Business…here’s my welcoming letter for college hoops season in the ACC. It’s pretty fun.
Moving on, been a while since I’ve been able to do a list. Having a real job has really cut into the blogging time. Either way, I’m back.
Now let’s go…
Shut ‘Em Down, Public Enemy. Possibly the gold standard.
Player’s Anthem, Junior M.A.F.I.A. Of course because for Biggie’s verse. “That’s OK, she was old anyway…”
All About the Benjamins, Puff Daddy and the Family. I’m hesitant to add this because the remix is the version that’s most commonly known. However, it’s too dope not to put on any list when given the opportunity.
One More Chance, Notorious B.I.G. I think I’m done adding Biggie stuff, I promise. But it’s amazing how something as raw and, quite honestly, vulgar as the album version of “One More Chance” could be turned into something as smooth as the remix.
Freek’n You, Jodeci. When Ghost and Rae seemed like they had the best chemistry outside of Run DMC.
Re-Akshon, Killer Mike. Really, Mike’s criminally underrated. As is this cut, which has the best non-“Murder” verse from Bun-B.
Hell Yeah, dead prez. I’ll be honest–this song is pretty friggin’ ignorant at points. The idea that robbing the pizza man is an act of revolution is preposterous. However, the song’s doep, the track’s incredible, and Jigga is Jigga.
PSA II, Jay-Z. Is this one better than the original? I believe so.
Feelin On Yo’ Booty, R. Kelly. Yeah, I said it. And I’ll swear by it.
Anything, SWV. O-o-o-oooo-ol’…
Scenario, A Tribe Called Quest. I still haven’t gotten tired of this one.
Dead Wrong, Notorious B.I.G. Okay, one more with Biggie, but just because the Eminem verse is absolutely incredible.
Take You Out, Luther Vandross. This isn’t next-level dope, but putting that song over Snoop’s “Lay Low” was a great move.
Get By, Talib Kweli. I point specifically to the one with Mos, Jigga, Kanye and Busta. For this was the moment I realized that Kanye was going to pull of a serious solo career. Even with his awkward flow and, at that time, dreadful breath control, he outshines that all-star cast.
I Got 5 On It, Luniz. I think everybody in Oakland but Bobby Seale and Short were on this cut.
Love No Limit, Mary J. Blige. Mary’s one of the few people to put out a remix album that I actually liked. And from that record, this is my favorite one.
Pick a Song, God’s Stepson. I’m not as big a Little Brother fan as I was before, but 9th shows his ass on every track here.
All I Need, Method Man. I’m referring to the Razor Sharp remix, not the Puff Daddy joint. The Razor Sharp version might be the most improbably Top 5 Pop single ever, even more surprising than “When Doves Cry.”
Ladies Night, Lil Kim and every female rapper working at the time. I’m not wild about the cheesy Kool and the Gang sample, but the ladies handle bidness on this one.
How High, Redman and Method Man. Help me out here–was the version on The Show the remix? That’s the one I’m going with here. But to be honest, the other version’s pretty dope, too.
Simon Says, Pharoah Monch. Redman, baby. “Respect me like the Fonz, you see the collar up.” Reggie’s so incredible to me.
I’m Serious, T.I. This was the height of Lil Jon’s powers, 2001. This was the best of that era of his beats, which were designed to completely fill the club with sounds. Filled more of all registers than the stuff he does now.
Nappy Headz, Fugees. The only reason they were even allowed to make the second record that made them stars…and enemies.
So Fresh, So Clean, OutKast. This was one of those cuts that reminds you why Snoop is dope. Just because he’s Snoop. He’s nowhere near the lyricist either Big Boi or Andre is, but he hangs with no problems because he’s just the coolest cat on the track. And that’s sayin somethin when you’re on a track with Big Boi.
Crossroads, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Because radio beat this song to death, it’s taken me ten years to remember how incredible this song was the first time I heard it. Bonus points for a boss video.
Have a good weekend. Gonna be outta touch a few days, for I’m going to give a talk early next week at the University of Vermont.
14 thoughts on “25 Dope Remixes”
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First of all you need NEVER apologize for listing Biggie remixes. Who can touch the man? To this day?
Secondly I would personally add the So-So Def remix of “Sleeping In My Bed” by Dru Hill to this list. Take or leave Da Brat and JD’s verses, the loop was off the CHAIN and it was ALL you heard that summer on the dancefloor.
Bo,
Get out of my head AND stay out of my CDs.
Dude, you got me headed to YouTube right now to look up these videos and to relive my high school days.
