20 memorable hip-hop and R&B remixes

In 1992, SWV came onto the scene with their debut single, “Right Here.” Although that was the track to introduce them to the world, it was the remix that became an even bigger hit. A sample of Michael Jackson’s hit song “Human Nature” and very few changes to the lyrics gave the remix tempo a smoother feeling. “Human Nature” was already a huge song for Jackson, so reimagining the song’s production for SWV’s “Right Here” was the perfect recipe. SWV’s remix became one of the most successful R&B tracks in 1993. 

The Notorious B.I.G.’s original version of “One More Chance” appears on his debut album, Ready to Die. However, the remix known as “One More Chance/Stay With Me (Remix)" was the version he used as a single. The remix had a completely different production and sampled DeBarge’s hit song “Stay With Me.” 

By the time Mariah Carey released her fifth album, Daydream, she started experimenting with different sounds and implemented more hip-hop into her music. “Fantasy” as the lead single was already a huge success, but she decided to work with Diddy and O.D.B. on the remix, and it pushed her sound to another stratosphere. 

In 1996, Lil' Kim released her debut album, Hard Core. The album version of “Crush On You” is Lil’ Cease rapping solo on the track; however, the remix version is more of a duet between the rapper and Kim. The music video also became quite the pop culture staple thanks to Kim’s fashion sense. 

Brandy was still new to the music scene when she released “I Wanna Be Down.” The song took on a new level when the remix featured three of the hottest rappers at the time: MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Yo-Yo. The remix's new hip-hop edge helped showcase the perfect marriage between rap and R&B.

Janet Jackson teamed up with Teddy Riley and his group Blackstreet on the remix to “I Get Lonely.” The production didn’t deviate too much from the original, but Riley put his spin on it while blending Jackson's smooth vocals alongside Blackstreet. 

On the original version of “Best of Me,” Mya teamed up with Swizz Beatz and Jadakiss. She changed it up for "Part 2" when she joined forces alongside Trackmasters and Jay-Z. While the original song was more of a slow jam, "Part 2" had more of a mid-tempo production, which made it perfect to play at parties. 

The original version of Diddy’s “It’s All About the Benjamins” single first appeared on DJ Clue’s Holiday Holdup mixtape. However, he made it a true Bad Boy Records remix when he added Lil’ Kim and The Notorious B.I.G alongside The Lox (who were on the original version). 

Al B. Sure and Jodeci member Devante Swing produced and wrote Jodeci’s single “Come and Talk to Me.” For the remix, Diddy gave it more of a hip-hop twist. It wouldn't be surprising if this is one of the songs that catapulted Diddy's self-proclamation as a remix king. 

In 2001, Busta Rhymes released his fifth album, Genesis, which featured the hit single “Pass the Courvoisier Part II.” The first installment of the song had a completely different production, while the single version had new production provided by The Neptunes. The track became a top-20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and one of Busta’s most recognizable hit songs. 

The original version of “Not Tonight” had more of a down-tempo production and was featured on Lil' Kim’s debut album, Hard Core. However, when she released the music video, it was another version. The remix was more of a women’s anthem that featured four other female MCs: Angie Martinez, Da Brat, Left Eye, and Missy Elliott. The party atmosphere of the video also featured cameo appearances of Mary J. Blige and Queen Latifah. 

Ne-Yo’s 2008 track “Miss Independent" details his love for a self-reliant woman in charge of her life. He teamed up with Jamie Foxx and Fabolous on the remix version “She Got Her Own.” This time around, instead of an upbeat track, he turned into more of a mid-tempo ballad while keeping the same message. 

There’s no doubt about it that “Welcome to Atlanta” became a premiere track to represent the Southern city. However, Jermaine Dupri put a little spin on it with the remix version when he recruited Diddy, Murphy Lee, and Snoop Dogg. Not only does Dupri highlight Atlanta, but the other rappers use the song to rap about their hometowns of New York, St. Louis, and Long Beach. 

SWV’s original version of “Anything” was a slow R&B ballad. However, when the song was featured on the soundtrack of the film Above the Rim, it was turned into an uptempo remix alongside the Wu-Tang Clan. The song became a top-20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

Dru Hill gives listeners a ballad about dealing with infidelity in the original version of “In My Bed.” Songwriter and producer Jermaine Dupri made the remix into an upbeat track and added a verse from Da Brat. 

Usher already had a hit song on his hands with his Jeezy-assisted single “Love In This Club.” However, he took the remix to another level when he recruited Beyoncé and Lil Wayne to join him. In addition to Lil Wayne’s rap, Usher and Beyoncé sound like they’re singing to each other, making it a love record perfect for the club. 

Tricky Stewart and The-Dream worked on Fabolous’ original version of “Throw It In The Bag.” However, the remix version had a more upbeat production, featured an additional verse from Drake, and a sped-up hook that sampled The-Dream’s song “Fancy.” 

On LL Cool J’s original version of “Loungin,” the production was centered around a sample of Al B. Sure’s hit song “Nite and Day.” However, when LL teamed up with Total on the radio version, the production featured a sample of Bernard Wright’s “Who Do You Love.” The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

In 2000, Jennifer Lopez became known by her moniker J.Lo, which was also the title of her sophomore album. The original version of “I’m Real” was the third single from the album and featured more of the pop sound that Lopez fans were used to. However, the bigger hit came when she collaborated with Ja Rule and Irv Gotti on the remix. This version helped push J.Lo with more R&B and hip-hop audiences. 

Sometimes when artists add a lot of the artists to a remix, there’s usually one or two that stand out. But that’s not the case for Busta Rhymes’ “Touch It (Remix)." He added Mary J. Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliott, Lloyd Banks, Papoose, and DMX. Every single one of these artists has a distinct style, and hearing a rap verse from R&B legend Mary J. Blige was quite the treat.