What's wrong with this white boy? Robin Thicke Sues Marvin Gaye's Family.
- Thread starter kefta
- Start date
Stop explaining bruh, seriously. These stupid ass fake activist ass niggas don't and won't see the logic in the truth you are posting. Talking about what's wrong with businessmen...protecting their business...shit sounds stupid.. There hundreds of songs that sound like each other......If by the laws of music he sampled..... then pay but he didn't. Dude ain't doing shit wrong. And if ANY of these hypocrite ass dudes were in the same position they'd sue to. They act like they are suing for money. They are suing to not be sued.
I look at it this way, if I can convince just 1 person with the facts, I will be happy. It seems that most people who believe Thicke and Pharrell plagiarized Marvin are wrapped up in emotion or racial hatred. I think its is a shame what happened to R&B, black folks don't support it anymore in favor of hip hop and artists with marginal talent beefing with each other. If a white dude, or ANYONE gets a hit actually singing R&B, that's a good thing! Maybe it will inspire some people to appreciate the genre that we created and support it more.
Marvin's snare??? Wasn't Marvin singing on that record??? I hate to break the news to you but ALL R&B drummers have that "snare" in their back pockets and use it when they feel like it.
I think this was done to draw attention to that fact his song does sound similar to Marvin Gaye. Why else make this shit public? Isn't this shit usually settle quietly before news breaks? This is what they want. Dude has been looking for his crossover appeal in R&B so comparing him to Marvin at this point is a compliment.
You can hear it.
Some brothas are living in the matrix. But my thing is, why not create something else great or greater? You have the resources.
OOOORRRR. Or, did black artists, and some white artist, of the 60s, 70s and 80s reach the peak of greatness. Is this a lot of recessive music?
If thus, current artists need to repent and just be honest.
You're out your mind.
I've been listening to music for an eternity. I know a classic snare play when I hear it. For example, that "Don't Be Cruel" snare play by Babyface is highly distinguishable historically marked. I don't play drums but I know music.And you're posturing like, "I hate to break the news to you." Like it's stock. Funny. Fuck your news. And fuck your courts. AND fuck your ear/ pause. Biting is biting. And we're going to call it out.
Last edited:
Well that's the thing. Robin gave it up in a clip in this very thread and that should've been the end of it. This thread. But people keep going.
And this is not to shit on Robin's whole catalog. Haven't heard it all. Maybe he created gold somewhere. But this song is definitely a direct reference. And a smash hit.
You're out your mind.
And you're posturing like, "I hate to break the news to you." Like it's stock. Funny. Fuck your news. And fuck your courts. AND fuck your ear/ pause. Biting is biting. And we're going to call it out.
When I played with groups we used to do the same thing Robin did all the time, ask the drummer to come up with a beat like one song or the other, we did it all the time. Good drummers have very large repertoires. I'm not going to say "fuck you" because I am not emotional about this, just looking at it realistically.
We hear songs that sound like other songs all the time but I never see anyone mad about like you guys are. Its going to be pretty hard to sue over a beat.
Peace. You are definitely extrapolating. Back in the 90s, me and a whole bunch of other folks I know heard on the radio the intro of Brian McKnight's, "Anytime" and thought we were going to hear Meshell NdegeOcello sing, "Outside My Door" - and were suprised. Similarly, many of us who know the Marvin song well had the same reaction to "Blurred Lines". That aspect of it has nothing to do with emotion or racial hatred. Doesn't it seem more logical to chalk it up with having a good musical ear or being familiar with the original?
Secondly, it is not an issue of supporting or not supporting R&B. We recognize it as an art form that is a creation of our people. We also recognize that whites have had a history of stealing from and ripping off Black artists - living and dead. Led Zeppelin were notorious for direct rips of entire lines, melodies and grooves from blues artists. Go back to the 50s and you see straight up suppression of Black artists. So, when we see white artists being over promoted with a distinctively Black sound - as "pop", while Black artists doing the same are categorized as neo-soul (not as "pop") and as a result marginalized in comparison - when they are actually doing the same kind of music - there is a problem. This has not been bringing shine to Black R&B performers, much to the opposite.
For something to have an extremely similar motif, does not mean that the melody has to be an exact match, motif also involves harmony and rhythm. There do exist rhythmic motifs. The proof here is in the pudding:
- Robin Thicke acknowledged that he was seeking to have a song that sounded like Marvin's, "Got To Give It Up"
- People who are familiar with "Got to Give It Up" tend to hear it as him singing different lyrics over the motif ot the song.
