Rapper “Soulja Boy” Rips Off Death Note
- Categories: Anime, News
- Date: May 27, 2010 18:07 JST
- Tags: Copyright, Death Note, Internet, Music, Plagiarism, USA, Video Gallery
Chart topping rapper “Soulja Boy” has been accused of flagrantly ripping off the Death Note OST in one of his latest releases, imaginatively called “Death Note.”
He is but the latest in a series of minor American celebrities caught plagiarising the works of Japanese artists with the evidently misplaced hope that nobody will notice, a practice since termed “Simmonsing” in honour of its foremost and most shameless practicioner
The track in question, “Long Journey,” which listeners should be warned is exceptionally bad even by contemporary rap standards:
Player 1
The track from the Death Note OST he is alleged to have flagrantly ripped off, the “Near Theme”:
Player 2
Whilst liberally “sampling” the music of others is an accepted staple of hiphop, generally it does not extend to stealing entire songs, series names and even fonts, all without credit.
Presumably the rapper, a barely literate 19-year-old who came to fame through such sites as YouTube, thought nobody would notice. He has previously been sued for allegedly stealing the name “Soulja Boy” from another performer, and even amongst other rappers has been dismissed as “garbage.”
As the album in question is merely a freely released “mixtape” it may escape any legal sanction, but this hardly makes it any less ethically dubious.
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Yes, I know. I'm late.
But could he be any more obvious about it?
And, besides that, can a person even honestly call that peice of crap a song? I wasn't even paying much attention to it, but I must've heard the word "nigger" about 5 times in half as many seconds.
Good god almighty, what has the world come to?
ya man this offends my ivory tower sensibilities too
*jacks off to large breasted 14 year olds*
anon 08:19 irony WIN!!!
White separatism NOW
Seriously when will rap music just die, it is a worthless genre.
How is this guy popular? These lyrics... My god. Is this the message young black Americans are getting? This isn't music it's an insult to intelligence!
It sounds like fairly generic I'm-a-badass-because-I-can-shoot-people-and-I-sing-in-other-people's-songs rap to me; the difference is he didn't buy the rights to the song and isn't making a cent off it.
This is a lot like the endless streams of AMVs, which make up 4/5 of youtube.
FUCKING GRINGOS ALWAYS TRANSFORMING THE GOOD THINGS INTO SHIT!
Is he white? If not, wrong slur
Didn't Soulja Boy mention exclusively that he was a huge fan of Naruto, Bleach, Bebop and Deathnote on his twitter a while back? Rather than blatant plagiarizing, it's much more likely it was a homage to the anime.
Soulja Boy learn to be professional! Completely naming your mixtape Death Note isn't helping your garbage reputation. You'd think people in the music industry would have some kind of clue of ethics. Get permission from the creators or GTFO!
GOD! im black and i hate soldier boy! i hate him sooo much i refuse to spell his rap-name with a 'j'...im betting that was a mistake, he forgot how to spell soldier so he had to sound it out, and thats what he got...
Oh shit more rappers Simmonsing anime!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6xhI_skZ7Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCJ0-hyJ-YM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA2_NhtL1W4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkZ6VOneQpo
you guys are fucking behind the times.
yes... this is shit.
...would the reaction be different if say, Jay-Z or Lil Wayne or Kanye started ripping anime beats?
nope cus most of these people are weeaboos who hate rap for some reason this song isn't even that bad.
god. fucking. dammit.
I'm not defending this guy or anything, so disregarding him, what are the chances that there might be soundtracks (songs and music tracks) from two or more different sources that seem to be really way too similar to be mere coincidence and thus having one of them or more labeled off as plagiarism, even though there weren't at all intended to be from the beginning? Well, we being in the Information Age and all, and with the world population ever increasing, these "pure coincidences" not only seen in music and literary works are bound to become increasingly more prevalent I suppose. Although in the end, everything that we know (All our knowledge and accomplishments) is really a rip-off of someone else if we think it objectively.
rap incites bad thing, while theft of their idea is to standard ....
but what he technically had to limp, nothing makes rap listenable.
damn not even find their tempo was very pitiable.
