This Artist Tried To Rip Off Queen (And Paid The Price)
Singers and musicians sampling other artists' lyrics, melodies, and other creative attributes isn't new. And yet, when done the wrong way, "borrowing" from another artist's work is definitely frowned upon.
Plenty of pop stars have learned this the hard way over the years. In fact, plenty of cases have wound up in court and led to big payoffs for the wronged artists. Other times, the claims are determined to be unfounded or unprovable, and the headlines begin to fade.
But as Rolling Stone recounted, one artist went down in history for trying to rip off the group Queen. In fact, this once-famous rapper was also accused of stealing from David Bowie.
Not all pop stars from the '90s are still famous today, but this one's almost infamous.
Past fans may have assumed he was just another one-hit wonder, but Vanilla Ice has some staying power. The artist, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, released "Ice Ice Baby" in 1989, a few years after a major hit from Queen and David Bowie.
According to multiple sources, including Rolling Stone, "Ice Ice Baby" sampled the bass line of 1981's "Under Pressure." Of course, in the early days of the song's popularity, Vanilla Ice 'joked' that he had added a beat between notes, and that's what made his pop-rap song distinct.
But copyright law stood, and Queen and David Bowie threatened Ice with a copyright infringement lawsuit.
The case was eventually settled out of court, but Vanilla Ice had to pay an undisclosed amount to both Queen and David Bowie. Plus, both Bowie and some of the members of Queen were credited for "Ice Ice Baby" as well.
What really got fans riled up was that if Ice hadn't stolen from Queen, the epic group never would have connected to Vanilla Ice in the first place. It was a collaboration they didn't choose, and many fans perceived it as sullying the group's otherwise esteemed name.
Further, the fan site QueenForever highlights a YouTube video interview with Van Winkle where he talks about the price he had to pay to stay in the spotlight post-Queen fiasco. Apparently, Van Winkle had to pay $4 million for the publishing rights to "Under Pressure" to get out from under the copyright infringement suit.
That was a better option, financially, Vanilla Ice said, than paying Queen and David Bowie royalties every time the hit came on the radio or appeared in a show or commercial.
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