- The two beats when played on top of each other match perfectly because it is the same distinctive rhythm (with just very slight variations)
All that being the case, it shouldn't be hard to see why the Gaye family is not too happy that Marvin's music is being raped like that. I doubt Marvin would have liked it either. The fact that Pharrell did not or was not able to capture the spirit of Marvin's song without essentially copying it, makes me question his legitimacy as a songwriter.
For them to turn around and sue the Gaye family is ultimate disrespect.
Last edited:
I wonder if Wonder got paid ? 
I see your lane but you have to respect ours. Respect for actually being a player. I'm not. And play on. That's highly respected by myself.
But I'm not regressing from my original point(s). These are recording bites and pop hit smashes. If they've figured a way around it, good for them. But these are clear bites. And we're going to point it out. You're like 'that's not how the business goes.' Well dammit, we have a semi problem with that.
I Would Sue Them Both.
However Pharrell Isn't The One Suing Marvin Gay's Family.
Do You See The Difference?
However Pharrell Isn't The One Suing Marvin Gay's Family.
Do You See The Difference?
"Thicke, Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris Jr. claim they were threatened by both Gaye's family and Funkadelic's rights owner, who each asserted that the summer hit wasn't original."
...so Thicke was supposed to just lay down and take it?
From the commercial they had before I even heard the whole song, I was like " oh they did a marvin song, that's cool" I had no idea they would try to act at all as if it was an original idea.
Got to give it up is my second favorite song of all time. This shit is a complete rip off with a twist. They should pay up. Plus dude tells the whole story in that vid, "I wanted something with that feel" And that is what he got, got to give it up 2013.
But sure its not a ripoff
Got to give it up is my second favorite song of all time. This shit is a complete rip off with a twist. They should pay up. Plus dude tells the whole story in that vid, "I wanted something with that feel" And that is what he got, got to give it up 2013.
But sure its not a ripoff
I guess you both missed the point of my post. I wasn't asking how could he... mainly because he didn't produce the song. It was the audacity he has to pull that stunt. It's just a sound-a-like song that I'm sure Pharrell had checked for clearance before putting it out there. The fact that he sued first puts a little merit in that he may have something to lose.
Okay, I will post the headline of OP's article again...
"Thicke, Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris Jr. claim they were threatened by both Gaye's family and Funkadelic's rights owner, who each asserted that the summer hit wasn't original."
So for Thicke to sue first takes audacity??? You cats are acting like Marvin Gaye's family were't looking for money. Did I miss something? Are these people now too sacred to sue, even if they threaten to sue you first??? Is this the "I have a dream" speech now?
If Marvin's family sued first, I'll say it again in case you missed it, Thick, Pharrell and the other guy would be called into court over and over until they finally paid to make this go away. That is why he/they did it.
Last edited:
In this sue-happy country, anyone can sue over bullshit. The threat of a suit coming your way shouldn't get you shook unless it has some merit. If I write a song that sounds like another song, I'm living lovely as long as I didn't illegally sample the song or didn't pull enough of the melody and/or beats for a judge to say I owe the original song's writers $$$$. Just look up Michael Bolton vs The Isley Brothers.
No way in hell this is even still a discussion after this vid. Both tracks on top of each other almost exactly the same. Sorry but he owes them folks some money. And if "got to give it up" was your song, would you think he stole your shit?
In seeking a judgment, Thicke, Williams and Harris Jr. are not only looking for a declaration that their song doesn't violate the defendants' rights by copying their songs, but also that the "Gayes do not have an interest in the copyright to the composition 'Got to Give It Up' sufficient to confer standing on them to pursue claims of infringement of that composition."Should this be true, this should effective shut up anyone who has something to say about this. People voting with their feelings instead of the facts
Pretty much says that even if they did steal it.....the Gayes aren't the ones they owe.
Not necessarily. Even if it has no merit, lawyers aren't going to fight this out for free and then when you get to court, it's jump ball.
But I agree with you in the instance that sounding like a song and using a sample of the song are two different things. One of them is free, the other costs.
Who owns the song?
Quick question... Is Robin Thicke suing the family, or is he suing to delay any possible suits against him frozen, by having the legal system determine if the songs are similar enough to warrant legal action? I believe the thread title is misleading... 
