Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Releases ‘Freedom’ Video
The video for Pharrell’s new single, “Freedom,” is now available to non-Apple Music users. Watch the powerful visuals above and download the track on DJcity.
Related: Pharrell Drops Video for Daft Punk Collab ‘Gust of Wind’
Snoop Dogg Drops New Track and Video, ‘So Many Pros’
Instead of waiting months to release a video like many artists do, Snoop Dogg dropped a new track titled “So Many Pros” last night and followed up this morning with visuals.
The song is a bit more subdued than his previous Pharrell-produced single “Peaches N Cream,” although it’s just as funky.
It should also be noted that Chad Hugo co-produced “So Many Pros,” which makes it practically a Neptunes production, and that soul legend Charlie Wilson contributed vocals.
Download: Snoop Dogg – So Many Pros
Related: Watch Snoop Dogg’s Trippy ‘Peaches N Cream’ Video Featuring Charlie Wilson
Watch Snoop Dogg’s Trippy ‘Peaches N Cream’ Video Featuring Charlie Wilson
“Peaches N Cream” — the funky lead single from Snoop Dogg’s forthcoming album — has just received visuals. The track features soul legend Charlie Wilson and is currently number one on DJcity’s “Hot Box” chart. Watch the trippy video above and grab the song below.
Download: Snoop Dogg ft. Charlie Wilson – Peaches N Cream
Related: Snoop Dogg Signs with Pharrell’s Label
Laidback Luke Weighs in on ‘Blurred Lines’ Ruling
Last week’s ruling against Robin Thicke and Pharrell has proven to be one of the most controversial stories of the year in the music world. On one side, there are folks who support the court’s decision that “Blurred Lines” copies Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” There are also people, many of which are artists and industry professionals, who believe the ruling sets a dangerous precedent and could stifle creativity.
One of the most high-profile artists to speak out is Laidback Luke. The Dutch heavyweight, who himself has been involved in copyright lawsuits, penned an op-ed for Billboard earlier this week about the ruling. Below are some of the main points he made in the candid piece.
He believes “Blurred Lines” is similar to “Got to Give It Up,” but he doesn’t think they’re the same.
“In the ‘Blurred Lines’ case, I can hear is a same type of groove and a similar sounding Rhodes organ that doesn’t even play the same notes. I’d even go so far to say that ‘Blurred Lines’ is just a similar style of track as ‘Got To Give It Up.’ Style as in genre.”
In terms of note progressions, he thinks creativity is limited.
“In dance music alone, there are at least 3,000 new tracks released every week. Surely almost anything you can think of has already been done? For instance, people think I jacked Tujamo’s ‘Boneless’ with my track ‘Bae,’ whereas I didn’t have it in mind at all while producing. Unless we somehow invent new notes, the progressions that we can make are not infinite. The notes themselves have never been copyrighted, so how many notes does it take to claim it as a copyrighted sample? Everyone will recognize the first 3 to 4 notes in ‘Get Ready For This’ before any vocal even drops in.”
He believes being influenced is inevitable.
“Being creative draws upon the collection of music in your head. It sits there and anything around you can influence you. Anything you heard in your past that made an impression on you will affect your style. I often find myself just being a collection of anything Daft Punk meets Timbaland meets the The Neptunes meets J Dilla, and that molded into a format that I can play out as a DJ. Being influenced seems inevitable, and there’s almost always something out there that sounds similar to what you’re making.”
He thinks the ruling poses a threat to new artists.
“The fact is, this very second some kid somewhere is taking my music, chopping it up, looking at it sideways, replaying it and then calling it his own. They are the future. If that stops, the music stops. However, a new standard has been set. Those ‘Blurred Lines’ suddenly became dangerously Thicke.”
Related: Jury Rules Against Robin Thicke & Pharrell in ‘Blurred Lines’ Trial
Jury Rules Against Robin Thicke & Pharrell in ‘Blurred Lines’ Trial
A jury has ruled that Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I.’s hit “Blurred Lines” copied Marvin Gaye’s 1977 song “Got to Give It Up.” Thicke and Williams will pay the Gaye family a total of $7.4 million in copyright damages.
The ruling came after a two-week trial that included testimony from Thicke’s ex-wife Paula Patton and an in-court piano performance by Thicke himself. It was revealed that Thicke and Williams each made over $5 million on “Blurred Lines.”
According to Billboard, “To demonstrate copyright infringement, Busch instead leaned on the musicologists, who testified of similarities in signature phrases, hook, keyboard-bass interplay, lyrics and theme of the songs. Although ‘Blurred Lines’ was the primary ticket, the Gaye family also attempted to prove that Thicke’s ‘Love After War’ was an infringement of Gaye’s ‘After the Dance’ too.”
Billboard also reported that during his closing statement, Thicke and Williams’ attorney Howard King warned the jury about artistic freedom. “The wrong decision here will stifle musicians and the record companies that finance them [in signifying] that you cannot honor a genre, a style or a groove,” he said. “This is more important than money. This affects the creativity of young musicians.”
Listen to “Blurred Lines” and “Got to Give It Up” below.
Related: Jimmy Fallon, Robin Thicke, & The Roots Perform “Blurred Lines” with Classroom Instruments
Snoop Dogg Drops New Pharrell-Produced Single, ‘Peaches N Cream’
Veteran soul singer Charlie Wilson has a long history of contributing to Snoop Dogg’s albums.
It all started in 2002, when the Gap Band frontman connected with Snoop and Pharrell on the hit single, “Beautiful.” Two years later, Charlie joined Snoop on “Perfect” and the Justin Timberlake-assisted “Signs.” Then in 2008, Charlie’s former band reunited on Snoop’s introspective track, “Can’t Say Goodbye.”
Thankfully, the two legends have teamed once again, this time for a 110 BPM groover titled “Peaches N Cream.” The track is the lead single off Snoop’s forthcoming album, Bush, which is produced entirely by Pharrell.
Download: Snoop Dogg ft. Charlie Wilson – Peaches N Cream
Related: Snoop Dogg Signs with Pharrell’s Label
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