"Low" ft. Young Thug, Nicki Minaj, & Lil Bibby- Juicy J

I honestly don't know what the weirdest part of Juicy J's new single "Low" is. It could be Dr. Luke's darkly slinky beat, which has unnerving "wooden" synth rattles that could've been culled from a sci-fi horror flick. It might be the realization that in 2014, after more than 20 years in the game, Juicy J songs are more anticipated than ever. "Clique balling out like the '98 Lakers," he sprays in his halting tone. Considering how cruel hip hop is to old heads, it's a borderline miracle the Three 6 Mafia co-founder has maintained relevancy. Not to mention Juicy hasn't slowed down one bit from the hedonistic streak that made 2000s "Sippin on Some Syrup" so magnetic. 

Upping the ante on strange is warrior queen Nicki Minaj, fresh from her ravaging of the "Flawless (Remix)." Minaj is always good for off-kilter brags and on "Low" we get, "All this ice all around me like a penguin, I ain't talkin' bowlin' but I'm with the kingpin." It's just a table setting though for a devastating double-time flow she adapts as militaristic snares drown out muted bass. Burgeoning drill rapper Lil Bibby, who was 5 years old when "Sippin on Some Syrup" dropped, is tasked with maneuvering through the wreckage Harajuku Barbie Minaj leaves behind and marvelously succeeds. The Chicago native asks that you "Call me King Tut, all this gold on," and threatens "if they try to rob, got the things tucked, you ain't seen nothing," all in his hoarse murmur. Listeners here for J and Minaj will wonder "who is this kid?" and they have every right to. Mainstream fans have zero expectations seeing his name on the marquee, so a head-turning performance like this is oddly revelatory.

Of course when you're talking weird only one person (or alien) can win and per usual it's Atlanta's Young Thug. After one of the busiest months I can remember a rapper having, Thugga's performance here is limited to an Auto-Tune slathered hook. Not that it matters. His out of tune wail "I get a brick, you know I get it for the, low, Her ass so fat, I told her drop it down, low," is just the right mix of engaging and eccentric. While everyone else is trying (and succeeding) in tapping into their inner weirdo, Thug's Mr. Casual. He wears his odd on his sleeve.



Juicy J's new album Pure THC: The Hustle Continues drops some time this year.

"Flawless (Remix)" ft. Nicki Minaj- Beyoncé

"We escalate, up in this bitch like elevators, of course sometimes s*** go down when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator," Beyoncé pointedly raps over the freshly minted electro burbles and operatic whispers of the "Flawless" remix. Considering it's the first song Queen Bey's dropped since the heated elevator fight between her sister Solange and husband Jay Z, it's understandable why the line is getting publicity. Heck I'm leading this review with it. But incessantly babbling about her addressing the "controversy" is foolish because it distracts from a near-perfect rework.

Despite the fascinating childhood samples and brilliant monologue from writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the original Hit Boy production was one of my least favorites from Beyoncé. Instead of comfortably settling into the spare menace of something like "Clique," he's constantly fiddling with pitch-shifters and mashing drum machines. The remix ditches most of the muss and fuss for little string plinks and coordinated drum strikes. Though it sounds moody, it's not in the slightest. Bey's genuinely giddy on the remix. Mrs. Carter playfully calls out "these thots" and laughs before a cash register sounds. Seeing herself in the mirror she reacts with fervent chants of "God damn, God damn, God damn." To drive home the point, the gleeful horns from OutKast's narrative epic "Spottieottiedopaliscious" make an appearance. Big Boi explained the unwieldy name was a, "Southern slang term for a girl that is superfine, bad, sexy, intelligent and jazzy all at the same time," and if anyone has ever fit that description its Beyoncé.

If you made room for a second R&B or rap artist in the discussion, Nicki Minaj would have to come up. For lack of a better word she's "flawless" on the remix. Without batting an eyelash, Minaj speeds in and out of crowded lanes of Instagram pics and "Princess cut diamonds on my Disney." She's a curvalicious fantasy. But realistically she's the warrior queen, hurling Propofol threats and shouting down anyone asking her to take it back to the days of "Monster." At the end of the tongue twisting middle she jabs, "He want monster Nicki in Sri Lanka, I told 'em meet me at the Trump, Ivanka, I said come here let me show you how this cookie tastes, This that "yeah n**** eat the cookie" face." If Beyoncé's trying to forget her recent personal history, Minaj is turning the page from her rap past. Why worry about what's in the rearview when what's out in front is this dazzling?

