5 Righteous Revamps from R&B and Rap Artists
What do Brittany Howard, Tame Impala, Paul McCartney, HAIM, and La Roux all have in common? They’ve all had their music remixed, reused, and recycled by R&B and rap artists.
Written by Audrey Kendrick
Photo courtesy of Douglas Mason
R&B and rap artists of today are notorious for breaking into different industries. Whether it be Childish Gambino’s self-directed TV show, Tyler the Creator’s fashion brand, or A$AP Rocky’s creative agency, it is apparent that their multifaceted talents and willingness to take on new projects also apply to singles they make outside their own albums. Naturally, they draw inspiration from different genres and sources while staying true to their individual styles. These are some of the highlights from what songs rappers and R&B artists chose to make their own.
“STAY HIGH (CHILDISH GAMBINO VERSION)” BY BRITTANY HOWARD
Only someone as bold as Donald Glover would want to mess with a Grammy-winning song. Opting out of the guitar-strung intro of the original track, Childish Gambino’s version starts with a dreamy string section as the precursor to its sunny backing beat. The new, faster tempo, the light piano synth, and the layered, harmonic vocals mix with heavenly string harmonies, developing a track that melts worries with its warmth. Small decisions add depth. Fading into otherworldly small breaks accompanied by the chiming of bells creates an intrigue of changing the song’s rhythm without losing its pace. Replacing the lyrics “wonderful, just fine, thank you” with his own spoken word deepens its lyrics into a dialogue that engages the listener. The end result is a dreamy remix with subtle additions and details that make it a masterpiece, in true Childish Gambino fashion.
“AUTOMATIC DRIVER (TYLER, THE CREATOR REMIX)” BY LA ROUX
Tyler must keep up with new releases from the 2000s English synthpop “Bulletproof” singer, because in 2020 he released a remix for a song off her third album. Making a slower, moodier beat from the original pep in “Automatic Driver,” his slower pace emphasizes each change of note and chord. Distortion of La Roux’s voice breaks down the previously structured pop verses, adding a wavy, unbalanced texture to the track. Percussion kicks in halfway though the song and easily welcomes a change in sound as Tyler’s classic full landscape of synth chords fill the track. The rework takes the original tones and colors of the song and smears them together with lower bass thunks, reclaiming them to be unmistakably Tyler’s.
“SUNDRESS” BY A$AP ROCKY
A$AP Rocky skillfully includes Tame Impala’s blurry, cathartic indie-rock guitar from “Why Won’t You Make up Your Mind” into a free-flowing track about working through a past heartbreak. Though both focus on sour feelings stemming from a rocky relationship, A$AP introduces a higher pitch and new lyrics that focus on moving beyond it. He adds stronger percussion and sharper vocals on top of Tame Impala’s looping guitars. With the additions of scattered oohs and ahs, he makes an organic bridge between his verses and the sample while stronger percussion breathes more R&B energy into its haze. A$AP’s upbeat personality and unbothered mentality smoothly blend into Kevin Parker’s style while staying noticeable, creating a gem of a song.
“WHEN WINTER COMES - ANDERSON .PAAK REMIX” BY PAUL MCCARTNEY
Ever since the famed Beatle decided to continue releasing new music, many artists have taken the chance to rework his newest album. Anderson .Paak signed up for the nostalgic, slightly folky “When Winter Comes” and flipped it into a delicately upbeat track. Softening the original staccato into intertwining and evolving chords from two pianos, Anderson .Paak alters the story told by the song’s descriptive lyrics. This contrasting, less somber outlook is furthered by trading the original acoustic guitars for lilting percussion. Little pieces of keyboarded harmony make their way underneath McCartney’s vocals. Anderson .Paak takes the song’s message of changing seasons and runs with it, creating a journey of a brisk day just after the shift from fall to winter.
“3 AM (FEAT. THUNDERCAT)” BY HAIM
After already making a song with the same title as HAIM, Thundercat decided to make another. His distinctly deep bass lines and smooth vocals colliding with HAIM’s immaculate diction and cool-girl aesthetic results in an explosive crossover. Leaving the intro untouched, Thundercat smudges the edges out of HAIM’s vocals in the verses, creating a soft underwater effect. Each phrase is echoed, adding a sense of peace to a track that rants about being unsettled by late-night hookups. Thundercat’s buttery voice resurfaces in the later verses and sounds like it always belonged. Along with the bassist’s thoughtful edits, his hushed timbre throughout the track makes an already well-rounded “3 AM” even easier to appreciate.
As creators, R&B and rap artists offer new perspectives that hold the potential to strengthen other genres and even other industries. With strong rhythms, harmonies, and pursuit of making something unique, they develop reflections of themselves. Although the collaborations can seem unexpected, their outcomes are unquestionably catchy tributes to what each artist initially recognized in a song and what they decided to reinvent.