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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ah yessss boyce avenue is amazing
I agree… Ben Folds “Bitches Ain’t Shit” is great, but Jenny Owen Youngs “Hot in Herre” will always be my fave!!! The video totally rocks.
Hey I Think You Should Of Put One Of The Wombats Songs On! Even Tho Leona Lewis And Take That Arn’t Rap There Still Mint Covers Of Bleeding Love And Patance! Good List!
(Soz I Carn’t Spell Patiance Very Well!)
Yu All Need Limewire! Geeze Old People..
xx Amie
milow “ayo technology”
My all time fav is Dan Black’s version of Biggie’s “Hypnotize”
http://www.myspace.com/danblacksound
INCREDIBLE!
Milow-ayo technology
im goin insane trying to figure this out, i have this song that i put on my xbox a long time ago and i just listened to it and its an acustic song and its like got the song rough riders, and an eminem song and a 50 cent song all in the same song, it starts off “see rap crap thats what i wanna hear, audio art its candy to my ears”
let me know if anyone know who sings it and what they called it.
Just trying to keep this thread alive….
I LOVE the song “Pony†by a band called Far
AWESOME!
My list =)
1. Pony – Far
2. Lollipop – Framing Hanley
3. Cry Me A River – Lostprophets
4.Umbrella – All Time Low
5.Sexyback – Just Surrender
6. Milkshake – Goodnight Nurse
7. Swing – Miss May I
8. Hey Ya – Lorene Drive
9. I Wanna Love You – The Maine
10. Still Fly – The Devil Wears Prada
11. Since You’ve been Gone – A Day To Remember
12. Push It – Ten masked Men
13. Get Low – I set my friends on Fire
14. I Kissed A Girl – Attack Attack
15. Gangsta’s Paradise – In Fear & Faith
Punk Goes Crunk – Is releasing a new album VERYsoon too.
Trying to figure out who does this really great cover of “Get Low” by Lil Jon. It’s driving me nuts. Any ideas? It’s in this episode of Red Bar Radio at the 47:35 minute mark.
This list sucks bawls
Very insightful comment, Brent. Thanks for taking the time. Also a very clever misspelling of “balls,”although I’m not sure it was intentional.
you should add I Wanna Love You Akon/Snoop Dogg cover by THE MAINE
Ride Wit Me (Nelly) by I Call Shot Gun. Check em out on MySpace.
Freakin’ Awesome.
Google the album “Punk Goes Crunk”
The Devil Wears Prada does a cover of Still fly, its by far one of the best covers of a rap song i have ever heard.
kthanks.
They are all great. I was wondering if anyone covers the Bones, Thugs and Harmony album.
OK you have most of the best on here…but I would rank top 3:
1)SexyBack-Rock Plaza Central
2)Bitches Ain’t Shit- Ben Folds
3) Boyz in the Hood-Dynamite Hack
The Gourds I would probably put at 4…but to have Ben Folds cover outside the top 10 is crack smokin’
OK wait that Eels cover was epic! I’ll put the Eels with the Gourds and there is my top 5…any order works for me.
Framing Henley – lollipop
Skindred – Electric Avenue
A Static Lullaby – Toxic (way better version the the one previously listed)
DEFINITELY consider “Pony,” originally by Ginuwine but covered expertly by Far:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCabbRjkmmM
jake, the song you are referring to is foreverDown- Rap Medley.
what about Tally Hall’s cover of “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie? It’s gotta be the best rap cover out there by a long shot.
these guys called the frank & todd show do an acoustic cover of regulators by warren g that’s pretty bad ass.
http://www.thefrankandtoddshow.com/
actually all of their covers are pretty good. they even do the theme song from Growing Pains. ha!
Yo freaks dont 4get about the Jonathan Davis cover of “We Got Money” from lil wayne
Limp Bizkit “Ice Ice Baby”
DOPE they cover NWA “fxck the Police”
Nonpoint cover a couple Tribute songs called “TRIBUTE” on the first album and SCREAMO does “Apple bottom jeans” I 4got who lolipop by lilwayne…Later
Two really good ones:
Missy Elliot cover by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Hot Boyz
Kanye West cover by Nite Club – Good Life
Scott Simon “Umbrella”, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yD6lZtYPEk
The Gossip “R U That Somebody”
“Boyz in tha Hood” is a classic, but my #1 vote still goes to Travis Morrison.
Hey all!
i really think framing hanley doing lil waynes lollipop is awesome!
Heres some that you guys forgot
Both these bands nailed these songs!!
No Coast November – Whatever you like(TI Cover)
The Suit- Just Dance(lady Gaga)
This is the link for a No Coast November…
Welp I have failed miserably at putting the links up… haha they are mixed up… Anyways if you go to myspace they are both on there… SORRYSORRY!
Totally new fav is
Anya marina whatever you like
@ #61, that’s Nice Peter that does the Get Low version. He appears on Red Bar Radio once in a long white as a guest cohost.
Anya Marina “Whatever You Like” (T.I. cover). My favorite one.
I love Straight outta Compton
No one mentioned Boyce Avenue, he has quite a few acoustic remakes of all kinds of songs. Amazing singer!
Love the list!
Check out our cover of City High’s What Would You Do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKCWrV0NKGI&feature=channel
Some kick ass covers on here but I have to say that the acoustic-oriented covers are much better than the screamo covers from punk goes crunk.
Womanizer by the All American Rejects. One of the best.
‘ Crazy ‘ is not a rap song.
Just because it’s sung by a black person does not make it hip hop / rap.
Ray Lamontagne’s cover of Crazy is AMAZING!
I cant BELIEVE Whatever You Like by Anya Marina isn’t on here!
But I was happy to see that a couple other people know of it and pointed that out as well. That song is amazing.
Emily Wells – Juicy (Notorious B.I.G.)
Anya Marina – Whatever you like (T.I.)
Let’s not forget Andrew Jackson Jihad’s cover of Fuck White People by NWA!
I Call Shotgun – Ride With Me (Nelly Cover)
In late 2006 a compilation album was making the rounds of p2p networks, called “Reparations – White People Singing Words Written By Black People”. It was compiled by the nice folks at somethingawful.com and was made up of:
01 Ben Folds – Bitches Ain’t Shit
02 Boss Hoss – Hot In Herre
03 Mat Weddle – Hey Ya
04 Nina Gordon – Straight Outta Compton
05 Tricky – Black Steel
06 Jonathan Coulton – Baby Got Back
07 Dynamite Hack – Boys In The Hood
08 The Unholy Trio – Bring The Noise
09 The Vines – Miss Jackson
10 Travis Morrison – Whats Your Fantasy
11 Chance – Milkshake
12 The Gourds – Gin and Juice
It is an awesome mix to cruise, playing through the windows and sunroof.
You guys have put together a fantastic list, and I will be compiling a new mix for my ride.
I’m out, bitches!!
So maybe you will like this cover of Love King-The dream by Panda Transport
http://soundcloud.com/panda-transport/love-king-the-dream-panda-transport-cover
Very nice. A good indie cover of a non rap song is by Sydney band Circle covering Elliot Smith and his beautiful song Baby Britain, check it out!
Umbrella by Vanilla Sky is the best one!
Crazy by Kooks
These are really not representative of what is indie. I don’t see The Boy Illinois, or GODJewels, or Blink, or FA the Squad for Rap. Indie means you are independent with no money for promo, You can’t afford to pay the blogs or music sites. All these groups do.
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