SAMPLED examines the skeletal production of a contemporary rap, R&B, hip-hop or pop song — Where did the loop, sample, or chopped up vocal providing the backbone originate? SAMPLED gives you the history, the context, and the insight.

This week, the sample is taken from Major Lazer’s now-iconic dancehall (and dormroom) destroyer “Pon De Floor”:

In case you weren’t in attendance at every warehouse party/major club event/every bedroom dance party between 2009 and 2011, Major Lazer began as a collaboration between Diplo and Switch in 2009, after they met while working on M.I.A.’s debut record Arular. Though Switch has since departed the Major Lazer camp, the pair (and faithful sidekick Skerrit Bwoy) brought dancehall to the privileged masses, taught us about daggering, and blessed us with a marching band snare drum beat that has seen dozens of re-interpretations since its 2009 release.

“Pon De Floor” most notably provided the framework for Beyoncé’s “Run The World (Girls),” but Major Lazer’s ubiquitous drum programming has also been sampled by “Ass On The Floor” by Diddy-Dirty Money, “Throw It Back” by Meek Mill, and “Shooter” by Chiddy Bang.

“Pon De Floor” was recently sampled by mysterious UK-based electronic artist Water on the track “(diplo),” which was consequently ripped off from Water’s official Soundcloud page by Kitty Pryde, and used for her song “☠DEAD❤ISLAND☠”:

In late 2012, an unknown UK-based ambient electronic producer by the name of Water released the Sluts EP online for free. This EP featured esoteric remixes of Rihanna (“RiRi”), Mariah Carey (“Mimi”), Lady Gaga (“GaGa”). Though the slowed-down, dreamy, echoing remixes received considerable buzz online, there’s still very little information available about the shrouded remixer. When i-D sought out Water’s publicist, they received a staged letter from a fake PR firm. The letter stated that the publicist representing Water had never met the artist, and “only found…the collection of music now known as the Sluts EP and a fruit basket.”

The letter continued: “Inside the fruit basket was a note, hand-written in blue ink from a fountain pen with the following: ‘If Yes, then eat the papaya. Otherwise desist.'”

Suburban stream-of-consciouness-Tumblr-rapper (also a former fashion accessories sales associate at Claire’s) Kitty Pryde was intrigued by “(diplo),” another remix from the Sluts EP. When Kitty contacted Water, she received a reply as obtuse as Water’s bizarre press release; if she wanted to rap on his beat, she would have to rip it from Soundcloud. So that’s exactly what she did.

(The tweet has since been deleted, but hat-tip to The Fader for locking it down first)

So, Kitty Pryde’s “☠DEAD❤ISLAND☠” features (what we can only assume is) an uncleared sample on a beat from an uncooperative producer. If Water ever wanted to demystify his or her identity, it could spell trouble for Kitty Pryde. The whole situation is somewhat parallel to when Azealia Banks had to pull her single “Esta Noche” because she was denied permission by Munchie, the beat’s original producer.

In other words, THE INTERNET.