Remix or Rip Off

Ever listen to a song and think it sounds very familiar? Sometimes it is bass lines, lyrics, or melodies that make us feel like we have heard a song before, despite knowing we have never listened to it. This is becoming more common with modern technology nowadays. In this post, we will dive into the example of this in “Good Times” by Chic and “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang.



Photo by Technodean2000.


An example of this is the bass line in “Good Times” by Chic, which is copied to create “Rapper’s Delight” by The SugarHill Gang. Although The Sugarhill Gang did not use the exact recording since they played it live, “Rapper’s Delight” copied the pitch, rhythm, and harmony of the “Good Times” bass line. This makes the bass line nearly identical despite not being directly copied.


The Sugarhill Gang transformed the original song by performing it live, changing the structure of the song, and using an alternative style of music. The Sugarhill Gang raps instead of singing over the bass line and consists mainly of rap verses instead of a traditional song structure of choruses, bridges, and verses that the Chic use. “Rapper’s Delight” had more humorous and light-hearted lyrics compared to “Good Times”, which had more serious and socially aware lyrics. 


The Sugarhill Gang combined the funky bass line with the rap style to create something new. They layered rap vocals over a disco beat. By combining the bass line with the music style of rap, they produce a new song that includes hip hop, disco, and rap in one. This creates something new out of existing genres of music. 


Photo by Maycon S Lima.

In my opinion, The Sugarhill Gang created a unique song despite using the “Good Times” bass line. The rap style and the lyrics are original, along with the song structure. These parts of the track alone would not infringe on the copyright of the original track. Despite creating a new song, they do owe credit to Chic for sampling their bass line. Without the permission or the proper credit for sampling the bass line, which is the backbone of the song, “Rapper’s Delight” infringes on the copyright of “Good Times”. You can not copy any part of a song and not get into trouble with copyright laws you need proper attribution. 


It is nearly impossible to create something that is 100% original. What we learn and what we know is how we create, and we only know what we have learned from other people. Creators need to be careful with how they go about remixing material. To make sure creators do not “rip off” anyone, I think it is important to ask the original creator for permission to use their material and also properly give credit to the original creator within your creation. Do you think The Sugarhill Gang “ripped off” Chic?



Works Cited


Chic. “Good Times.” Risqué, Atlantic Records, 1979. Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er9xGRolrT4

Ferguson, Kirby. “Everything Is a Remix Remastered”. Everything Is a Remix, 2015, https://www.everythingisaremix.info/everything-is-a-remix-remastered. Accessed 21 August 2025.

Maycon S Lima. DJ. Flickr, 20 February 2020, https://flic.kr/p/bwJkWD. 

Technodean2000. Copy. Flickr, 19 April 2019, https://flic.kr/p/RCfG4i. 

The Sugarhill Gang. "Rapper’s Delight." Sugarhill Gang, Sugar Hill Records, 1979. Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcCK99wHrk0 



 

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