mixtape maestro (2.0)

If Kanye calls you out as having the potential to be the second G.O.A.T. (behind Eminem, of course), best believe when he calls upon you to bless one of his tracks, the “it” better be brought.

So with that said, it’s no surprise that Nicki Minaj would attempt to drop the best verse of her still young career on the much-talked-about Kanye & Friends posse cut joint “Monster” (from the newly announced upcoming West and Jay-Z EP, Watch The Throne); what is shocking, however, is that she would end up making the rest of her brow-raising trackmates (the song rounds together not only ‘Ye, Jigga and, in a laughably brief cameo, the BAWSE, but indie god Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is employed to play hook man) seem completely irrelevant.

Using West’s sludgy fuzz-bounce as her own personal playground, Minaj adopts like seven different voices and three different flow tempos to slice-and-dice those lesser than (“Let me get this straight/ Wait I’m the rookie?/ But my features and my shows ten times your pay?/ 50k for a verse, no album out!”) and teasingly flaunt her maybe-faux/ maybe-not bisexuality (“Besides ‘Ye, they can’t stand besides me/ I think me, you and Am should menage Friday”), in the end, bringing all kinds of truth to her early boast of “Watch the queen conquer”.

Sure, Kanye earns Runner-up Prize with his naughty-clever “sarcophagus”/ “esophagus”/ “swallow-ship” rhyme, but in her wildly animated contribution, Minaj easily steals the show, re-igniting hope that when her Pink Friday solo album does finally drop this November, it’ll feature more of this playfully raw side…

…and less of the questionable bubblegum tendencies that dominate second recent leak “Check It Out”, a will.i.am production/ duet that unnecessarily twists The Buggles’ early days of MTV hit “Video Killed The Radio Star” into a typical BEP electro-hop jam for the Top 40-loving teenybopper crowd (and will likely become one of the biggest, most inescapable, radio hits of the fall season).

Sigh, Minaj. You’re so promising, yet so frustrating.

Kanye West – Monster (feat. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver)

Nicki Minaj & will.i.am – Check It Out

When this whole Bieber/ Raekwon/ Kanye collaboration was first hinted at via Twitter (following a string of posts of Kanye giddily expressing his love for the pop tyke’s My World 2.0 album cut “Runaway Love”), we, like probably the most of you, were left a little discombobulated, unable to wrap our minds on how the three could successfully merge on a single track, all the while heavily intrigued by what, yes, epic-ness could result from the musical mind-fuck.

Well this morning, HipHopConnection premiered the joint (a hood-edged remix to “Love”) and, not so surprisingly, it’s a keeper.

The harmless/ menacing juxtaposition of Bieb’s pre-pubescent yearn for the whereabouts of his one and only and those twinkling teen-pop keys against the minimalist cinematic spookery of the Wu’s “Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit” instrumental achieves a neat ’90′s underground mixtape vibe (with Justin interestingly sounding more than a bit “Someday”-era Mariah Carey-ish here), but the track is honestly more of a showcase for ‘Ye and The Chef as they re-live old Wu-inspired memories, with West reminded of the days when he was a “young youth/ Rockin’ the gold tooth” to the sounds of “C.R.E.A.M.” and Raek referencing his old “Freek’n You (Remix)” verse with that “You got stacks like the International House of Pancakes” intro line.

Justin Bieber (feat. Kanye West & Raekwon) – Runaway Love (Kanye West Remix)

BONUS DL: Jodeci featuring Raekwon & Ghostface Killah “Freek’n You (Mr. Dalvin’s Freek Mix)” (alt)

Of course, Kanye‘s remix to “Power” wasn’t going to be some simple toss-in-a-new-verse-from-another-rapper affair. Of course, it was going to be some multi-level, mind-blowing epic-sized event with the…erm power to shut down the World Wide Web, just so he could one day straight-face tag it as being “the best remix OF. ALL. TIME!!!!!!” (and to some extent, be completely right). What couldn’t be predicted though, was how far the track’s 2.0 take would exceed anyone’s expectations of awesomeness.

Now we get even more ‘Ye notable quotables for lyric-heads to endlessly obsess over (Our favorite: “Now the question is, how we gon’ stop the next Vietnam?/ Keep Flex out of Korea, ’cause you know he drop bomb”); Jay-Z dropping another classic slab of his “elder statesman of hip hop” poetics (“We on that Norman Mailer shit/ In search of the true, even if it goes through Taylor Swift” HA!); and a gospel choir upgrading the original’s tribal chants to such three-dimensional-like levels, they sound like they’re going to bust through the speaker at any moment.