I think all the hate is unnecessary. Even if you are famous (I'm taking your word for it), you should be allowed to make shit like this if you don't make money from it.
Unless his getting money off it, he's nothing more than the equilvalent of a english rapping nicosinger.
But if he is earning money he should get run over by a truck that reverses and drives back and forth over his dead body cos' the driver didn't know what he just ran over and is trying to feel it out.
Free hip-hop mixtapes sampling unlicensed beats from whoever and wherever are common; it's more common for rappers to take beats from other rappers as sort of a "community" thing, but sources outside of hip-hop aren't exactly unheard-of. And it's not like he's being subtle or sneaky about it, he would probably say that he got the 'beat' from Death Note if he was asked.
some1 RAPPe this guy!!
A crummy rapper ripping off a crummy anime.
Big shock there.
Only this website would care about this
Holy shit this is the grossest thing ever.
He's probably just a fan of the show so he rapped over the music in the show. This is more like a homage than plagiarizing. Charles Hamilton for example apparently is a Sonic fan so he has had sonic on the cover of his mixtapes and he rapped to the music from the game. btw I do not like soulja bot he sucks but you guys are just being stupid.
*Opens Death Note, and begins writing*
DeAndre Cortez
Saturday, May 29, 2010, 12:00 PM
DeAndre "Soulja Boy" Cortez will bring a megaphone, make a trip to the closest tall building, go to the roof, and proclaim "I am a talentless hack and a half-baked ripoff artist.", before doing a swan dive to his doom, dying from multiple head injuries.
*sigh*
If only.
LOL! stupid niggers trying to be chinese.
stupid trolls trying to be funny.
YOU RRoD RAP BETA TESTER FAGS SURE GOT TOLD!
Americans sure love using the N word don't they.
I can't believe how many closet people on this site is so quick to be racist, your all no better then the one's who call you people weird, ugly, fat, otaku, geeks, nerds, hikkis, psychotic, pedophiles etc.
Yes rap has gone bad, only if your listening to that commercial pop rap on the radio. It seems like whatever this guy post becomes fact for the trolls on this site to flame.
Yes lets kill the ni&&er with the death note for making music dumb crackers in numbers actually buy.
Fucking Weeboos.
So fucking agree!
Funny to see that avatar- I was just thinking that this song should be played on Boondocks unedited. It pretty much makes Aaron Mcgruder's point about the vapid ignorance of modern black America as well as the best Boondocks episodes do.
Did you even read what I said?
I'm pretty sure I left the part about white people being a superior race because they were all intelligent, intellectual people out.
And I think they should play it because it takes what the show expresses through sarcasm and wit and compresses it into two minutes of such concentrated ignorance that the song doesn't even need to be satirized; It makes fun of itself if you have any brains.
So in your mind white people are the superior race. Your comment was so one sided and peppered with hate. IF the song doesn't even need to be satirized why did you make your previous comment before?
Yeah I see right through you, there's a shitload of vapid ignorance in white america as well just not the same.
Don't try to change what you said, there's ignorance everywhere. And some people are just stupid and convince themselves one kind of people are better then another.
Yeah because there isn't ignorant white people in the world who listen to rap and act like gangbangers. Where do you think soulja mainly gets his money from??
The latest episode of season 3, seen it?
It explained even if black people groveled to white people and acted just like them and if they're were even racist to their own kind.
White people would still be racist to Black People.
Boondocks Quote - "Most rednecks are really fucking stupid and I mean really fucking stupid."
Ignorance is everywhere, you do not want to play this game with me.
BTW Boondocks plays real hiphop quality music so GTFO out here. They even made an episode making fun of soulja boy retard.
A black person? STEALING STUFF? oh my god, this is unheard of!!
