Top 10 Indie Covers of Rap Songs at HearYa

Top 10 Indie Covers of Rap Songs

Published by oz May 25th, 2007 in MP3's, Music Musings.

If you are an unknown band looking for exposure, I’m pretty sure all you need to do is cover a rap song. If you can work out an acoustic or bluegrass version, you’re bound to get people playing it at parties and dumb ass bloggers like me posting mp3’s on their sites. You might even score yourself a hit. Remember Dynamite Hack?

If you are too much of a purist to get suckered in to these shameless cover songs, I offer a challenge. At your next party, get your friends all liquored up and put on “Gin and Juice” by the Gourds. I guarantee that it will end up playing on repeat and things will get weird.

And yes, I know Fergie and JT don’t qualify as rap, but I had to get to 10 tracks somehow.

1. The Gourds - Gin and Juice (Snoop Dogg)

2. Rock Plaza Central - SexyBack (Justin Timberlake)

3. Travis Morrison - What’s Your Fantasy? (Ludacris)

4. Nina Gordon - Straight Outta Compton (NWA)

5. Jill Sobule - Hot in Herre (Nelly)

6. Port O’Brien - My Humps (Fergie)

7. Brent Runyan - Bring the Noise (Public Enemy)

8. Jonathan Coultan - Baby Got Back (Sir Mix-a-Lot)

9. Kooks - Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)

10. Dynamite Hack - Boyz in the Hood (NWA)

Honorable Mention:

Ben Folds Five - Bitches ain’t Shit (Dr. Dre)

45 Responses to “Top 10 Indie Covers of Rap Songs”

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1 Greg May 25th, 2007 at 11:48 am

Now I have to admit I have two Gourds albums just based on the “Gin n Juice” cover AND the Dynamite Hack version of “Boyz in the Hood.” I feel so dirty.
2 Oz May 25th, 2007 at 12:47 pm

I was also introduced to the gourds through their gin and juice cover. They acquired at least two fans with the banjo-rap tactics. It’s irresistible.
3 Loren May 26th, 2007 at 11:29 am

For the longest time I thought the “Gin and Juice” song was done by Phish, no wonder I could never find it. Oh no!!! the file just cut the song off. Does anyone have a full version?
4 oz May 27th, 2007 at 9:15 am

Loren - I think I have the full version somewhere on my hard drive, untagged. I’ll try to track it down this weekend.
5 Choppers May 27th, 2007 at 8:23 pm

Is Banjo-rap a certified genre?!
6 oz May 27th, 2007 at 10:17 pm

Not yet. Let’s hope we have some brave pioneer that gets it done…kind of like Fred Durst did with Rap-Metal.

It’s the beginning of the end already.
7 me May 29th, 2007 at 8:09 am

you forgot about The Magic Numbers cover of Crazy in Love. (jayz and beyonce)

http://stream.en04.com/emi/200510-1/magic_numbers_crazy_in_love.html
8 Jeff May 29th, 2007 at 9:58 pm

You def should have included Josh Kelley’s version of Snoop’s “Lodi Dodi”! It’s great!
http://www.sendspace.com/file/2np5vj
9 dustin Jun 11th, 2007 at 9:38 am

ok the gourds or w/e did not do that song its REHAB its even on one of there old cds… wow u guys are stupid
10 oz Jun 11th, 2007 at 7:36 pm

While I agree that we are stupid, I’m pretty sure we are right on this. Feel free to check here: http://www.thegourds.com/videos.html.
11 dan Jun 20th, 2007 at 8:09 am

matt weddle “hey ya” (outkast)
12 kara Jul 16th, 2007 at 5:18 pm

i prefer jenny owen youngs’ version of hot in here

its pretty much the shit
13 Paisley Jul 22nd, 2007 at 9:45 am

here is the full version of The Gourds’ “Gin & Juice” for whoever was lookin’ for it

http://www.sendspace.com/file/lftbkk
14 Kelly Jul 22nd, 2007 at 1:59 pm

I still believe you should’ve used Ben Kweller’s “Ice Ice Baby.”
15 Callie Jul 26th, 2007 at 10:23 am

Does anyone know another place to find covers of hip hop songs in general?
16 Ben Aug 7th, 2007 at 7:14 am

I think there’s a better cover of Baby Got Back out there. Search for Uncle Leon on MySpace, he’s got a semi- Rockabilly cover of it. Funny stuff
17 Bjarke Aug 10th, 2007 at 9:58 am

Thanks for the list. I’m working of getting a collection of hip-hop covers. I currently only have two, namely the great covers by Ben Folds and The Gourds. Speaking of Ben Folds:

“And yes, I know Fergie and JT don’t qualify as rap, but I had to get to 10 tracks somehow.”