But neither one of those excellent enhancements can compare to what happens at the 3:16 mark, when Swizz Beatz emerges out of nowhere with his requisite “Showtime!!” exclamations, urging West to “take that jacket off and go crazy on ‘em” with a sudden beat switch to the forever-undeniable industrial clubfloor churn of Snap!’s 1990 smash “The Power”. And “go crazy” West does, going in on a breathless forty-bar verse in which he references crucifixion, compares himself to Michael Jordan, spins some Donny Hathaway to soundtrack memories of former loves, and, touchingly, states how much of a dream come true sharing a track with “big brother Jay” is.

Give this man a “‘Power’ clap” round of applause for this one. He deserves it.

Dark Twisted Fantasy (the album formerly known as Good Ass Job) drops November 16th.

Kanye West – Power (Remix) (feat. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)

DL: “Power (Remix)” (alt)

BONUS DL: Snap! “The Power (7″ Version)” (alt)

After having to sit through the endless ramblings found on last week’s underwhelming “ruff mix” leak of Kanye’s Beyonce and Charlie Wilson-aided collabo “See Me Now” (we’ll wait for the edited-down, finalized version of that one, thank you very much), it’s sooooo nice to be able to comfortably jump back on the “Yeezy is ace” bandwagon with the short and solid, track-stealing verse he brings to the mid-section of Kid Cudi‘s latest leakage, “Wylin Cause I’m Young”.

Atop an eerie lo-fi rumble of a beat that sounds like something demonic creatures of the night would two-step to, Cudi and West team up to basically relate the benefits of being debauchery-loving rock stars, boasting of globe-trotting escapades filled with endless amounts of drug and liquor and an ever present bevy of groupie chicks keeping them feeling “hunks”.

Cudi’s depiction of the wealthy, “untamed youth” lifestyle rides on (what else but) a darkly alluring moodiness (“I guess the fact my father smoke and drank/ Made it a young nigga destiny to do the exact thing”), but it’s West who ultimately takes the blue ribbon prize here, brightening things up with a humorous verse in which he confesses of “praying to a box of Mags” and Viagra that he’ll still be able to satisfy the ladies when he’s of the “Geezer…Ebenezer” age.

From the Perajok & Kanye West Presents: G.O.O.D. Ass Mixtape.

Kid Cudi – Wylin Cause I’m Young (feat. Kanye West)

With B.o.B currently doing such a fine job holding down the hip-poppy, “sometimes I rap, sometimes I sing” lane, it almost feels pointless for Kid Cudi to try to work the same path, yet here he is anyway, maneuvering his better-than-average shower vocals through the buffed pop/ rock crunch of new track “Erase Me”, a cut that’s just begging to be handed over to Rivers Cuomo & Co. for the next Weezer project.

Finding him bragging about how his girlfriend can’t stand him, yet finds it impossible stay away from him (“It’s like I’m her new nightmare/ She ain’t escapin’/ It makes me feel a bit complete”), and featuring a mostly clumsy Kanye West guest verse that’s somewhat rescued by the memorable sixteen-capper “I hope you die-arrhea”, “Erase Me” (from the forthcoming Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager album) manages to sound like something that will likely end up peaking in the upper reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 sometime within the next few months (whether you want it to or not), but damn…for a song that boasts both Cudi and Kanye and producer Jim Jonsin, it’s a shame that ho-hum (or worse…WTF?!?) is the best way we can think to describe it.

Somebody please tell us that this isn’t the “revolution” that Cudi was referring to on that last joint of his.

DL: “Erase Me” (alt)

We know, we know (get off Drake’s sack already!!!!!), but it’s not our fault hip hop’s current Boy Wonder is attached to so many noteworthy projects right now.

Added to that list is October’s Very Cold, a Drake/ Coldplay mash-up mixtape helmed by producer Chi Duly, which is not only great because the two acts it’s mashing-up actually sounds like an enticing musical marriage on paper (Drizzy and Chris Martin both have that whole e-mopey thing going on), but the ten-track results are all songs we wouldn’t be embarrassed to blast in our cars…with the windows rolled down (Special props to Duly and his expert chop/ blend work).

Grab our two favorites below, the sublime “Money To Fix” (“Money To Blow”/ “Fix You”) and the addicting “Forever La Vida” (“Forever”/ “Viva La Vida”), or simply cop the entire thing here.

DL: Drake & Coldplay featuring Birdman and Lil’ Wayne “Money To Fix” (alt)

DL: Drake & Coldplay featuring Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne and Eminem “Forever La Vida” (alt)

Eight months after all that “Swiftgate” drama took both the Interwebz and watercooler/ Twitter gab hostage, Kanye West re-emerges on the freshly leaked Good Ass Job lead single “Power” sounding just as “divo” as ever, declaring “In the white man’s world/ We the ones chosen” and “I don’t need yo’ pussy, bitch/ I’m on my own dick” while embracing the “screams of haters” as his own superhero theme song and proving he (still) can’t take a joke (“Fuck SNL and the whole cast/ Tell ‘em Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass”).

