This is the first playlist I’ve collaborated on. I gave up about half the songs for her, but she helped give this playlist more direction and make more sense. When I usually create playlists I tend to miss out on the obvious, and get called out for it later, but she kept me in check for this one. Plus she had a few good songs (more than me).
Here’s Lauren’s intro to our Valentine’s Day playlist, or anti-Valentine’s Day, “Hip Hop & Heartbreak.”
I’m up at 3am and I just gotta post this Timberlake remix. WhiteNoize is so fucking on point with this beat for Suit & Tie. It gets rid of that terribly repetitive JT chorus and pops it off electro-nice. And really made me realize that I actually do like Timberlake & Jay-Z’s vocal contributions, it’s just that beat that needed work. Good work, WhiteNoize.
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This two-piece, electro-remix EP bounces glitch heavy, but it’s not until the second remix, ‘Twitch,’ where KrossBow does just about everything right. ‘Twitch’ borrows vocals from Jay-Z’s ‘Public Service Announcement,’ but unlike most, chops ’em up just right. A good something for all you glitch fans.
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Urban Noize is a set of twin producers based out of Miami, Floria. The two just finished up their Brooklyn. Chicago. London. mashup project with a Jay-Z // Adele mash.
“Won’t Go (Wishing)” takes on Jay-Z’s “Wishing on a Star” & Adele’s “He Won’t Go.” The mashup feels more like an original, really just because of how well the two vocals match up, but I guess that’s what makes or breaks a mashup anyways. The beat also pulls in from both originals, yet still keeps to a clean & simple melody. I haven’t checked out any other tracks from the project, but based off this, I’m heading there right now.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/25943480" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
May not hit as hard as VOODOO FARM’s remix, but the twists & turns Mark Kill pulls off in this are quite unexpected (in a good way). From the “Thriller” samples to the voice manipulations, this “Niggas in Paris” remix takes a bunch of mad sounds (literally) and focuses ’em into one mind pumping take on Jay-Z & Kanye’s romp around the City of Light.
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Caught this in my spam box – don’t know why, maybe you PR peeps need to stop floodin my box (that’s what she said) – but from the start this dubstep remix has done it right. Not only is the bass placed & tuned perfect, but Jay & Yeezy’s lyrics are brought out harder than any other remix has – or the original did. I’ll be bumbin this for daysssss.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/24446388" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
Put a little wobble to that swag and we get A.Skillz remix of “Otis”. Can’t say I was the biggest fan of the original – I think Otis was in need of some funkedout wobble. Plus, I’m never one to resist an A.Skillz remix. He’s a genYus.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/24344672" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
There are many things to say about the music coming from DOSVEC, aka DJ Whatt, but what stands out the most is his ability to mash emerging styles. Mashup artists are the purveyors of what styles should already be working together, but haven’t quite gotten the clue, yet. DOSVEC takes many opposing styles and makes our ears’ adjust to something that’s a bit experimental now, but commonplace in a few years.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/3497781" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
This trio, hailing from southern Germany, takes the hip-hop game and funkifies it with “beautiful crunchy bass lines, coupled with pumping grooves.” Never would I thought such funky-ass remixes could come from Germany, but they are definitely one of the top players in this funksta game right now.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/16320515" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
Wrappin’ up this list of the best Jay-Z Mashups – & a few remixes – we move on to Jay-Z in a modern rock, electronic styling. What I really wanted to get out of these was to show Jay-Z in a different light // in a different genre. And that’s exactly what you’ll find. Would love to hear him do an electronic or jazz-based album (in muh dreams), but until then I’ll rely on these mashups.
[audio:Even-Dirt.mp3|titles=Even Dirt Off Your Shoulder After All (KMT Mix)]