Get Asher Roth on the phone, we need to talk about Track 6 on Asleep in the Bread Aisle. Estelle was on the original version of the song, but was quietly cut and replaced by Keri Hilson at the last minute. What’s wrong, Asher? Did Keri put a spell on you? Was Estelle’s hair too nappy for you?
Seriously, this is nothing new. It’s commonplace in the industry to switch artists for business reasons, which they often masquerade as creative reasons. Keri is poppin’ right now. People have already forgotten about Estelle’s album. You may recall that Snoop swapped Akon for Nate Dogg on “Boss’ Life”; Kanye replaced John Legend’s beautifully-sung version of “Coming Home” with Chris Martin’s “Homecoming”; and The Roots dumped Jill Scott in favor of Erykah Badu on “You Got Me,” even though Scott penned the chorus. So, yeah, it happens.
Proceed for your double treat of “She Don’t Want a Man” and tell us who sang it better.
She Don’t Want A Man (Keri Hilson’s Version)
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She Don’t Want A Man (Estelle’s Version)
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So, what’s the verdict? Did Estelle kill it or did Keri deliver the knockout punch Pacquiao-style?