A human? STEALING STUFF? oh my god, this is unheard of!!
This doesn't bother me.
Regarding the "Simmonising" works. Wouldn't it also be true for Kodomo no Jikan's 1st season ED song. The song is distingushable from The Offspring's song - One Fine Day
Well, there was a psychological experiment where scientists analyzed the personality of people who are fans of certain types of music, and Rap and Pop were among those who were listened to by the uncreative type.
Thanks for proving science, Soulja Boy. X3
Source or it didn't happen
I've heard of the study as well:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/classical-to-rap-music-lovers-have-much-more-in-common-than-you-would-think-919553.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1052606/Take-note-Fans-heavy-metal-classical-music-lot-common-study-finds.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2680987/Heavy-metal-and-classical-music-fans-share-personality-traits.html
The second link mentions that Pop, Disco, and one other style of music are listened by those who have little or no sense of creativity. Rap is rarely mentioned, but given today's rap music it would fall under the same thing as Pop music, needless to say.
I don't see lack of creativity as something that one should be ashamed of.
I shit a brick when i read this!! I am a huge Death Note fan, iv damn near made it my religion and seeing this....as a Death Note fan im pissed to the point of insanity,and as a otaku im just disgusted. And the fact that he'll most likely get away with it just adds fuel to the fire, hes worthless scum that needs to be "DELETED"
*extreme facepalm*
lol rappers would have to take songs from other things cuse they're soo "wack" and cant come up with their own shit since rap was fail since 2000
all in all, you cant spell crap without rap :)
lol your a faggot
I've seen Death Note. It's an interesting, well-executed series with a fairly novel premise, plot holes aside. That doesn't change the fact that it's hilarious how angry and delusional you pathetic anime nerds must be to actually believe that Soulja Boy releasing a Death Note-based mixtape somehow "ruins" Death Note, or that Soulja Boy deserves to have some terrible tragedy befall him for the crime of disrespecting your precious cartoons.
Its funny, because i remember that Death Note ripped off the theme of The Exorcist in one of his OST
This isn't any different than those fans who create AMVs and post 'em on YouTube. These fans use licensed shows and songs for their AMVs WITHOUT permission. Why do you think they're sometimes removed by YouTube?
God I hate the idiots that jump onto this and say it's cover or a mix. That's like spitting on the grave of the recently passed Nujabes. Someone who most people don't even know about outside of anime.
Consindering that many years back Ice-T said that his music is "garbage" also said about Soulja Boy to “eat a dick.”
soulja boy =OG loc
What the fuck am I listening too
Are you kidding me, there is law and he did not follow it, no it might not get people into Anime and Manga he's a copy cat/ cheat he is stealing someone el's work and gaining from it. Not every one knows about Death Note but this makes me Pissed off. He's not cool and he is bright enough to name the f*cking Album Death Note! >:o what a dumb a$$
I wonder how many of the south are on here.
What a sad, debilitating case of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome you must have.
Wow okay, if you've never seen the show you need to shut up, I love the show and the books for 1 and 2 if you know nothing of anime how could you get cocky about someone els loveing it.
Yeah only you faggots would care this much, fucking weeaboos
What's someone his age rapping about the club scene for? Doesn't he have to wait like another two fucking years before he can drink? WTF? I know real gang members who would literally skin him alive. It ain't cool to be a gangsta. Shit is real. No crying over comments on Youtube when your arse is scattered under six feet of fertilizer...
Punk arse little bitch, please.
THIS NIGGA DESERVES TO BE SHOT, STABBED, LINCHED, TARRED AND FEATHERED, AND HAVE HIS BALLS CUT OFF AN SHOVED DOWN HIS THROAT, THEN HAVE THEM CUT OUT OF HIS THROAT AND SHOVED UP HIS ASS SO CAN FEEL THE PAIN OF ALL US DEATHNOTE FANS FOR PRETTY MUCH RAPING AND DISEMBOWELING ANIME AS WE KNOW IT!
