D.R.A.M. Says Drake Jacked "Cha Cha" for "Hotline Bling"
Update (1:27 p.m.): The Fader has pulled a quote from Drake that went unused in their recent cover story, where he talks about the connection between “Hotline Bling” and “Cha Cha”. He said:
You know, like in Jamaica, you’ll have a riddim and it’s like, everyone has to do a song on that. Imagine that in rap, or imagine that in R&B. Imagine if we got one beat and every single person—me, this guy, this guy, all these guys—had to do a song on that one beat. So sometimes I’ll pick a beat that’s a bit, like, sunnier, I guess is the word you used, than usual, and I just try my hand at it. And that’s kind of what ‘Hotline Bling’ was. And I loved it. It’s cool. I’ve been excited by that sort of creative process.
The Fader also points out that “Hotline Bling” samples Timmy Thomas’ “Why Can’t We Live Together”, which “Cha Cha” also resembles. Thomas is credited as a songwriter on “Hotline Bling”, according to BMI, but he is not credited on “Cha Cha”.
—
Last night, Drake treated the Internet to a new “Hotline Bling” video involving a turtleneck, a beard, and some dorky dance moves. Meanwhile, D.R.A.M. was performing in Toronto as part of Chance, the Rapper’s “Family Matters” tour. After the show, as Miss Info points out, the Virginia singer/rapper addressed some apparent similarities between “Hotline Bling” and his track “Cha Cha”, arguing he got “jacked”. (Also of note: When “Hotline Bling” premiered, Beats 1 mistakenly tweeted: ‘New @Drake on that “Cha Cha” remix.’) Read D.R.A.M.’s tweets below, and scroll down for both tracks’ videos.
Just performed in Toronto for the 1st time tonight and it was bittersweet.
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Sweet cus I’m out here sharing my music, my sound with the people..
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Bitter though, cus after my performance all I’m seeing is Cha Cha/Hotline Bling comparisons on my timeline.
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Niggas want to know how I feel about that…
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Yeah, I feel I got jacked for my record…But I’m GOOD.
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
I’m happy that the VA sound that me & @GabeNiles are steady working on is growing. And in 2016 we gon’ own it, GAHDAMN!.
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Erykah Badu, who has remixed “Hotline Bling”, replied this morning:
@ONLY1DRAM we loved Cha Cha first. Very unique and raw. That’s That underground magic force that sparks a seed to grow a tree. . . Ms. badu
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) October 20, 2015
In other news, D.R.A.M. and SZA just teamed up for an extended version of “Caretaker” by Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment, from D.R.A.M.’s forthcoming EP Gahdam. Hear it below, via Okayplayer.
Recent Comments