mixtape maestro (2.0)

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)

If the releases of official lead singles “Over” and “Find Your Love” and the seemingly endless stream of leaks that littered the Web in the weeks after taught us anything about Drake‘s Thank Me Later, it was mostly that the Canadian rapper’s much-anticipated debut wasn’t going be the instantaneously-heralded classic many had prematurely hyped it to being. If anything, it felt more and more like Later was going to be a grower, one of those albums whose true greatness wouldn’t be uncovered until one had had the chance to sit with it for awhile.

Following the “Internet premiere” of TML in it’s entirety last week (fourteen days ahead of schedule), we can now see that we were correct in our assumption, because on first listen, the album doesn’t register as anything all that special.

Chalk that initial reaction up to the album’s overall sonic dreariness. A little too over-reliant on darkly-textured soundscapes and drowsy R&B hooks and verses, even the set’s attempt at “bangers” are handicapped by an adherence to such moody detailing.

Continue to give Later spin love however (and recall that Drake’s breakthrough mixtape So Far Gone followed a similar nocturnal vibe), and it eventually becomes easier to appreciate what’s actually a solid set, impressive in it’s avoidance of typical modern rap LP hodge-podge manufacturing for a focus on cohesiveness, where all the songs follow a singular musical style and concept (strikingly intimate, diary-like accounts of the celebratory highs and heart-bruising lows of life post-fame), and the featured guest stars and producers compliment rather than steal attention away from the overall theme.

Of Later‘s many highlights that are not singles, we recommend the chilled knocker “Unforgettable”, which gets grand assists from an Aaliyah vocal snippet (via her cover of The Isley Brothers’ “At Your Best”) and Young Jeezy’s always welcome, floating-in-mid-air rap flow magic (special shouts to that “His and her firearms” line), and “Fancy”, which features Drake and T.I. throwing props at independent women (“Well aren’t you a breath of fresh air/
From all these superficial gold digging bitches in here…”) atop a hypnotically swirly, Swizz Beatz soul sample beat.

Check out the tracks below (along with a couple recent Drake remixes), and try to peel the money out of your wallet on June 15th to cop the album. Promises, while you may not immediately take to the album, odds are you’ll end up doing exactly like the man says and thanking Drake later for crafting such a strong set.

“Unforgettable”:

“Fancy”:

BONUS DL: “Find Your Love (Rosco’s Outstanding Bounce Mix)” (alt) (shouts)

BONUS DL: “Art of Over (Thriller Phil Remix)” (alt) (shouts)

Eve kicked 2010 off with the announcement that she was parting ways with long-time label Interscope and re-entering the studio to start piecing together a new new incarnation of her long-delayed fourth LP; in response, we couldn’t even muster up the mildest of shrugs.

Why, you may ask? Let’s just say it’s hard getting excited anymore over the potential release of an album that has been promised to drop every year for the past three years now (let’s not forget that the project’s one-time lead single, the still-amazing “Tambourine”, arrived waaaay back in 2007).

If the set (now entitled Lip Lock) does manage to make it’s way to stores sometime before we have to start shopping for 2011 calendars though, we hope it follows through on the somewhat intriguing idea of her going after atypical soundscapes (like the Salaam Remi/ Benga dubstep beat she pasted her vocals on on the ’09 leak “Me N My”), rather than feature ho-hum repeatings of the tried-and-true, a category in which the newly leaked “Fire” falls.

Don’t get us wrong, as far as re-igniting the interest of faded-away audiences, “Fire” does a decent job: Its backing beat gives a sleek, Southern(-rap)-fried spin to White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” instrumental; the hook (“All y’all can spell my name/ E-V-E, ain’t nothing changed”) carries a certain double-dutch chant charm; and, in Eve’s rhymes, there’s a flicker of that old “pitbull in a skirt” we first fell in love with over ten years ago as she coolly dismisses grapevine gab of her retiring from the rap game (“What, you thought I gave it up?/ Like I was done and over?/ Guess I done fucked up your luck/ Better throw out your four leaf clover…”).

It’s just that, in our heads, we’d much rather have this street buzz-ish banger be the jump-off for a comeback-themed mixtape collection, where it could help build excitement for an official LP full of true game-changing efforts in a similar vein as aforementioned delights “Tambourine” and “Me N My”.

DL: “Fire” (alt)

Bonus DL: Eve featuring Missy Elliott, Fabolous & Swizz Beatz “Tambourine (Remix)” (alt)

With early leakings “I Look To You” and “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”, two lackluster adult-soul/ pop inspira-ballads that made Whitney Houston sound like she had never left the early ’90′s, it was beginning to look like the diva’s much-anticipated sixth studio effort I Look To You was going to be a major yawner.

