Sister Nancy, The Dancehall Icon Sampled By Jay-Z & Kanye West, Is Just Now Getting Her Royalties

Ever since its release in 1982, Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam" was heard everywhere: on the radio, at parties, on the speakers in the kitchen as your mom cooked Sunday dinner. But despite the global prominence of the genre-defining single, the artist hasn't reaped the benefits of its success until now.

In an interview with NME, Sister Nancy revealed the struggle behind the song that catapulted her into the mainstream spotlight. "Yes, I’m getting the royalties now. I wasn’t getting anything for 34 years, but in 2014 after they used it in a Reebok commercial I decided to sue them. Now I own 50 percent of the One, Two album. At least I’m getting something now, I never used to get anything." Since "Bam Bam" wasn't technically credited to Nancy, artists like Kanye West could use it as a sample without asking permission.