free beats for him). Same 100% move happened with "All I Need". Ashford & Simpson wouldn't clear the sample unless they got the 100% publishing. Meth didn't like the song, RZA insisted, told him to trust him on that one and sure enough, they got a Grammy for it. Weird thing is Nick Ashford was the nicest dude, but I guess business is business...

Some of the best music content on RU-vid. Thanks for all the continued work.

Lou Reed was also a huge fan of the Kanye West album "Yeezus". So he stood up for hip hop even to the end of his life.

As soon as I saw the title of this video, I knew the answer was going to be Lou Reed. The man just didn't have the reputation of being sociable. Besides that, I've just read a biography about The Velvet Underground. It stated that Lou Reed had initially claimed 100% of all the VU-author's rights.

I have so much respect for the time, care, research and creativity that go into your videos. Thank you 🙌🏾

Both songs are legendary

Another great DTG. The irony is that Lou Reed (and Velvet underground whom I'm a fan of) was backed by Andy Warhol who was famous for his pop art copying objects like soup tins. And often didn't even make the art himself. Herbie should feel proud of his contribution to the track, even if he was part of Lou's factory. And I know Lou's dead but it was an ass move to take all the pie, you never know, he may have shared a bit with Herbie....but probably not. Lets hope he's having a perfect day watching DTG.

As much as I disagree with Lou on this I also think it's important to know that Walk On the Wildside wasn't just any song but an extremely personal song. It was written about drag queens, prostitutes, and other marginalized people he met and befriended with the velvet in the 60s. All those people where dead by the time the velvets broke up less than 10 years later. It's a commemorative song for a his dead close friends who he knew noone else would sing for. I figure that also affected his bad choice. All you mentioned plus the song itself being so close to him might have pushed him overboad.

From what I remember, many many hip hop groups had tried to sample Lou Reed's music, especially "Walk on the Wild Side." He knew that once someone sampled it, that would be it for that song, so he got as much as could for it. Also, he was a solo artist into the 2000s. 90's era New York, Songs for Drella, and Magic and Loss are some of his best work.

I don't get why artists are so harsh on sampling as it gets there music promoted when i hear a hip-hop track with a dope sample i look up the original track and listing to it and im pretty sure lots of people do that too..

Excellent video. I first found out about this via your video on sampling 78s. Yes, it's really messed up.

i love these videos so much. thanks for making them!

How much did Lou Reed pay Herbie Flowers for the bassline? Lou could hardly copyright chords I to IV, flowers did ALL the heavy lifting.

Thank you for elaborating on this history ❤

This is an awesome examination ofthe complexities of sampling and art crossing generations. Been a tribe fan since 1987-88 with "The Promo" & "Black is Black"on the The Jungle Brothers debut "Straight Out The Jungle". And I have greater appreciation of Lou Reed from this history; R.I.P. Rise In Power Lou Reed and DJ Jam Master Jay.

This is such a greatly produced and researched youtube program put together with obvious love for the culture. Salute

So you're telling me the Lou Reed slipped in a dis track to Run DMC?

Really good work on this piece!

Can you do a video on sample clearance and copyright in the music industry and the industry itself?

Thank you for your work

I’d love for you to do a retrospective on tribes first album. Great video btw.

I never knew! Thanks for educating me 🙏

This video provides fantastic and educational information. It's relevant for both old-school hip-hop fans and modern music producers sampling sounds. 🙌🏽

I think it still needs to be negotiated, depending on whether or not a sample exploits the material that contstitutes intellectual property and if not, does the sample evoke or conjur an image of someones work, is it enough to conceptualise the broader work, Vs sampling that's transformative and becomes a work of intellect and subject to it's own copyright protection or status

I really liked your videos and I was wondering if you can analyze People Under The Stairs, they're one of the greatest underground duos

"Spirit Mix" version is the best version of Can I Kick It. The video uses that remix

As someone who has been a session musician, there was always kind of an understanding if you came up with something during a session you wouldn't get credited for it. Any ideas were part of your fee, dependent on who you worked for. If you pushed a producer or artist for more they would probably hire someone else to rerecord a slightly altered version of your part anyway (if they liked it enough) and not call you next time. Or worse, tell other people not to.

