Category Archives: Showdown

Showdown: Jae Jin vs Stacy Dudero

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Why don’t we cap off the night with a little Showdown? This is where we have a little friendly comparison of artists that cover/remix the same songs and then vote for the one we think pulled it off better.

Frank Ocean has really made a name for himself over the course of the past year, so it’s been no surprise to see more and more covers of his music. Recently, two R&B singers – Jae Jin & Stacy Dudero – gave their own renditions of Ocean’s “Thinking About You”. We thought it’d be interesting to pit the Male vs Female vocals against each other, so check them out below.

Jae Jin

Stacy Dudero

On a macro level, there are a lot of similarities between the two renditions – but the differences are in the details. One artist took a few more R&B vocal liberties while the other stayed a little closer to the original. One had much crisper quality. One artist took a more cool, laid back approach with the other inserting just a touch more energy. So this one could be largely left to presences rather than raw tangible and quantitative differences.

So I guess the only question left at this point is… which one are you feeling more?

Showdown: J. Han of AMP vs City Boy

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It’s been a good day, so what would you folks say to another edition of Showdown? This is where we have a little friendly comparison of artists that cover/remix the same songs and then vote for the one we think pulled it off better.

Canadian rapper Drake has always been a popular pick for covers and remixes in Youtube-land and his song “Headlines” is no exception. We’ve seen countless renditions all over the internet but two of the more recent ones to cross our screens were by DMV’s J. Han (of AMP fame) and AZ’s City Boy. The two MCs went in different directions content wise so it made for an interesting contrast over the same instrumental.

J. Han

City Boy

It was kind of interesting to see both artists start slow and kick it into double time in the latter half, but overall I’d say their demeanor and styles are nuanced on separate ends of the spectrum. I guess the only question is which one fits your liking better? J. Han’s college-kid, more light-hearted charm? Or is it City Boy’s more menacing and tenacious energy?

You know what to do, vote away!

Showdown: Cilla Chan vs Oak & Gorski

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I think the time is right for another edition of Showdown, where we have a little friendly comparison of artists that cover the same songs and vote for the one we think pulled it off better. Today’s match features the refreshing young college student Cilla Chan pitted against the veteran ‘cello-rock’ duo, Oak & Gorski. They each give their rendition of “Pumped Up Kicks” by indie-pop band, Foster the People. Let’s see how the two versions stack up against each other.

Cilla Chan

Oak & Gorski

Cilla’s vocal gives an almost R&B/Pop vibe to it with some more vocal flair. On the other hand Oak & Gorski provides a more polished but subdued final product, anchored by Ken Oak’s signature cello. It’s a little tough to make the call on this one but either way it was a refreshing competition because they didn’t cover one of the many over-saturated top 40 hits that everyone seems to be doing lately (*cough*Lighters*cough*How to Love*cough). Cast your vote for your favorite below!

Showdown: Gerald Ko vs Jennifer Chung

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Oof. We haven’t had a Showdown feature since May! Why don’t we go ahead and rectify that, shall we? This time we have two Youtube staples in the form of Singindork888 aka Gerald Ko vs Jennifer Chung. They both tackle the comeback single from Demi Lovato that debuted in July – “Skyscraper”. So go ahead and watch/take a listen and vote for your favorite version!

Gerald Ko

Jennifer Chung

So who will it be? The more conventional pop cover by Jen Chung? Or perhaps the all acoustic re-arrangement by Gerald? In case you don’t know how this works it’s pretty simple. Go ahead and cast your vote using the widget below and see where your opinion falls with the rest of the general public. It’s all in good fun!

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Showdown: Erin Paula vs Sam Hart vs New Heights

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Adele is one of those rare artists that managed to achieve wide-spread critical acclaim and with her recent album, breakthrough mainstream success. So it’s understandable that we’ve seen our fair share of covers of her songs – especially of “Someone Like You” and “Rolling in the Deep”. The latter is the subject of our latest Showdown feature, and we know it’s been a long time so for those who forgot this is how it works….

We take artists that have recently covered or remixed the same song and compare them for fun’s sake just to see which one you thought did the original the most justice. Today’s Showdown pits Erin Paula (of former Rin on the Rox fame) against Sam Hart (most notable for the Mario Kart song) against a member of Seattle band New Heights. So readers, who takes home the bragging rights?

Erin Paula

Sam Hart

New Heights

Did you like Erin’s faithful cover that stuck true to the original? Or Sam’s melancholy, haunting rendition? What about New Height’s bluesy acoustic take? Vote for your favorite!