Perhaps you haven't understood the hip-hop culture enough. Mixtape isn't album, album is when you claim it to be yours totally (whilst giving credit where needed).
Mixtape is using instrumentals that've already been used. This is ethically tolerated because it is different.
Compare this to someone using someone else's storyline and characters, making up their own story and calling it their own creation, as opposed to someone calling it a spin-off.
Remember the difference, and be a little bit less ignorant.
Well, that was pretty damn awful. This is not to debate whether or not Death Note is any good. Personally, I love it, which is how this was brought to my attention. The fact of the matter is, he has ripped of the series, and he could hardly have done so more blatantly. Personal opinion's of the song and anime aside, it is so very obvious he has tried to rip the anime off. I am astounded that he thought he could get away with it. I shall now go watch Death Note to nullify my disgust. Good day.
I understand that sampling happens and I except that but what I can't except are these dumb as shit, faux hardcore, "I come da streets" lyrics. Old school is the best. I don't think that'll ever be up for debate.
Mike Oldfield anyone?
I'm not even sure what you're saying here, although I knew of Nujabes before he got E-list level famous in the US after Samurai Champloo.
Quite a number of them, yes.
The 2nd song listed is the wrong one
It is Near no Theme
the one soljerboy ripped off is Near 2
Please change it so people get that they arn't similar songs they are the exact same.
Not ripped off. Merely rapped over it. When using an entire instrumental, it isn't called "sampling", it is a mixtape song.
none of them work, and they look better on the tree. what is it boys and girls? im so going to hell for this dark humor.
I believe all the n***** comments are unnecessary and frankly immature. Something so trivial being taken to this extreme is amazing, and the retards that keep typing “write his name in a Death Note!” aren’t doing any justice either. I swear, only Sankaku Complex. The nerd rage here is alarming.
I’m also assuming none of you actually know what “true rap or hip hop” is, since all of you are quick to harshly criticize the genre as being “crap” and are probably only used to hearing the mainstream shit you hear on the radio. That my friends, is not true rap or hip hop.
I cannot begin to thank you for making that comment. If hip-hop is crap, then what about DJ Okawari, Nujabes, Marcus D, Hazzy, Fat Jon, Beautiful Killing Machine, Uyama Hiroto, the entire Libyus Music and Hydeout Productions?
Understand it before you speak of it.
Hahaha, you've got bigger problems than Soulja Boy "ruining" your favorite anime by releasing a mixtape. Like, for example, how you're going to lose your virginity within the next three decades, or how you're going to convince your mother to let you keep living in her basement for that long.
This is a whole lot of fuss over nothing. I don't enjoy mainstream rap as much as the next person, but the fact remains that this is not a retail release and he is not making any money off of this. As a person that likes to make fan content myself, I see absolutely no problem for even a famous person to show that they are fans themselves. Whether you like him or not, all he is doing is creating fan content. Same as all you fan artists, fan fiction writers, AMV creators, doujin artists, and other musicians. I guess we should go ahead and out BrentalFloss for stealing video game music while we're at it.
Update, sort of...
Just saw off Rolling Stone Kayne West has been "Sampling" from King Crimson!
[url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/;kw=[36885,160416]]http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/;kw=[36885,160416]
Now, I post this to point out "Rap" artists have been openly sampling things for decades now.
Most of the time, it's not just tolerated but enshrined, beats paying (and having them have a say to argue for better royalties) for a "New" tune to what's essentially a disposable "Pop" hit. I don't listen to the radio that much and one of the reasons was thinking I was hearing the beginning of a 70s song, but then it's gutter rap... One lady in particular used lots from the band "America"...
As much as the RIAA loves to sue people that download songs, the "Music Industry" is almost always totally tolerant of samplers...as long as they work for them... One group doesn't buy (maybe) the other group uses the works of others to make $ without paying or crediting them, but they sue the first group.
