Heavy Rotation

Over the past few days, I have had a few songs on heavy rotation. Most are remixes that I got from some blog or the other, many from okayplayer. Check em out:

KiD CuDi ft Kanye & Common - I Poker Face (Lady Gaga sample)
I don't really know anything about KiD CuDi, but I have been hearing a lot of chatter around him on the internet. Common and Kanye guest spots made this track a good candidate of somewhere to start. More than anything, I really like the production and the Lady Gaga sample. Those things make this song, in my opinion. I don't know anything about Lady Gaga either, but after this song, I'd be interested in finding out more. One of my friends said, "This song locks Lady Gaga as the MIA for 2009." I've had this song on constant repeat.

Focus ft. Royce Da 5'9", Phonte of Little Brother, and Stat Quo of D12 - Homage to Premier
A song like this has been a long time in the making and long overdue. Focus scratches in samples of a bunch of songs that Premier produced. Stat Quo's verse takes the titles from songs Premier has worked on and incorporates them into his rhymes, a la GZA's Labels. He does it so seamlessly (much better than GZA) that if you weren't familiar with Premier's discography, you'd probably miss most of the references. Despite that, my favorite verse on the track goes to Phonte. Here's a snippet:

I understand we ain't back in the old days,
but youngins be looking at my n#%&@ Preem funny like he's one of the OJs
No sense of history, see Chris Martin in the credits, they be thinkin it's the n#%&@ from Coldplay
so I gotta school em and remind these toddlers that hip hop started in the days of yonder
any fool with an S950 can make beats but this man took it and redefined a genre
who else can make the Group Home sound like pros
then make Christina Aguilera sound like soul

Mos Def - Life in Marvelous Times
Mos Def hasn't been the same since Black on Both Sides or his Black Star days. I still like his new stuff, but it's not the same (I can't wait for the Black Star concert at the end of May). Unfortunately, this song is not a return to those days, but it does make me look forward to his next album. He obviously still knows what it takes to make a good song: good production and good lyrcis. This song has both. He thinks he can beat anyone in the game, including Jay-Z and Lil Wayne; this next album is his chance to prove it.

Mos Def - Brooklyn (Go Hard) ft MIA
From "Brookly, we go hard" to "Swagger like us" to "Paper planes," it seems like MIA is being sampled all over the place. These are some of my favorites.

See Also: MIA ft. Jay-Z and Kanye - Swagger Like Paper (Mick Boogie remix)
See Also: MIA ft. Jay-Z, Notorious BIG, Kanye - Brooklyn (Go Hard)

J.Dilla ft. Black Thought - Reality Check
Certain rhyme styles work better with certain production styles. Particular MCs work better with particular producers. Black Thought was meant to rock this beat. This song is a teaser from a new album called Jay $tay Paid, which will also feature DOOM, Raekwon, etc over Dilla beats. The project is mixed and arranged by Pete Rock. I CANNOT wait!

See Also: Common - Pimpin' (prod. by Dilla)

Royce Da 5'9" - Shake This
I like songs where the production builds up in tempo and intensity before reaching a climax, and then starting all over again. Nas did this the best on his "One Mic," but Royce does it well here too. After the last couple songs that have hit the internet, I'm looking forward to his next album Bar Exam 3.

See Also: Royce Da 5'9" - Slaughter

Zion I ft. Talib Kweli - Gotsta Chill (Temperature remix)
Two of my favorites from both coasts get together on this one. I really like the production, and both MCs spit hard lyrics.

See Also: Zion I ft. The Grouch - One (Santogold Starstruck remix)

Street Sweeper - Clap for the Killers
Established MC Boots Riley of The Coup and guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine are joining together to form the group Street Sweeper. The first two tracks make me anticipate more.

See Also: Street Sweeper - The Oath


UPDATE: KiD CuDi just released a new mixtape tape. Check it out here. Mine's downloading now.