Say Goodbye To That Blood, Nas!

Andrew Broder “The Takeover” – This is taken from the Modern Hits EP, which is a collection of recent hip hop singles with new backing tracks written and performed by Andrew Broder, aka Fog. Broder’s arrangements tend to change the character of the songs in significant ways. For example, his track for Nas’s “One Mic” is lighter and far more mellow than the intense original version, making it sound more like a gentle prayer than a frantic plea. The track succeeds or fails based mostly on how you want to understand the song. For me, the song loses all of its tension and drama, which I suspect was at least half of the point of the song.

This version of Jay-Z’s “The Takeover” is more successful, mostly because it plays up the menace of the original and adds a creepy piano part which sounds straight out of a scary b-movie. It doesn’t sound better than the original, but it does make Jay sound a little crazier. I’m reminded of that one bit from the Best Show On WFMU’s “Bruce Willis” skit where Bruce tells Tom Scharpling that he’s going to “haunt” him, and that he’s “going to be on (him) forever, never letting (him) rest, ever. ” This version of the “The Takeover” sounds just like that! “Watch your back son, because you’re gonna get cut down!” Jay-Z’s IN THE CAR!!!