Turns Out ‘Black Beatles’ Might Sound Even Better As An R&B Jam

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By now, we’ve all been immersed by Rae Sremmurd’s runaway hit “Black Beatles” thanks to the endless number of Mannequin Challenges posted on our social media timelines. Eric Bellinger understands the level of fatigue attached to the song, which is probably the reason he completely flipped the script by slowing the track down and smoothing it out until it sounds something more like a bedroom banger than a crowd-pleasing club hit.

In his new viral video, the R&B singer finds himself alone high in the hills, armed with nothing but his guitar, a mic and a stool, which are all the extras he needs since he’s already armed with a warm, inviting voice. Bellinger’s worked with the likes of Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Usher and more so making hits isn’t new ground for him. He explained his approach to reworking Rae Sremmurd’s song to Fader, who premiered the track on Monday.

“When I heard this joint, I knew it had potential to be a bonafide R&B hit as well. I look at doing covers like that old MTV show Pimp My Ride where they would lace someone’s car — this is like ‘Pimp My Song!’ I’m adding all kinds of stuff and messing around with the tempo, the beat, and melodies etc. I really enjoy giving people a different version of a song they already love.”

Bellinger’s been in the lab recently with Ne-Yo and he’s also preparing to release his own project, Eric B For President: Term 2, very soon.

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