Around Christmastime, rapper, new father and Crip extraordinaire O.T. Genasis gifted fans with a spirited take on Keyshia Cole’s “Love” titled “Never Knew.” Much to our delight (and Cole’s chagrin), O.T. took the original lyrics and made them gang-friendly, while also showing off his incredible singing pipes.
“It’s killin’ me, a third-degree, I shot my op from a distance,” he croons. “What you see in cuh, you don’t see in me. When I’m done, you gon’ know, ain’t make-believe.” It’s truly a quality cut, and if you haven’t heard it yet, I suggest you stop reading right now and do your duty as an American.
Well, last night, the true King of R&B returned to reclaim his throne with a new song cover, posted in response to 21 Savage’s recent Instagram Live session. Earlier this week, 21 recorded himself singing R&B tunes originally performed by Beyoncé, Usher, and Brandy. He even sprinkled Keyshia Cole’s “Love” in there, prompting O.T. to pitch the idea that they should have an R&B sing-off for the fans.
In order to show how serious he is about this potential battle of the sangers, O.T. belted out the iconic “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey, a rather ambitious choice for anyone, regardless of skill level. This time around, he chose to stick to the original lyrics in order to allow his vocals to truly soar, and he pulled it off.
“KING OF R&B PERIOD POOH!” the “Everybody Mad” emcee wrote in the caption of his post. “Lol @21savage U don’t want no smoke.” Famous names big-upped O.T. in his comments section, with Jeremih placing a crown emoji under the video, and Joe Budden writing “talk to these niggas!!!”
We’re still waiting to see if Ms. Mimi acknowledges O.T.’s rendition of her iconic ‘90s track and we’re also patiently waiting to see if this R&B battle manifests. Anything to hold us over until the Teddy Riley/Babyface face-off, which has yet to be rescheduled.