Straight Outta Compton • Non-Gaming • Music • Eurogamer.net

sam_spade 15 Jan 2005 10:13:14 15,745 posts
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This cover of NWA's Straight Outta Compton is probably the best example of the melodic and lyrical qualities of rap, if you're not a rap fan. It's a folksy, Norah-Jonesy style female singer called Nina Gordon and is just brilliant. It can be found here

The site for Nina Gordon seems to be down for me at the moment. Can anyone confirm that for me?

ssuellid 15 Jan 2005 10:57:25 19,142 posts
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Niggaz With Attitude - Dr Dre, Ice Cube, Easy E and MC Ren and a couple of others.

CHAKA 15 Jan 2005 11:05:58 245 posts
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Heh nice.

Another unlikely cover (file under "WTF"): "Smells Like Teen Spirit", by Japanese a capella artist Dokaka

Edit: link didn't work, did it? Here is another attempt.

Edited by CHAKA! at 11:20:42 15-01-2005

Slippy 15 Jan 2005 11:06:14 745 posts
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sam_spade wrote:
This cover of NWA's Straight Outta Compton is probably the best example of the melodic and lyrical qualities of rap, if you're not a rap fan. It's a folksy, Norah-Jonesy style female singer called Nina Gordon and is just brilliant. It can be found here

The site for Nina Gordon seems to be down for me at the moment. Can anyone confirm that for me?

I'm all for people who have a true vocal ability, as this person clearly does.... BUT, that rendition made me cringe. You cannot take lyrics like "Straight outta Compton, crazy muthafucker named Ice Cube" from a quintessential rap outfit like NWA and reproduce them in that style.

Sorry, she sounds like she has a gorgeous voice, but that cover is appalling.

CHAKA 15 Jan 2005 11:08:38 245 posts
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Slippy wrote:
You cannot take lyrics like "Straight outta Compton, crazy muthafucker named Ice Cube" from a quintessential rap outfit like NWA and reproduce them in that style.

Why not?

ssuellid 15 Jan 2005 11:09:47 19,142 posts
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sam_spade wrote:
The site for Nina Gordon seems to be down for me at the moment. Can anyone confirm that for me?

Its up.

Slippy 15 Jan 2005 11:17:55 745 posts
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CHAKA! wrote:

Slippy wrote:
You cannot take lyrics like "Straight outta Compton, crazy muthafucker named Ice Cube" from a quintessential rap outfit like NWA and reproduce them in that style.

Why not?

I just don't think they're given any of the energy, grit, power, or whatever you wanna call it, that NWA could when they performed the track. It just sounds a bit silly. I hope people don't think it's artistic to take the language used by NWA and juxtapose by singing with a beautiful voice. That's just my opinion.

Incidentally, just listened to the Teen Spirit cover and it's fucking great! Hilarious

)

Edited by Slippy at 11:20:00 15-01-2005

ssuellid 15 Jan 2005 11:19:00 19,142 posts
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mazefekhgf5~T1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">NWA bio - not sure if its session id'd.

CHAKA 15 Jan 2005 11:28:09 245 posts
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Slippy wrote:

I just don't think they're given any of the energy, grit, power, or whatever you wanna call it, that NWA could when they performed the track. It just sounds a bit silly. I hope people don't think it's artistic to take the language used by NWA and juxtapose by singing with a beautiful voice. That's just my opinion.

Point taken, and I agree to some extent. It's just that I think it's often just as interesting when it doesn't exactly "work", when there's something "wrong", as in this case. I take it it was intentionally an experiment, an act of deliberate pastiche, a (successful as far as I'm concerned) attemt to shed an interestingly different kind of light on the song, to make us hear it anew, if you will, rather than her thinking it would be nice and dandy, not realising the song should really be performed with aggression and machismo.

spelloeditissimo

Edited by CHAKA! at 11:29:41 15-01-2005

StixxUK 15 Jan 2005 11:33:31 8,755 posts
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Smells like teen spirit cover: O_o

Mental!

sam_spade 15 Jan 2005 11:48:57 15,745 posts
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There's a good cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit by Ragner Bjarnson on April Winchell's site (scroll down to Bizarre Covers or do a find on 'Teen Spirit')

Slippy, I'd agree that the coarser language feels out of place. But my intial thoughts still stand: that despite it, the song brings out the lyrical qualities and highlights those rather than cloud it with machismo and beats, and shows what an accomplished writer Ice Cube is.

If you don't mind me asking, what do you make of The Gourds version of Snoop Dee-Oh-Double-G's Gin and Juice?

Edited by sam_spade at 11:53:32 15-01-2005

CHAKA 15 Jan 2005 11:57:37 245 posts
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sam_spade wrote:
April Winchell's site

Heh, cheers, some good ones there!

/Listens
/ o_O
/Bookmarks

WoodenSpoon 15 Jan 2005 12:22:55 12,360 posts
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That Smells Like Teen Spirit one is horrible!
It sounds like something the Muppets would sing!

Not sure if I like the NWA one, but it's interesting.

phAge 15 Jan 2005 13:21:13 25,487 posts
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That NWA cover is SHIT - and I mean that as someone NOT living in a ghetto. Sure - her voice is nice (but by no means extraordinary), but "Straight Outta Compton" needs power, energy and an angry black man as the vocal - if not, the track loses all meaning and style.

This is a bit like Rammstein playing Bach. Hmmm......

EDIT: Was edumacated in street slang.

Edited by phAge at 13:27:11 15-01-2005

sam_spade 15 Jan 2005 17:14:12 15,745 posts
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Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet, din't know that the cracker ho, won't keepin it real G!

phAge 15 Jan 2005 18:05:27 25,487 posts
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To the people who liked this: may I suggest "Boyz n' the Hood" by Dynamite Hack - absolutely hilarious.

Dirtbox 15 Jan 2005 18:27:10 92,595 posts
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UncleLou Moderator 15 Jan 2005 18:40:22 40,723 posts
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otto wrote:
Oh Jesus Christ sam that is absolutely horrible! That's even worse than that Beatbox bloke and the classical ensemble. Why do people feel that they have to mix up genres like that? It just doesn't work. Uck!

Um, it's hardly a genre mix. It sounds like pure folk, it's just that the lyrics are a bit unlikely.

Not bad at all - I agree with FezZ - and it works, imo.

Edited by UncleLou at 18:41:29 15-01-2005

Dirtbox 15 Jan 2005 18:45:43 92,595 posts
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Aga 15 Jan 2005 20:04:37 2,148 posts
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I think I got a T-Shirt with Comptons Most Wanted on somewhere.

otto Moderator 28 May 2007 11:16:19 49,322 posts
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Oh Jesus Christ sam that is absolutely horrible!

That's even worse than that Beatbox bloke and the classical ensemble. Why do people feel that they have to mix up genres like that? It just doesn't work. Uck!

Deleted user 25 November 2010 10:47:24

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