Fredo Starr and Onyx are making money off of Travis Scott‘s smash single “SICKO MODE” with Drake – thanks to a sample of a sample.
In a conversation with The Art of Dialogue published on Monday (November 11), Fredro revealed the song technically samples Onyx’s 1992 song “Throw Ya Gunz,” since it samples Biggie’s 1994 song “Gimme The Loot” – which sampled their song.
“Luckily [the song’s executive producer] Jam Master Jay told Puff Daddy, ‘You gotta pay for that sample, my n-gga.’ So Biggie sampled ‘Throw Ya Gunz’ on ‘Gimme The Loot’ and Travis Scott sampled Biggie on ‘SICKO MODE.’ So it trickles down.”
He added: “We get a little percent, but a little percent of something astronomical is not bad.”
Travis Scott and Drake’s “SICKO MODE” has been a huge hit since its release. In 2022, the video officially surpassed one billion views on YouTube. Directed by Dave Meyers, the trippy visual debuted in October 2018 and was nominated for Best Hip Hop Video at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.
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That staggering number still doesn’t reflect the song’s sheer popularity, though; the audio-only version has notched an additional 300 million plays on La Flame’s YouTube channel, coupled with tens of millions of views across unofficial uploads.
Featuring shape-shifting production from Hit-Boy, Tay Keith, Mike Dean and more, “SICKO MODE” became Travis’ first video to surpass a billion YouTube views.
The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since been certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), commemorating at least 10 million sales in the U.S.
Talking to HipHopDX last year, Hit-Boy confirmed there’s a song-length version of the beat used in the opening moments of the track.
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“I remember Travis first FaceTimed me when he first did it, like the next morning after the session,” Hit said. “And he played it and it was extended, it was longer so…”
The final version of “SICKO MODE” — which appeared on Scott’s third and most recent studio album ASTROWORLD — finds Drake opening the song over Hit-Boy’s production, before having his verse interrupted around the 0:59 mark.
The version Travis Scott presumably played for Hit-Boy would have found both rappers exchanging verses over the same beat, something they don’t do until the Tay Keith-produced third part on “SICKO MODE.”
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Sadly, fans may never get to hear what Hit-Boy heard the morning after that session. “I know it’s for sure a longer version part, but it’s probably not gonna ever come out,” he told DX.
