Queen's Sir Brian May reveals why band banned 'gangster rap' artists from sampling songs
Sir Brian May has revealed that Queen banned "gangster rap" artists from sampling their songs because they didn't want to promote violence.
Queen banned "gangster rap" artists from sampling their back catalogue amid fears it would "promote violence or abuse".
Sir Brian May says the British rock band took a stance to say no to certain sample requests because they believed it was the morally right thing to do.
The 77-year-old guitarist has revealed the band - which was once comprised of himself, drummer Roger Taylor, bassist John Deacon and late singer Freddie Mercury - refused one specific request because they thought the track's lyrics were "abusive to women".
In an interview with MOJO magazine, he said: "We have stopped them being used to promote violence or abuse, during the heyday of gangster rap when someone wanted to sample it in a song we thought was abusive to women.
"But otherwise, our songs are for everyone. All art is theft."
Elsewhere in the interview, Brian spoke about the legacy of Queen's music.
Brian was initially not a fan of the group's 1979 single 'Don't Stop Me Now' because he did not approve of Freddie's lyrics, which celebrated his hedonistic lifestyle.
Queen in the late 1970s / Credit: AVALON
However, May's opinion changed on the song has changed because of how fans and the wider public interpret the track.
Asked if Brian feels protective of Queen's songs after they have entered the public domain, Brian replied: "At the time, I didn't feel comfortable about 'Don't Stop Me Now', probably for all the right reasons and the wrong reasons.
"I think I resisted realising why people liked it for a long time.
"Now, I think people love it because it contains all their dark dreams of hedonism - and that's fine.
"I hear it all the time, though. People say to me, ''Who Wants to Live Forever' feels like it was written for me, or my mum or my dad...' It's in people's hearts and minds and becomes personal to them.
"That's what makes a song live on."
Queen / Credit: AVALON
Brian and his drummer bandmate Roger Taylor continue to tour as Queen with 'American Idol' season eight runner-up Adam Lambert on vocals instead of Freddie - who died in 1991 at the age of 45 from medical complications related to his AIDS diagnosis.