What was going on? Had the multiple Grammy-winner forgotten all about the hip urban zest of 1998′s My Love Is Your Love and how, via the beat-making talents of Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott, that project had largely succeeded in pumping new life (and interest from the kids) into her career?

Thankfully someone on her team had the smarts to hire on lovebirds Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, cause the production/ songwriting duo may have just helped saved the album from an embarrasing quick chart fade-out with their winning contribution “Million Dollar Bill”.

Undoubtedly Houston’s best offering in years, “Bill” instantly latches the ear with it’s (very un-Swizz-like) retro-tinged groove: an infectious, baked-in-sunshine nod to the feel-good sounds of ’70/ ’80′s-era R&B that damn near dares you to lace up those old roller-skates that’s been collecting dust in your closet for decades and cautiously give them a whirl around the block. That inviting groove lays the perfect foundation for the track’s future female anthem lyric, a beaming “love life post-divorce” script that begs the lady population to “say ‘oh’” and “put one hand in the air” if they’ve managed to come across a knight in shining armor that “makes you feel like a million dollar bill”.

Both fresh-sounding and age-appropriate, “Million Dollar Bill” plants Houston right where she needs to be in terms of achieving a noteworthy comeback. Hell, it’s so good that all the recent (thought not quite un-true) gab about Houston’s voice not being as strong as it once was won’t even cross the mind when immersed within it’s pleasant vibe.

Let’s just hope that when I Look To You arrives at the tail-end of this month, it will house more tracks of this refreshing ilk rather than the tired balladry goop that we were first presented with.

Though it took a minute to fully swallow the seemingly bizarro reality of Degrassi: The Next Generation‘s “Jimmy Brooks” being heaped with praise as hip hop’s next great thing, after a couple months living with (and soon, obsessing over) Drake‘s mixtape So Far Gone, a 16-track collection of heart-poured, twenty-something introspection set to an amazingly versatile soundtrack that owes as much to slick Southern rap swagger and 808‘s moody digi-soul-pop as it does Hype Machine‘s popular ranking charts (cameos include blogger faves Lil’ Wayne, Lykke Li, Santigold and Peter Bjorn and John), let’s just say the Drake hype bandwagon needed to make room for one more.

This latest helping of Drake-mania sees popular So Far Gone cut “Best I Ever Had” getting a Ted Smooth twist, and while it’s beat-jacking of the naughty Akinyele classic “Put In Your Mouth” never quite fits in comfortably behind Drake’s “shawty” Valentine letter, the remix isn’t a complete throwaway, due in part to a tabloid-baiting guest appearance from Swizz Beatz.

“Wake up in the morning and my baby cooked me breakfast/ Ass naked, nothing on but a necklace,” rhymes Beatz. What’s so spectacular about that, you might ask? Fast forward a bit to when he unleashes this key line: “She gave me a party at the Guggenheim”. That’s right, he’s speaking on current boo Alicia Keys, who earned plenty of front page gossip rag coverage last year from this event (reportedly, it was the place where Alicia first publicly “out”-ed her romantic relationship with the then-still-married Swizz, all while his wife Mashonda was still under the impression that her and her hubby were going to work things out).

DL: “Best I Ever Had (Remix)” (alt)

For this upgrade to his late ’08-leaked Weezy-assist “Up In The Club”, Swizz Beatz trades in the obscure, mid-90′s Brit-pop sample reference of the original for the far more familiar old-school knock of “It Takes Two”, effectively transforming “Club” from a mild head-nodder to a surefire banger.

No alcohol in your system? No problem, as this track’s delirious combination of a Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock swipe, “Don’t stop! Get it, get it!” hype-man chants, Wayne’s Auto-Tuned trills and a sturdy Busta verse that starts with the classic line “I wanna rock right now…” could bring even the bone sober to drunken-like heights of giddy euphoria.

Swizz may not be…hell, anyone’s favorite emcee, but when it comes to rocking a party and rocking it right, you can’t argue that the man doesn’t know how to deliver the goods.

DL: “Up In Da Club (Remix)” (alt)

Back in the day, you were damn near guaranteed something special everytime Busta Rhymes dropped a new record. His penchant for rousing hooks, otherworldly beatscapes built from obscure samples and kooky eye-popping music videos with multi-million dollar budgets awarded listeners with a slew of left-field bangers that still snatch up major props to this day. Unfortunately, as the years wore on, he seemed to lose some of that magic. His precious speedy flow remained intact and he could still pump out a hot chorus every once in awhile, but with the beats taking a sad turn towards the radio-friendly and his videos looking cheaper and cheaper (not to mention the image-tainting of numerous bouts with the law), what was once an extraordinary rap icon soon morphed into just another ordinary hip hop entity.

