When you consider the major influences on hip-hop and R&B, George Clinton, James Brown and Roger Troutman probably come to mind a whole lot quicker than Phil Collins does.
Phil still gets love from the streets, though — so much love, in
fact, that a tribute album was released in April on WEA Germany. Urban Renewal Featuring the Songs of Phil Collins includes hip-hop and R&B artists such as Kelis, Joe, Brian McKnight and Ol' Dirty Bastard (rambling incoherently over a synthesized version of "Sussudio") rendering Collins' most famous tunes.
The album was conceived, a source close to the project said, because Collins has had to field so many requests from hip-hop and R&B acts over the years — including DMX, who integrated part of "In the Air Tonight" into "I Can Feel It" — wishing to sample his records. Although his sampled voice appears on one track, Collins had nothing to do with the album other than to give it his blessing.
Urban Renewal's first single is a duet consisting of Brandy and her brother, Ray J, covering "Another Day in Paradise." The song's video, which depicts the siblings as two angels documenting the plight of a homeless woman begging for money to buy shoes, has already hit airwaves abroad.
Lil' Kim's version of "In the Air Tonight" is the second single. Kim will shoot the video next week, according to a source close to the project. In it, Kim will weave a story about payback, rhyming "Drop top rollin', diamonds on my neck, Bentley ballin', me and ni---- getting high all day, straight to the top 'cause we on our way; coming for y'all, comin' for y'all, I got something for y'all," at which point Collins' sampled voice provides the song's hook.
WEA has no plans to release the record or its videos in the United States, the source said, but it may reach other international markets.
Urban Renewal track list:
- Brandy and Ray J - "Another Day in Paradise"
- Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Sussudio"
- Deborah Cox - "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"
- Dane Bowers featuring Kelis - "This Must Be Love"
- Lil' Kim featuring Phil Collins - "In the Air Tonight"
- Joe - "Can't Turn Back the Years"
- Changing Faces - "One More Night"
- Coko - "Easy Lover"
- Kelis - "I Don't Care Anymore"
- Debelah Morgan - "Do You Remember"
- Montell Jordan - "Against All Odds"
- TQ - "All of My Life"
- Brian McKnight - "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
- Malik Pendleton - "Take Me Home"
This report is from MTV News.
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