Betty Wright claps back at Color Me Badd....
- Thread starter the artist
- Start date
Tell em Betty. That was dope!!!
The rap was cool. And glad she was paid. But I wouldn't necessarily blame the group. That's a record label/producer problem. Plus them dudes was strictly R&B not rappers
’90s vocal quartet Color Me Badd struck gold when producer Dr. Freeze sampled Wright’s “Tonight Is the Night” for their 1991 debut single “I Wanna Sex You Up.” The titillating jam worked in their favor, as they stormed up the Billboard Hot 100 to No. 2. Later that year, Wright sued the group for illegally sampling her live version of “Tonight Is the Night” without her clearance. As a result, she emerged victoriously and was awarded 35% of the song’s royalties.
At about the same time, Betty ended up in court! Well, sort of. You see, Color Me Badd was just reaching the top of the pop charts with a little ditty called "I Wanna Sex You Up." In addition to stealing the theme and bass line of Betty's classic "Tonight is the Night," they had even stolen her voice as featured on her 1978 platinum selling "Live" album.
After a very nasty court battle, Betty walked away with 35% of the writer royalties for the song. This sparked a renewed interest in Betty and her music, as her 70's classics began popping up on Greatest Hits albums and compilations everywhere. To date, "Tonight is the Night" has been sampled by not just Color Me Badd, but Candyman, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Kriss Kross and countless others, while the original version is currently available on more than a dozen CDs in stores now.
At about the same time, Betty ended up in court! Well, sort of. You see, Color Me Badd was just reaching the top of the pop charts with a little ditty called "I Wanna Sex You Up." In addition to stealing the theme and bass line of Betty's classic "Tonight is the Night," they had even stolen her voice as featured on her 1978 platinum selling "Live" album.
After a very nasty court battle, Betty walked away with 35% of the writer royalties for the song. This sparked a renewed interest in Betty and her music, as her 70's classics began popping up on Greatest Hits albums and compilations everywhere. To date, "Tonight is the Night" has been sampled by not just Color Me Badd, but Candyman, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Kriss Kross and countless others, while the original version is currently available on more than a dozen CDs in stores now.