‘The X Factor’ USA: Hear the song Lyric 145 was supposed to sing

Just in case you are as upset as we are over the exit of Lyric 145 on “The X Factor” USA, a group that never really had the chance to show how talented they truly are on the live shows, perhaps this will be a little bit of consolation: a recording that proves that they could end up doing just fine even without having the show as a support base.

The audio below is basically a retooled version of the Aretha Franklin classic “Respect,” but with each one of the rap group’s three members tackling a verse  along with a breakdown of the chorus. It’s fun-, fast-paced, and most importantly, this sounds like the sort of song they really should have been doing on the show. If there is one problem that this group had above any other on the show, it’s that they continually were saddled with song choices that were not even remotely hip-hop. This was obviously due to Simon Cowell’s efforts to ensure that the group was “commercial,” but in the middle of all of that you can’t stray them too far from their roots.

So how much further would Lyric 145 have gotten had they performed this song instead? If nothing else, we feel pretty confident that they would not have been eliminated automatically, and we may have potentially seen the exit of Paige Thomas, Arin Ray, Jennel Garcia, or Beatrice Miller on the night. Do we think they would have won the competition? Probably not, but only because “X Factor” voters seem to be of a demographic that does not fully appreciate the art of hip-hop; however, they probably would have at least made it for another week or two.

Do you dig this song far more than the Katy Perry / Queen mash-up they were forced to do instead at the last minute?