// Jay-Z & Kanye West f. Elly Jackson (of La Roux) - That's My Bitch //
Former Tribe stalwart, Q-Tip, continues his streak of tight production with this track featuring the duelling kings of rap. "That's My Bitch" is rumoured to be a feature single off Jay-Z and Kanye's upcoming joint EP, Watch The Throne. The quality isn't great, but it's definitely enough for you to bump in your car. The bongos are crazy! I don't mind admitting that I've drummed the shit out of my steerling wheel to this song.
// T.I. f. Kanye West & KiD CuDi - Welcome to the World //
T.I. must be the unofficial king of coming out with stuff that sounds like 90% of his previous hits, but people continue to eat it up anyway. A grim, bassy synth beat with slick lyrics of hardship, struggle, etc... Both rappers go hard over the No I.D. production, with Tip peaking with a series of punchy, stuttering lines. Ye answers with an exhaustive verse addressing various conspiracy theories. His line about the illuminati scandal is a classic. Cudi provides his trademark haunting vocals on the hook. Would've been awesome to hear J. Cole or Pusha on this one...
// Keri Hilson f. Kanye West - Pretty Girl Rock RMX //
Ms. Keri is almost ready to drop her 2nd album, No Boys Allowed. The lead single, "Pretty Girl Rock," is a pleasant pop tune packaged as an anthem for young girls to feel good about themselves. It's something of a self-esteem booster, I suppose. Or maybe a self-esteem over-booster for chicks who are actually hot? "Knock You Down" collaborator Kanye West makes a cameo, recycling part of his verse from the Good Friday release, "Take One For The Team." It's aight.
// B.o.B f. Wiz Khalifa - Fuck Tha Money //
I'm not posting this so much because I think B.o.B and Wiz are amazing on the track, but more so because this beat is actually the work of pre-College Dropout Kanye. "Crazy" was written by the late great Static Major and recorded by an R&B chick named Aura and The Clipse. Although a complete copy of "Crazy" surfaced earlier this year, it's pretty clear that Aura isn't destined to cash in one of the remaining Dropout-era soul beats from Mr. West. B.o.B doesn't do much with it either, but Wiz does his best to bring some life to the track.
// Metric - Black Sheep //
For fans of Metric, this isn't a new track. The band has been performing "Black Sheep" on tour for years, but never committed to including it on a studio album. Fans have clamoured for them to do it, so they did the smart thing and ponied up for the soundtrack of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (which is a great movie by the way). The song appears in the movie for about a minute, and it defeinitely stood out in my mind. I managed to track it down, so here it is. A real gem!
// Destroyer - Chinatown //
Vancouver-based indie artist Dan Bejar (aka Destroyer), has been putting out music and gaining devout fans for the better part of the last decade. I don't know much about him, but I'll definitely try to get my hands on his older stuff if "Chinatown" is any indication of his talents. It's a beautiful, uncomplicated song that one typically wouldn't hear this late in the year, but the warm nostalgic feel and jazzy horn sections are certainly welcome as we get deeper into the winter months. The instrumentation and songwriting style reminds me of Memphis, the vastly under-appreciated duo headed by Stars frontman, Torquil Campbell. Look for Destroyer's next EP, Kaputt, due out in January 2011.
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