You’re baccckkkk! Yay! So somehow, someway I think that we were separated at birth, and this list proves it. First off, the Shut Em Down remix is one of my favorite songs ever, AND the video is off the chain! I would get chills everytime it came on. One More Chance, what can you even say that would do it justice? That song represents so much of what was going on not just in the music, but in the culture of the city (NY that is), at the time it came out. The What’s the 411 remix album, wow, still one of my favorites. No one was checking for the Fugees until Nappy Heads. I remember hearing them on the Stretch and Bobbito radio show, and it was like will somebody get them nigga’s off the mic already? After the Nappy Heads remix dropped, it was a wrap. (Lauryn – “they call me cock weasel/but I’ll still cave a chest”) Wow. You know I rep. Jersey all day, everyday, so anything Reggie Noble touches is all right by me.
Nice.
Bjork’s remixes are always interesting, especially the “Bachelorette”/”Joga” ones.
I’m also a fan of the “Simon Says” Remix, but only the verses by Redman and Monch–he sounds like he’s possessed on this one!
More rap remix goodness:
O.C.’s “Born 2 Live” (Organized Konfusion mix).
Slick Rick’s “Behind Bars” (Dum Ditty Dum Remix).
NWA’s “Dopeman” remix.
Cappadonna’s “Slang Editorial” (Madlib remix). This is a face-scruncher. Just nasty.
Madlib is also responsible for 2 Common remixes (“Car Horn” and “I Gotta Right”) and 2 MOP remixes (“No Holds Barred” and “Stompdashitoutya”) that are exceptional–he puts MOP over smoothed out, jazzy keys, and it works!
As for recent remixes, I’d add, the Go Crazy remix with Jeezy and Jigga man. I don’t think Jeezy is even close to peaking yet – he’s just figuring out the rap game right now cause he’s fresh into it. But I think in another few years, when he breaks some more eardrums with stronger lyrical records – we’ll think about when Jigga man dropped the best post-Black Album verse with Jeezy setting the table. I obviously can always do without Fat Joe, but it’s worth it just for Jeezy and Jigga.
“Welcome to Atlanta” remix. For my money, Puffy absolutely kills it. ” Welcome to New York muthafuckas, where we don’t play and out-of-towners get got like every day.” I love hearing that shit come from Puff’s mouth. I think he’s got a money voice, cadence, and accent.
Best Remixes ever:
Freek-n-u
Jodeci
Anything -Remix
SWV
In my Bed
Dru Hill
One More Chance
BIG
Come and Talk to Me
Jodeci
Fantasy w/ ODB
Mariah Carey
Tour
Capleton (don’t sleep on the reggae 🙂 )
I Want to Be Down (Remix)
Brandy
U Don’t Have to Call
Usher feat. Ludacris
All About the Benjamins
Puff and Family
No One Else (Remix)
Total
I think I can go on and on…but honestly, HOW AMAZING were the 90’s! Damn, I miss a good remix with ghostface, ODB, BIG, Meth…
I’m virtually positive that Puffy doesn’t write anything and gets ghostwritten almost as much as Dr. Dre, if not more. On the flip side, his new album is fire – you know he doesn’t write his own stuff when he admits when he writes “some” of his songs.
Either way, he’s cool by me.
Who cares if Puff or rappers don’t write their own lyrics. Most singers don’t writer their own lyrics either.
I care because then they shouldn’t be quoted for that line and given credit. Singers get praise for how they sing a line, not usually for what they say. Rappers get praise for what they say, not how they sing it or say it. So from that standpoint, if you’re gonna quote Diddy, just make sure you realize that he didn’t really have a say in it.
You may not care. But I do.
^^^
I think that this is the biggest problem with most rap criticism.
Yes, rap centers around lyrics, but the voice, flow, cadence, etc. is just as important, and in many cases, even more important. It is music, after all, despite what the old folks say.
Rapping is not simply a delivery system for words. Good rappers have to be good vocalists. Good lyricists are not necessarily good vocalists (anybody whose been disappointed by hearing a great poet read his or her work knows what I’m talking about).
Just about everyone I know who’s been listening to rap since the early 80s through the early 90s, praises rappers for the HOW as much as for the WHAT. Have you never talked to a Buckshot fan? A Monch or Guru fan, a fan of Biggie, Pac, Snoop, hell, a fan of any Southern rapper with a drawl?
In my experience, the only people who act as if vocalism doesn’t matter are rock critics, who don’t really “get” rap on its own terms, as well as those who actively hate anything mainstream or not “conscious.” These people often fool themselves into thinking that mediocre or terrible rappers are good simply because they have a relatively positive message.
eauhellzgnaw:
First of all, your name gets me every time, haha. Second of all, I couldn’t agree with you more. I agree that voice and cadence and flow has a LOT to do with how well a rapper is received. My only point was, in retrospect, that if someone is gonna praise a rapper on what he said in terms of lyrics, they shouldn’t be so quick to praise him/her specifically until they know he actually wrote it. That’s all. But you made some great points and I completely agree with all of them.
Btw, Monch actually writes a lot of Diddy’s ish. I’ve heard that he wrote over 50% of “Press Play.”
I understand. That’s a very fair point.
I think Diddy’s Monch impersonation isn’t half bad. Oddly enough, he has a bigger problem trying to sound like Nas.