Lou was like F around and find out lol. Da man!

Interesting video. Good job on the production

What beat is that in the background of the beginning of this video?

This is arguably your best video.

Great presentation

These AI apps need a sample clearance process for using other people’s intellectual property.

Was waiting for an explanation of what the other sampled artists received.

Without watching the video, the 2 word answer is probably “Lou Reed”. It famously happened to De La Soul and Vanilla Ice )to name just 2). The thing is, the music industry did really well out of sampling… 🤔

I wonder if he charged marky mark when they sampled it for take a walk on the wild side

Whats the name of the song playing at the end if this video?

One of their best jamz

Love that cut definitely a Tcq classic 👌

Well, depends on what kind of contract you sign as a studio musician. Great episode btw! Painting a house right now and it got me thinking, I'm painting the house so the owner can sell. Should I get part of the sale of the house since I after all painted it or should I get a one time payment for my services ? Just got me thinking. Love this channel man!

I was lucky enough to see Phife perform solo before he passed and he said he haaaated this song for the simple fact that Lou Reed took all the pub and royalties. He still performed it for us though. RIP Phife

This song got me into Lou Reed because that sample is so good

Lou Reed taking a walk on the safe side with his lawyer.

Watching this reminds me of The funk Brothers... You're right we need new systems in place.

Lou Reed a multi millionaire taking 100% so his name should be Lou greed

I wonder if Lou Reed did the same to Mark Wahlberg, aka Marky Mark from the ‘90s as well when he released the song “Wild Side”with the Funky Bunch. That song basically sampled “Walk On The Wild Side” in its entirety.

if Lou wouldve known the 20yr history of rappers and the drum intro on Walk before he had run dmc open he probably would've understood

Brilliant track! Back when most people had no idea Q Tip was this much of a genius.

That bass line is top 5 of all time. The fact that bassist didn’t make more on that totally unique hook is insane.

Lou Reed didn't believe much in "flower power" when it was his money on the line.

Totally unrelated but do you know if the baseline used on "wild side" was an influence to the baseline of RHCP's "otherside"?

Thata why that bassline was like that puzzled me for years because I only seen it as a Jazz bass but I hear the electric bass but I was not musically sophisticated to noticed ot was layered

It was just a couple weeks ago I was lamenting the fact that absolute masterpieces like People's Travels... and Paul's Boutique would never see the light of day under the present climate of sample clearance. Sampling should be looked at the same way mosaic art is looked at. Although it is made of pieces from different previous works it comes together to create something new where the whole is not merely the sum of it's parts.

- [00:00] A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It" Sample Clearance and Lou Reed's 100% Royalties - Sample clearance complexities: Multiple samples used in "Can I Kick It" including drums from Lonnie Smith, horn stab from Sly and the Family Stone, and a baseline from Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side". - Lou Reed's condition: Despite agreeing to clear the sample, Lou Reed demanded 100% of the publishing and royalties. - Implications: The lack of standardized fees in sample clearance exemplifies the imbalance of power in the music industry, disadvantaging artists like A Tribe Called Quest. - [03:19] Lou Reed's Relationship with Hip-Hop and Run DMC - Lou Reed's support for Run DMC: Inviting them to open for him and defending them against booing at a concert in 1984. - Lou Reed's venture into hip-hop: Releasing "The Original Wrapper" in 1986, indicating his interest in blending rock and rap. - Possible betrayal perception: Speculation on how Lou Reed might have felt betrayed by the hip-hop community, particularly after Run DMC collaborated with Aerosmith on "Walk This Way". - [07:52] Lou Reed's Perception of Collaboration and Betrayal in Music - Betrayal narrative: Speculation suggests that Lou Reed might have felt excluded from the collaboration process and therefore cleared the sample for "Can I Kick It" with the intention to reclaim control and royalties. - Symbolic connections: Comparisons drawn between song titles ("Walk on the Wild Side" and "Walk This Way") and perceived betrayals, highlighting potential motivations behind Reed's actions. - Impact on subsequent sampling: The dominance of Reed's 100% royalties decision sets a precedent for future sampling negotiations, impacting artists' creative freedom and financial gain.

