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FOLLOW UP ON GRAMMY NOMINATIONS: JIMMY WEBB'S "DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO" AND KANYE WEST'S "FAMOUS"

  • Dec 24, 2018
  • 1 min read

The 2018 Grammy nominations are out. Last year, Kanye West's "Famous" was nominated for best rap song.  Approximately 35% of "Famous" is Jimmy Webb's "Do What You Gotta Do".  There are 17 songwriters listed for "Famous", 11 were nominated for the Grammy.  Since Jimmy's song is 35% of  "Famous", that means on average the other songwriters were responsible for about 4% of the song.  Jimmy was denied this nomination because his song was "interpolated." 


As an activist for songwriters/creators, Jimmy and his team appealed to the Grammy's for a rule change to protect and recognize songwriters who find themselves in similar situations – where their work is co-opted but not recognized. 


Here we share with you the proposal that the Webb team of experts painstakingly created, and the response from the Grammy's VP Bill Freimuth and the nomination committee.  

Jimmy asks if you think this is a satisfactory response?


(Click on the links below to read Jimmy's proposal and the GRAMMYS response)


Jimmy's Proposal https://static1.squarespace.com/static/521e0e17e4b021b17d88280c/t/5a1ca1ea53450a9c549877ca/1511825898853/SamplingRulechangeproposalfinal+2.pdf


Grammy Response https://static1.squarespace.com/static/521e0e17e4b021b17d88280c/t/5a1ca40c9140b7c3066c80f0/1511826445048/Grammy+Response+to+Webb+Proposal.pdf


 
 
 

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258 Comments


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14 hours ago

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ge zhu
5 days ago

This whole episode with Jimmy Webb and the Grammys is just ridiculous—his work deserves some serious credit. It's like they’re making it tough for real artists while they hand out nominations like candy. By the way, if you're into gaming, check out this cool breeding calculator that might help you with your strategies. Pal Breed

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6 days ago

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I think Jimmy’s point raises an important issue about fairness and recognition for songwriters. If a substantial part of a song comes from an earlier work, the creators of that work deserve meaningful acknowledgment. I’d be interested to hear how others view the Grammy committee’s response. Even Basket Random gets its rules defined clearly—songwriting recognition should be just as transparent.

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The 35% stat really puts it in perspective—Jimmy Webb’s contribution was the backbone of “Famous,” yet he gets left out because it’s called an interpolation. That rule change proposal sounds like exactly what songwriters need to stop getting squeezed out. By the way, I keep a free recipe site for late-night cravings I like to share: https://foodnevercomes.net/

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