Living Colour, an American rock band that originated in New York, has recently released a cover of the Notorious B.I.G’s “Who Shot Ya”. This song will be put into a collection of remixes for the band’s new EP, Mixtape, that will be out on September 9th.
The band brings creativity through the songs chosen or create to deepen what they stand for, with influences from different genres like heavy metal, jazz and hip hop.
The process for this song was inspired by increased amount of gun violence and the continuation of police brutality towards African Americans that has taken place during the past few years. This remix has brought many collaborations, such as Andre Betts, the producer.
According to Pitchfork, Vernon Reid, the band’s guitarist, had this to say about the influence of the song:
“Our version of ‘Who Shot Ya’ was initially an organic outgrowth of pure fandom for the work of the brilliant Christopher Wallace. Corey would frequently sing the song during soundcheck, so we worked it up. But tragically Biggie’s question has taken on new and urgent significance over the last year. The amount of people who die on a daily basis because of gun violence is unacceptable in a civilized society. The disproportionate use of deadly force in communities of color is equally unacceptable in a civilized society. It inspired the idea to reach out to some of the most provocative voices in hip-hop to invite them to add their words to the track. We all feel paralyzed as to how we can meaningfully effect change, but at the least we can keep our voices raised in solidarity and not let this plight fade into the background until it happens again.”
The song can be listened to below. The band has also released a new music video for the song. The music video is also listed below.
The band has recently finished a summer tour with Jane’s Addiction and has continued its work with the upcoming EP.
Leave a Comment