Update, 5/22/2015, 4:30 PM: A representative of Jamie xx told Billboard that Hayes' claims were incorrect—the Persuasions sample was cleared before the release of "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)." Hayes now says he "was told about it but forgot."
“I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times),” the new single from Jamie xx, Young Thug, and Popcaan, has been riding a growing wave of excitement and good-will since its official release earlier this week. But the song hit a potential roadblock today: according to Billboard, the sample used on the track may not have been cleared.
The vocal snippet—“I know, there’s gonna be good times”—provides the track with a title and a hook. More importantly, it's a fierce and emotive compliment to the light, carefree beat. Jamie xx dug up the original on an early ‘70s record from the Persuasions. (Not to be confused with the Persuaders, a more successful '70s soul group.)
When Billboard got in touch with Jimmy Hayes, a member of the group, he said he hadn’t been contacted about the sample or heard the song. "It doesn't bother me that they wanted to sample,” he said, “but the thing is we have to sit down with management and make sure that everything is recognized and on the up-and-up." He also proposed a possible joint tour with Jamie xx, which would provide a feel-good ending to the story. “If they're going on tour, I'd like to go out with them. I'd like to be the opening act. We can do that same song on the stage, live."