A great Double bassline from the the great Herbie Flowers

This is why I am an advocate for sampling. It brings rap fans into new music. A lot of rockers are so greedy even though some of their stuff isn’t original either

Music IP should be about getting the originator paid, not about creating monopolies

I wonder if Lou Reed did the same thing to MARKY MARK aka MARK WALBERG when he made his song " WYLDSYDE"?????....🤔🤔🤔🤔

Run DMC had already done Rock Box in 1984, which was a precursor to Walk This Way, so rock and rap wasn't as new in 1986 (also Beasties were starting?) as you suggest.

Have you heard one potential theory WHY Lou Reed took 100% of the credit for "Can I Kick It?"? The Velvet Underground song "Foggy Notion" when released on the "VU" album in 1985 has the songwriting credited to Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, Doug Yule, Maureen Tucker and Hy Weiss. Hy Weiss being the publisher of a song which "Foggy Notion" quotes a section of lyrics from. Now, when ATCQ sampled "Walk On The Wild Side" without asking permission first, Barry Weiss, Hy's son, was an executive at Jive Records and Lou, being a vindictive man, sees his chance for revenge and took it fully.

your making some great videos keep up the great work

Would Lou Reed had wanted such a heavy payout if they had recreated the bass line with a hired gun? Since it's such an iconic riff, they'd still be risking getting sued if they tried that without contacting Reed before the release.

Shouldn't have to pay to sample a song. It's a new thing. Copyright should promote the creation of new art. No one is copying here. They are innovating. Insane all around.

Steely Dan did the same thing to Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. They actually had no writing credits on the song too! 😮

So basically you're saying we should give Herbie Flowers his flowers

I wonder if he did the same thing to Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch when they sampled the same song and used the same name of the song they sampled.

WHAT!!? G-d spoke to you directly? Bob "MF" Power!!!

Didn't Tracy Chapman do the same thing To Nice and Smooth with the "Fast Car" sample in Sometimes I rhyme slow?

Did he do the same thing with Marky Mark and the funky bunch?

Don t know about the betrayel Part. Why should he feel betrayed bc of the collaboration with another group?

Something needs to be done to compensate studio musician who so many times are creating the Hooks that make a song great. Sure a studio musician a tiny bit of the mechanical royalties, but it's for a rapidly diminishing time, at least that's who it worked in my day. The whole revenue and royality system in music is totally screwed up and need to be tossed out and a updated system for the 21st century created.

Lou Reed had no shortage of chips on his shoulders. So yeah, this seems more than plausible.

One of the most iconic hip hop tracks and made zero dollars….the irony Of life.

I love all your work bro, but honestly I think it's time we took a deep dive into Maxwell's creative process! He gave us masterpieces such as Accession! and lake by the ocean! Wow!

Check out the story behind “Double Dutch Bus “ with Frankie Smith and Producer Gene Leone.

I didn’t realize herbie flowers has an interview, he’s incredible at bass

icl background music is hitting

This is why so much hip hop is made up of synths and drum machines (and one shot samples or music produced specifically for sampling). No one wants to get the headaches of difficult sample clearance. Copyright law literally changed the sound of hip hop

Couldnt agree more!

Lou Reed the villain

The most important thing in my mind is everyone being recognized for the contributions they made either directly or indirectly. 🤷🏻‍♂️

yo please make a video on nujabes🙏🏽

So glad you’ve made this, partly for selfish reasons. Is it just me, or is this version of the track NOT what was released in the UK? Until recently I’d only heard the Boilerplate Mix. Am I going crazy?

Great content

Great video.