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Gershwin's Family Doesn't Want Rappers Sampling "Rhapsody in Blue"

Really, who's surprised?

January 1, 2020 marks 95 years since George Gershwin composed "Rhapsody in Blue."

In accordance with general U.S. copyright law, the composition will enter public domain, available for all individuals who wish to use the song in their own creative works. "The goal of copyright is to promote creativity," writes Balfour Smith, program coordinator of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain. "Copyright law gives authors important rights that encourage creativity and distribution. But it also ensures that those rights last for a limited time, so that when they expire, works can go into the public domain, where future authors can legally build upon their inspirations."

Except if you're a rapper. If you're a rapper, then the Gershwin family wants you to keep your hands off "Rhapsody in Blue."

With hundreds of books, films, novels, songs, and visual art entering the public domain on January 1, we're forced to remember that the legacy of some of those artists (partly defined by their surviving family members) are in great discordance with today's political culture. Namely, Gershwin's jazz masterpiece, which debuted at a New York concert in 1924, was apparently fit to be used in (alleged sexual abuser) Woody Allen's Manhattan and even United Airlines' safety instruction videos, but the Gershwin family originally wanted to extend their copyright ownership for another 20 years in order to (aside from receive millions in royalties) maintain creative control.

Gerswin's nephew told The New York Times, "We've always licensed [Gershwin's opera] 'Porgy and Bess' for stage performances only with a black cast and chorus. That could be debased. Or someone could turn 'Porgy and Bess' into rap music."

Aside from the cultural elitism behind that statement, it's historically nonsensical. As Smith recounts on his blog, it's obvious to anyone at all familiar with jazz that the genre largely draws from the same history as rap music: "The work of the Gershwin brothers drew on African-American musical traditions. What could be more appropriate?" In fact, "Rhapsody in Blue" draws from blues, jazz, and ragtime, as well as Jewish musical history and European impressionism. Smith points out another sharp response: "When [someone] laments that George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' will soon 'fall into the public domain,' he makes the public domain sound like a dark abyss where songs go, never to be heard again. In fact, when a work enters the public domain it means the public can afford to use it freely, to give it new currency… [public domain works] are an essential part of every artist's sustenance, of every person's sustenance."

Gate-keeping art is just a holdover from the inherently unequal and exploitative power structures that have always defined popular culture.

Describing "Rhapsody in Blue," George Gershwin said, "I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness." Gershwin aimed to capture the disparate musical traditions found all over America as a celebrity of diversity. He talked about his music having a "spirit" and a "soul," and his aim, always, was to invigorate people with its energy. "I'd like my compositions to be so vital that I'd be required by law to dispense sedatives with each score sold," he once said.

As of January 1, 2020, at least his family's prejudice can't stop anyone who wants to share that soul from doing so.

Rhapsody In Blue: Gershwinwww.youtube.com

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From Lizzo's Tiny Purse to Selena Gomez's Shaky Return: The Internet's Hottest AMA Takes

In terms of memes, the AMAs didn't disappoint. In other respects, of course it disappointed. It's the AMAs.

Billie and Dua Lipa at the AMAs 2019 #billieeilish #dualipa #shorts

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As we know, the Internet is the world's most accurate and knowledgeable arbiter of talent, and Twitter users and entertainment bloggers are the definitive arbiters of taste and quality.

Also, the AMAs are notorious for selecting top-tier talent, never catering to the whims of the music industry and their own moneyed interests, but rather elevating the voices of artists who deserve to be honored...That said, here's what the Internet had to say about the AMAs.

1. Selena Gomez's performance was off-key—but it wasn't her fault

After nearly two years away from the stage, Selena Gomez returned to perform her new song "Lose You to Love Me." The Internet immediately responded with harsh criticism, calling her performance off-key, but many leapt to her defense, arguing that nerves and her long absence from performing played a role.

Apparently, the performance was plagued by technical difficulties from start to finish, and Gomez also had a "panic attack" before the show, according to E! News. Fortunately, Gomez seemed to be doing well later in the night, and, after hearing about the technical difficulties, fans have swarmed to her defense.

2. Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello gave us more of the same

Heterosexual icons Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello are milking their "Señorita" success for all it's worth, and they brought the same recipe to the AMAs. Unfortunately, the repetition caused fans to actually listen to the song instead of being mesmerized by Cabello's hair and Mendes' biceps, which caused some confusion and doubts.

3. Lizzo's purse was the best part of the entire show

Lizzo's tiny purse made headlines in TIME magazine, CNN, Harper's Bazaar, Jezebel, Buzzfeed, and many other major news sources, many of which argued that the purse was "the best part of the entire show," so if anything, that ought to tell you something about the show. It also inspired a flurry of delicious memes.

Admittedly, the purse was pretty iconic. Maybe we can all resolve to belch extra-tiny amounts of fossil fuels into the atmosphere next.

4. Taylor Swift "avoided controversy"

Taylor Swift won Artist of the Decade at the AMAs and, after asking the entire Internet for help and gaining sympathy and support from everyone from Elizabeth Warren to Cher, it turned out that she was able to triumph over adversity in order to perform her old hits. She also won all five of the awards she was nominated for and became the most awarded artist in the history of the AMAs.

5. Post Malone is adorable

Post Malone won the award for Favorite Rap/Hip Hop album for Hollywood's Bleeding, but he also won the award for king of good vibes when the camera caught him dancing along to Shania Twain's medley.

All in all, Posty had a great night. He performed with Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott, and during his album acceptance speech, he solidified his place in awards show history with a peculiar closing line. Just as he was finishing up, he said, "We love you very much and I love grapes."

This sparked a flurry of speculation about the meaning of that cryptic phrase and also caused the Internet to conclude that Post Malone is someone who would be really fun to have a beer with. Maybe we should just elect Post Malone for president; after all, the mark of a great elected official is how fun they'd be to have a beer with. Right?

6. BTS won big, and the ARMY can sleep well tonight

The K-pop powerhouse group won all three of the categories they were nominated in, taking home the awards for Favorite Social Artist, Tour of the Year, and Favorite Duo or Group. Fans were ecstatic, especially since BTS has been slighted by awards shows (cough, the Grammys) in the past.

7. Kesha, Green Day, and Shania Twain returned

The AMAs provided plenty of nostalgia to tug on the heartstrings of their older viewers. Kesha returned to blow everyone away with her hit "Tik Tok"; Green Day celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of their album Dookie and reinvigorated emo with their performance; and Shania Twain blew everyone (most of all Post Malone) out of the water.9. Halsey threw shade at the Grammys

We all know that the AMAs are just a somehow more watered-down Grammys, and Halsey reminded us that though she won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Song for her smash hit "Without Me," she's bitter over her Grammys snub and disillusioned with the trappings of fame and awards on the whole.

In spite of her speech, most people were impressed with her performance.

8.Lil Nas X made everyone emotional

Despite being 20 years old and set for life thanks to the success of his very first single, the wunderkind (clad in an instantly iconic neon green suit) reminded everyone that it's never too late to shine.

9. Ciara and Megan Thee Stallion invented knees

Ciara hosted, performed her new single "Melanin," rocked every one of her looks, received her first platinum plaque as a music label owner, twerked with Megan Thee Stallion (who also delivered some priceless moments), and cemented her place as an eternal star and a person entirely immune to the passage of time.

10. Billie Eilish is really scary and very talented—but she's not alt-rock

I don't think I'm alone in saying Billie Eilish is the embodiment of everything that terrifies and amazes me about Gen Z teen girls. During her first awards show performance, she literally lit the stage on fire.

Despite her talent, viewers were quick to criticize the category she won in (alt-rock).

Then again, music is perpetually changing, genre is just about as real as gender (which is to say it's not real and was created by capitalism), and all of us old folk who don't understand how Billie Eilish won for alt-rock will be dead soon or relegated to the dusty attics of "Ok Boomer" land soon enough anyway.

11. We're all going to be telling our kids about this someday

Apparently nobody's sticking to their vow not to have kids until we stop the climate crisis, because almost every performance in the AMAs become the subject of a "gonna tell my kids" meme. Poor kids.

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