watch this---><---then watch this
Covering a song has become a normal thing to do in the music industry. Artists do this either because they think they can ride off the song's popularity, convey the song in a better or different fashion than the original, or because they have respect for the artist and song and want to show it.
Jay-Z recorded "99 problems" in April of 2003 and released it short after. It reached the charts in the US as well as the UK. In 2010, Hugo Chakrabongse covered the song in 2010 with Jay-Z's approval. Both songs have very a very different sound and some lyrics, but the same chorus.
The easiest thing to notice is the difference in musical quality.
Jay-Z's original song has a sort of hybrid rap rock type feel. A strong drum and beat driven rhythm dominate the song with some grungy guitar chords thrown in. His raps have an in your face flow to them, and give off an underground concert feel. The intensity of his song seems always at a peak, with constant sound effects in the background and beats out the wahzoo.
Hugo's cover of the song has an excessively laid back flow compared to Jay-Z's fast paced rapping. A picking banjo and a very consistent bass drum are his weapons of choice. And his voice has reverb that makes it almost seem more whiny and almost dream-like. This slower folk song does not loose the same rebellious feel that Jay-Z introduced. Lots of background noise and effects give the song the same grungy feel found in the original.
Most of Jay-Z's inspiration for this song was based on racial inequality. When we look at the lyrics, the second verse depicts a scene where he is pulled over by a cop and when he asks why, the cop responds "you were doing fifty five in a fifty four." What he was trying to say through this exchange of words is that the cop is being racist and pulled the man over for no legal reason, just simply based on the fact that he is black. This racial discrimination is something that Jay-Z talks about a lot and is often the basis for many of his songs.
Hugo inspiration for his newgrass version of the original gangster rap song came to him when he was listening to the original song itself. "He raps," Hugo told the reporter of Hot News, "but there's a melody implied in it." Wow, what a great vocab word Hugo used there, melody, I bet he took Beth's class.
Both versions of this song own a little place in my heart that can never be replaced or interchanged. I like Jay-Z's version for his originality and passion, while Hugo's smooth and rugged vibe is a rare find. But if I had to choose one that I "like better," I would have to go with Hugo's slick banjo cover.
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