“Everyone I love is going away/ Even…you,” she opens, planting a dagger-like punctuation on those last two words while backed by nothing more than atmospheric washes and haunting tick-tock burblings that cloud her words in lonely ambiance.

With producer John Ho building upon this stark introductory frame with icier electronic-pop textures, Rhyu further colors in the lines of the depths of her emotional despair, her ethereal arias positioning her on the verge of a major breakdown as she teeter-totters between an overly dependent desperation (“So I keep you very close to me/ Whenever you feel like, I let you scream”) and bat-shit rage (“I could crush you/ You know I could crush you”), as if the simple idea of this last somebody leaving her side is the only thing keeping her from completely shattering.

“Without You” ends without presenting any sort of finality to the scenario (Does this person eventually leave her? Does she bust him/ her upside the head and lock them up in her basement so that they can never leave?), but it’s a record that benefits more from not completely closing the book on the situation, the “What happens next?” question mark that lingers over the cut in it’s fade-out bearing a spine-tingling chilliness way more captivating then any concrete conclusion that could have ever been conjured.

An act to watch.

Hear/ download the cut below; check out more from White Blush via it’s Bandcamp page.

For first taste “Breakfast (Syrup)”, Kreay proves that she’s still not in line to win any Best Lyricist/ Best Flow awards anytime…well ever, but a certain goofy charm remains in her elementary-level mic chops, which offers a few overly simplistic lines (like “Eight in the mornin’/ And I’m up yawnin’/ My phone almost dead cause everyone is callin’” and the double dutch chant hook: “I got all the syrup/ I got, I got all the syrup/ Got that juice, cheese, bread, breakfast/ Stackin’ dough”) sure to get plenty of mileage as social media quotables.

Plus, Kreay is smart enough to surround her “skills” with easier-to-respect elements here, namely a minimalist, old school rap rattle destined to sound even more beat-tastic brilliant when heard blasted at high volume while in an alcohol and/ or drug-enhanced state of mind, and a feature from the always-welcome 2 Chainz, continuing his current entertaining run as a master at putting silly rhymes together in the most fun-to-hear-and-repeat ways (“When I’m in California/ Bitch I’m tryna fornicate/ If you ain’t talkin’ money/ Ain’t no need to conversate!!”).

Look for a video to drop Monday. (via)

“Raggamuffin”, the infectious, attention-grabbing reggae-pop flavored cut that originally appeared on Selah’s 2008 self-released EP Black Part Love and was initially released as an official single back in 2010, is being used to kick off Sue’s American launch, but now with a little tweak: a remix, produced by Supa Dups (Tyga’s “Still Got It”, Nina Sky’s “Turnin’ Me On”, Estelle’s “Come Over”) and featuring J. Cole.

The guest rapper go-to isn’t necessary–Selah is unique enough to stand on her own thank you very much–but Cole does commit two really strong verses here, and if that’s what it takes to get “Raggamuffin” the mainstream airplay it deserves and help make her a household name on these shores, we’ll gladly take it.

Selah’s U.S. debut drops August 21st.

Here’s the video to the original:

Baltimore’s Aaron LaCrate is the man behind this remix and the results are as splendid as one would expect. Underlining Schoolboy and Rocky’s hedonistic back-and-forth mic-tossing with seemingly a hundred different addictive-in-their-own-way beat switches here, LaCrate basically guarantees a few pounds and gallons of sweat lost in every re-spin as one tries their bestest to keep their Spongebob footwork game in lock with the ever-evolving rhythm.

Stream the cut below, download it over at Rolling Stone.

Azealia’s latest, “Jumanji” is no different, featuring the Brooklyn-ite laying her catchiest vocal performance yet (second to “212″) in a series of breathless tongue-twisting couplets that lean both playful and take-no-mess serious and land in perfect harmony with producers Hudson Mohawke and Nick Hook‘s bouncy, child-like cacophony of steel drums, choppy vocal samples and what sounds like synthesized elephant trumpets.

In short, the Year That Azealia Banks Ran Things churns on…

Recently unleashed by the bomb-lovin’ Flex, Childish Gambino gets a taste of some of that Black Hippy movement with the self-produced Schoolboy Q collabo “Unnecessary”, a cut that may or may not be found on his forthcoming as-yet-unnamed mixtape.

While we’re sure this, like each and every Gambino tune, will get the usual mixed reaction from the social media peanut gallery (cause some folks will just never get used to taking the rapper/ actor/ comedian seriously on the mic), we gotta say: the track provides a fairly potent “tough” look for the triple-threat talent, rocking a needly street-corner knock that’s destined to become a backdrop favorite for the usual freestyle suspects over the next couple months or so and a track-owning guest turn from Q teasing out his big baller braggadocio lean with a gruff, baleful edge. (via/ via)

Ninjula’s tweaking contributions mostly fall a bit on the subtle side here, with him mainly emphasizing the original’s furious thump with a little chop-and-slice work here and there, but we dare you to tell us that the breakdown/ build-up section he drops from 3:25-3:54, followed by the triumphant return of those fiery, straight from the bowels of Hell riffs, isn’t pure club floor-meets-devil horns gold.

This cover by beloved one-man indie folk outfit Iron & Wine (née Samuel Beam)–from the limited edition Suicide Squeeze-backed 7″ single release Two Sides of George–may not necessarily earn the act a spot on the 106th & Park countdown, but it’s nowhere near feeling vanilla bland, its beautifully somber stripped-back arrangement, the heavenly presence of some female background support, and Beam’s soothingly plaintive reading (which hits a certain sweet spot on those brief bits of falsetto) managing to do just as pleasant of a job showcasing the classic pop songcraft skills Michael rarely seems to get credited for.

Pre-order Two Sides of George–dropping June 18th and backed by a cover of “Trouble”, originated by the Lowell George-fronted blues rock band Little Feat–here. (via)

This latest rework is deserving of a special shout-out mainly for being blessed with a contribution from Bay Area legend E-40, who sounds quite at home atop producer Iamsu!‘s effectively simple keyboard n’ handclaps spritz, dazzling the eardrums with another dose of his awesomely goofy pimp poetry (“I let my mackin’ unravel and let the game unfold/ Next thing you know her legs open like a field goal pole”), but don’t count out fellow guest star B.o.B who rarely fails at sparking up a lyrical win when reduced to a single verse appearance heavy on the XXX-rated gab.

Triple sigh.

At least we have the countless “Climax” remixes currently bubbling about to keep us sane, like this dope re-work from London’s master knob-twiddler Herve, which takes the simmering electro-soul slow-burner to it’s inevitable “sweat-soaked in Ibiza”, dizzying fist-pump heights in a way that definitely pleasures more than it irritates.

Herve Diplo & Usher – Climax (Herve Remix) by Herve (Official)

Also doing a fine job in keeping us happy with 2012-era Usher, Myself‘s urban market second single “Lemme See”, a post-club sex jam banger in the horny-minded, synth-heavy nocturnal mold of producer Jim Jonsin‘s 2011 highlight “Motivation” that portrays Ursh as some kind of porno superhero snatching off shirts and skirts with the snap of a finger while the Robin to his Batman, Mr. Rick Ross, does his slick, grunting Rick Ross thing (complete with an uncomfortable “hoodie”/ “Trayvon Martin” reference).

Lookin’ 4 Myself drops June 12th.