From yesterday's song about whooping and clapping by Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens, a nimble act of skipping – and controversial sampling – by the Sex Pistols impresario from 1983. McLaren's album of that year, Duck Rock, contains a whole variety of innovative and groundbreaking mixing of music not only from South Africa, but also South America and elsewhere, as well as using early hip hop. Double Dutch, the second single, refers to the New York skipping troupe, the Ebonettes, also tied into hip hop culture. But the arch controversialist, along with producer Trevor Horn, also attracted criticism for not crediting several of the musicians involved, including here, Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens. This song, still wonderfully catchy and clever, also attracted a legal challenge by mbaqanga (Zulu for cornmeal porridge) roots and jazz band The Boyoyo Boys for ripping off their own 1977 song Puleng. Their song with Lulu Masilela, 3 Mabone (shown below) is also very like Double Dutch. McLaren eventually settled out of court, but kept the writing credits. So all round, some very nifty footwork going on, but in the end, indirectly, it helped boost African music, perhaps also leading to Paul Simon's landmark Graceland album, in which many great musicians from that continent were credited.
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