I’m sure everyone’s familiar with B.o.B’s smash hit, “Nothin’ on You,” except for me, because I’m not a big radio listener. All the mainstream exposure I get is through my friends, listening to their iPods while in their car, or if a song’s been used on TV. However, I do find a lot of my music through the internet, by the way of music blogs, and that’s how I came across Lupe Fiasco’s version of “Nothin’ on You”. I’d only heard of B.o.B because of his “Airplanes” song that he did with Hayley Williams (thanks, Twitter) so when I read about how “Nothin’ on You” was meant to be for Lupe Fiasco, I wasn’t aware of B.o.B’s version or that it was already #1 in many countries.
I prefer Lupe’s version, hands down. I admit bias because I love Lupe Fiasco’s voice; he is one of my favourite hip-hop artists (it’s basically him, Kanye, and Eminem) and I’d never heard anything by B.o.B before. It’s always hard to choose between two versions of a song with a great hook and potential, but I really love how it’s slowed and stripped down, and way more poetic and meaningful. It’s a sincere, honest love song, without the player vibe of B.o.B’s to detract from it. I also think Lupe’s version has superior lyricism; I love word play and pop culture references, and while this one is a bit dated now, you have to admit that it’s clever:
We’re like Williams and Woods on tour / Now that’s love above par, ooh
B.o.B’s spin on this song is a lot more mainstream, and that’s what makes it more appealing than Lupe’s. It’s faster, and really plays to what makes a #1 hit nowadays. In my opinion, that’s being able to spin this song in a club and everyone would dance and maybe sing along – you can’t do that with Lupe’s version; the emotion is too raw and the energy’s not there – however, we have to keep in mind that Lupe’s version wasn’t the final product, it was unmastered and not meant for public consumption. It sounds like B.o.B’s having a lot of fun with it, and while that’s not to say Lupe didn’t have fun with his either, I don’t think hip-hop ballads really get through to the mainstream unless it really has something going for it — take Outkast’s “Hey Ya”, for example: dark, quite intense lyricism masked by that catchy tune.
I can imagine Lupe’s version being the last track on an album: the song that has a different feel, a different colour to the rest of the album, and if well done it’s the best song on the record, but would never be released as a single. It’s not as cluttered as B.o.B’s, and I’m the type to be more attracted to the “less is more” sentiment.
Decide for yourselves below:
Lupe’s version:
B.o.B’s version:
