News of August 1, 2013
Clearance by Letter: Icona Pop Asks Afeni Shakur for a Tupac Sample
Not Jay-Z, but Tupac: how Icona Pop received clearance via a letter to Afeni Shakur to use Tupac's "Me and My Girlfriend" for "Girlfriend".
Many assumed it borrowed from “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” by Jay-Z and Beyoncé, but the source material came directly from Tupac. When the Swedish pop group Icona Pop introduced their new single “Girlfriend,” the duo drew on Tupac’s track “Me and My Girlfriend” from the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. They explained this in an interview with the magazine Page 31, which Vibe reported on August 1, 2013.
A Letter to Afeni Shakur
Because they wanted to use Tupac’s recording, the pair wrote a personal letter to his mother Afeni Shakur asking for permission. According to their account, Afeni agreed. Unlike Tupac, who alluded to his gun in the song, they wanted the track to be understood as a celebration of their friendship.
The example shows how the estate handled requests from outside genres. All details come from the artists’ interview.