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)
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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.
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.
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?
Loren – I think I have the full version somewhere on my hard drive, untagged. I’ll try to track it down this weekend.
Is Banjo-rap a certified genre?!
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.
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
You def should have included Josh Kelley’s version of Snoop’s “Lodi Dodi”! It’s great!
http://www.sendspace.com/file/2np5vj
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
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.
matt weddle “hey ya” (outkast)
i prefer jenny owen youngs’ version of hot in here
its pretty much the shit
here is the full version of The Gourds’ “Gin & Juice” for whoever was lookin’ for it
http://www.sendspace.com/file/lftbkk
I still believe you should’ve used Ben Kweller’s “Ice Ice Baby.”
Does anyone know another place to find covers of hip hop songs in general?
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
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.
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.
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
yeah, definitely listen to Jenny Owen Youngs version of Hot in Herre…
it’s the bomb.
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.
how about Umbrella by Scott Simons
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.
Mat Weddle , “Hey Ya”! Better than any of these.
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.
makes me wonder – marie digby
best songgg
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.
i’m loving
I WANNA LOVE YOU (AKON) – THE MAINE
How Come(d12) by Embrace
AAAAWWWWWEEEEEEESSSSSSOOOOMMMMEEEe!!!!!!
like zita said
i wanna love you by the maine is killer
ah, these are good sonnnn
post up some mo’
XD
You guys are all f@#%ing tools. Gimmicky music motherf@#&%#s.
Eels – Get Ur Freak On (Missy Elliot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIeqZ3qPFWs
Also listen to KT Tunstalls – Get your Freak on
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
great list. gotta agree with the jenny owen youngs version being the better of the two..
love bitches ain’t shit… ha.
I think they should add or at least mention The Maine – I want to love you (Akon Cover)
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
since you’ve been gone cover – a day to remember
still fly cover – the devil wears prada
check out my friends cover of soulja boy, u wont get sick of this version.
http://skochoer.googlepages.com/soulja.mp3
Ride wit me (Originally by Nelly) by Kellen Malloy is amaaazing!
boyce avenue covers a bunch of recent songs, pretty amazing too.
obadiah parker- hey ya
Forever The Sickest Kids – Men In Black (Will Smith Cover)
Awesome!
Miss Lebron, who is that covering Soulja Boy?
I fell in love!
Shawn Colvin does an awesome, haunting version of Gnarls Barkleys
” crazy “..gives a totally different spin on the song.
Di I help inspire this blog? Now I am giving myself too much credit
I am always on the look out for rap covers. I find them strangely addictive. I will always love Ben Kweller’s version of ice ice baby. It’s old, but you still have to give him credit for my knowledge of every lyric.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iZv_gX-MATY
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)
The Maine – I want to love you (Akon cover) is fully my favorite.
they are great. they should be on that list !
although, I must admit that All Time Low does a good rhianna cover with their version of umbrella.
The Devil Wears Prada cover of Still Fly is way better than any of these covers.
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