Pete Rock Is Pissed That Lupe Fiasco Sampled His Sample… Really.

posted in: Music News

When Lupe Fiasco dropped “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free),” the first single off his upcoming album Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album, we doubt he expected the type of backlash he’s receiving now. The single is a return to form for the socially-conscious Chicago MC, but features a recognizable beat from one of hip-hop’s greatest songs, 1992’s “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” by Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth.

Legendary producer Pete Rock took to Twitter last night to express his opinions on the clear similarity between the two beats:

Speaking of totally original music, we feel the need to point out that Rock himself took the sample from a Tom Scott tune.

Although he claims to have gotten permission…

And just for the sake of fair reporting, Tom Scott was actually covering this Jefferson Airplane song from their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow:

Music is confusing.