Baauer Reveals He Hasn't Made Any Money From Harlem Shake Phenomenon
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Written by Elliott Batte
Trap and bass producer Baauer has confessed that he hasn’t made any money from Harlem Shake, despite the track sparking a global phenomenon earlier this year.
Speaking to Pitchfork ahead of work on his debut album, Baauer revealed:
“I haven’t seen any money from it. I’m meeting with my lawyer tomorrow for lunch, so I’m gonna find that out. I think it’s mostly because of all the legal shit.”
Harlem Shake contains vocal samples from rapper Jayson Musson and reggaeton artist Hector Delgado, someone Baauer wasn’t even aware of.
“I didn’t clear the samples because I was in my fucking bedroom on Grand Street. I wasn't going to think to call up [Delgado], I didn’t even know who it was who did [the sample]; I knew the Jayson Musson [sample]. So I found myself in that fucking pickle. Legal letters and shit. Ugh. Lawyers. So exposure-wise it was fantastic, but everything else...”
He went on to admit that he doesn’t feel pressure to match the track’s success and even went as far as to say that he ‘doesn’t want’ any of his tracks to match the success of Harlem Shake.
“I genuinely don’t feel [pressure] at all. I got a little taste of what it’s like to have a song in that stratosphere and I can truthfully tell you that I’m happy with that being the only time it happens. I don’t want that shit. Of course, I want to be able to get work and for people to like my music - the best thing I can do is to keep making music I like and, because of Harlem Shake, maybe people who otherwise would never know about that kinda shit would hear it.”
What do you think of the news - are you surprised at the lack of money? Leave us a comment in the box below!
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