A Track a Day — February 15th, 2016

Strange Fruit is the track that Nina Simone said it’s “the ugliest song” she has ever sung. Based on an original by Billie Holiday, on the lyrics of school teacher Abel Meeropol, Nina Simone’s 1965 cover is a heartbreaking lament of public lynchings of African Americans.

34 years later, The Cinematic Orchestra releases Durian on their 1999 album “Motion”. Durian, another strange fruit, samples heavily off Nina Simone’s voice to produce an acidic, uncomforting soundscape.

Come 2013, and Kanye West’s Yeezus takes a shot at another Strange Fruit-inspired track. While I find rather unsettling the treatment to Nina Simone’s voice, the Hud Mo & Daft Punk production is top notch. This track has one of the most terrific drops you could ever hear, with impecabble precision.