With the big bank bravado and drunk-friendly hysterics of new single “Arab Money” (a sort of companion piece to producer Ron Browz’ other Auto-Tune slathered current fave, “Pop Champagne”), Busta Rhymes had begun inching his way back onto the nightlife circuit; but the record was riddled with some major handicaps. Yeah, it carried the minimum requisite of song elements to conquer the dancefloor, but seeing as though any other rapper could have recorded it and came out with similar results, it definitely paled in comparison to the man’s heyday achievements. Even worse, “Money” held a hard-to-ignore offensive tinge in it’s make-up that drew head-scratching reactions from a lot of people.

But the promise of a career-reigniting track has proven too big a grab to let slip away, so Busta has opted to continue to push the record. What’s the obvious next step? An over-crowded remix featuring all the usual suspects so they don’t have to waste time rushing out their own bootlegged “freestyles” before the cut loses it’s heat.

Tardily attempting to appease the balkers, the remix sees Busta replacing the nonsensical hook of the original (one of the main sources of the controversy) with real Arabic words and the correct pronunciation of the word “Arab”, even getting his track-mates to pull out some authentic phrases on their own verses. It also serves the typical wealthy braggadocio of Diddy (“Bout to buy Dubai and swim in the shark section”), robo-voiced goofball antics of both halves of T-Wayne and an extended appearance by Browz (who has quickly leap-frogged over Pain, Weezy and Kanye as the worst artist ever to over-lean on the Auto-Tune).

Is it a solid enough addition within this Era of the Posse Cut Overkill? We’ll give it that. But revising a chorus and hiring on an A-list line-up probably won’t be enough to woo over those who despise the original, or just wish that Busta could stop fiddling around with all this sub-par material he’s been unleashing recently and really focus on figuring out a way to tap back into that mid-90′s appeal.

DL: “Arab Money (Remix)” (alt)

Months after rapping chanting over a chopping of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” to polarized reaction, producer Swizz Beatz latches onto another blog favorite (this time, M.I.A.’s “Boyz”) to push his consistently lame “HA!! I’m rich and you’re not!” braggadoccio.

“I’m supposed to ball!/ Middle finger to y’all!!” he repeatedly exclaims, perhaps not realizing that his declarations of bulging bank accounts and real diamonds may not sit so well with those left sick over a BAD ECONOMY!! Shame on you for being so insensitive, Swizzy!! Double shame on you for tainting a perfectly fine M.I.A. ditty with your empty musings, and not even having a stupidly-awesome hook like “That Oprah”‘s to semi-justify it’s existence.

DL: “Big Ballin’” (YFH)

He probably won’t ever convince anyone to believe in him as a rapper, but Swizz Beatz‘ role as a charismatic hype-man is hard to deny, especially when he’s coming up with golden, “sure-to-be-adopted-by-wannabe-baller” hook chants like “Michael Jordan/ Tiger Woods/ I’m tryna to get that Oprah” (If only he could have brought in someone with a stronger spit game to fill in the spaces between that one line, instead of offering us his lame attempt at a “freestyle”).

FYI Swizz, chopping up “Viva La Vida” into a bounce number is kinda cool, but beware, those Coldplay fanatics are truly “gangsta” and you’re about to get a ton of e-thug heat for messing with what’s become a cherished nu-classic.

DL: “That Oprah” (YFH)

Minus his signature bouncy, hole-riddled beats (which are either really good or really, really bad), there’s very little that’s original from Swizz Beatz. His new single already earns a F for it’s title alone, a phrase we’ve heard much too often in the past year thanks to Lil’ Scrappy and T-Pain hooks. Still, this is much better than it’s predecessor “It’s Me Bitches/ Snitches”, a barely three minute long interlude that became this year’s version of “We Fly High” by questionably being embraced as a personal anthem despite it’s blatant horrid-ness.

“Money In The Bank” follows the similar winning path of “Tambourine” thanks to it’s use of a random vocal loop for a chorus. That sped-up chipmunk voice reprimanding a gold-diggin’ club-goer (“She ain’t got no money in the bank/ She be walkin’ ’round acting all stank…”) is hilarious and a no-brainer crowd grabber. The verses are as equally wacky delicious with Swizz chopping, screwing and cutting his vocals in all different kind of ways, perfectly blending in with the cartoon-ish back beat that snaps, crackles and pop alongside his breathy call-outs. All the effects helps shield the fact that he’s not much of a rapper (Diddy and Akinyele are just some of the lines he bites) and the song’s thin premise isn’t delved into enough; but, hey, Missy Elliott’s been doing the same thing for years and we still love her.

Surprise summer smash, mark my words!