Bronx rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie just shared his debut album The Bigger Artist, and it’s filled with potential hits. In addition to his Platinum single “Drowning,” The Bigger Artist also features songs where A Boogie draws from some of the biggest singles of the past. Throughout the project, he flips classic songs by Lauryn Hill, Usher, Maroon 5, and Robin Thicke.
On “Unhappy,” A Boogie borrows the lyrics and flow from Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna…”:
And honestly, I be tryna stop thinking about you
But even when I do, I be reminiscing bad things I did
And I know you hate me, you hate me
Usher’s lyrics are about wanting to leave his girl for his best friend:
Start a new relationship with you, this is what you do
Think about a ring and all the things that come along with
You make me, you make me
“You Make Me Wanna..” was Usher’s first single from his 1997 album My Way. The track peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified double-Platinum. My Way was also a runaway success, selling over 6 million units.
A Boogie’s outro on “Get To You” is based on Lauryn Hill’s third verse on “Ex-Factor”:
I need to care to you, carefully, carefully
I’m moving carefully
Iggin' me, iggin' me
It don’t make sense to me
Send for me, send for me
Need you to win for me
Care for me, care for me
And if you care, make time for me, make time for me
And when you lie to me it just be killing me
You’re acting differently, I need to get to you
Lauryn is pleading with a lover, just like A Boogie:
Care for me, care for me!
I know you care for me!
There for me, there for me!
Said you’d be there for me!
Cry for me, cry for me!
You said you’d die for me!
Give to me, give to me!
Why won’t you live for me?!
“Ex-Factor” was the third song on Lauryn’s 1998 solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Some fans believe the song was about her struggles with fellow Fugees member Wyclef Jean. The album sold eight million units, cementing Lauryn’s legacy in the process.
“Stalking You” uses the flow from Maroon 5’s 2004 hit “This Love”:
I can’t keep making up stories
She said goodbye and left me in the cold
If I can’t take it I’m sorry
I need good vibes, if not leave me alone
The chorus of “This Love” reflects A Boogie’s situation, describing a relationship on its last legs :
This love has taken its toll on me
She said goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
I have no choice ‘cause I won’t say goodbye anymore
“This Love” is the second single from Maroon 5’s 2002 debut album Songs About Jane. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004, two years after the album’s original release. Their debut album is certified quadruple-Platinum.
The Trey Songs-assisted “Bad Girl” samples the beat of Robin Thicke’s “Teach U A Lesson” and interpolates some core lyrics:
‘Cause you’ve been a bad girl, yeah, a bad girl
Girl, I still fuck with you even though you’ve been a bad girl
I wanna teach you a lesson
Tell me to slow down if I’m goin’ fast, girl
I know you want me to sweat you
I might undress you and run you a bath, girl
‘Cause you’ve been a bad girl
You’ve been a bad girl
Thicke’s lyrics share a similar premise with “Bad Girl”:
You were late to school
I’m gonna have to see you after class
You’ve been a bad girl
Someone’s gonna have to teach you a lesson
You’ve been a bad girl
Someone’s gonna have to straighten you right out
You’ve been a bad girl
Someone’s gonna have to teach you
Teach you, teach you, teach you
“Teach U A Lesson” appears on Robin Thicke’s 2006 album The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, and was certified-Platinum.
Listen to the songs above and read all the lyrics to A Boogie’s The Bigger Artist on Genius now.
