A Billboard headline wrongly attributed a Corinne Bailey Rae hit to a white singer and Twitter isn't having in the least bit.
According to Billboard, Jack Rutter, who uses the stage name Ritt Momney, went viral in April with the cover he produced as part of a make-up challenge on TikTok. Billboard writer Josh Glicksman featured him in a profile published on Friday titled "Ritt Momney Doesn't Care If 'Put Your Records On' Is His Only Pop Hit."
Hopped on the phone with @rittmomney, who insisted that I tell you to go listen to Corinne Bailey Rae's original version of "Put Your Records On" (but you should listen to his cover, too)https://t.co/nsPiiKd3FP
— Josh Glicksman (@JoshGlicksman) November 13, 2020
"You know the songs that you just have memorized your whole life? It was totally one of those songs for me," the Salt Lake City singer told Billboard of his cover. "My mom really loves that song — around when it came out, she’d play it all the time. It reminded me of writing in the back of my mom’s minivan and a much simpler time. It has always been the epitome of a joyful, hopeful song for me."
While many took issue with the cover of the song being done by a white man, the crux of the issue was the headline's suggestion Ritt Momney could stake any claim to the 2006 hit.
Who the fuck is this? CORINNE BAILEY RAE’s pop hit is “Put Your Records On.” https://t.co/yexMPnWrpZ
— ً (@LIQUORICEBlTCH) November 15, 2020
Billboard gotta fix this headline and credit Corinne Bailey Rae as the original creator cause this Momney dude makes it clear in his interview he gives her credit. pic.twitter.com/ey1mjhGGvl
— Guerito, piel de masa (@Sabumafu98) November 16, 2020
Twitter quickly reminded that it's Bailey Rae whom they stan.
i hate that his cover gets played in the radio and not the original version that was written by a black woman https://t.co/cCMMcpTqBL
— ᴋᴀʏʟɪɴ ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ (@kanekislut) November 15, 2020
Just a reminder: Corinne Bailey Rae wrote Put Your Records On. It’s about black girls loving their hair. It was written for black girls by a black girl. Please for the love of GOD stop giving men credit for the work black women do it’s exhausting
— Deathany Frankelstein (@leealvarado101) November 16, 2020
cut corinne bailey rae her check and go sit in the corner and face the wall https://t.co/aWPGrHrfC5
— jozee (@jdaphneblake) November 16, 2020
His version is actually horrible, the original is so much better BETTER.
Stream corinne bailey rae today https://t.co/rTMSOi1yn4— touché (@petulantmil) November 16, 2020
Either way, the bizarre circumstance is also giving fans another chance to appreciate Bailey Rae even more.
the way we as a culture continuously sleep on corinne bailey rae is blasphemous https://t.co/Ffxj5CasYa
— lizard (@isaboplizardman) November 16, 2020
While we are on Corinne Bailey Rae, The Sea is an ELITE album that never fails to make me cry pic.twitter.com/ftMho3CDCR
— K (@AlsoPurp) November 16, 2020
this is a Corinne Bailey Rae appreciation post. because her music deserves more recognition than that white dude who sampled her song Put Your Records On pic.twitter.com/EFmkD7mYrW
— andi ???? (@solidisimulada) November 16, 2020
Y’all saying Corinne Bailey Rae ‘s Put your records on needs to be the one recognized …. when I didn’t even know this dude made a cover of it or even who he is ???? I have literally only heard her sing it and that’s how imma keep it ! pic.twitter.com/bhZcHd0KOd
— Black Girl Agenda (@KrissyImmaFan) November 16, 2020
Ritt Momney also got roasted for his moniker.
Not to sound like a hater but it isn’t his song. It’s Corinne Bailey Rae’s song. And his stage name is ass. https://t.co/ZBQ8XcaVUn
— emoty (@emotylol) November 15, 2020
With Bailey Rae trending online, fans took the opportunity to revisit the original hit.
According to The Independent, Bailey Rae launched to the top of the music charts in 2006 with "Put Your Records On" and hits such as "Like a Star." The British singer crafted her skills as a child when she sang at church. She also drew inspiration from Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, who were two of the singers most often heard in her family's home.
The 41-year-old singer experienced tragedy in 2008 when her husband was found dead at a friend's home. In a 2010 interview with The Independent, she talked about the challenge of expressing her thoughts about the tragedy.
"It has been difficult," she said. "You find yourself volunteering loads of personal stuff, but then you forget that those words are going to get printed, shown to lots of people and interpreted in a different way."
