Is there anyone who doesn’t think this is one of the definitive hip hop remixes? Taking an already peerless piece of work to another level, Coldcut’s reinterpretation is the seminal mash up. Relying on the languid backing track, littered with vocal samples, of which the original rap is but a bit part, it also brought Ofra Haza to a wider audience. The video is great as well, featuring random Arabic text, (The Qu’ran, apparently), cut up with a variety of images straight out of central casting, but ingeniously juxtaposed, it’s anything but cheesy. And, on a gloriously sunny day like today, it takes me right back to when I first made the move to that London. Living in a squat in the Elephant & Castle and getting my life on track. Apparently Rakim loved this version, but Eric B didn’t. And Coldcut received a pittance for what is one of the first commercially successful remixes. An immortal piece of work.
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