Okay, so calling Sean Kingston the “King of Theft” may be a bit harsh but…it’s kind of true (and I can use several examples).  I’m currently making a playlist for my radio show tonight and after reading Jonathan Lethem’s “The Ecstasy of Influence” the topics of appropriation, influence, and duplication are on my mind.  Sean Kingston is a perfect example of an artist that has taken other music and molded it to make it “his own.”  However, rather that it being a cover, he simply takes the melody for these other songs and (kind of) adds his own words to them.

Two songs that immediately come to mind where he’s done this is his 2007 hit “Beautiful Girls” where the melody is almost entirely Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me.” A second song where Kingston does this is in his song, “Me Love” where the melody (and even some of the words) are actually Led Zeppelin‘s “D’yer Mak’er.” Again, this raises many issues. When it comes to music (as well as other forms of media) the lines are really blurred as to: what can be constituted as original work? I think it’s important to at least try to define and moderate in order to prevent blatant plagiarism (because in art, is there even such a thing? Replicating the Mona Lisa will not garner you any fame…it’s been done and everyone knows it’s been done).

It’s a slippery slope…and you can bet Sean Kingston and his producers are on it!