“Musical Slavery,” Junior Reid Says He Didn’t Make Much Money On ‘One Blood’ Collab With The Game
Reggae and Dancehall icon Junior Reid says he did not profit meaningfully from his 2006 collab with The Game, titled It’s Okay (One Blood), which heavily sampled the hook of his 1988 song One Blood, and had featured Reid himself singing some new lines.
It’s Okay (One Blood) was the lead single for The Game’s album Doctor’s Advocate, and it came at a time when the rapper’s career was struggling.
While songs oftentimes accrue monies in areas outside record sales and streams such as public performance revenues, synchronization licensing, merchandising, endorsements, and appearance fees, according to Junior Reid, The Game and his associates are the ones who have garnered the lion’s share from the exploitation of the track, as apart from record sales, he has had very little else to show.
“A millions dem meck offa dat.. mi nuh meck no money offa One Blood, compared to how dem do di ting and do di business…, becaw yuh know how di ting guh… mi meck a likkle ting, but at the end of the day, is not just money from the record, but going out there as Junior Reid – that’s exposure,” Reid argued.
He made the revelation on Math Hoffa’s podcast after the host commented that it was “surprising” there was not a One Blood Part Two with The Game.
During the interview, Reid said that while he still has respect for The Game, he was cognizant of the fact that, in most cases, management and labels were the ones in full control, and oftentimes may make decisions in which artists have no say.
However, in his Instagram caption of the interview, he wrote, “musical slavery”, which appears to indicate that he has a key issue in how the song, in which he had equal contribution as The Game, was unequally exploited.
“When Game dem use my track, which is one Blood, he used my sample and him meck mi come sing back it ova sing back a likkle part weh seh ‘One Blood’, that’s the current voice inna it. But the sample is from the original,” he explained. “And at the end of the day, mainly why dem want mi come come sing that, maybe they want to get around the sample, meck it look like is a new record. But is not a new record. Is the same original sample.”
“Yuh si, mi love Game; mi love di whole a di yute dem becaw Jah is love and love conquer everything… Suh mi naw guh put dung Game still,” he added.
According to Reid, he was also dismayed that he has never been included in any of The Game’s paid, live performances of One Blood, and speculated that the reason could be because he had been reluctant to sign with any record label or agree to Jimmy Henchman (James Rosemond, The Game’s then-manager), also managing him.
“At the end a di day, me and him (The Game) neva work One Blood inna di stadium yet. Cause they neva invite,” he said. “Because when you don’t sign they try to keep you outta certain stadium and certain ting…”
Junior Reid also took exception to the fact that he had been unceremoniously dropped from a six-show series featuring himself and The Game, which had been organized by a promoter in Jacksonville back then, after the rapper allegedly voiced misgivings about the Jamaican outshining him onstage.
“The promoter came to me and say: We can’t continue this tour because even though we feel good, touring with you – because Game a ask if ‘is a Junior Reid Show or is a Game show’… Is like him a seh Game have a vibes, but mi haffi a wonder if a Jimmy Henchman, choo mi neva want him be mi management or choo him a Game management… Mi neva get fi have that conversation with Game,” he revealed.
“So at the end of the day the promoter come tell me… Suh him pay me and deal wid mi fi di whole ting. That was the only show that I did. Mi naw run no competition wid no artiste. A me a guh on first. Mi naw guh an gwaan like me a di bomb,” he explained.
While the two men had performed the song at the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2006, and several other promotional events, Junior said he was never invited to accompany The Game on any paid performances of the song, the original for which was written by Junior Reid, ahead of the 1989 General Elections in a bid to warn Jamaicans not to have a recurrence of the bloody 1980 election, in which hundreds of lives were lost to political violence.
“To how One Blood guh big, it shouldn’t be a one single. But if tings nuh right, yuh caan guh get back a next single; mi naw guh feel good working wid you again. But if mi know seh a nuh your fault, cause there is certain politics within record company, within management, weh can meck tings look a way, suh mi nuh really know suh mi naw guh really condemn Game,” he said.
“But mi waan know wah gwaan, from me and yuh sing One Blood all now wi nuh guh in a stadium; di only time mi run out inna stadium, is when is some free ting, mi just come fi promotion, mi deh a BET, MTV.. and when di time come now when some bread fi break, no bread nuh break,” he said.
The Game went on to further benefit from the song, which was included in the video game Def Jam: Icon for Xbox 360, in which the rapper appears as a playable character and provides his own voice and likeness.
An official remix of the song, 11 minutes and 50 seconds in length, was released on November 7, 2006, featuring 25 of the biggest Hip-hop artists among them Game, Snoop Dogg, NAs, T.I., Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, Pusha T and Jah Rule.
The Game also developed three regional remixes: the One Blood Dirty South Remix, the One Blood West Coast Remix and the One Blood East Coast Remix featuring rappers from the three US regions.