Consequence f. Kanye West “Electric”

In a genre of music that owes so much to the actual recorded versions of other songs, hip-hop covers (of other hip-hop songs) are always an interesting listen. They can’t be analyzed in the same fashion as a rock cover, but need to be subjected to a different set of criteria–they’re more concerned, most often, with retaining the integrity of the original while incorporating enough of the new artist to make it their own. Rapper Consequence, who fell between the commercial cracks after the dissolution of A Tribe Called Quest (on whose album Beats, Rhymes and Life he’d made his debut), had been languishing in mixtape obscurity for several years, until hooking up with some dude named Kanye for a track on his debut album “Spaceship.” Even better was his verse on “Gone” from this year’s Late Registration. His proper solo debut is apparently “in production,” and in the meantime, he’s dropped A Tribe Called Quence, a semi-autobiographical mixtape featuring remixes of old Tribe songs, some freestyles and a couple primitive demos from his new album. The best track by far, though is “Electric,” (mp3), a reimagining of Tribe’s “Electric Relaxation” where Con and Kanye trade lyrics that borrow from and update Q-Tip and Phife (”You got B2K all on your bedroom wall”) over the smooth, irresistable jazz guitar backbeat of Midnight Marauders’ best track. Con and Kanye change “Electric Relaxation” from a slinky, dirty sex ode to a straightforward statement of prowess while allowing many of the originals’ lyrics to creep in. The best aspect of this song, though, is the best of any hip-hop cover–more than attempting to create a new classic, it pays proper homage to the original.

Read an interview with Consequence at ballerstatus.net here.
Then, buy A Tribe Called Quence here.

Filed under: Consequence  Kanye West