nina gordon - "straight outta compton"

My main point being: we don't know why Nina covered "Straight Outta Compton", or just the first verse thereof. And we don't have a right to know why. But there it is.

I'm with Anthony on this one, even though my opinion on the song still stands.

That's called liberal guilt; and I say that as a stone cold liberal myself. It only takes one listen of "Boyz in tha Hood" or "Straight Outta Compton" to realize that NWA often brag about recklessly causing suffering-- in fact, it forms the backbone of most of their shit. It's a bit harder to feel sympathy for that mentality, which is why we are all prone to describing these songs as 'ironic' when a white person covers them; perhaps the original lyrics are so over-the-top and ostensibly describe a world most of us are so unfamiliar with that we are unable to pick up on the ridiculousness in the original lyrics. If Nina Gordon had covered Bob Marley's equally troubled, but more peaceable "Redemption Song" nobody would be complaining about 'irony.'

also, kid606's version of "straight outta compton" is incredible. make of that what you will.

Huh?

"would you guys be this outraged if The Kids Of Widney High did a cover of "Straight Outta Compton"? What about Dismemberment Plan, had they still been around? Kottonmouth Kings? Kid 606?"

Yes, Yes, and Yes, if they were as thoughtless and ugly as this one. (Kid 606 is irrelevant - he didn't cover the song so much as mess with the tape and remix it). (X-POST)

Look, the song is politically charged, and she must recognize that.
Tori Amos' cover of the Eminem song (which was also ear murder) was presented with some context! She made it very clear with that album that she was playing a role in each of the songs she was singing.

Nina Gordon has not done that. ** She has posted an MP3 where she says "Niggers" several times in a song. ** She offers no explanation or context, and the song itself smacks of "wacky contrast between pretty-voiced girl singing outrageous, profane things hilarity."

Yep, it's fucking offensive.

"Wouldn't it be funny if I covered this song from another genre?"

Next time anyone hears that, say NO.

How do you know she was trying to be funny? (if she says so on her site, then I'll stand corrected.)

Let's not get angry on Ice Cube's behalf; I'm sure he'll retaliate with some beef song... oh wait, he's making emasculated children's movies now.

x-post. She says "niggers" because those are the lyrics. Are cover versions all supposed to come with signed affidavits explaining their intent? The "wacky contrast" thing is in your head. Why couldn't it be a straight reading of a song she likes? Your obvious disdain for the artist stops you listening beyond the words. NWA are political in a sense so loose that it's virtually meaningless.

Also, I find nothing offensive about it otherwise. The n-word thing is not what should be criticized here.

[massive xposts]

donut, I'm not talking about mash-ups. I'm talking about acoustic covers of electronic and rap tracks which are just the most cloying thing known to man. They're supposedly "clever" and "reveal" the hidden qualities of the "real" song blah blah vomit.
-- Spencer Chow (spencercho...), January 20th, 2005.

mark, I am totally playfully muckraking here. Obviously, a lot of people don't like the cover of the song in question. Fine. I'm just amused by all the quasi-political baggage that everyone is emptying onto the whole issue, when other artists whose covers of same song we respect are on the same level, culturally/class speaking, as nina gordon.

Spencer, why are acoustic covers of hip hop/electronic songs automatically "clever" or "oooh, revealing"? Maybe someone just likes the song, and covers it, you know?

I could care less for the "Bizarre Love Traingle" cover. But I never once though "Oh, they're just trying to cover it in a different style to stand out or something". How come nobody was equally outraged on a college radio level when Poi Dog Pondering did the same thing with NO's "Love Vigilantes"?

* which, for the record, is hardly 'outrage'.

why can't a straight reading of poetry include the original words?

well, context is key here, and the lines between the contexts are very blurry and up for vastly different interpretations for each, I'll agree. Had this been an original song where she used the n-word, I would be far more suspicious and likely offended, I admit. but since we all know she is covering a song, she's using the n-word because the original song used it. if she changed the n-words, I would personally be more offended, because then she would be projecting her personal politics into the cover, whether PC or not. And surely, that would have caused FAR more outrage in this thread if she had done that than leaving the n-words in there.

What are the Stephen Malkmus or Stephin Merritt rap covers?

Malkmus doesn't need covers, he's got ironic rap originals under his belt (At Home With The Groovebox to thread)

~ Horseshit. I like and own albums by both NWA and Veruca Salt.

"mark, when you're rapping along to something at home, do you sound a bleep or substitute an inoffensive word such as "knitter"?
-- noodle vague (noodle_vagu...), January 20th, 2005 1:43 PM."

~ No, but then again, I don't post MP3s of myself using potentially touchy language on websites with no explanation.

"and come to think of it, now that he's a rich rapper and making multimillion dollar movies, Ice Cube himself is not even entitled to do that song anymore, as it no longer represents his situation. How does that sound?
-- King Kobra (doctorduc...), January 20th, 2005 1:16 PM."

~ Like the makings of an irrelevant and ridiculous straw man.

"NWA are political in a sense so loose that it's virtually meaningless."

~ Maybe you weren't around when "Fuck the Police" was being editorialized on throughout the media?