Most sampling arguments occur when a performer takes another's work without asking their permission, resulting a lawsuit or similar. The most recent spat, involving alternative rock band Portishead and R&B experimenter The Weeknd, involves the latter allegedly asking the former if he could borrow a beat, which the former rejected, and the latter ended up running with anyhow. Portishead member Geoff Barrow posted a letter addressed from The Weeknd's representative to confirm he had asked.
"When someone asks to sample you and you refuse, they should have the respect as a fellow artist to not use it." Barrow said via Twitter. "We usually give sample clearance to tunes we like. It's got fuk (sic) all to do with money! As most of them are hip-hop artists that are [poor]...I don't wanna get paid. . . I just want my beat back."
How Barrow plans to get his beat back without bringing money into the question is near impossible at this point. The track in question is Weeknd's song "Belong to The World" from 2013's Kiss Land, which features a beat very similar to Portishead's 2008 track "Machine Gun." Weeknd denied the similarities were at the infringement level, but he didn't help his own cause by telling Stereogum that Portishead was the inspiration for the track. The letter posted by Barrow further confirms that Weeknd had "Machine Gun" in mind.
As the album and song have now been out for nearly eight months, it's going to be difficult to revoke the beat at this point. If Barrow and Portishead aren't coming for money, all they can really do is squeeze an embarrassing apology out of The Weeknd.