Oh, and as far as being looked as the “abomination of Obama nation”? Yeezy could care less, quickly brushing off any slight tinges of remorse concerning that role with this typically egotistical line: “At the end of the day/ Goddammit, I’m killin’ this shit”.

Honestly, as much as one might want to hate Kanye when he’s on one of these power trips, dude is right: “Power”, taken in as a whole, is an epic shit-killer.

Try to peel your attention away from the intensity of his lyrics, and absorb all the other ambitious going-ons happening here: the main beat, a pummeling tribal-rock stomp weaved together with a sample of King Crimson’s 1969 prog-rock classic “21st Century Schizoid Man”, soul claps and wordless chants, feels like an event all on it’s own; then you have that coda, an amazingly beautiful dynamic shift which offers pretty piano tricklings and funereal synths as West and an out-of-nowhere-appearing Dwele trade off suicidal thoughts (“Now this would be a beautiful death/ I’m jumping out the window/ I’m lettin’ everything go…”).

Throw in the jaw-dropping fact that the version of “Power” currently making the music blog rounds may not even be the final version (yes folks, it could get even better) and what you have is the beginning of Kanye West about this run this town all over again.

And y’all thought 2010 was gonna be The Year of Drake…

“Power” is slated for a June 8th digital release.

“Power”:

BONUS DL: Kanye West featuring Common & Mase “Jesus Walks (Remix)” (alt)

“Find Your Love” is the latest leakage to spew from Drake’s forthcoming Thank Me Later debut, and if you’ve been anticipating a new reason to hype up the Canadian rapper’s mic skills, you might as well go ahead and let out your groans now because, as the title hints, the track once again finds the guy rocking his sleepy emo-R&B guise.

Produced by Kanye West, “Love” offers a somewhat classier adult-soul slant on the haunting, glitch-soul atmospherics that, for better or worse depending on your stance, framed 808s & Heartbreak (think if West and Sade were to hook up on a record), with Drake hoping beyond hope that after opening himself up to a girl, his romantic feelings are reciprocated: “I better find your loving/ I better find your heart”, he repeatedly croons on the hook, each echo creepily evolving the line from a playful threat to “If this doesn’t work, I’m gonna never be this vulnerable to a chick ever again” desperation.

Without a rap verse included to break up some of it’s moody monotony, the track can register a bit underwhelming on the first (second and third) listen, but with repeated exposure to that mesmerizing chorus and intriguing piano/ mechanical drum strut combo (not to mention the emotional power it will wield when the listener is cycling through their own “Does he/ she like me?” drama), “Find Your Love”‘s likability should rise.

Let’s not forget, “Over” didn’t sound so great initially either.

DL: “Find Your Love” (alt)

There’s no better way to kick off the beginnings of better weather (and the arrival of spring break!!!!) than to have the good-times guitar strummings of Weezer’s “Island In The Sun” expertly merged with the locker-door slams and debaucherous dialogue of J-Kwon’s 2004 lone hit, “Tipsy”.

When listening to this excellent mash-up, the latest great achievement from the The White Panda crew, you can damn near hear jumbo sized sleeves of red plastic cups being ripped into all across the country.

“Tipsy In The Sun”:

DL: “Tipsy In The Sun (Weezer vs. J-Kwon Mash-Up)” (alt)

…And, just to keep this whole “Island”-meets-hip hop vibe going, enjoy D.C./ Maryland/ Virginia-based quartet The Five One‘s 2009 music blog-circuit fave “L.A. Girl”, which uses the same Weezer track (as well as lyrics…ahem, borrowed from Kanye West’s “Robocop”) as foundation for a tribute to spoiled lil’ Cali babes.

Currently featured, amongst a few other great remixes/ cover songs, on The Five One’s newest mixtape, Road To SXSW.

“L.A. Girl”:

DL: The Five One “L.A. Girl” (alt)

Seeing as though we were so late in discovering the awesomeness that was the original, it’s only fitting that we would be as equally tardy in finding out the G.O.O.D. Music crew hooked up for a sequel, right?.

Whatevs. Now featuring guest turns from Kid Cudi, Common and Big Sean, as well as new verses from Con and West, this new posse-stylized rendering of the cut succinctly satisfies our wish of giving us an elongated serving of the track’s mesmerizing swirl of a hook/ beat, one of the most under-appreciated aural combinations of the year.

DL: “Whatever You Want (Remix)” (alt)