Eddy Grant recently did an interview with NME for their segment ‘Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?!’ During the chat the singer brought up the band he accused in 2010 0f plagiarizing his 1982 track ‘Time Warp.’ When asked which band did the plagiarizing with what song, Grant replied:
“That would be Damon Albarn’s band Gorillaz. I mean, everybody knows where that song [Stylo] came from. It’s just that there comes a time where you say, ‘Enough. Why am I going to go on fighting this case? Over what? Leave it alone.’ They know the truth.”
Grant had said to Addict Music in 2010 that ‘Time Warp’ was a recognizable song with a distinctive tempo. His statement read:
“This is pure piracy, it is an obvious infringement of my song. Anyone who knows ‘Time Warp’ will know this is ‘Time Warp’ with people singing and rapping over it, [along] with funny little noises. ‘Time Warp’ is a very popular song and has been a staple of the DJ scene for many years and I feel total disrespect from Gorillaz and their management company.”
Eddy continued by pointing out the fans during his interview with NME. He said:
“Even Damon’s strongest fans would know how ubiquitous ‘Time Warp’ has been and still is. It’s a one-off – when you hear it, you know what it is.”
The singer shared another artist who sampled ‘Time Warp’ and gave him credit. Grant revealed:
“I mean, Jaheim slowed it right down so that I would never be able to notice it, and I noticed, and he gave me credit for the song [‘Like a DJ’]. It’s a sickness in the business. If you like it enough and want to do it, then do it and give the guy the credit.”
You can read Eddy Grant’s interview with NME here and listen to ‘Time Warp,’ ‘Stylo,’ and ‘Like a DJ’ below.