I got 99 Problems, but your shit ain’t one. Today is “Grey Tuesday” and websites everywhere are participating in an act of civil (and techincal) disobedience by turning grey and hosting some contraband MP3s. Here’s the backstory… Rapper Jay-Z released his “last” (publicity stunt) album several months ago. It’s called The Black Album. You may already be familiar with The White Album. Stick your chocolate in my peanut butter and what do you get? You guessed it: The Grey Album. This one’s by an artist who goes by “DJ Dangermouse,” and what he’s done basically is build a track for track remix of Jay-Z’s album, using only samples and instrumentation from The Beatles’ LP. A circling pack of lawyers picked up the scent, descended on the scene and, using their sharp beaks and talons, tore the new creation apart. Then they shit all over the place and sent out an invoice. So anyway… To own, share, copy, play or otherwise enjoy The Grey Album is now a crime. Literally… It is a work of art… In America… In 2004… That has been made ILLEGAL! Now, if you’re like many internet citizens, you may be thinking to yourself: “This is teh sux0r! But what can I do?” Well for starters, you can visit several sites that will provide more information about the situation. First, take a look at GreyTuesday.org, the organizers of this protest. Next, check out Seren.net, where you can download the album in its entirety via BitTorrent (more info about BT is available on the seren.net page). Also, check out Illegal-art.org, the home of this and many other works of dubious copyright status. You may want to hold off on visiting these guys right now though, as they are getting slammed pretty hard right now by people downloading the album, but it’s definetly worth a look at some point, if only for the classic GI Joe mash-ups. =) Finally, since what would be the point of all this if not for some law-breaking of my own, I present you a selection of downloads from The Grey Album. I could host the whole album, but if that’s what you’re after, I think the Seren.net link above is the way to go. I’m posting these files here to exercise my fair use rights to include sections of a work being discussed as a part of that critique. My favorite track from the original Black Album was “99 Problems” and I think it’s interesting to hear how Dangermouse builds a new track around the vocal, which works similarly to the Jay-Z / Rick Rubin production, but with a fresh twist. Check it out:
So there you have it. And while I’m at it, here’s another recent hip-hop song with a Beatles sample.
This is based on a sample from a cover version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” but it’s probably safe to assume that it’s illegal too. I mean, after all, isn’t that the way that the record companies would like it? For all of us to just “assume” they own every recording ever made, and forget the concept of a “public domain” ever existed? I certainly hope that’s not the case, but I really wouldn’t be shocked if US Copyright was extended from whatever the hell it is now (90 years? 100?) to infinity and beyond! Perhaps Ghostface says it best: “Y’all niggas kill me and y’all know y’all booty, so please get your punk ass off the streets…” Seriously.
The New York Times Magazine from a while ago had a great article on Copy Left, the movement to revise our Sonny Bono-ized Infinite Copyright Loop. You know the magazine I’m talking about. With the sex slaves? Yeah, that’s the one.
Rock on, Eric! Continue sticking it to the Man.