The prominent jungle music veteran, General Levy, has disclosed that he has never obtained any royalties for his renowned track, ‘Incredible’. Released by Renk Records and produced by M-Beat, the song was first released in 1994, and appeared at number 39 on the UK Singles Chart. A few months later, the track was re-released with brand-new mixes and went on to achieve greater heights, rising to number eight and remaining on the charts for twelve weeks. ‘Incredible’ also holds the title of being the first jungle track to achieve a top ten spot in the UK.
General Levy recently stated in a new DJ Mag interview that he has never received a royalties statement from either London Records or Renk Records. He explained that London Records acknowledged the potential of the independently created track and agreed to negotiate with Renk despite Levy having no involvement. The two companies ultimately reached a licensing agreement and subsequently re-released the song. Levy made clear that he had approached both labels to seek clarity regarding royalties, but neither was in a position to provide him with a satisfactory response, blaming the other instead. In turn, Levy has never received a royalties statement for the song.
Levy admitted he had no idea how much money ‘Incredible’ generated or eventually sold. Furthermore, there have been numerous compilations, with a release in multiple countries around the world, but he’s never obtained even a single pound from the industry. Levy expressed his dissatisfaction with both labels’ apathy towards the situation, as he has been unable to get any clarification from either of them.
The track has received numerous accolades since it first appeared in 1994. Ben Willmott of NME praised its infectious character and General Levy’s impressive ragga rap, noting it as a colossal hit. Notably, numerous people have sampled the song, including Beyoncé, who sampled it in her performance of ‘Baby Boy’ at the 2003 VMA Awards. On another note, General Levy linked up with the “First Lady of Drum ‘n’ Bass” DJ Rap last November to release the single and video ‘Life of the Party
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