The only challenges that reach the public arena are for instance when they take music from a long retired, famous but never "Sold Out" musician. Or, rarer, when it's from a different studio and they are having a pissing contest with each other. The studios usually just let each sample from each other, and the small guy usually gets nothing for his efforts, even proving blatant swiping of entire songs. In short, as I said above, the copyright laws are there just to benefit the rich elite. They can steal openly with little or no censure, while they can use copyright (even false claims) to stifle creativity (and competition) and covet and feed off the labor of others.
You might look up the animation, now on YouTube where they lampooned Metallica for being RIAA shills. Not Metallica, but they pointed out another one, DrDre, used tons of "Samples" from other's works without crediting or paying them, but then was with Metallica braying hatred for his fan base for only giving him a chest full of gold necklaces, a Hummer converted to a limo and a mansion full of "Hos"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS6udST6lbE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpGn47pfz-k&feature=related [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpGn47pfz-k&feature=related]
DrDre is -briefly- in the second one!
Playing both at the same time sorta makes the rap sound better. . .
i hate soljah boy, but this is just sampling. it's common, and it's not stealing if he's provided credit from its origination...
It's one thing being inspired by something, but this is taking it a bit too far. It's kinda shameful for an artist to be this unoriginal.
I'm just happy Artefact mentioned Nick Simmons this time.
I don't like Soulja Boy's music, but I chalk Mix tapes up to artists dicking around in their free time. I doubt he was seriously expecting that no one would notice with the name of the thing being "Death Note"
This story makes me lol more than anything else :D
Goddamnit, I can't believe some faggy rap "artist" is the subject of an article on an otaku website. Where the fuck do I have to go to get away from people who consider an ape grunting over a shitty beat to be music?
To be completely honest, I cant even listen to "Soulja Boy's" shit. What kind of iliterate moron actualy likes it. Its not music, its some nigger saying words to "sampled" music tracks.
XMFD what a bunch of angry nerds
It's hilarious how angry you anime nerds are about this.
Holy shit, seriously. It's just a shitty mixtape. Calm down you troglodytes, it's not Soulja Boy's fault you're all still virgins.
"He is but the latest in a series of minor American celebrities caught plagiarising the works of Japanese artists..."
Latest in a series? Who else did it besides Simmons?
"soulja boy tell'em"
looks like soulja boy just got told...
Great.... rap just ruined one of my favorite anime... I hope this prick gets sued.
It's obviously a tribute mixtape. And mixtapes are ALLOWED [atleast in hiphop] to basically rip off entire songs. Seems like an article to blindly hate Soulja Boi.
who cares... hiphop is better than anime anyday... but i agree that this shit is garbage...
'hiphop is better than anime anyday.'
Stay off the crack, son.
Hiphop is one of the shittiest inventions mankind has ever come up with.
Somewhere, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, and Louis B. Armstrong are crying into their beers.
*Add*
Hiphop is the main reason why the superior [http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/3717/modernafricanamericanhi.png] African American musicians and singers from the 50-60's still roll in their graves.
lololololol shut up you manchild
learn to talk about culture once you quit fetishizing saturday morning cartoons for adults
Goodness gracious, where did we go wrong? TT_TT
MARISA UP IN IT YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
WATCH ME GRAZE IT!!!
Yamada has you beat!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8PGemIHA7k
RAPPER? MORE LIKE A RIPPER
Please God NO! Not this guy again, it's bad enough that this guy's music is something people listen to and now this. *sighs*
wtf is soul boy or w/e the fuck? I can hate rap to a great extent, but even I can tell this guy sucks? wow this guy is raping my ears now...never thought that would be the case....
Soulja Boy was already accused of copying a song once, it was when he was popular with Crank Dat, that it was usually compared to Daikenkai by Des Row
MIND BLOWN. I love both those songs and hear them on a regular basis, but never even thought of that. Thank you!