Something I remember from my early days of music, and still happens to this day, is rappers rapping over open verse leaks of famous rappers to get some clout off of it. Here are some great examples -

This song is credited by many as the first Lil Wayne and Drake collaboration which is false. This is really a song by Brisco, Flo Rida and Lil Wayne. On Drake's version, you can still hear Brisco doing some adlibs on the hook. Drake references this on Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2 - Right before Wayne came and got me out of the back room Where I was rapping with Jas over beats that I shouldn't have In the hopes for the glory.

Another Drake example from the same mixtape. Drake took the Rich Boy verse from a song that would later be released on Rich Boy's mixtape. There's a good thread on KTT1 About Drake doubling down that he owned the verse, before finally owning up to stealing it.

This one is from Kendrick's first mixtape. I find it funny how Kendrick shouts out Joe Budden and Freeway like it's a real collaboration . The original song is just Freeway and his group Ice City, featuring Joe Budden.

This one came out right around when Kid Ink was getting a buzz and Carter IV hype was next level. The Wayne vocals are from a leaked C2 session. It's dope to see it come full circle as Ink and Wayne got a real collaboration in 2018.

This one is a little more obvious a jack than the rest. When "Who Do You Love" first leaked, there was a open at the end. Game decided to fill the open. When the song was officially released, the open was replaced with sampled bars from YG's first verse as a "bridge". Always wish they used Game's verse.

Post any other examples you have of big artists (so no Sal Houdini) doing this.

this is fire they need to bring this back

Idk how this came to be or whose it should be billed as but it was always weird to me that this exists

when thugger started to popping i was bumpin Stoner remixed by Wale like its official

I remember Thug being mad about that (and other unofficial) remixes

complex.com/music/2014/01/young-thug-interview-hoodrich

never heard this one before!

reading genius, it seems it was initially a Dr Dre song featuring a JAY Z verse and a hook from "JB".

Game took it, changed the hook with someone else, and added his own verse

Maybe Game been doing this longer than I thought

Literally every Aspiring rapper does this.

Yeah. I think it's cool to look back at.

Like a time where Drake needed a Rich Boy feature?? crazy to think about

Not sure how "big" you guys would consider XV now, but I remember him being huge during the blog era (at least seemed huge to me). The above song is him rapping over the "opens" on a Wayne leak titled "Kiss Me Baby". This one was so good. Sounded real to me

French Montana did one with Eminem

Yeah rappers back in the day would do this s*** all the time until those copyright laws started putting in work

Some nigga from my city did this over a Kendrick leak/open, idk what he thought was gon come of it

Speaking of Eminem, a Kid Cudi open hook leaked produced by Eminem, which Lil B rapped over

The kendrick example doesnt really fit because that mixtape was never released lol
It was like a tape he passed around in compton

Reminds me of when a homie tried to put me on dpryde/Russell by saying "listen to him he got a t-pain feature"

There was a article about this but for spotify. People would and still do put other artists as feats like tay-k to trick agorithim

That's a release lol, limited release but still. "Pre" internet days haha. Doesn't need to be a digital release

man, a quality post on KTT

what year is it???? 😂

Not exactly the same thing, but I know what you mean. People did that with OTF Spotify page, Rich Gang Spotify page as well lol

a lot of artists did this making unofficial remixes. Drake has i think 3 songs like this on so far gone alone (a little bit, call it off, and i think one more) it's cool wish artists did it more but i think the mac miller lawsuit deaded this

Numb Encore remix with Eminem/50 cent is the greatest throwback song ever

Ybn nahmir would do this with that rick and morty song on sc

He would put the latest popping song in the song hashtags to keep it on the sc charts

Unstoppable is the other one, Santigold. But the examples above (except maybe the Game one) are a bit more than an unofficial remix imo... it's artists acting like they got a real feature when in fact it's just a remix/fill of the open of a unknown song

onyx or fredro starr made a song "featuring jay z" but it was a guy doing a jay z impersonation

ah i see, check my last post lol i can't find it tho