The 2012 Lupe Fiasco song Pete Rock called “wack”
When Lupe Fiasco released ‘Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)’ in 2012, he did so knowing that the track was powered by a sample of a true hip-hop classic. That, surely, could only be a good thing?
Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s ‘They Reminisce Over You (TROY),’ first released in 1992, is the most prominent sample on Lupe’s song, instantly recognisable to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Gold Age hip-hop. It’s one of the culture’s great songs.
But not everyone was happy that the Chicago rapper Lupe had borrowed from it. As a matter of fact, the person who seemed to have the biggest issue with it was Pete Rock himself. He was furious about it.
‘They Reminisce Over You (TROY)’ was a sensitive song for Pete and CL, as the idea for it was inspired by the passing of their friend, Troy Dixon. He had been a dancer for Heavy D & the Boyz, working under the stage name of Trouble T-Roy. He died in 1990.
Taking to Twitter following the release of ‘Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free),’ Pete insisted that he didn’t mean to disrespect Lupe, but also that he believed the younger rapper shouldn’t have gone near his and CL’s old song. “‘TROY’ should be left alone,” he posted.
Pete, who has something of a reputation for trash talk, went so far as to say that he felt “violated” by Lupe’s use of the sample, given that “beat is next to my heart and was made outta anguish and pain.” Given the context of its creation, he believed that it “should not be touched by no one.”
He was “not flattered” by Lupe’s sampling. “Dat shit is wack,” he wrote, “and the producer should be ashamed of his fuckin self.”
Those were very strong words, and they completely took Lupe by surprise. He said during an interview on Chicago radio station WGCI that Pete’s reaction was “a little unexpected,” especially considering that “we had already reached out to him.”
Lupe claimed that his team had sought permission to use the sample, which was granted. The fact that Pete seemed so angry about it, then, was a real surprise. Had permission not been granted, Lupe claimed, he wouldn’t have used the sample. He certainly didn’t give the impression of having intended to upset Pete Rock, but, inadvertently, he’d gone and done it.