I guess that “Blurred Lines” verdict has everyone a bit more cautious now…
It’s clear that Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ hit “Uptown Funk” harkens back to the golden age of funk, so to avoid stepping on any toes and protect their earnings, they’ve added five new writing credits to the song, according to RCA documents.
According to Billboard, Ronson and Mars have added legendry funk masters Charlie, Robert, and Ronnie Wilson of The Gap Band to the credits as contributors to “Uptown Funk,” giving credit to the fact they used elements of the veteran band’s 1979 track “Oops Up Side Your Head.” Keyboardist Rudolph Taylor and producer Lonnie Simmons, who also played a part in “Opps,” are also listed.
Along with the Gap Band, rapper Trinidad James (listed as Nicholas Williams on the credits) along with producer Devon Gallaspy also got a credit for the use of a sample of James' track “All Gold Everything.”
A lawyer for Trinidad James’ manager told Billboard, "Everyone is being a little more cautious. Nobody wants to be involved in a lawsuit.”
The original credits of “Uptown Funk” include Ronson and Mars, plus co-producer Jeffrey Bhasker and Phillip Lawrence from Mars' production team The Smeezingtons.
“Uptown Funk” topped the US chart for 14 weeks.
