This remix was inevitable. Before I even knew who or what this song was, first hearing it on the radio, that chorus reminded me of Hype Williams videos. I first heard Lorde’s Royals in July 2013. Without knowing anything of its origins, I was in its thrall and wanted to hear it repeatedly. Upon learning that Lorde was a teenaged Kiwi, I started tracking the charts, rooting for the song to spread; at that time its only impact was in the mid-40s on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. Released as a single the next month, it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the first week of October, spent nine weeks there, and Lorde dominated the next year.
The song Royals itself was begging for some laid back Barry White on the verses—that’s an alternate version of I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby from a 2009 box set—and Big Poppa on the chorus. Biggie’s classic crystallized and made dominant the opulence Lorde is commenting on, though neither she nor I are denigrating the B.I.G.’s right to celebrate. That’s the charm of the song, capturing the essence of living the Highlife while representing from the other side of the tracks, where Biggie came from anyway. Can Lorde even sing this now?
djhighlifemixes 