Remember when Jay-Z hit back at Nas on "The Takeover," after Nas complained about Jay sampling a song of his? The "Takeover" line went: You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song. Shakira must have been taking notes from the Jiggaman because she's ridden to the top of the charts more than once by remaking, remixing and interpolating other people's tunes into chart smashes. Talk about going green, Shaki is a one-woman musical recycling machine.
Her newest single, "Loca," continues the trend. The song is a remake of the song "Loca Con Su Tiguere," which is a song boasting about a girl who is in love with her Dominican thug. Shakira has appropriated the beat, rhythm and melody, infusing the lyrics with her raw sexuality, leaving behind the gangster mentality.
To be clear, this is not intended as a slight against the many talents of Shakira. She is a wonderful musician, singer and songwriter in her own right. She's done plenty of original material to justify her successes and talent. Nonetheless, the trend is there and it's worth talking about. Take a look at the Cadillacs Shakira has managed to make out of scrap metal.