According to this mind-set, a song is the product of the band almost as a family, and that family shares credit for the song. One thing that Lanois, Dupri and Kooper all agree on is that session musicians who feel their contributions merit songwriting credit should open their mouths sometime before the record goes platinum, or else they come off as gold diggers. That's certainly how Lauryn Hill's camp regard the New-Ark plaintiffs. Another is that an artist or producer can avoid being sued by simply telling session musicians what to play. What's difficult to find agreement on is the definition of the song itself.
Every song is different.
There's no one formula that works every time. Rodd McLeod is Features Editor at XXL, the hip-hop magazine. The black community debates the singer's icon status in light of her unwed motherhood. All rights reserved.