and anything else that catches his attention.
Why do rap remakes of pop and R&B hits keep going viral?
Somewhere in a record labelâs corner office, a young executive is rubbing their hands together like a Scooby-Doo villain. Theyâve found another way to make a quick buck. This time itâs through songs that combine gentle-sounding R&B and pop hits with raps about brutal violence.
In the last six weeks, three different songs have gone insanely viral using this format. A crew of Florida rappers, including Yungeen Ace and Spinabenz, turned Vanessa Carltonâs âA Thousand Milesâ into a menacing diss track, complete with real-life drama. Then, Jacksonville rapper Foolio responded with âWhen I See U,â which takes Fantasiaâs smitten 2007 hit of the same name and turns it into a warning. This past week, away from that beef, Baltimoreâs YTK released a trigger-happy version of Mariah Careyâs âShake It Offâ called âLet It Off.â Mariah jokingly (I think) responded. These songs have become such internet sensations that this is likely just the start.