Trending

Justin Bieber Covers “How to Love”

Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 09/28/2011 at 12:06 PM News

The Popdust Files: Cover, justin bieber, lil wayne

Hey kids—when you yourself perform a song originally by a different artist, including trying to replicate most of the original’s music and lyrics, it’s called a “cover.” A “remix” is when you take an original recording and change certain musical and/or structural elements of it to put a new spin on what is still essentially the same song. We know the lines between the two have been blurred some over the years, especially in hip-hop, but still–when you pick up an acoustic guitar and perform a fairly straight rendition of an already-existing song (even if you through in some previously-nonexistent rapping), it’s a cover, not a remix. Clear?

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, Justin Bieber‘s COVER of Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” was leaked to the internet earlier today, making the Bieb the second teen star of note to put their spin on Weezy’s crossover-courting ballad. Bieber’s version features the Canadian phenom singing and strumming his way through the top-five hit, while taking a verse to also exercise his rap muscles—marginally ironic, considering that the original is one of Wayne’s only singles not to feature the Martian spitting over it. “I just wanna take my time / I just wanna do my thing / Maybe I press rewind / Maybe I buy that ring,” Bieber flows, sounding competent as ever. (“Fast-forward” might have made more sense lyrically, though then again, it’s true that Selena’s not getting any younger—may be time to make an honest woman out of her.)

In addition to his Wayne run-through, manager Scooter Braun suggests over Twitter that Bieber may have some more covers in the pipeline. “He has some more remixes coming too,” tweets Braun (GRRRRRR). “right @seankingston.” Does this mean that we finally get to hear The Bieb’s acoustic, torch-ballady spin on “Fire Burning”? Don’t tease us, Scoot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F3djnlPsP8

[MTV]

For lots more pics, videos and up-to-the-second dish on Justin, be sure to check out his Popdust Artist Page.