{"id":2417914,"date":"2026-05-15T11:18:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2417914"},"modified":"2026-05-15T11:18:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:18:32","slug":"new-hot-singer-malcolm-todds-main-ingredient-in-top-5-song-earrings-sounds-a-lot-like-old-rb-hit-sampled-by-alicia-keys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/new-hot-singer-malcolm-todds-main-ingredient-in-top-5-song-earrings-sounds-a-lot-like-old-rb-hit-sampled-by-alicia-keys\/","title":{"rendered":"New Hot Singer Malcolm Todd’s Main Ingredient in Top 5 Song, “Earrings,” Sounds a Lot Like Old R&B Hit Sampled by Alicia Keys"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It\u2019s hard to say who will be knocking on Malcolm Todd\u2019s door first.<\/p>\n

Could it be Alicia Keys? Or the heirs of songwriter JR Bailey?<\/p>\n

Todd\u2019s surprise hit, \u201cEarrings,\u201d has taken off on Spotify and iTunes.<\/p>\n

The only problem is it sounds a lot like Alicia\u2019s old hit, \u201cYou Don\u2019t Know My Name.\u201d<\/p>\n

But wait \u2014 there\u2019s a twist. Keys sampled the central theme of her song from the Main Ingredient\u2019s \u201cLet Me Prove My Love to You\u201d from 1975. The song was written by Bailey with Ken Williams of the Main Ingredient (who also wrote \u201cEverybody Plays the Fool\u201d) and Mel Kent, according to the BMI database.<\/p>\n

Keys\u2019s record was produced by Kanye West, the king of samples. In the end, \u201cYou Don\u2019t Know My Name\u201d lists Bailey as a songwriter.<\/p>\n

So this is a sample of a sample? May be. Or may be just a lift from Bailey. A founding member of The Cadillacs, a famous doo-wop group, Bailey wrote a lot of hits from the mid 50s to mid 60s. He had a solo career of his own, as well.<\/p>\n

Did Malcolm Todd do this intentionally? Who knows? The Bailey part of the Keys song is incredibly catchy. It may have just been in his head. It was certainly in Kanye\u2019s all those years ago.<\/p>\n