Isaac Hayes’ ‘Ike’s Rap II’ is the source sample of two of the best British tracks of the nineties in Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’ and Tricky’s ‘Hell Around The Corner’.
The Portishead version is itself flipped by 18 year-old Ontario singer-songwriter Alessia Cara on ‘Here’ (although it interpolates the original’s intro), basically an opportunity for Cara to show off her vocal style and establish herself on the side of the anti-social introverted teen who doesn’t like parties.
Alessia Cara has been doing covers on Youtube, as is the now well-worn path. She signed to Def Jam earlier this year and ‘Here’, produced by Pop & Oak provides an augmented and impressive intro to what is to come.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
Why can’t people make music anymore?
Why can’t people make music anymore?
I don’t know, I think there is more good music nowadays than ever. It’s just that stuff on the radio in general is terrible with a few exceptions. If you are complaining about the sample she used, then go ahead and complain about the majority of musicians that have made music since widespread recording began. Because practically everyone samples. Go ahead and start with the Amen Break, you can write letters to everyone who has used it….
BTW her voice is awesome, her lyrics are pretty good, and she’s got a good vibe. Quit hating. You obviously have both very little knowledge of music history and nothing to add to the conversation.
Yo’s statement was a bit vague but I do understand the sentiment. It seems that for the past few decades people who cover or rip off of excellent music get more attention than the actual artist ever did. Robin Thicke’s Marvin Gaye rip off comes to mind.
That said, I agree that this spin-off is gold. I loved the original portishead song, and I thought the new version was a beautiful reply both aesthetically and in terms of content. Alessia reminded me of Stevie Wonder when she did this cover.
Here’s why: Portishead’s Glory Box was a depiction of the unfair love game that women are oft forced to play. The man is told by society that he can stay free, sow wild oats, etc. whilst the woman, due to bullshit both economic and social, more frequently is pushed into wanting something stable. Pining for something tender and emotional.
In many ways, it was the first half of Stevie Wonder’s “Ordinary Pain,” a song in which those gender roles illustrated by Portishead (decades before portishead made music) are flipped. Stevie Wonder, the man, craves a real, lasting committed relationship, and isn’t getting one. He feels that he’s been cheated.
Alessia’s “Here” is part two of Stevie’s “Ordinary Pain.”
“You’re just a masochistic fool” is the opening lyric of Shirley Brewer-Garden’s energetic counter to Stevie’s sorrowful lament. It’s followed by the words “i know our love would have to end that day I made it with your friend.”
Alessia is the self-confident, modern feminist counter to Portishead’s lament. And it isn’t about feminism, it just happens to be that. This girl’s an introvert; she doesn’t need this man. She ain’t pining. She does her own thing.
“Glory box” left me wanting more.
“Here” completed the story for me.
Stories are never complete.
Kudos. That was a great deconstruction.
Portishead uses the same sample (Isaac Hayes), as does Tricky.
This brings nothing new to that formula.
It strikes me as lazy.
Agree. It was a really lazy rip.
It’s definitely a shortcut through recording when you can just mix samples and vocals, but I wouldn’t call it lazy. It’s a simple tempo descending bass chilled out track that has a musical appeal to many genres. Sometimes, unsigned independent artists/singers/songwriters do not have the resources or ample time to make an original backing track or maybe they just like the sample. From major recording artists, to at-home recording experiments the one thing to keep in mind is that these people put themselves into their art and want to give you something to make you feel no matter how much or how little work was involved.
Call it lazy, call it a rip-off, but you can not deny that these artist are doing what they love and just putting music out there, if you can jam with it, fine…if not, there’s something else out there for you.
Her voice is awesome? How can you tell? She is is not singing, she is just complaining for 3 minutes and 30 seconds and ripping off Portishead (not Hayes since Portishead worked Hayes in their own way). she didn’t sample or flip, she ripped it off, plain and simple.
Prefer real R&B and not complaints.
LOL, you are such a retard. If you were upset about her “ripping off” Portishead then you should hate Portishead. The hypocrisy is real here. You are such a pleb.
First, it is silly of you to assume “upset”.
Second, she did rip off Portishead plain and simple. You need to learn the basics.
Portishead samples Hayes and they made it their own and influenced a lot of people the same way Hayes influenced a lot of people himself.
The difference is that Cara ripped work Portishead did. If Cara had done what Portishead did and made the beat her own instead of yelling and complaining over an already existing, than yeah, she would be cool, but she didn’t.
There is no hypocrisy. There is a reality check for you and your checks are bouncing.
