Erykah Badu covered Kanye West’s new song and it’s fantastic
Erykah Badu released a mixtape late last year (the clever and cell phone-centric But You Caint Use My Phone) and is in the process of working on a new tape. But as if she weren’t busy enough, she also recorded a remix/cover of Kanye West’s new track “Real Friends.”
Titled “Trill Friends,” Badu sings over the “Real Friends” beat, her voice curdling and lapping at lyrics that definitely aren’t from the “Real Friends” rap. Because, as is her style, Badu hid another song into her cover: Hip-hop group Whodini’s “Friends.” This is far from the first time she’s hidden other songs within her high-profile covers — for her Drake “Hotline Bling” flip, she added a tidbit from Outkast’s “Miss Jackson,” a song notably written about her. Here, the swap and mash-up works seamlessly, as Badu’s voice provides the common thread needed to link these interpretations of those songs together.
Clearly, Badu knows how to mix and match her musical material; here’s to hoping she has a productive 2016, and that she doesn’t stop scratching this covers itch. (If she’s looking for suggestions: “Bitch Better Have My Money,” please.)
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We can’t stop jamming to Erykah Badu’s remix of ‘Hotline Bling’
Image via Ethan Miller/BET/Getty Images.
