I had no idea who Kayper was until I saw her name scroll by on my SoundCloud stream earlier today, but she’s won some major points in my book by taking on Erykah Badu and completely re-imagining her 90s hit, “Next Lifetime.” Badu released the track as the second single off of her debut album, Baduizm, which catapulted the talented songstress to the top of the music industry, as her album quickly went triple platinum.
Badu’s original take on “Next Lifetime” is like a lesson in 90s music, as her emotional, bluesy vocals are paired with a downtempo, R&B production, but Kayper does away with everything in favor of re-making the track with her own unique touch.
The UK-based talent douses the tune in a bath of static-y synths before peeling back to unveil Badu’s instantly-recognizable vocals layered over a thumping bass line and uplifting background vocals reminiscent of a soulful church choir. You can check out the track below.