The cover of Bitches Ain’t Shit is fantastic and ain’t even on the list?!… I think it would make #1 on my list, should I ever make one.
18 Ed Aug 12th, 2007 at 9:18 pm

There is an mp3 of Drive By Truckers performing “Hey Ya” floating around out there and it’s not bad. Poison (yeah, I know…) has a funny take on “SexyBack” on their new album.
19 Ben Aug 16th, 2007 at 11:43 am

Here’s a spot you can download the mp3 of the Drive By Trucker’s Hey Ya

http://www.archive.org/details/dbt2004-05-06
20 Megan Oct 2nd, 2007 at 10:32 am

yeah, definitely listen to Jenny Owen Youngs version of Hot in Herre…
it’s the bomb.
21 Lyndzi Oct 7th, 2007 at 11:45 am

I’m not gonna lie, I think this shit is funny. I’m really diggin the Baby Got Back. I feel lame for saying it though.
22 Jarrett Oct 8th, 2007 at 3:12 pm

how about Umbrella by Scott Simons
23 Vlay Oct 26th, 2007 at 5:31 pm

I would have to include the Supersuckers’ cover of Cube’s “Dead Homiez”

http://amonkeyrodeo.com//assets/Music/Covers/Supersuckers-DeadHomiez.mp3

I’m shit out of bandwith right now, but check back in a day or so. It is a killer version.
24 shannon Nov 4th, 2007 at 1:33 pm

Mat Weddle , “Hey Ya”! Better than any of these.
25 Weirdwallpaper Nov 4th, 2007 at 10:40 pm

It sucks that no one knew that was the Gourds back in the napster/audiogalaxy days. They missed out on a lot of publicity. People always had that song listed as Ween and Phish, Ween was at least a decent guess, but I don’t see how people thought it was Phish. The Gourds are still at it and the new one is pretty good BTW.
26 brie Nov 8th, 2007 at 1:07 pm

makes me wonder - marie digby

best songgg
27 oz Nov 10th, 2007 at 3:31 pm

Justin - Just right click on the link and then “Save Link As.” You can download the mp3’s to your computer and then open them with iTunes or import them into your itunes.
28 zita Nov 14th, 2007 at 4:03 am

i’m loving
I WANNA LOVE YOU (AKON) - THE MAINE
29 Mel C Jan 10th, 2008 at 7:02 pm

How Come(d12) by Embrace
AAAAWWWWWEEEEEEESSSSSSOOOOMMMMEEEe!!!!!!
30 Romanisonfire Jan 17th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

like zita said
i wanna love you by the maine is killer
31 daryan Jan 18th, 2008 at 1:59 am

ah, these are good sonnnn

post up some mo’
XD
32 Elton John Feb 3rd, 2008 at 7:46 pm

You guys are all f@#%ing tools. Gimmicky music motherf@#&%#s.
33 Brian Keesbury Feb 15th, 2008 at 11:51 am

Eels - Get Ur Freak On (Missy Elliot)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIeqZ3qPFWs
34 Gonk Feb 19th, 2008 at 11:41 am

Also listen to KT Tunstalls - Get your Freak on
35 Kara (Number 2 i suppose) Mar 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm

okay so rap covers are my new obsession my list might go

I wanna love you- The Maine
Umbrella- Marie Digby
Gin and Juice- Phish
Bitches Aint Shit (which is actually maybe my fave?) - Ben Folds Five
and
i’m so happy to listen to the ones you guys left

p.s seeing a girl named Kara on here really makes me think all Kara;s are legit cool and hip
36 Bridget Mar 21st, 2008 at 11:29 pm

great list. gotta agree with the jenny owen youngs version being the better of the two..

love bitches ain’t shit… ha.
37 Mr.Orange Mar 27th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

I think they should add or at least mention The Maine - I want to love you (Akon Cover)
38 tonelle Apr 6th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

excellent indie/hardcore/pop covers:

Umbrella cover - All Time Low
Hot In Herre cover - Jenny Owen Youngs
I Wanna Love You cover - The Maine
Milkshake cover - Goodnight Nurse
Where’d You Go cover - Fort Minor
Time After Time cover - Saosin
I Love Rock N’ Roll cover - Britney Spears
Satisfaction cover - Britney Spears
Low cover - Brokencyde
Crank Dat Calvary Boy cover - I Set My Friends On Fire
Since You’ve Been Gone cover - Ted Leo

enjoy
39 parker Apr 23rd, 2008 at 8:14 pm

since you’ve been gone cover - a day to remember
still fly cover - the devil wears prada
40 Miss Lebron Apr 30th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

check out my friends cover of soulja boy, u wont get sick of this version.

http://skochoer.googlepages.com/soulja.mp3
41 Lyndsey. May 1st, 2008 at 1:57 pm

Ride wit me (Originally by Nelly) by Kellen Malloy is amaaazing!
42 Miss Lebron May 1st, 2008 at 9:53 pm

boyce avenue covers a bunch of recent songs, pretty amazing too.
43 emanon May 4th, 2008 at 12:23 pm

obadiah parker- hey ya
44 Megs May 13th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

Forever The Sickest Kids - Men In Black (Will Smith Cover)

Awesome!