Remixes That Saved the Original

Sometimes the second time is the charm.

Remixes That Saved the Original - We don't know who invented the remix (chill, Diddy), but we'd like to thank them. And so would countless musicians: remixes have turned decent songs into classic hits, forgotten album cuts into blockbuster singles. Here, we list 10 remixes that saved the originals. Come to think of it, most folks probably can't even remember the originals. —Alex Gale (Photos from left: Jlnphotography/WENN.com, Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET, Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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Remixes That Saved the Original - We don't know who invented the remix (chill, Diddy), but we'd like to thank them. And so would countless musicians: remixes have turned decent songs into classic hits, forgotten album cuts into blockbuster singles. Here, we list 10 remixes that saved the originals. Come to think of it, most folks probably can't even remember the originals. —Alex Gale (Photos from left: Jlnphotography/WENN.com, Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET, Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Busta Rhymes feat. Diddy and Pharrell, "Pass the Courvoisier Part II" - More of a total renovation than a remix, this 2002 sequel turned an album cut from Busta's Genesis album into a smash  single with brand-new rhymes, a guitar-driven beat from the Neptunes and Pharrell on the hook. (Photo: J Records)

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Busta Rhymes feat. Diddy and Pharrell, "Pass the Courvoisier Part II" - More of a total renovation than a remix, this 2002 sequel turned an album cut from Busta's Genesis album into a smash  single with brand-new rhymes, a guitar-driven beat from the Neptunes and Pharrell on the hook. (Photo: J Records)

The Fugees, "Nappy Heads (Remix)" - The "Nappy Heads" remix not only saved the run-of-the-mill shout-rap original, it saved the Fugees' career. Even after their debut album, Blunted on Reality, totally flopped, Salaam Remi's serene remix was an underground smash, and gave the crew their first taste of critical acclaim.(Photo: Columbia Records)

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The Fugees, "Nappy Heads (Remix)" - The "Nappy Heads" remix not only saved the run-of-the-mill shout-rap original, it saved the Fugees' career. Even after their debut album, Blunted on Reality, totally flopped, Salaam Remi's serene remix was an underground smash, and gave the crew their first taste of critical acclaim.(Photo: Columbia Records)

R. Kelly, "Ignition" Remix - The hook to this 2003 smash says, "It's the remix to 'Ignition,'" but no one even remembers the original: The sequel became one of R. Kelly's biggest, most well-known hits, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. (Photo: Jive Records)

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R. Kelly, "Ignition" Remix - The hook to this 2003 smash says, "It's the remix to 'Ignition,'" but no one even remembers the original: The sequel became one of R. Kelly's biggest, most well-known hits, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. (Photo: Jive Records)

Mobb Deep, "Shook Ones (Part II)" - Mobb Deep's signature hit started out as a vinyl-only release with a murkier beat and slightly different rhymes. It was dope, yes, but nowhere near the corner classic the 1995 sequel became.(Photo: Sony Music)

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Mobb Deep, "Shook Ones (Part II)" - Mobb Deep's signature hit started out as a vinyl-only release with a murkier beat and slightly different rhymes. It was dope, yes, but nowhere near the corner classic the 1995 sequel became.(Photo: Sony Music)

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Destiny's Child feat. Wyclef Jean, "No No No" - Wyclef's club-focused rap reimagining of what started out as a smooth, quiet-storm soul ballad gave Destiny's Child their first real hit in 1998. (Photo: Columbia Records)

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Destiny's Child feat. Wyclef Jean, "No No No" - Wyclef's club-focused rap reimagining of what started out as a smooth, quiet-storm soul ballad gave Destiny's Child their first real hit in 1998. (Photo: Columbia Records)

Black Sheep, "Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" - Black Sheep's biggest hit added an unforgettable acoustic bassline to the original version's funky breakbeat and confident rhymes. Both mixes of the song were included on the duo's slept-on debut, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, but the remix made the original an afterthought.(Photo: PolyGram Records)

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Black Sheep, "Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" - Black Sheep's biggest hit added an unforgettable acoustic bassline to the original version's funky breakbeat and confident rhymes. Both mixes of the song were included on the duo's slept-on debut, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, but the remix made the original an afterthought.(Photo: PolyGram Records)

Mya feat. Jay-Z, "Best of Me Part II" - The Jadakiss-featuring, Swizz Beatz–produced original of this 2000 song was decent but totally forgettable, and was totally eclipsed by the club-classic sequel, released later that year as the lead single from the soundtrack to Backstage, with a quotable Jay-Z verse and a Trackmasters beat.(Photo: Interscope)

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Mya feat. Jay-Z, "Best of Me Part II" - The Jadakiss-featuring, Swizz Beatz–produced original of this 2000 song was decent but totally forgettable, and was totally eclipsed by the club-classic sequel, released later that year as the lead single from the soundtrack to Backstage, with a quotable Jay-Z verse and a Trackmasters beat.(Photo: Interscope)

Big Pun feat. Joe, "Still Not a Player" - The slept-on original of Pun's single, featuring a soulful O'Jays sample, was dope, but the Latin-infused remix with Joe became the Bronx rapper's first crossover hit. (Photo: Loud/RCA Records)

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Big Pun feat. Joe, "Still Not a Player" - The slept-on original of Pun's single, featuring a soulful O'Jays sample, was dope, but the Latin-infused remix with Joe became the Bronx rapper's first crossover hit. (Photo: Loud/RCA Records)

Black Moon, "I Gotcha Opin (Remix)" - "I Gotcha Opin" was a raucous but overlooked album cut from Black Moon's underrated 1993 debut, Enta da Stage, but the smoky remix, released as a single with a recognizable Barry White sample, is an underground classic.(Photo: Duck Down Records)

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Black Moon, "I Gotcha Opin (Remix)" - "I Gotcha Opin" was a raucous but overlooked album cut from Black Moon's underrated 1993 debut, Enta da Stage, but the smoky remix, released as a single with a recognizable Barry White sample, is an underground classic.(Photo: Duck Down Records)

The Notorious B.I.G.  - The Notorious B.I.G. rocked out with M.J. on "This Time Around" from the gloved one's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album, but not before digging in the crates for the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," for his hit "One More Chance" off his debut, Ready to Die.(Photo: Bad Boy Records)

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The Notorious B.I.G., "One More Chance/Stay With Me (Remix)" - The original "One More Chance," from Biggie's classic 1994 debut, Ready to Die, was totally eclipsed by the seductive remix, which featured a Debarge sample and vocals from Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige.(Photo: Bad Boy Records)