Showdown: Kero One x David Choi vs Arden Cho x Megan Lee

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Now this is an interesting Shodown feature. It’s the battle of the sexes edition where two teams ended up covering the same song, the infectious “Forget You” by Cee-Lo. In one corner we have Frisco’s Kero One & SoCal’s David Choi teaming up to go against opponents Arden Cho & Megan Lee. They all did an incredible job, check out the videos below.

Kero One x David Choi

Arden Cho x Megan Lee

The males chose to recreate the song organically and added a little bit of their own flavor. The females stuck a little closer to the original but added the dynamic of a vocal duet. This one’s tough, it’s kind of a toss up. What do you all think?

Showdown: Mike-Dash-E vs Shin-B

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Today’s Showdown event features a battle of MC’s with dashes in their name. In one corner is Bay area representative Mike-Dash-E. Our right corner hosts female MC from southern California, Shin-B. Both have recently decided to spit over Nicki Minaj’s ubiquitous ”Moment 4 Life” beat and have done a great job of making it their own. I can’t blame em for doing so, it’s a great instrumental. The major difference her is that Shin-B made an entire track complete with bridge, hooks and all while Mike kept it simple and spit one clean verse. But at this point you know the drill, vote for who you think had the hotter remix!

Mike-Dash-E

Shin-B

Even though it’s the same beat, each artist made it have a very different feel. Mike’s version is more aggressive and hungry while Shin’s is more cool, smooth and refined. This one is a tough call, what do you guys think? Cast your vote!

Nice drop from both artists.

Showdown: Verseatile vs Yongie Phresh x Decipher

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Even in Hip-Hop circles, there are songs that tend to get the remix treatment from nearly everyone. One of the more recent trend is for an MC to switch up Fabolous’s “You Be Killin’ Em”. The two we have for today’s showdown certainly aren’t the only remixes I’ve seen from artists we cover, but I happened to watch both today so of course there’s the temptation for comparison. In one corner we got Verseatile, who gives the track a simple but impressive one take video treatment. In the other corner is a tag team with Philly representatives Yongie Phresh & Decipher. Each took their version of the song in completely different directions and even though they share the same beat they have a very different feel as a result. But which one did YOU like? West vs East, let’s go!

Verseatile

Yongie Phresh x Decipher

I was feeling Verseatile’s positive spin and his easy delivery & execution on a single take, but I thought Yongie & De brought too much to the table to turn down. Not that these songs were meant to ever be compared but if I had to listen to only one of them over the other… my vote would lean more towards the Philly heads. But what say you? Express your vote!

Until next time!

Showdown: Victor Kim x Cathy Nguyen vs George Shaw

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Last year, around this time, Kina Grannis released a fantastic song appropriately entitled “Valentine“. It’s was one of my favorites and still is to this day. Now, 4 seasons later, the asian-american music scene has gone meta and there are covers popping up of the said single. It’s been a while since we had our last Showdown so I figured why not feature them here!?

In one corner we have the multi talented Victor Kim on his trademark uke, accompanied by the cute-as-a-button Cathy Nguyen. In the other we have up and coming movie/film composer George Shaw putting together a multi instrumental cover. Now the only question is, which “Valentine” did you love more?

Victor x Cathy

George Shaw

As much as I loved both renditions, and as big a fan I am of Cathy, I gotta say they were musically outclassed by George. Even though his version didn’t feature any vocals, his gentle instrumentation and arrangement really impressed me. But what say you? Vote for your favorite!

Happy (early) Valentine’s Day everyone!

Showdown: J-Ricz x Chris D vs Elle x Sky Muzik

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Here we go, it’s time for another Showdown! You know the song “Last Christmas” by Wham? Well I don’t know about you but just as I do every year around this time, I’ve been hearing this song everywhere. So it’s no surprise when I started seeing the covers pop up on Youtube. Here are two very different renditions of the holiday favorite, one by J-Ricz and Chris D, and the other by Elle & Sky Muzik. The former is a more R&B type of ballad, done acapella with rich harmonies. The latter is a pop cover more faithful to the original with some modern embellishments and cuter, upbeat vocals that kind of has a KPOP vibe to it.

J-Ricz x Chris D

Elle x Sky Muzik

Personally for me, it really depends on my mood. I can see myself preferring either version depending on the situation. So which one did you like more? Vote!

Now, if I could only get this song outta my head!