The and misrepresented with her association of the

The musical genre of “Addictive” is hip hop. It has a stable rhythm and a slow tempo with underlying beats played by drums. This song has a dense texture as “call and response” is very distinct and different voices tend to overlap with the lead voice. The sample from “Thoda Resham Lagta Hai” is incorporated in “Addictive” in such a way that it is the background vocals that act to support the main singer, Truth Hurts. The sample also contributes to most of the sonic components of “Addictive”. Furthermore, the whole musical video features belly dance by both the singer and performers. By not crediting the third world artists and sampling the Hindi-song without seeking permission, I believe this is black appropriation of Indian images and music. First of all, as the producer of “Addictive”, DJ Quik does not seek the permission to sample the instrumental track of the Hindi-song, “Thoda Resham Lagta Hai”. He samples around four minutes of the original recording by an Indian artist called Lata Mangeshkar. DJ Quik and other artists of “Addictive” such as Dr. Dre, Truth Hurts, and Rakim then superimpose their own lyrics and drum track over the beat. Not only does DJ Quik not seek the permission, but he is also not the producer directly involved for this Hindi-song. As an outsider, he does not know the content and meaning of this Hindi-song. His irresponsible action undoubtedly shows that the American artists and label simply take it for granted that Hindi music can be used by them at will, and they do not need to credit and pay for.Secondly, the objectionable content of “Addictive” most likely misrepresents and defames the Indian artist. The vulgar and lewd lyrics of “Addictive,” in which Truth sings the lines “He makes me scream” and “I like it rough” are most probably offensive to some Indian’s religious and cultural sensibilities. As an iconic voice to the Bollywood genre, the Indian artist’s image and character are impacted negatively and misrepresented with her association of the song “Addictive”. To rectify the situation, the songwriter and producers of “Addictive” should have provided appropriate musical credit and recognition to the Indian artists and producers. Besides, they should have officially obtained the permission and considered a collaboration with the Indian artists to produce a unique musical genre that has a larger international market with the essence of two different cultures. In my opinion, copyright infringement case is the best way to address the questions of appropriation. Not only does it deter artists from copying others’ work without giving proper credit, but it also encourages artists to seek permission and collaboration amongst themselves to promote creativity. As a conclusion, my verdict is Lahiri and Saregama have the rights to receive credits for the sample of “Thoda Resham Lagta Hai” and claim for remuneration. This issue is neither a cultural sharing nor collaboration, but black appropriation of Indian images and music. The American artists and label fail to credit the Indian artists, and they sample the Hindi-song without seeking permission. In addition, the objectionable content of “Addictive” undeniably defames and misrepresents the Indian artist.

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