The Grey Album, takes Jay-Z's Black Album and remizes it using bits 'n pieces of the Beatles White Album. And copyright holder to the White Album, EMI, has issued a cease and desist order to DJ Danger Mouse, creater of this mixed up concept. Somehow EMI's position struck me as a little unfair, and I decided to locate a copy of the album and check it out for myself. It seems EMI has been shutting down distributors of the album, but they keep cropping up. In fact there was a mass protest on February 24, with hundreds of sites posting a copy of the album for free download.
And after listening to the album I don't get what EMI is miffed about! There are certainly background bits recognizable as coming from the Beatles, but its just that -- chopped up samples. What really comes across is Jay-Z's raps. Now in fact the album is not my cup of tea BUT it seems to me that EMI is really crossing the line here. This is not a stealing of the Beatles songs, it taking elements of them and making something completely new. That's the creative process, and DJ Danger Mouse seems to be the one who needs protection in this case.
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