Artists have many ways of expressing admiration for their peers. Name-dropping those who inspire them in liner notes and offering them groupies on the tour bus are just a couple of ways of showing respect. Covering one of their popular songs? Now that's the ultimate tip of the hat. That's an artist's way of saying, "I wish I wrote this song."
When it comes to hip-hop covers, though, it's not always as straightforward as laying vocals to a beat. Here are 10 non-hip-hop artists who got it down to a science.
10. Duran Duran, "911 is a Joke"
While Duran Duran's cover of Public Enemy's "911 is a Joke" isn't the tour de force that the original was, it's a lucky convergence of elements that seem to work well. A solid rendition of a classic anthem. Truth be told, though, very few songs have ever matched the intensity of "911 is a Joke."