Radical Revisions & Adaptations

Regardless of the genre of music, artists go through a long painstaking process before releasing a song. However in the genre of hip hop, the pressure to come out with the best product on the market is essential, otherwise you will get flat-out roasted by critics. In addition, artists want to gain as much popularity as possible because ultimately being popular makes more money. As a result, it is not uncommon for artists to either create multiple versions of the song, or create a remix to the song after it has already been released. Overall, I think multiple versions of a song or having remixes helps hip hop because it helps to accomplish three things:

1.  Help the artist get more opportunities to get noticed or make money
2.  Helps the hip hop community appeal to wider audiences with different sounds
3.  Breeds creativity , by adding multiple rappers with different styles, or focusing on one rappers ability to freestyle                                                                                                                                                                              

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As we can see in Ice Cube's original version, the song has more of an aggressive tone. He has a louder voice, and seems to be barking his lyrics instead of letting them flow. Starting with the beat and background sounds, they are more traditional and simple. Check Yo Self was not going to be on Ice Cube's album The Predator originally; however after it was remixed with Grandmaster Flash's The Message it was put back on the album. The new remix was meant to connect with Ice Cube's other hit single It was a Good Day and as result it had to be edited to make for a "friendlier" radio song that could appeal to more audiences. Overall, in the remix you can hear way less aggression in Ice Cube's voice. In addition, the funky beat makes this a smoother song on the ears, and probably appealed to those who grew up listening to music in the 1970's and 1980's. This song was recorded in 1992 and still remains a timeless piece, despite most people not even recognizing that there was a radical revision between the original and remix.

In addition, we also see remixes done with songs that appeal to multiple audiences. In order to appeal to a large range of listeners, artists will include many other notable features on their tracks. Many people can agree that they do not know how the original One More Chance by Biggie Smalls even sounds like. Furthermore, after hearing both songs, you would not even be able to tell they were one in the same without some hints from the chorus.

The biggest difference we can see is that the genre literally almost changed from Rap to R&B. Not only are the lyrics completely different and softer in the revision, but the chorus is emphasized more in the revision. The original version has a phone call intro which was taken out because it would obviously not be appealing on a radio version. In addition you might have a faint idea of who was added on the track, miss Mary J. Blige. In general, the One More Chance Remix helps appeal to more people especially a more female audience. With its smooth flow and melody, and considerably less explicit lyrics, the radical revisions made to One More Chance by Biggie Smalls have made it a better overall hit. Having Biggie on the mic, and Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige on the vocals proved to be a very successful and pleasant sounding collaboration. The remix was able to climb to the #2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

       In conclusion, although some people have negative thoughts about some remixes, many people are unaware that most of the greatest hits went through some sort of radical revision. Whether it was released or not is not the point. The bottom line is that remixes help the artist get more popularity, enable them to appeal to a wider audience, and help them make better music for the listeners. Collaborations have been some of the best ways to breed creativity in an adapted song. Overall, radical revisions have not only helped hip hop, but have also helped other genres of music. The success of revisions in the past have sparked a new interest in creating remixes for upcoming present day artists. 


It can get quite annoying as we see present day artists drop more remixes than lil' Boosie drops the soap. *shots fired* Just kidding free Boosie.

   Hope this remix brightens your day:

Work Cited

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMUNwIreUeI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ogs_NsXh58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sS6M_0ITyA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtiQfiudVDM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKJsSPATDLY

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