"Lookin Ass N****"- Nicki Minaj

Bring as many "whoas" as you want to this one, it won't be enough. "Lookin Ass N****" from the forthcoming Young Money comp Rise of an Empire is dynasty-building on its own accord. There's no cornball appearance courtesy of  Lil Wayne or heart-on-the-sleeve confessional from Drake to prop it up. 2 Chainz doesn't show and there's no infectious hook beamed in from outer-space. It's just Nicki Minaj rapping, unspooling from a tight coil one line at a time.

And rap she does. Detail's airy beat which constitutes a hiccuping vocal and trilling guitar gives Minaj plenty of room to stomp through in spiked heels. "Bunch of non-Mogul ass n****s" she chirps over a faded drum sound. No one can avoid her ire on this one. Rocking a borrowed gold chain? You have no game. Spending just to show off? You're gonna leave solo for the night. "Fake dope dealers be warned." If you pretend to be Scarface, when you can't afford a couch, you're going to get found out. Stop and stare at her butt; it'll be the last thing you do. Some of Minaj's "punchlines" here don't even rise above schoolyard taunting. That said they don't have to. They're delivered with such hyper-focus that they hit just as hard. Pretenders to the crown be warned, the queen is back.

"Lookin Ass N****" is slated to appear on the aforementioned Rise of an Empire, the sort of sequel to 2009's We Are Young Money. But it may also be appearing on Minaj's third LP The Pink Print, due out some time in 2014. And if you haven't seen the "male-gaze annihilating" video, right that wrong immediately.

What's New(s)?

The Weeknd opens for Justin Timberlake

The lecherous persona the Weeknd's Abel Tesfaye wed in hell with noxious, churning samples couldn't be further removed from the committed, sugary-sweet R&B epics Justin Timberlake crafted on the double-sided 20/20 Experience. However, starting this Wednesday the Toronto-native will be joining Timberlake on his massive 20/20 Experience tour. Tesfaye will be playing opener in six cities before jetting over to Europe in the early Spring of 2014 to join Drake on his "Would You Like A Tour" run. Tickets for most of the shows have been snatched up, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the Weeknd's partnering with Drake on the anthemic "Live For" below.

Nicki Minaj responds to Kendrick Lamar's "Control"

"Kendrick, Jigga, and Nas, Eminem, Andre 3000, the rest of y'all". In the midst of his world-conquering "Control" verse, Kendrick Lamar seemed to have forgotten the "Monster" that is Nicki Minaj, discarding her into the unnamed "rest of y'all" category. Over the weekend, Minaj appeared on NYC's Power 105.1, where amidst a host of topics she discussed her noticeable absence from the list of hip-hop royalty.

"I'm probably in the top five mother f****rs he did mention, so go and do your mother-f***in' research," Minaj asserted. "But I also feel like he's maybe one of those respectful gentlemen that probably felt like, 'I don't want to say a female's name." To stake a further claim for the throne, Minaj proclaimed her royal-status "I'm the queen of New York, I'm the king of New York. Let me tell you why. Platinum albums...number one in five mother-f***in countries," Minaj heralded. Go below for the amazing clip, and head here for Minaj's ferocious guest spot on Ciara's "I'm Out."

Yoko Ono debuts star-studded "Bad Dancer" video

If you thought it'd never be possible to merge the disparate worlds of the Roots, Deerhoof, Reggie Watts, "This American Life" host Ira Glass, and the Beastie Boys together you were completely sleeping on Yoko Ono's musical largesse. 

Following her Letterman performance last month with psychedelic pranksters the Flaming Lips, Ono has released a video for the infectious electronic-bounce of "Bad Dancer" featuring the aforementioned stars and more. In it Ono creates a new painting, while two-stepping with a revolving door of celeb dancers. Highlights include ?uestlove's endearingly goofy turns, Mike D and Ad-Rock moving with the energy of their 80s selves, and Comedy Bang Bang's Reggie Watts appearing in a sequined cape to dance like the calculate madman CBB fans know him to be. Getting all of these people under one roof may have seemed like a Herculean task, but as Ono says in the song "never say never".

Check back in tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s).