Run For Cover(s)!

[note on the links - all song titles are to videos of that song.  "cover" is to videos of the covers.  my internet connection is slow so i couldn't preview the videos; sorry if they're not great]
 

Last night I purchased a new cover album, brought to my notice by my adorable, punk-loving little sister. The album is called Punk Goes Crunk and has, if I'm generous, 3 crunk songs on it's 11 track list. I guess "Punk Goes Hip Hop and R&B" doesn't sound as nice since it doesn't rhyme, and "Crackers Go Blacker" isn't really politically correct.

I'm a sucker for cover songs, especially really bizarre ones. For example, Pat Boone's In a Metal Mood, great album! And the Paul Anka version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit", fabulous. Part of the reason I like random cover versions is that it helps me learn the real words. The punk hip-hop covers especially do that. These skinny white kids speak slower and enunciate, they say the wh-o-le wo-rd, li-ike thi-is.  Same goes for Pat Boone turning heavy metal hits into lounge songs.
The Album
But there is one thing about covering hip hop songs that doesn't work so well. Hip hop artists tend to give a lot of shout outs in their songs, to themselves, their labels, other people on their songs, etc. When it's a cover, this doesn't really work so well. Different groups on the Punk Goes Crunk album have taken different approaches to this problem.
Say Anything, in their cover of ODB's "Got Your Money" changes all references to ODB to references to Bemis. Lines like "God made Beem and Beem...." doesn't really work the same as "God made Dirt and Dirt..." since that's the beginning of an actual common phrase.  Then there's the opposite approach, leaving things alone. This way we get Scary Kids, Scaring Kids singing "It's Bone and Biggie Biggie, it's Bone and Biggie Biggie" for their cover of The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs song "Notorious Thugs."  And it's just weird when The Maine calls out "Konvict Music and you know we in charge" at the beginning of their cover of Akon's "I Wanna Love You."

The same type of problem can exist for some of the lyrics. Apparently in an attempt to make the song more "them," Set Your Goals changed the hoods called out at the beginning of Lil' Jon's "Put Your Hood Up" to things like Pleasant Hill, Crescent Drive, Creekside, and Obi Wan's light saber. Somehow, this is like reppin' Timid Deer Lane. [The replacement of the N-word with a recorded voice saying "African-American people" may have been necessary. But the phrase, "I need all my real African-American people to go around the mother-f*ing club" is nothing short of hilariously stupid.) Again, there's the opposite approach: leave the lyrics alone. This results in New Found Glory singing "Although I am black and proud" and "climb the trees my forefathers hung from," as they cover Arrested Development's "Tennessee" (even if you don't know hip hop, you know this song, "take me to another place…").
How/Why I Got the Album
My getting this album was actually a bit of a misunderstanding. It takes all night to download an album, and there were two I was contemplating. This one and Bun B's II Trill. So, I asked one of my friends for advice (or an arbitrary decision). I thought the conversation went something like this:

me (23:24:38):  now, i just have to decide do i get "punk goes crunk" or "ii trill" tonight?

The L e g e n ol (23:24:58): knowing nothing about either

The L e g e n ol (23:25:04): i would suggest punk goes crunk

me (23:26:01): (thinking) well that seems like an odd choice from him, but maybe he doesn't like Bun B. Sure, why not; Katrina said some of it was pretty amusing.

The thing is, I discovered later that I missed something in our little exchange. My revelation (edited for relevance and language):

me (23:44:32): pretty soon i'll be able to listen to a punk cover of lil jon's put yo hood up

The L e g e n ol (23:45:05): luckily for you, you won't have to

me (23:45:13): won't have to what?

The L e g e n ol (23:45:29): listen to that

me (23:46:16): but i just bought it!

me (23:46:18): you told me to

me (23:46:25): so i'm going to listen to it now

The L e g e n ol (23:46:38): no i didn't!

The L e g e n ol (23:46:43): i specifically advised against it!

me (23:46:48): you did, you said "get punk goes crunk"

The L e g e n ol (23:47:27): The L e g e n ol (3:25:11 PM): knowing nothing about either

The L e g e n ol (3:25:17 PM): i would suggest against punk goes crunk

me (23:47:31): i missed the word against

me (23:47:32): vampire

The L e g e n ol (23:47:45): lol

The L e g e n ol (23:47:50): that was an important one

me (23:47:55): vampire it and i was thinking bun b wld be better

me (23:48:01): cuz it would remind me of my friend

me (23:48:04): vampire it

me (23:48:12): well at least i'm laughing so hard i can barely type

The L e g e n ol (23:48:29): lol

The L e g e n ol (23:48:31): that's good

me (23:48:42): now, let's see if this lil jon cover

me (23:48:44): is

me (23:49:24): ummmm.... it's ummm.....

me (23:49:38): they're throwing up white-people suburbs

me (23:49:45): like "pleasant hill"

The L e g e n ol (23:50:05): ...

The L e g e n ol (23:50:09): rough

me (23:51:03): darn it, why didn't you bold "against" or something

The L e g e n ol (23:52:50): i did bold against

me (23:53:00): you bolded everything

The L e g e n ol (23:53:04): i just happen to also bold everything else i write

me (23:53:07): it in no way was distinguished

me (23:54:10): oh good, it's over

The L e g e n ol (23:54:25): lol

Over all though, I like the album. It amuses me greatly! Thanks munchkinhead for the heads-up, and The Legend for bolding all your words. ;0