I need to educate myself LOL. So much teenage angst here. You must be one of those mustachoed hipster music snobs who thinks they know what they are talking about because they scour a record store from time to time? What differentiates sampling from ripping off? Did vanilla ice ripoff queen/david bowie on ice ice baby, or did he make it his own by adding the “ding-ding” in the song? Did Nas ripoff the Winstons when he used their sample in “hip-hop is dead”? Did Portishead ripoff Hayes when they used Ike’s rap? DJ Shadow made one of the most influential instrumental albums of the past couple decades and it was based 100% off of samples. All of it. By your logic, how could his album not be entirely a ripoff because he can’t have made it his own without “adding anything of his own” as you say. But still, you are probably too much of a mouth-breather to understand all that.
It is painfully obvious that you both have a very limited knowledge of music history and are a music snob with apparently very poor taste. What you are typing makes no sense and it is hilarious that you seem to feel that you get to make decisions on what is sampled and what is ripped off, when you seem to have not even the most minuscule amount of knowledge about the subject. A reality check for me? HAHAHA wow, coming from someone with as little knowledge as you that is pretty hilarious. Now run along and listen to smashing pumpkins and wax poetic about how “original music” is dead you fucking nobody.
If imagining what people are in your own head helps you deal with being told you are incorrect, that is fine, imagine me as anyone as you would like. But in the real world, you have no clue or idea who I am. And that is the best part about these chats, no visual, racial, age discrimination.
But for you, apparently you have a hatred toward people that you call “hipsters” or those who used to own record stores. This goes deep into a psych. eval. about how you see yourself and why you have animosity to those people. Usually it is because the battle of wanting to be apart of a group that you just are not part of. But, I am sure you already know this since you claim to know more than I do, which is already true, within your own head anyway; false confidence is always a downfall.
Anywho, back to the main topic. Sampling is sampling. Rip off is rip off. Not much more to discuss. DJ Shadow is one of the less influential. Not sure where you are or how limited your music listening source is, but DJ Shadow is for the white trip hop lovers back in the 90’s. But, regardless, he made great work because he took samples and made them his own so you can recognize his style. He sampled.
Cara ripped off and she did it the lazy way. She ripped off Portishead sample and sang over it, not even made the sample her own. If you are so “educated” in music, you would not have to be given this lesson.
Sifting through all the bullshit you write, I see this “Sampling is sampling. Rip off is rip off. Not much more to discuss. DJ Shadow is one of the less influential. ”
Yep, I was right, you have no clue what you are talking about and think you get do designate which is which. Move on idiot, it is clear you are in waaaayyyy above your head.
Again, yes, you are right, in your own head.
How do them nuts taste man? It’s ok, there are many like you out there. You will be fine.
From somewhat intelligent to down right ignorant. True form.
That’s what I thought LMAO.
Perfect sample of ripping off ideas.
Like you could spot that hahaha. Why so mad, Now used to swallowing that much eh?
I just did and you got called out on how you ripped off my own reply. You don’t even know when you do it yourself, yet you have so much knowledge in music history, well from the 90s anyway. Like most bullies, you fall back into the immature making fun of and name calling that best fits your own insecurities.
Guys… You’re both music lovers. Please don’t do this to each other.
I love this post. It sounds like a post I made recently about new stuff. So much great music is coming out all the time. People just don’t know where to find it. It’s because people can make their own music now, without record company restrictions. As a result underground music gets very little airplay. It just sounds like old people complaining. Portishead sampled to get Glory Box, Brian Wilson sampled to get Surfin USA, Bob Dylan sampled Woody Guthrie, White musicians stole from black musicians for basically the entire 1950’s. In the 70’s & 80’s people regularly had hits with covers of songs, that is just copying as well. People need to stop comparing generations. They just sound like the old disgruntled parent. “Things were better in my day!!!”
I like the song, but I honestly can’t tell if it’s just because of the sample or not. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was for a while. Thought it was Daydream. Either way, it’s not something to get upset about. It’s been part of the music industry since…music’s been an industry.
Heres what needs to be know…
She signed with a huge record company “Def Jam” records who know what sounds sale to the public ear. This girl wrote this song with a few chords to get the words she wanted to express across. The PRODUCERS to the track obviously know what theyre doing liscencing the sample over her composition because it fit perfectly + have the money to do so. You all need to listen to her ORIGINAL piece to fully understand what is actually going on “HERE!” 👍
https://youtu.be/UhRItoiAW0c
Your statement that “Isaac Hayes’ ‘Ike’s Rap II’ is the source sample of two of the best British tracks of the nineties in Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’ ” is incorrect. Portishead did NOT sample Isaac hayes “Ike’s Rap II” in Glory Box, this is widespread incorrect information which has been updated as correction already in Wikipedia. Portishead sampled Isaac Hayes’ Walk On by for Glory Box not RapII.