It’s not every day that a cult favorite like “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton all of the sudden starts to get backlash. Especially one that’s been around for almost two decades. But when it is used in a rap song that does not align with the message of the original song, certain people are bound to say something. Carlton, who approved the use of this sample, defended Spinabenz on his new single “Who I Smoke.” The track features Yungeen Ace, Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, and FastMoney Goon.
This piano-led classic has been sampled numerous times in hip-hop with no complaints. From Cam’ron’s “10,000 Miles” to Rico Nasty’s “Brandon,” this song has found its way into many contrasting songs. It wasn’t until the 2021 track, “Who I Smoke” by Spinabenz that brought controversy.
“Who I Smoke”
The use of violent lyrics spread throughout the sample of Carlton’s song did not sit well with some of her fans.
This song contains lyrics like: “I’ma shoot this bitch, when I motherfuckin’ see you / I don’t go nowhere without my mothะตrfuckin’ heat Ku / Smokin’ on Lil Peedy, I was smokin’ Trey D too.”
Vanessa Carlton’s reaction to this backlash came as a Tweet on May 23 stating, “To the white folks that have expressed anger/shock over my approval of A Thousand Miles’ usage in the Spinabenz, Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, Yungeen Ace, & FastMoney Goon song Who I Smoke, I invite you to ask yourself why you feel this way & then read this:” She then links an article titled ‘Share Cropping Blackness: White Supremacy and the Hyper-Consumption of Black Popular Culture.’
She also states in the same thread, “Popular songs accompanied by white violence or tales of white violence aren’t questioned. It’s considered visceral or cinematic. Here we have Stuck in the Middle of you playing while a guy gets his ear cut off in Reservoir Dogs.” She attaches a video of a scene in the 1992 film, Reservoir Dog.
Vanessa Carlton’s support of this track has been applauded. One of the artists, Yungeen Ace, replied back with, “I got you 4eva.”
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