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# The Fixins
- URL: https://pulpconversations.com/the-fixins/
- Published: 2025-10-22T15:02:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-24T18:55:56.000Z
- Description: "Your [last post] was enjoyable but for the first cursing sentence for me." - Mom
- Author: Vinay Gupta
- Tags: Podcast, #Migrated-1787171093388, #Import 2026-08-19 16:25

---

So, I went down the rabbit hole about the intro to Drake’s “We Made It” - which technically was Soulja Boy’s song first; before Drake *made it*.

## “more room here for the fixins”

It’s a sample straight from HBO’s Eastbound & Down - yup that is Kenny Powers dropping lines in his usual, understated style.

Perplexity quickly confirmed: `this isn’t some original Drake flex, it’s a direct lift from the show.`

**Naturally, I wondered**: does Danny McBride get a royalty check every time someone bumps this track?

Perplexity broke it down: `nope, not unless he’s got a rare back-end deal.`

So that means the money flows to HBO and the production company, not the actor, unless he’s got a piece of the IP pie.

BUT … standard contracts don’t cut actors in on sampled dialogue.

**Then I asked the obvious**: is the reason this song isn’t on Spotify because they never cleared the sample with HBO?

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/67/42/67423e8e-d1c5-4288-976a-2d7a9b94e567/content/images/2026/08/a349ef41-c476-449d-b65a-1de3a77ddc3b_272x272.gif)

## My turn to get clever

Why don’t studios just strike a forward-looking deal and let bygones be bygones?

Perplexity explained: `while it sounds logical, studios want to recover past income first.`

The studios and perhaps all *well-run* corporations (fueled by an acrimony-inducing legal system) act from a point of **legal leverage**.

They don’t want to set a precedent that encourages everyone to “sample now, pay later.”

They want to protect turf and royalty streams.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/67/42/67423e8e-d1c5-4288-976a-2d7a9b94e567/content/images/2026/08/6a8d1bd1-ff55-4516-83ed-bc91023ac0c4_480x480.gif)

But I pushed back on Perplexity.

Shouldn’t studios want to encourage innovation? Let creators market-test with their IP, then share in the upside if it pops off?

\-Me

Perplexity agreed: `it’s a valid point and dropped the phrase`

## “sample amnesties”

This is a concept where rights holders let artists experiment, then negotiate after success. It’s rare, but [some forward-thinking companies](https://app.jkbx.com/discover?ref=pulpconversations.com) are starting to try it, especially in light of tokenization on the blockchain.

The real bottleneck isn’t creativity.

Unsurprisingly, stodgy *fat-cat-timelines* dictate legal inertia in the IP world.

Sample amnesties could be the bridge - the venture capital dare I say it - of the recording industry.

Let re-mixers take the risk - *sweat equity* \- let the market decide and then let the rights holders cash in once the value is proven.

It’s a win-win, but only if the record industry is willing to loosen its grip and reimagine the rules.