“I felt I deserved a songwriting credit because it was a No. 1 hit. They sold millions of records and I only got $200!” Flea’s bittersweet hip-hop recording experience

Flea on Bass Guitar (left) and Anthony Kiedis (right) of The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In 1989, when the Red Hot Chili Peppers had their first big hit with a frenzied cover of Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground, the group's hyperkinetic bass player, Flea, could also be seen hopping around MTV in the video for Young MC's colossal hip-hop crossover, Bust a Move.

The recording experience was bittersweet, however, as Flea told Bass Player in February ’96. “The bassline I wrote ended up being a major melody of the tune, and I felt I deserved songwriting credit and money because it was a No. 1 hit. They sold millions of records, and I only got $200!