Jennifer Lopez has been seen as someone who has mastered it all, from dancing to acting, and even having a successful singing career. The singer rose to fame after her role as Selena in the self-titled biopic. Though her singing career has brought her much fame and success, Lopez has been known to frequently rip off other artists. The Latina artist has had a habit of “borrowing” vocals from other artists and passing them off as her own. Although this is not uncommon in the music industry, it is clear in most cases that J. Lo is lip-syncing to vocals that aren’t hers. Interestingly enough Lopez has many well-known artists who have picked up the slack for her vocally including Ashanti, Brandy, and Christina Milian. Here are 10 songs J. Lo has shamelessly stolen from other artists.
1. I’m Real (Murder Remix) (Feat. Ja Rule)
“I’m Real” was an attempt for Lopez to appeal to a more “urban” audience and give her album a boost on the charts. The song was released as a single from both J. Lo and her first remix album. Despite it being a remix, the song is almost completely different from the original version. The bulk of the song was written by Ashanti, who would go on to become the R&B Princess of the early 2000s largely due to her collab songs with Ja Rule.
Ashanti’s demo vocals were kept for the final version, including taking over the chorus and recording ad-libs for the track. Ashanti received credit for her “background vocals”, but not as a co-writer. Lopez also faced controversy for a line in the song that involved her using the n-word. Outraged, fans protested one of the singers NYC concerts with banners.
2. If You Had My Love
“If You Had My Love” is arguably one of Lopez’s signature songs. It served as her debut single. Released in 1999 the single charted at #1 on the Billboard hot 100 for five weeks straight. The chorus was sung by Shawnyette Harrell. Harrell’s vocals are mixed liked background vocals so we can’t blame J. Lo too much.
3. Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix) (Feat Ja Rule and Caddilac Tah)
After the success of “I’m Real”, Ashanti returned once again to write entirely new lyrics over a brand new beat for J. Lo. Once again, this remix had no connection to the original. Ashanti wrote, sang the chorus, and added adlibs like she did for “I’m Real.” Ashanti also made a cameo in the music video and seems to be putting on a happy face, but we can assume that she wasn’t too happy about this situation.
4. All I Have (Feat. LL Cool J)
“All I Have” is the second single from This Is Me… Then, and completely surpassed “Jenny From The Block.” The song was a massive hit, but like most of J. Lo’s #1’adfs, most of the vocals were contributed by someone else. Most of the chorus was a vocal sample from Debra Laws’ “Very Special”, 1981 single which peaked at #31 when it was first released. Sony received consent for the use of the sample but Laws was unaware and took the artist to court. Her case was dismissed twice.
Although Laws’ vocals weren’t the one on the track, the voice you hear on the chorus is Makeba Riddick. Riddick was a current Roc Nation signee who’s penned hits such as Rihanna’s ‘Unfaithful,’ and Beyonce’s ‘Déjà vu.’ Between Laws and Riddick, J. Lo barely sings on her own song.
5. Get Right
“Get Right” is definitely a fan favorite from J. Lo due to its catchy chorus and its infectious beat. Producer Rich Harrison wrote the song alongside Usher. ‘Get Right’ was originally recorded as ‘Ride’ for Usher’s 2004 album Confessions. After the song failed to make the album, Harrison passed the track to Lopez as an apology for giving “1 thing” to Amerie instead of her. Usher apparently did not sign off on this and demanded publishing rights. We know Usher isn’t a woman, but how can we not mention this bop?
6. Play
“Play” was the second single from 2000s J. Lo. The single wasn’t extremely memorable, but it charted at #18 on the Billboard charts. Yet again, most of the song wasn’t sung by the Latina artist. Christina Milian co-wrote the song and was well known for her single “Dip It Low”. Milian’s vocals are heard all over the track, most notably in the chorus in which J. Lo barely sings a note. Milian does get credit for the background vocals, but being that she wrote the song and sung most of it, you would think she would get more recognition.
7. Love Don’t Cost A Thing
“Love Don’t Cost A Thing” is one of J. Lo’s biggest singles and solidified her status as a sex symbol. The song is rumored to be about the singer’s ex Diddy and the lavish gifts he bought her. It is said the song is a reason for their breakup. Lopez would go on to marry Cris Judd who is one of the back- up dancers in the music video. There is no background singer listed for the track so it’s hard to say whose vocals are on the track. It is rumored to be Canela Cox.
8. Jenny From The Block
“Jenny From The Block” is definitely Lopez’s trademark song and we can’t imagine it being anyone else’s song, but with J. Lo, that isn’t the case. The song was another attempt to boost the singer’s street cred and it featured Jadakiss and Styles P. The voice on the single belonged to Natasha Ramos and was used after she demoed the track for Lopez. Ramos’s voice shares a striking resemblance to Lopez’s, so if the demo hadn’t leaked no one would have noticed. Ramos sings the entire chorus and the bridge.
9. Ryde or Die
“Ryde Or Die” was written by Brandy. The track was intended for Brandy’s Afrodisiac album, but after multiple delays, it was passed to Lopez for her Rebirth album. Apparently, J. Lo couldn’t find the time to record vocals for the entire song yet again. Brandy’s voice is still very much present throughout the chorus and backing vocals.
10. I’m Real
“I’m Real” was released twice, in 2 different forms. The track was a typical pop song and is rumored to be an alleged diss towards rival Mariah Carey. This version sampled “Firecracker” by Yellow Magic Orchestra. The song was never sampled before 2001 until Carey made the first attempt to license it for her song “Loverboy.” With malicious intent, Carey’s former husband and top executive at J. Lo’s label Tommy Mottola applied for the same license and beat Carey to the punch.
Once again J. Lo could not find time to lay her vocals for the chorus. The voice you hear instead is Shalene Thomas. This incident most definitely prompted Mariah Carey’s Famous “I don’t know her” line. Even though we only listed 10 songs that Lopez ripped off, there is undoubtedly plenty more.
