Posted 2014-04-22, evaluated by djpretzel


Time for something really different... how about some tag-team Sonic rapstep? Or I guess you could call this "dubstep w/ rapping," if you deplore genre chimeras. Either way, newcomers Boyinaband & None Like Joshua - each of whom have their own healthy YouTube followings - collaborated on this jam to bring you "Green Hill Zone" as you've never heard it before. I'll make the gratuitous explicit lyrics warning here and now, although if you're not paying attention you might not even notice. Boyinaband (David Brown) writes:

"I was looking to make a nostalgic dubstep rap remix with None Like Joshua when making a YouTube collaboration. Sonic is frickin' awesome, so Josh and I had to do some sort of remix, especially since it's the 20-year anniversary of the blue one himself. We both had a mutual passion for Sonic growing up, so it was a natural thing. I rap in it too. I wrote the music and my verse, he did his verse and we collaborated on the chorus lyrics. My first ever console game was Sonic - here's my tribute to what he attributed to my childhood. The music was made with Reason and Massive for the most part. The accompanying similarly nostalgic music video can be found here: http://youtu.be/yIyXdqI57c8"

First off, Larry said I could throw him under the bus for letting this mix fall through the cracks; it's been a good, long while since it was originally submitted, and the mixpost latency can be chalked up primarily to his cheekiness. If you walk past a bus in Atlanta and you smell McRib, be sure to check underneath it, and say hello to Larry for me. Don't worry, he'll be okay. Beyond casting lyrical aspersions on Chinese manufacturing quality and the bit about Amy that's best not to think about, this mix was already destined to be polarizing to some since it contains not only dubstep, but ALSO vocals... and rapping, at that! Haters come forth and be counted, but I personally think David & Josh have put together a fun, fresh, & memorable take on GHZ, a theme we've heard many times. There's some direct sampling from the game, and plenty of sound fx, but the overall package is original, creative, recognizable, and something unexpected. Hugging the underbelly of a Greyhound, Larry writes:

"This had more direct audio sampling of the Green Hill and Sonic & Knuckles title theme than I'd like (vis-à-vis the submission standards), but ultimately I was able to get behind it. There was a lot of clever usage of the Green Hill and S&K title melodies through stringing a mix of sounds together that traded off the with direct sampling. A significant part of the source tune usage was handled through actual arrangement, so I'm cool with the overall approach.

Props to David and Joshua for keeping things speedy and gritty throughout the arrangement, with their lyrical delivery really making the song's tempo seem even faster than it was. The energy's tangible throughout the mix, and it's nothing but aggressive with beefy kicks, strong saws, and PLENTY of in-game SFX peppered in.

Aside from the "'gina" line (HOW DARE!), the rest of the lyrics aren't risque, and it's nothing but strong stuff referring to the characters and gameplay throughout the Sonic series. Another aspect of the vocals I dug was how, during the choruses, the two trade off the lines; from chorus to chorus, sometimes Boyinaband sings the first line and alternates with None Like Joshua and sometimes it's NLJ first then Boyinaband. It's a subtle touch to an otherwise balls-out track, but it shows very nice attention to detail and not coasting, which is especially important for shorter tracks. Boyinaband & NLJ both have homegrown followings, but they only rarely tackle VGM, so it's cool they subbed, and I'm glad it has a home here. Hopefully some of their fans will check out what else our community's got cooking and vice versa with our listeners here. Welcome aboard, bros!"

Well said; as I mentioned, we've certainly seen listeners out there whose stated musical preferences completely exclude dubstep, rapping, or both, and this might not be THEIR cup of tea, but if you're looking for a solidly-constructed, well-written, articualtely-performed rap + dubstep arrangement of "Green Hill Zone" - and let's face it, who isn't - this should be right up your alley. I kid a bit, but like Larry, I'm psyched to see some larger YouTube names submitting to OCR, and furthermore putting together arrangements that are interpretive, interesting, & emphatic. Nice stuff!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 12 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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CC Ricers
on 2015-09-30 21:30:38

I've heard rap with dubstep before, but some of the lyrics here don't work for me. They're just trying too hard, I guess. Can't do Sonic like this without sounding silly. One good thing I could say is that the flow keeps up with the beat well. Also, the different Sonic themes could be blended a bit better. Just a middle-of-the-road ReMix for me.

