10 Worst Cover Versions Of Songs Made By Black Musicians

  Some songs are just so good that oftentimes they get remade by many different artists, with some bands even creating whole careers out of covering the classics. However, there are certain rules that should be followed when making a new version of certain hit records — staying in your musical lane as an artist is definitely somewhere at the top. GRAMMY-nominated rapper Logic found that out the hard way recently when his languid, acoustic-style cover of Ice Cube’s 1992 rap classic “It Was a Good Day” wasn’t given the warmest of welcomes…not by a long shot!     Many fans took issue with how the 33-year-old emcee strayed away from Cube’s tough-yet-tender approach to the original song by dropping the tough completely and doubling down on the tender. One line in particular — “Everything is alright/ I got a beep from Kim, you know that she could fuck all night” — was especially bothersome for Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., who half-seriously tweeted in response to the performance clip, “I respect logic. I think he can rap. And that’s all I really need. But bruh….if if ever hear you sing about my mother again… it’s gone be a misunderstanding lmaoooo.” [sic]

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O’Shea is the 32-year-old son of Cube and his wife Kimberly Woodruff, who he’s been married to for the past 31 years.             RELATED: Shock, Chaka Khan! So…Did Mary J. Blige Really ‘F**k Up’ “Sweet Thing”? Although Logic’s version of “It Was A Good Day” isn’t entirely horrible in the way that trending tyrant Joe Budden alluded to (seen above) on the latest episode of his namesake podcast. However, the backlash that he’s been receiving isn’t entirely unwarranted. Even if you sound good on a record, there are some songs that should just be left alone out of sheer respect. Luckily for Logic, and sadly for the rest of us, the biracial emcee hasn’t been alone in his aspirations to release cover music. There’s actually a long history of artists trying (and failing!) at doing their own versions of a timeless record. When it comes to Black music specifically, well, just keep scrolling to see what we mean!

Check out 10 of the worst cover versions of songs originally made by Black musicians below, and let us know what you think of Logic’s rendition of Ice Cube’s classic “It Was A Good Day”:

1. Phish – “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” (1999)

Original Song:

Will Smith – “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” (1997)

2. Alien Ant Farm – “Smooth Criminal” (2002)

Original Song:

Michael Jackson – “Smooth Criminal” (1987)

3. Fall Out Boy (feat. John Mayer) – "Beat It" (2008)

Original Song:

Michael Jackson – “Beat It” (1982)

4. Taylor Swift – "September" (2021)

Original Song:

Earth, Wind & Fire – “September” (1978)

5. Duran Duran – "911 Is A Joke" (1995)

Original Song:

Public Enemy – “911 Is A Joke” (1990)

6. Cher – "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" (1990)

Original Song:

Betty Everett – “It’s In His Kiss” (1964)

7. Sammy Hagar – "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" (1979)

Original Song:

Otis Redding – “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” (1968)

8. Kevin Rowland – "The Greatest Love Of All" (1999)

Original Song:

George Benson – “The Greatest Love Of All” (1977)

Honorable Mention: Whitney Houston – “Greatest Love Of All” (1985)

9. Cyndi Lauper – "What's Going On" (1987)

Original Song:

Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On” (1971)

10. The Cure – "Purple Haze" (1993)

Original Song:

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Purple Haze” (1967)