So this may actually be one of the greatest covers of all time. But when I first heard it many moons ago, I didn’t realise it was one. The song was on the old computer somehow. Maybe my sister downloaded it, or it was sent to her by a friend through MSN. I’m not sure. But it was there. Now, I definitely wasn’t expecting the N-word to be repeated as much as it was. The young me knew that it was a word that usually shouldn’t be said because music videos usually censored it out. But there was Serj Tankian rapping it, saying it freely with reckless abandon. It didn’t make sense to me ’cause, you know… he’s white. But then after finding out it was a cover of the original Wu-Tang classic, which – heads up – will be the next song featured on here, everything made a lot more sense.

The track is the first one on the Loud Rocks compilation from 2000, which consists of remixes, covers and collaborations between rock and hip hop music artists. I’ve never heard it myself. I’ve just copied what it says on Wikipedia. But being released in the time when nu-metal was probably at its peak in relevancy, I can imagine this album being somewhat popular at the time. System of a Down at this point only had their self-titled debut to their name. Wu-Tang Clan’s third album was on the way. How this cover and collaboration even came to be, I’m not sure. But I’m glad that it did. And what better way to get a seal of approval than for it to feature an original verse by the RZA, the mastermind behind the Wu, who also helps out with the ad libs throughout.

Thinking about this specific cover too, I think it’s meant to be a tribute to fellow Wu-Tang member Ol’ Dirty Bastard in some way. Sometime in 2000, the rapper was incarcerated for a reason or a few, and with the way System arrange the cover, Serj raps both of Ol’ Dirty’s verses from the original. A few lines from Method Man’s verse are missed out, and Raekwon’s verse is omitted altogether to make way for RZA’s new verse. When Serj isn’t rapping, his singing relies on a melodic scale that I can only assume is influenced by their Armenian heritage, made all the much more heavier when those downtuned guitars come in for the massive choruses. Honestly, when Tankian yells “Let’s get together!” before that first one, makes me wanna cannonball into a swimming pool or something. Just immediate screw-facing and headbanging happens with those choruses.