Exploring “Mine” and “7 Rings” Through Public Forensic Musicology

Does Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” copy Princess Nokia’s “Mine” ?

I’m a proponent of music programs inviting students to engage in public forensic musicology or as “musical detectives” as a form of musical engagement and learning.

Here’s a recent example of an artist accusing another artist of copying their music. In this case, Princess Nokia is accusing Ariana Grande of copying Nokia’s Mine with Grande’s 7 Rings. Some people are also suggesting that 7 Rings also mimics aspects of flow from 2 Chainz and Soulja Boy. In addition to the sonic aspects of this analysis, music teachers might also want to address issues of cultural appropriation. For instance, Princess Nokia makes the comment “sounds about White” purposefully. Some of the discussion online touches on this. There are so many reasons to include Princess Nokia in the music program (more info below). Of course you can also explore connections between Grande’s 7 Rings and the song My Favorite Things – and it’s just fun to mention Julie Andrews, John Coltrane, and Ariana Grande in the same class.

Back in 2015, I tracked some similar controversy around Blurred Lines . I am now curating posts and resources connected to instances of public forensic musicology for music teachers interested in engaging students as musical detectives in their programs.

If you are a music teacher who includes this type of engaged analysis in your program, please leave a note. I’d love to hear about it and learn about students’ engagement and perspectives. Here are some additional perspectives on women, hip hop, and music education. In the meantime, here are some related resources and examples of public forensic musicology related to Mine and 7 Rings taking place online (please read and watch all resources beore sharing in your classroom so you can make decisions about what is or is not appropriate in your setting):

Resources and Examples of Public Forensic Musicology: Mine & 7 Rings

• Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings Sounds A Lot Like this Princess Nokia Track – KQED – This article also (barely) addresses the issue of cultural appropriation [#connecting]
• Does Ariana Grande’s “7 rings” Copy 2 Chainz, Princess Nokia, or Soulja Boy? – okayplayer
• Princess Nokia Calls Out the Resemblance Between Her Song “Mine” & Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” – REMEZCLA
• Princess Nokia Suggests Ariana Grande Ripped Her Off With New Single “7 Rings” – Complex

Public Commentary and Analyses

This video from Genius.com focuses on lyrical analysis of Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings as well as similarities between 7 Rings and other music

Additional Info on Princess Nokia

• A Walk Through Zion With Princess Nokia: The Smart Girl Club’s Oracle welcomes us into her Matrix – Nina Mashurova – Impose Magazine
• Why Princess Nokia Matters Now, More Than Ever – Amani Bin Shikhan – Noisey
• Princess Nokia: The modern pop icon talks politics, female empowerment, and debut album “1992 Deluxe” – Joe Madden – NME
• Princess Nokia: “At my shows, girls can take up space the way men do” – Alexis Petridis – The Guardian
• Princess Nokia – Zofia Ciechowska – Subbacultcha
• Meet Princess Nokia: The Feminist Icon Missing from Hip-Hop – Jenna Caldwell – Affinity Magazine