“Ice Ice Baby” and the David Bowie-Queen Legal Battle That Tainted Vanilla Ice’s Career

When somebody listens to “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice and “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen, one can’t help but immediately notice the jaw-dropping similarities between the intro tracks. “Similarities” is quite an understatement, as they are the exact same track.

Released in 1981, “Under Pressure” instantly became a world-class hit and fans could easily recognize the tune just by initial baseline. Given the memorable nature of the lick, when Vanilla Ice released “Ice Ice Baby” in 1990, fans knew exactly where it came from.

Consequently, fans thought, “Was this sampling of the song permitted by Bowie and Queen?” Well, it was not and the legal battle that ensued is one of the most polarizing and influential when it comes to copyright infringement in the music business. It set a strong precedent about these types of legal proceedings and sadly tarnished Vanilla Ice’s career for years to come.

Ice’s One Extra Note

Upon release, the legal teams of both Bowie and Queen were quick to threaten Ice with a lawsuit, though they never officially filed one. Nonetheless, depositions and discussions still transpired. In these sessions, claims regarding Ice’s overt sampling of the song were the premier topic. Ice’s rebuttal was that he added an extra note to the end of the track. Thus, making the samplings entirely different. This of course did not hold up as a suitable argument and proceedings continued.

It is speculated whether Ice intentionally stole the track or subconsciously lifted it. Regardless, the case resulted in a private settlement which entailed Ice paying Bowie and Queen $4 million and songwriting credits. However, the main fallout to come from this was Ice’s image.

A Case Study for The Ages

Despite this having a lasting influence on Ice, it also has a lasting influence on the legal world. In a sense, it was a prototypical copyright infringement case. However, why it became so influential is due to the boom of hip-hop. Sampling songs and replicating beats had become a regular practice in the recording studio. That being so, rappers like Biz Markie, De La Soul, and other artists were being sued for unlawful samplings.

Ice’s debut song was met with hardships, and, unfortunately, he became a sacrificial lamb of the hip-hop genre. Though, thanks to the legal battle, artists, producers, and lawyers know how to conduct their business legally and ethically. Nonetheless, Vanilla Ice has always been labeled as that guy who borrowed from two of music’s greatest.

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