Often, when remakes (not remixes) of Classic (and not so Classic) Hip Hop songs are made i find myself generally preferring the original to the reworking. Call it nostalgia or being stubborn but, am I alone in feeling like some things should just be left alone? Ok, i know I probably sound like our parents speaking on their favorite artist’s/group’s song being used for a sample but I’m saying though.
I heard this Kidz in the Hall remake of Special Ed’s I Got It Made a while back and was immediately uninterested. This morning while watching television, the video for the song appears. I decide to watch it and determine that if I had NEVER heard the original I would probably like the K.I.T.H. version more, but alas such is not the case. After contemplating my thoughts/feelings I realized that the changing of the aesthetics of the song/video is what triggers my “Smh” factor. The raw funky grittines of the Ripples’s I Dont Know What It Is… is substituted with females singing the hook and the inner city high school imagery is replaced by a swanky loft apartment party with the attendees wearing the flashy clothes that Special Ed ONLY rapped about.
Ironically, the difference in aesthetics actually depicts the meteoric rise of Hip Hop over the last 20 years and the conspicuous displays of consumption now associated with it. Unfortunately, the gaudiness also spells out what is wrong with Hip Hop to me… Nevertheless Enjoy the vids and let us know what YOU think