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OA
on 2014-04-25 18:47:47

Absolutely love this one; solid performances, confident deliveries, and great flow. Soundscapes are fresh and cool, and it's a shame that it took forever to post. A++ would listen to again.

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timaeus222
on 2014-04-25 17:21:54
Nope. Listened, didn't like it. The first ten seconds sound like what I would have liked from this song. Focuses too much on sounding loud. And this song demonstrates why rap and dubstep don't go together AND why a lot of people I know hate dubstep.

I miss the old days of OC Remix, ten years ago where it took more than sound effects abuse and passing skill on a MIDI keyboard to make a remix. OC Remix has really let its standards loosen up considerably the last few years. Ten years ago this song wouldn't have even made it to the judges panel.

Ironically, I'm pretty set on my strong belief that this wasn't as loud as "mainstream" dubstep (AKA soundcloud dubstep and youtube dubstep), and that's part of why I said the execution wasn't super strong.

That said, I liked the arrangement (the rap performance in particular) despite the straightforward approach, and production opinions I had were very minor, actually. Rap and dubstep *can* go together, because guess what? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. It's possible; just takes the right person to tackle it, and my constant nudging towards my sister to go and request the stems from her band. :grin: Also kinda funny you liked the first seconds, because those *were* the sampling, and you'd be saying original this remix. :lol:

And about the standards... they tapered off in 2007, last I heard, but they were rising before then, so 10 years ago, this really would have passed. Highly probable. Yes, old OC ReMixes *generally* were more captivating for me in terms of the overall package, but hey, maybe the "more likable ones" (MUCH emphasis on these quotes) are still in the queue.

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Liontamer
on 2014-04-25 15:38:34
Nope. Listened, didn't like it. The first ten seconds sound like what I would have liked from this song. Focuses too much on sounding loud. And this song demonstrates why rap and dubstep don't go together AND why a lot of people I know hate dubstep.

I miss the old days of OC Remix, ten years ago where it took more than sound effects abuse and passing skill on a MIDI keyboard to make a remix. OC Remix has really let its standards loosen up considerably the last few years. Ten years ago this song wouldn't have even made it to the judges panel.

ROFL. Well, I've been on the judges panel for 10 years as of next July, and I can tell you this would have been fine. :lol:

We stay very open-minded on what genres we allow, i.e. we don't let knee-jerk haters of dubstep, rap, metal, vocals or ANY genre determine what we post. "Too crazy, too weird, it's loud, I'm not comfortable" can't just automatically disqualify an arrangement.

A fan posted this great video on the merits of dubstep by PBS Idea Channel on our Facebook page: http://youtu.be/3l_hy33-1Yw

Dubstep's not for me personally, but that doesn't cloud my judgement. You certainly don't have to like it, but don't tell us that we've drastically dropped our standards or that this was no-effort MIDI transcription. Anyone saying the quality standards here have loosened over the past 10 years hasn't been listening to everything posted in the last 10 years. The sweeping generalization of the site over disliking one track is brain-numbingly hyperbolic.

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Yaro
on 2014-04-25 11:35:54

Nope. Listened, didn't like it. The first ten seconds sound like what I would have liked from this song. Focuses too much on sounding loud. And this song demonstrates why rap and dubstep don't go together AND why a lot of people I know hate dubstep.

I miss the old days of OC Remix, ten years ago where it took more than sound effects abuse and passing skill on a MIDI keyboard to make a remix. OC Remix has really let its standards loosen up considerably the last few years. Ten years ago this song wouldn't have even made it to the judges panel.

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Cash
on 2014-04-23 16:21:54

I enjoyed this quite a bit actually. I'm a fan different music, especially when it combines multiple styles. The arrangement is nice, and I enjoyed the lyrics. Overall well executed and full of energy. I like dubstep, and appreciate good rapping. Plenty of that here.

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Kuolema
on 2014-04-22 16:49:07

This isn't his greatest work, but I love boyinaband! Seriously one of my favourite youtubers :)

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timaeus222
on 2014-04-22 15:48:55
So, Rapstep, huh? Interesting. Now there's two styles I had a hard time imagining together, and yet here it is and it's actually decent. Not bad for something a little bit different.

