Even though P.Diddy claims that he invented the remix, he did not invent the remake. There is nothing fresh about the idea of sampling songs, but we have found a list of artists that created songs as good, if not better than the original. Like the saying goes, there is nothing new under the sun, and when it comes to our favorite artists we are glad that they too appericiate the sentiment of embracing a blast from the past. By borrowing some of the magic from yesteryear and adding something special to the exsisting songs, they recreate musical must-haves and re-introduce them to our rotation. Here is a list of ten songs that stand out but are in no particular order.

Steph Jones: “LaLa”

This remake of the Delfonics Lala means I love you puts a unique spin on the break up to make up fad. Not only does Lala mean I love you, but according to Steph Jones it means you can press the replay button, start over and come back better than before. Good thing Steph Jones came along in order to remind us that all it takes to get things back on track is a lil Lala and some familiar faces,places, and tunes. Next time you want to get your girl back, don’t spring for flowers, go back to the basics and turn your speakers up so you can remind her that “you were never just another dude”. Afterwards be sure to thank the Delfonics and Steph Jones for making things easy for you.

Kanye West: “Through the Wire”

Before the auto tune, Amber rose and all the heart break, Kanye was making music that’s fire and spitting his soul through the wire, literally. After his car accident in October 2002 he went to the studio so the world could feel his pain. This was the debut single from his classic freshman album College Dropout. Kanye may be many things, but he knows his music and who better than to help him find out how to spit through the wire than some one who has been through the fire? With the extra star power of Chaka Khan Kanye’s single stayed on the charts for 22 weeks.

Jay-Z: “Show Em What You Got”

Even Mr. H.O.V himself can use a little inspiration from those who graced the hip-hop charts before him. Being number one comes with its fair set of challenges, including some major hatin’ from those who are always gunning to take the top spot. Its no wonder Jay decided to take notes from Public Enemy and borrow their track to give a shout out to all those who provoked him to come out of his short lived retirement. Jay told every one to give tha drummer some, but his whole song was a shout out to Flav and his throwback crew, if you ever want to show some one what you got, just remake their song.

Alicia Keys: “Girlfriend”

While there have been blogs and twitters galore dubbing Ms.Keys as a home wrecker, I am pretty sure anyone has yet to call her an Ol’ Dirty Bastard. But if you do your home work, then you would know that she might not take offense and instead feel honored. Her hit single “Girlfriend” has ODB’s “Brooklyn Zoo” to thank. It seems that Alicia has some Ms.Cleo psychic powers and was writing “Girlfriend” from the future perspective of  Swizz beatz soon to be ex-wife. I hope that her ability to predict the future via lyrics doesn’t come back on her in the form of Karma.

The Fugees: “Killing Me Softly “

Most of the time “Killing” has such a negative connotation but in 1996 every one wanted a brotha with a nice voice to kill them softly when this song hit the radio. Thank goodness for Roberta Flack because her song inspired the Fugess to give new life to the idea of dying for love. Although Wyclef reminds the listeners that being killed softly can only occur one time (one time) this song was in heavy rotation and introduced the world to Lauyrn Hill’s killer talent.

NWA: “Express Yourself”

NWA might have had an attitude problem but they took notes from one of the greats and saw the genius in identifying self expression. Charles Wright gave the NWA crew and the rest of the world some great advice and encouraged everyone, to speak up, stand out and Express Yourself. The young West Coasters call out hypocrisy, drug usage and corruption. Even with all the negative feelings “gangster rap” was stirring up back in the day,CD breaking and all, NWA came out with a positive message. After all, the world is stage, so EXPRESS YOURSELF!

LLoyd: “You”

Lloyd makes loyalty sound so good. Ladies, you know that if Lloyd is checking for you, even if your home girl is fine too, he’ll still want you. Since infidelity is not on Lloyd’s agenda,even with all of the eye candy running around in Atlanta, it seems that Lloyd either knows his history or enjoys Adam Sandler movies. Lloyd or some one in his camp studied up and took notes from the 80s band Spandau Ballet to make a hot single that his lady friend would be happy to make Street Love too.

Miarah Carey: “I Remember”

Memory lane is one of the best roads to travel. Mrs. Canon is teaming up with T-Pain to make nostalgia the hottest musical necessity for fall 2009. So new in fact, that we can only hear a snippet. Full song or not, Mimi is giving a nod to the one hit wonder Ahmad with his west coast classic Back in the Day. Although I can’t really picture Mimi rockin some chucks, khakis and a flannel shirt, her remake of the song seems like a winner. Its always important to look forward, but thinking about how things were back in the day can be a fun past time.

Lupe Fiasco: “Fire”

Run-DMC tapped into the genius of the rock and rap combo in the 80′s and Lupe is smart enough to follow suite. Even though playing with fire can get you burned, Lupe is standing right next to it and extinguisher or not, it’s working out well for him. Taking his musical ques from the late great Jimi Hendrix’s Fire, Lupe seems to be aiming high and showing off his rock star power. Cliche as it is to say something is hot when discussing fire, this song is indeed blazing… fire and all.

