indie covers of hip hop

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its ethans dream thread (no please ethan don't hit me, i'm sorry...)

ok, why are they all shit? are they all shit? i heard frank & walters do a live version of this once (god knows why i was there), it was awful, nearly as bad as their own songs...

― gareth, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

this=tone loc's funky cold latina

― gareth, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

AAAARGH! latina=medina, what am i thinking! my brain has been frazzled by that advert version of the song, where they're in the ford cortina with massive afro hair, and the car has an afro too, and they say 'funky ford cortina'. this thread is shit and now ethan wants to murder me

― gareth, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Eels did Get Ur Freak On at Reading last year and it was quite exciting.

― Austin, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

At college there was this horrible band that my band played a couple of shows with. At one show, they announced "OK, here's the song you've all been waiting for," and then played an awful version of "The Humpty Dance." It was pretty pathetic for two reasons, one because the song that "everyone was waiting for" was a cover song, and two because everyone knew that they only played it because the bass player wanted to do that sliding up and down the neck bassline.

― Nick A., Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Age of Chance to thread!!

― (just to make it the worst evah), Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

fIREHOSE: "Sophisticated Bitch" by Public Enemy
Sissy Bar: "Gin and Juice" - it actually transcends novelty status. Good job Sissy Bar.

In the reverse direction, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy covered "California Über Alles" by Dead Kennedys.

As for indie bands doing uncharacteristic forays into hip-hop, try the last song on Kleenex Girl Wonder's strange and wonderful _Smith_. Must be heard to be believed.

― Ernest, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

fIREHOSE: "Sophisticated Bitch" by Public Enemy
I was going to say that. Tu Dat. Represent, bro.

― Dave225, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

belle & sebastian covered da lench mob's 'seymour stein'

― ethan, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

also elliott smith stole 'my niggas is wit it / you want it come and get it / took it then we split it / you fuckin right we did it' from dmx

― ethan, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

damn I need to start listening to more elliot smith.

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Question about hip-hop covers of hip-hop: do they happen often? When they do, are the lyrics often kept the same?

My dream answer to the second question would be "no", the idea being that raps are to rap songs as solos are to bebop. Doing the same rap again would be as lame as playing the note-identical solo again in a jazz 'cover'.

Upshot: indie, or any non-rap, covers of rap are k-lame because they would probably not make up new verses.

(Exception: raps that become entrenched in some sense as being 'a song' to non-rap listeners, different in some sense from a rap track with raps on it.)

― Josh, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I seem to remember seeing some kind of cover of rapper's delight on trl a few years back (back when it was still called by it's full name even) but it sucked.

― dave k, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you mean the def squad cover? thats fucking briliant!!

― ethan, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

fuck - i wrote "it's" when i meant "its". i hate that. anyways, um, yeah, maybe the def squad. i think the video had a guy spinning on his head at some point, and that's pretty cool.

― dave k, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Supersuckers covered Ice Cube's "Dead Homiez." Saying it sounds better on paper than on record implies that it sounds good on paper.

Is my aging brain failing me or didn't some '90s Amerindie band cover a bunch of 2 Live Crew songs at a gig in Broward County, just to make a point and try to get arrested?

― Lee G, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Unholy Trio did some rockabilly/country sort of cover of Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise". It's... different. (Different meaning BAD AND WRONG AND DISEASED)

― Nate Patrin, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

World Domination Enterprises were possibly one of the first... (covering LL Cool J, in this case)

― Brian MacDonald, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

some '90s Amerindie band cover a bunch of 2 Live Crew songs

The legendary/notorious Too Much Joy, who are either brilliant, friendly jokesters or complete and utter bastards, depending on who you talk to.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the idea being that raps are to rap songs as solos are to bebop

Ah! So the words DON'T matter! ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ned some day I'm a take my belt to you and learn you a good one.

― Josh, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Would Gygax and Ristle approve, I wonder...

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What about Tricky's cover of "Black Steel"?

― Mark, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Speaking of Too Much Joy, they covered "That's a Lie!" by L. L. Cool J, with new lyrics, e.g. "No mom, I'm not on drugs," "Just one glass of wine with dinner, officer," "L.A., what a great place," and perhaps the classiest, "I won't come in your mouth."

― Ernest, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think that falls under my exemptions, Mark. Maybe because of the strong narrative structure?

― Josh, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Question about hip-hop covers of hip-hop: do they happen often? When they do, are the lyrics often kept the same?
Mos Def covers Newcleus' "Jam On It" and gives it new lyrics, though he shifts into this early-'80s-style flow for a few verses as a "tribute" to the original. Hilarity ensues.

― Nate Patrin, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Eels did Get Ur Freak On at Reading last year and it was quite exciting.

"Eels" and "exciting" don't belong in the same sentence, unless that was meant to be ironic...

― Nicole, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Barenaked Ladies did "Fight the Power". BEST SONG EVAH

― Sean Carruthers, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I once heard the Afghan Whigs do a medley of "California Love" and something by Destiny's Child (this was in New Orleans in 1998). As far as I could tell Dulli had an honest affection for both songs. And he did play with the words somewhat -- "NO NO NO NO NO, LA LA LA LA LA" and "Lou'siana love."

― j.lu, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw a local LA band called the Waking Hours do "Mama Said Knock You Out" that rocked.

― nickn, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

barenaked ladies. good lord

― Ron, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Smog inserted a little bit of "Baby Got Back" into one of their songs. I'm sure this doesn't count for any number of reasons but I don't care. My anaconda don't want none etc etc

― electric sound of jim, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What about Tricky's cover of "Black Steel"?
As grate as the original. If not better because of the added value.

― cuba libre (nathalie), Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No Jim modernistic allusion and referencing is ace! "If I'm going to write songs about the modern world then I have to be able to talk about all of the modern world in my songs." et cet

― Josh, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Vines version of 'Miss Jackson' sounds like a very stoned Kinks, but at least they're not fighting amongst themselves.

― Snotty Moore, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Not rap, but I saw Goldrush do an alt.country version of Destiny's Child - "Independent Womens". It was, uuuhhhh... better than most of their own material, that's for sure.

― speak of the devil, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought it was Elbow who covered "Independant Woman"? Ah well... Barenaked Ladies cover of "Fight the Power", best song ever. Eels' "Get Ur Freak On" third best song ever, behind the Eels' cover of "Because I Got High". Everlast's cover of "Children's Story": pointless. Mos Def's cover of "Children's Story": pointless. "Children's Story": pointless.

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, I know it was Goldrush, I've never shagged any of Elbow. Christ, figures - the most amusing thing they've ever done and even THAT wasn't original? Sheesh. Even less respect...

― speak of the devil, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Brazen Hussies, "Mind of a Lunatic"

― dave q, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the barenaked ladies "fight the power" cover is bizarredly wonderful.

― marek, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

possibly because of the absense of the ironic smirk you'd expect to be a criterion in an "indie cover of hip hop"?

― marek, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nah, it's because BNL are hot like wasabe when they bust rhymes.

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

it's not even just the rhymes, it's the trash-can percussion and everything. it's clear they really love the song, which seems to differ it from just about every other cover cited in this thread.

― marek, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

eight years pass...

http://stereogum.com/574142/jj-let-them-im-the-onemoney-on-my-mind/mp3s/

my friend sent me this but I dont want to vent to her so I'll vent here

ugh

― steendriver DUMB BIG, his HOOS got HOOS (dayo), Tuesday, 7 December 2010 03:55 (fifteen years ago)

funky cold latina

― bourgeoistech bourgeoisthèque (_Rudipherous_), Tuesday, 7 December 2010 04:15 (fifteen years ago)

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