In this ongoing series we introduce you to songs that have (legally) borrowed, alluded to, been inspired by or stolen from (knowingly or unknowingly) the riff of another song. And we’ll have plenty more for you in the weeks ahead… this week we look at a more obvious riff off, where the riff from the original was appropriated, by permission, for a future track – and within a very short period too I might add.
Here’s the 1999 original from Dr Dre and Nate Dogg…
And here’s the 2000 version from Erykah Badu:
Now the story here is a little different than many are aware of. Firstly, this version of the track “Bag Lady” is actually different to what appeared on the record. For one reason or another, the radio version of the track – as well as the one used in the above music video – is actually a remix. So, “Bag Lady (Cheeba Sac Mix)” was the version most of us heard back when it was released in 2000. Here’s the ORIGINAL version, which even this YouTube user has mistakenly labeled as a remix:
Though that said, it is pretty smooth, isn’t it?