Drake: Lets Call it Off

Well, there is something to be said for honesty. I guess if you are dating Drake, one thing is for sure, he will let you know what’s on his mind. If you are trying his patience he will be sure to let you know he can’t effing stand you. Heart break Drake must be a good poker player because if nothing else, he sure knows when to fold ‘em. At least Drake cannot take full blame for his quick draw relationship approach, Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Armstrong came up with this strategy first. Calling it quits is never easy but at least you can thrown in the towel with some good tunes on in the background.

Vintage is not just a good look for trendy clothes, its a good fit when it comes to music too. When attempting to create quality songs what better way to ensure a good out come then trying something thats already worked out well. While newness is always encouraged every once in a while an oldie but goodie can be just what artists need to get those creative juices flowing.

There’s been no shortage of clothing lines by rappers over the years, but when you consider the ones that have actually survived the times, well, that’s a completely different story. The likes of Rocawear, Sean John, and (somehow) Phat Farm have been going on for a decade strong, mainly because of the lasting legacies of the personalities behind the brands.

Thus, it was the lines by rappers-of-the-moment trying to cash in that came and went, but even some big names couldn’t make their clothing work when they themselves always looked as if they couldn’t dress themselves. Here’s GIANT’s look back on all the lines that have faded into oblivion.

Chicagoland is the birthplace of some of the most talented and powerful singers, rappers, actors, athletes and cultural influencers of our time. Sure President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan have settled there and kept The Windy City on the map, but Chicago is the birthplace of some of the hottest stars and celebs on the scene. Check out a few of the Who’s Who from the biggest city in Illinois and the third largest city in the United States. Chi-town!

Perhaps the product of spending too much time with fellow Child Rebel Soldiers Yeezy and Pharrell, Wasalu’s picked up the singing bug as well.  Thankfully, there’s no Autotune to be found *kisses Jesus piece* but Lupe has opted for the dreaded fake British accent instead (blame Madonna).  To up his bloke credibility, homey has adopted the alias of ‘Percival Fats’ as lead singer of punk-ish band Japanese Cartoon. Take a listen here of the band’s first three tracks to leak.

Make of it what you may.

-Devin Chanda

Supergroups are a novel idea, just not a very realistic one.  If Nelly has his way though, an ‘09 Bell Biv Devoe will come to fruition, boasting membership from the rapper and hit-making amigos Akon, T-Pain, and Pharrell.  Success is definitely a toss-up, though.  The quartet could very well pump out a fair share of club bangers, but too many hooks (and a vocoder) could spoil the synthy broth.  Here are some dream lineups, though, whose chemistry would be undeniable:

Jay-Z x Kanye West x Scarface x Beanie Sigel

Kanye can just stay behind the boards for this one, flipping rare but timeless samples while the trio of emcees provide the same lyrical acrobatics that gave us classics such as “Guess Who’s Back” and “This Can’t Be Life.”

Diddy x DJ Khaled x Lil’ Jon

Seriously—an ad-lib match made in heaven.

“Take that.” “WE THE BEST!!!” “YEAH!!!” “Who?!? WE!!!!” “OK!!!”

Lil Wayne x Max B

The Martian meets Wavie Crockett.  Weezy’s stream-of-unconscience nonsense will flow smoothly with Max’s tidal wave of hooks (the man can harmonize anything).

Lupe Fiasco x Mickey Factz

If you can tell difference between them, then you need to stop using your Food & Liquor case as an ashtray… if you bought it, that is.

The Clipse x The Neptunes

We just need another album.  Speaking of which… !

-Devin Chanda

Lupe shows off why he’s the coolest in this GIANT photo shoot.

One of Chicago’s flyest MCs brings his ecclectic style to NYC… and the pages of GIANT.

He earned three Grammy nominations for his debut, Food & Liquor. Skateboarders and hipsters worship his style. But what do we really know about Lupe Fiasco? The reticent rapper opens up about the death of his dad, his devotion to Islam and why he’s a hypocrite.

Lupe Fiasco is probing his swanky suite at Manhattan’s Flatotel in search of the solution to every starving artist’s plight. He walks over to a dimly lit corner and scans a small wooden table covered with notes and paper napkins. It’s not there. He stalks over to the room’s kitchenette, only to stop midway, retracing his steps as his mind wanders back a few seconds. There it is, on the floor, near the leg of the wooden table: a bag of utensils.

It is the 15th day of Ramadan, the month-long Islamic religious observance during which followers of the faith are required to fast from sunrise to sunset. Fiasco honored the oath today, and now that the sun has gone down, he’s chosen chicken and broccoli from the New York eatery Philippe to sate his ravenous appetite. “One second,” begs the man born Wasalu Muhammad jaco before savoring the first bite.

Muslims must be self-accountable during Ramadan, which makes it a good time to chat with an artist who, despite his relative obscurity, has a habit of being deliberately abstract in his music. For Fiasco, music is a conduit for self-reflection, and he prefers to use nuggets of experience to address broader social issues. Perhaps because braggadocio-laden tales have no place in his work, Fiasco remains an elusive figure–even to his most rabid fans.