All hail Queen RiRi. We were big fans of her No. 1 hit “Work” and collab with Drake, so we’ve got a special treat for you today. Although we personally feel the official remixes of the single let us down by not capturing the energy of the original, there’s no denying that the addictive track has spurred a profusion of creativity — so today we’re rounding up the most innovative of the “re-works” in this exclusive edition of Remix RiRi Roundup.
First up is a bootleg by DJDS (formerly known as DJ Dodger Stadium), the LA duo comprised of Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy who recently lent their production chops to Kanye‘s The Life of Pablo. The mix flips the original by replacing the dancehall rhythm with aerial piano lines and deep house production. The only thing missing in this rendition is Drizzy, but it’s still an inspired reinterpretation that you can pick up for free on Soundcloud.
Another unauthorized remix comes by way of Rihanna collaborators, R. City or Rock City. The Caribbean-born brothers Theron and Timothy Thomas stay closer to the original on their revision, leaving the island influences intact but adding their own verses to the beginning. We dig the lyrical addition on this cut — which is also available for free download.
Last but not least, future-funk artist Brayton Bowman serves up an immaculate mashup of Rihanna and *NSYNC with “It’s Gonna Be RIH.” I mean, does it get any better? Produced by MNEK, the result is what would happen if NSYNC and Rihanna were to have a love child. Brayton Bowman, you win.
poetry in an empty coke can 