I actually meant to remix one of my sister's band's rap songs with some dubstep, but these guys beat me to the punch! :lol: (I'm completely serious) Ironically, that song was called "Break Ya Spine", IIRC (read the lyrics; you'll see why it's kinda ironic).

Not sure I'm much of a fan of this though. It's not like I'm against these genres, but the execution felt predictable and a bit underwhelming. :|

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Crulex
on 2014-04-22 14:27:46

So, Rapstep, huh? Interesting. Now there's two styles I had a hard time imagining together, and yet here it is and it's actually decent. Not bad for something a little bit different.

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Chernabogue
on 2014-04-22 14:11:31

I discovered boyinaband recently, so it's nice to see more! :) Not a big fan of the mix, but it's an interesting approach.

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Black_Doom
on 2014-04-22 14:07:37

This is... Um... Oh. I just have no words. This song causes a lot of different emotions. I'm not fan of it, still, it's pretty nice.

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djpretzel
on 2014-04-22 13:51:12

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix!

Sources Arranged (4 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega , 1991, GEN)
Music by Masato Nakamura
Songs:
"Green Hill Zone"
"Invincible"
"Running Out of Oxygen"
Additional Game:
Sonic & Knuckles (Sega , 1994, GEN)
Music by Howard Drossin,Jun Senoue,Masaru Setsumaru,Masayuki Nagao,Sachio Ogawa,Tatsuyuki Maeda,Tokuhiko Uwabo,Tomonori Sawada,Yoshiaki Kashima
Songs:
"Title Screen"

Tags (10)


Genre:
Dubstep,Hip Hop
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Sound FX,Synth,Vocals: Male,Vocals: Rapping
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Explicit
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Origin > Collaboration
Time > Tempo: Fast

File Information


Name:
Sonic_the_Hedgehog_Sonicstep_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,360,756 bytes
MD5:
ef7b2289c2dfcf22dcbb7aabfd91e3b1
Bitrate:
214Kbps
Duration:
2:39

None Like Joshua:

Watch -- me -- go, rolling through a tunnel,
'Cause I'm going to a level that is full of bad guys
Being chastised 'cause I rap like I'm fast,
I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, never on spikes

Only got one life, through a loop de loop
Got to get the rings, jumping through the hoops
And yes -- I'm -- blue, flying through a stage
'Cause Dr. Robotnik can't even stop this

Flimsy machines that were made in China
Too much speed in Amy's 'gina
What you want to say? Tails got my back
Well, I guess sometimes when he's on the track

Then I spin attack, open up the screen
And you know I don't lack my several emeralds
No, you're never gonna see me approaching
I don't need rings, when I shine like golden

Boyinaband & None Like Joshua:

Look at us go to defend the world, we gotta hit those springs, but
Can't stop now, gotta move fast, gotta get those rings, like
Cha-ching, don't fall down through the opening, or
Yeah, now we got to do it all over again

Look at us go to defend the world, gotta hit those springs, but
Can't stop now, gotta move fast, gotta get those rings, like
Cha-ching, don't fall down through the opening, or
Yeah, now we got to do it all over again

Yeah, now we got to do it all over again

Boyinaband:

Flash back to Sonic 3, the first time that you
heard of me as the enemy
I'd just jump on a button and do nothin' but chuckle
"Who the hell is that?" Shut up, sucka, I'm Knuckles!

I'm fly when I glide, call it falling with style
I climb to the top while ya'll crawl in denial,
Ya dig? 'Cause I do. If not, change your mind
I can break walls, dude, so I can break your spine

I'm the dreaded red-dreaded redeemer
I'm a spiny anteater
Angel Island elite, a
Robotnik defeater
And you'll be leaving with scarlet fever

I'm gon' give a refresher,
I don't sink under pressure,
when I'm underwater,
you know it's just *bubble sound* and I'm sorted,

Let's go!

None Like Joshua & Boyinaband:

Look at us go to defend the world, gotta hit those springs, but
Can't stop now, gotta move fast, gotta get those rings, like
Cha-ching, don't fall down through the opening, or
Yeah, now we got to do it all over again

Look at us go to defend the world, we gotta hit those springs, but
Can't stop now, gotta move fast, gotta get those rings, like
Cha-ching, don't fall down through the opening, or
Yeah, now we got to do it all over again

Yeah, now we got to do it all over again

Yeah

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