Source: rap-up.com

Ever been somewhere and heard a song that stopped you dead in your tracks? Not because it was just THAT good, but simply because you knew you you had heard that song in a different form sometime before. Or maybe that’s just me. It happens all the time to moi, and these days, there aren’t too many songs that haven’t been sampled. And when I tell people, “Did you know that ____ sampled ____??” the shock and surprise on their face is highly amusing. Maybe that’s why I decided to do this list. Some of these you might already know, some of them you won’t, but I can guarantee you’ll have some awesome new selections to put on your iPod/iPhone. Listen and learn.

“Hey Lover” by LL Cool J feat. Boyz II Men samples…

“The Lady in My Life” by Michael Jackson

If you have the Thriller album, you should know “The Lady in My Life.” It’s the ultimate smooth night cap jam, and if you know “Hey Lover,” it’s kind of in the same realm, but a bit more on the seductive side. I didn’t notice the sample until a New Year’s party where someone played this track, and someone else asked, you know what this sounds like? And for some reason, Boyz II Men came to mind. I was close, because this is more LL’s track, but the beat is identical. Just sped up. Check for yourself.

Source: thatgoodhit.com

At a Cartier event last week, Roc Nation singer Rita Ora decided to show some love to her boss’s wife by serenading the crowd with a cover of the Destiny’s Child classic, “Say My Name.” Bey and Jay were in the crowd for the performance (of course, somewhere VIP and not really with the crowd), and I’m sure Ora was feeling the pressure. For me, there were a few times where she was singing the song especially hard (and a bit too loud). She definitely got off to a rough start, but I think that by the end, she pulled it together and did a pretty good job. As most people who listen to covers would say, I would definitely prefer to listen to the original, but she did a pretty good job. Check out the video of her rendition of the track and let us know what you think of Ora’s performance below.

What do you think?

And on a sidenote, Ora addressed the claims that she is trying to be the next Rihanna, will be the next Rihanna, is trying to take her spot, etc. In an interview with The Guardian, she had the following to say:

“I don’t think there will be a next Rihanna, but I think [Jay-Z] definitely sees me as someone who could be as big as Rihanna. She’s a superstar now, but they first knew her as a small-island girl – and they want to repeat that success.”

Well, it took a good while for Rihanna to be as big as she is now, so Ora better be ready to work hard and be patient if she’s trying to emulate Ri’s success.

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Source: Bossip.com

Robin Thicke just released a cover of Whiney Houston’s Exhale (Shoop Shoop) this week.

It was his tribute to the fallen Diva, he tweets to his followers:

This is my tribute to the great Whitney Houston. Sending my prayers to her family.

The R&B singer released the song last Sunday through his twitter.  It’s free a download, which you can get here.

Thicke is one of the many artists who have done a tribute to Houston in the wake of her death. There have also been countless covers of her popular hits over the years. Just last week Amber Riley of Glee did a beautiful cover of “I Will Always Love You,” which coincidently was planned when it was.  We all heard Jennifer Hudson’s cover of the song at the Grammy’s and all the other covers at the funeral.

At a time where Thicke could have distastefully profited off of the national fame surrounding Whitney Houston’s untimely death, he decided to upload it for free for his fans.

It’s actually a beautiful tribute. He wasn’t trying to be Whitney because let’s be honest no one will ever be Whitney. He took the song and made it his, with his high falsetto and all. It felt really genuine and not forced because he was actually giving a tribute to her, not trying to imitate the late pop and R&B icon. Thicke just wanted to pay homage to her, and I think that shows through. Future artists who are looking to cover and give tribute to Whitney should look to Thicke for guidance. Pay homage, but try not to duplicate and imitate.

How do you guys feel about his cover, is it a lovely tribute to Whitney? What’s your favorite Whitney Houston cover, present or past?

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February is the month of love, so for the newest issue of Essence, the iconic magazine is helping you find love “at any age.” Easier said than done, right? Anywho, they’ll be doing so with advice and stories from real, successful black couples. One couple whose story/business I’m sure you’ll want to be all over and up in is Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s long and public relationship, as the two are covering the magazine and cheesing it up (how cute!).

Inside the pages, they touch basis on the fact that everyone (and their mothers) is wondering when the couple plans to get married, especially since Wade’s teammate and good friend, Lebron James, literally just popped the question over the weekend. Despite all that and all the pressure, they say they’re slowing their roll and taking their time:

“We’re not rushing it. Both of us have been married before, and we understand that if we choose to marry again, we want it to be right,” says Wade. “We both took failing at marriage hard. The next time it’s gotta be forever…”

You have to respect them for that–marriage isn’t a joke, and if they’re not 100 percent ready yet, might as well not rush, especially since they’ve both been there and done that before. Wade went through a huge public divorce battle after his eight-year marriage to Siohvaughn Wade ended in 2010 (which she claimed Union was the reason for). Siohvaughn threw much mud at Gabrielle and Dwyane’s relationship, even suing Gabi for a “lack of discretion” (aka, foreplay) in front of Siohvaughn and Dwyane’s sons while he was supposed to be keeping watch of the boys. Obviously, those claims went nowhere, and Dwyane was even given custody of his two sons because of Siohvaughn’s antics. As for Gabrielle Union, she was married for five years to former NFL running back Chris Howard. Their marriage ended in 2006.

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