When Rap Songs Are Flipped Into Hot R&B Jams
Melodic interpretations of hip hop classics.
1 / 10
A Tribe Called Quest “Bonita Applebum” – Tyrese “Dumb S**t“ - Twenty-four years after ATCQ’s 1990 hip hop smash “Bonita Applebum” rocked clubs from shore to shore, singer/actor Tyrese appropriated the beat for his latest R&B hit expressing his regrets about blatantly screwing up a relationship because of, well, ya know. (Photos from left: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images, Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)
2 / 10
A Tribe Called Quest “Hot Sex” – Mary J. Blige “Love @ 1st Sight” - The queen of hip hop soul has built a career on converting classic rap songs into R&B bangers. And for her 2003 LP Love & Life she, too, dug into ATCQ’s beat bag, lifting the rhythm of their 1992 hit “Hot Sex (On a Platter)” from the soundtrack for the film Boomerang. (Photos from left: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Samsung, C.Smith/ WENN.com)
3 / 10
Notorious B.I.G. “Juicy” – Tamar Braxton “The One” - When Grammy-nominated R&B diva Tamar Braxton wanted to add that smooth hip hop flavor to her 2013 cut “The One,” she went to the sampled magic of Big Poppa’s 1994 rap music classic “Juicy.” (Photos from left: David Corio/Redferns, D Dipasupil/Getty Images for BET)
4 / 10
Jay Z “Song Cry” – Keyshia Cole “You’ve Changed” - Jay Z’s expression of reflection and regret on his 2002 hit “Song Cry” showed the emotional vulnerability of a hustler. Three years later, the then new princess of hip hop soul flipped Jay’s track for her own single “You’ve Changed.” (Photos from left: Ron Smits/London Ent/Splash News, Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
5 / 10
Notorious B.I.G “One More Chance” (Remix) – Ashanti “Foolish” - For her debut as the first lady of the Murder Inc. family, singer Ashanti wanted to rock the boulevard as well as the pop charts. To do that, she put a softer edge on B.I.G.’s “One More Chance” remix with her 2002 breakout R&B hit “Foolish.” (Photos from left: Chris Walter/WireImage, PNP/WENN.com)
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