Dancehall producer Notnice, real name Ainsley Morris is refuting claims made by R&B singer and writer Ne-Yo that he didn’t block the sample and later an interpolation of his ‘Miss Independent’ hit into the dancehall classic ‘Romping Shop’ by Vybz Kartel and Spice.
Ne-Yo was a guest on Drink Champs with DJ EFN and N.O.R.E and he was asked about the 14 year old song and why he didn’t clear the dancehall version. He admitted to the impact of the record but denied he had any input in whether or not the song could be used.
“I didn’t not clear it…the streets cleared it right away which made it virtually impossible to not clear it, even if I was thinking about not clearing it which by the way I was never thinking about not clearing it,” he said during the latest episode of Revolt’s Drink Champs podcast.
When World Music Views informed Notnice of the recent statements made by Ne-Yo, the Virgin producer says,
“It was mostly Vybz Kartel did deal with it and three different times the song haffi take down, even when we put up the video them take down the audio from the video.”
‘Romping Shop’ immediately became and local and diaspora hit when it was released in 2009 and EMI Music Publishing sent a cease and desist to Notnice and Vybz Kartel to remove the song from all distributions channels. This promted a do over which Notnice said was a frustrating process.
“When me build over the riddim me build over the riddim exactly and haffi take that down again, and this was after me haffi relicense that new record to VP records.”
The song has been licensed to three different recording companies and Notnice told World Music Views that at no time did Ne-Yo come to help make the process less difficult with a clearance.
EMI Music Publishing composers including Shaffer Smith (Ne-Yo), and producers Stargate explicitly stated in a letter that there was no clearance to sample Miss Independent at the time. The letter stated:
“Clearance of this use of ‘Miss Independent’ has not been sought or obtained and I am informed that clearance will not be forthcoming. Accordingly ‘Ramping Shop’ cannot be released or exploited in any way. Please confirm your acknowledgement and acceptance of this, and that you will arrange that (i) all recordings of the infringing track will be re-called and destroyed and that no further copies will be issued, and (ii) that the audio and/or video will be taken down immediately from all Internet sites.”
Notnice said in response to that letter, Kartel was willing to meet them halfway and give up all the publishing rights to the song in order to allow it to remain in the public in the original format.
Ne-Yo also said in the Drink Champs interview that he was told who Vybz Kartel was and he was impressed with the song.
“Before the song was presented to me, the concept of Vybz Kartel and who he was was presented to me. Like, this is that dude oh, and by the way, ‘he did this with your song’. It was presented to me like that. So I’m like, so, what are we talking about right now? Of course it’s fine. Why would I have a problem with this?” he substantiated.
“To this day, I can’t be over there and perform Miss Independent without giving props to what the f-ck he did,” The One In A Million singer continued.
Notnice didn’t refute those claims, but says that didn’t stop the powers that be to stop the song. He recalls things being more hard-lined and against him, the Portmore Empire boss and a young and upcoming Spice.
“Kartel told them, them can take the publishing from cause we already admit it’s their beat and them say cease and desist same way. Maybe Ne-Yo never have much control that’s why him a seh what him a seh now,” Notnice Told World Music Views.
As for the current dancehall kick up beat versions of Romping shop which is currently on streaming DSP platforms, Notnice says it was out of frustration that he created a totally different beat to ensure the song was distributed and that he could earn from the song.
“Out of frustrations, me build one that sounds completely different. VP, Greensleeves and Tads (Records) haffi take it down three different times. They pay me three different times for every time me relicense the three different versions. Three different companies did pay me for it.”
At the time Vybz Kartel also said Notnice would be recording a new version, “The remix will sound like Dancehall, just like what Ne-Yo’s people did when they made Miss Independent … NotNice and I will be doing the remix today so listen out for it by Friday when it is mixed and mastered.”
That turned into two additional versions which can be heard on DSPs.
A few years after Romping Shop came out the Compound artist was at a press conference on the island where he was looking for talent and referred to Jamaicans as “natives”. That passing remarks drew backlash from Jamaicans on Twitter. He never apologized.
Ne-Yo and Spice also performed the original ‘Romping Shop’ on the Stargate ‘Miss Independent’ beat at ATI in Jamaica in 2011 after Vybz Kartel was incarcerated.
As for who currently owns the final versions of ‘Romping Shop,’ Notnice says Ne-Yo has nothing to do with the current versions of ‘Rompin Shop’.
“Me and Kartel own the masters,” he says.
While the song was banned in all versions in Jamaica by the Broadcasting Commission from the airwaves due to its explicit content, Rompin Shop was Vybz Kartel’s first major Billboard hit. It spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at No. 76. The song was ranked on Billboard’s ‘12 Best Dancehall & Reggaeton Choruses of the 21st Century’.
