Sweatshirt & Santigold

A compelling conversation has played out through the Twitter accounts of Santigold & Earl Sweatshirt in the past-few days. The electronic-afflicted Santigold is currently working on new album Master of My Make Believe which is slated to drop May 1. Earl has promised that "the track is ridiculous," and Santi lovingly-called it "sick." Earl has been dropping a slew of possible collaborative efforts in the past few days including: Madlib, Kanye West, Flying Lotus, and perhaps the rapper he is most-indebted to, DOOM. Earl has also referenced King Krule, which could make for a dark and hazy team-up. All of this is up in the air for now, so as we wait for it to fall into place, enjoy this track from Santigold's forthcoming LP. You won't be disappointed.

"Big Mouth"

Azealia Banks and M.I.A. Hook Up

According to Pitchfork, rapidly-rising Harlem rapper Azealia Banks is working with indie-firebrand M.I.A. Presumably the two are collaborating on tracks for Banks' forthcoming Broke With Expensive Tastes LP which is slated to drop in September. While you wait for the record to be released, enjoy this still great track from Banks that shows what Universal saw in her.

"212" ft. Lazy Jay

No OutKast For Now

In an interview with GQ the willfully weird Andre 3000, one half of the OutKast, has said "there are no plans for another OutKast album." Three Stacks cites his dedication to collabos and a forthcoming solo-effort as the reason for no new releases from the ATL-duo. This is a reversal from Big Boi, who went on record in '08 to give us the heads-up on the new 'Kast album. For now, OutKast fans can look for that Andre release, as well as Daddy Fat Sax, the follow-up to Big Boi's monstrous Sir Lucious Left Foot.

"B.O.B."- Stankonia

  

"Rella"- Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, & Tyler, the Creator

That's the artwork for Odd Future's first single from their forthcoming O.F. Tape 2. They'd been promising the "Rella" video to drop for a minute now and we have it. It's a far cry from the dark-lunacy that informed "Yonkers" and "64". Here we have Hodgy, Domo, and Tyler sticking to the madcap laughs that encircled "B**ch S**k D**k". In the visuals we see Hodgy in astro-gear, Domo looking like Boyz N' The Hood meets Scooby Doo, and Tyler doing Montana mounds of coke and playing cross-dressing centaur. The beat is Left Brain at his best, with a bubbly synth starting off and slowly descending into plodding darkness. Karate drum kicks spar with the synth and wind up subsumed by the darkness. It's a disturbingly-catchy affair, where you can't help but nod along, even if you know its wrong.

"Banished"- JJ Doom

 What can you say about MF Doom that hasn't already been said? Mad genius? Wizard of whacked-out wordplay? Rap's ultimate supervillain? On this track from JJ DOOM,  the zillionth MF Doom collaboration project, we hear DOOM going all-out over an eerily dense track. The plodding thud of the drums is the only thing that snaps us out of the dark world DOOM inhabits here. It's three minutes of DOOM in his natural environment, gleefully laughing at the mayhem all-around him. If this track is any indication of the rest of Key to the Kuffs, the album slated for a May release, it's only a matter of time before DOOM takes over the rap world again. 

"I Believe in a Thing Called L-O-V-E" Playlist

 Well for some of you reading this Happy Valentine's Day. For others of you, Happy Single's Awareness Day. Whatever your current life-station in love, I made a playlist for you. Wanna lay down next to your lover and let the soulful croon of Al Green do the rest? Be my guest. Need a playlist to give to crush that says more than you ever could? Then how about having the Ronettes take the leap and ask "won't you be my baby?" Or you can sit and stew today, wondering "why does love got to be so sad?" You have a million different ways to fall in and out of love, so choose. Today I say live, love, laugh, and listen to just a little bit of music. You'll be glad you did.

1. "Wouldn't It Be Nice"- The Beach Boys
2. "I Want You Back"- Jackson 5
3. "Be My Baby"- The Ronettes
4. "L-O-V-E"- Nat King Cole
5. "God Blessed Our Love"- Al Green
6. "Can't Help Falling in Love"- Elvis Presley
7. "What is This Thing Called Love"- Frank Sinatra
8. "Love Hurts"- Roy Orbison
9. "Cupid"- Sam Cooke
10. "When A Woman Loves"- R. Kelly
11. "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me"- Jackie Wilson
12. "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?"- Derek & The Dominos
13. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"- The Darkness
14. "Something"- The Beatles
15. "Love Minus Zero/No Limit"- Bob Dylan
16. "This Love"- Maroon 5
17. "Letter Home"- Childish Gambino
18. "One in a Million"- Aaliyah
19. "Knock Me Down" ft. Ne-Yo & Kanye West- Keri Hilson
20. "Unrequited Love"- Lykke Li
21. "Love Song"- The Cure
22. "Is This Love?"- Bob Marley
23. "I Will Follow You Into the Dark"- Death Cab for Cutie
24. "You and Your Sister" (Acoustic Version)- Chris Bell

"I Do" ft. Jay-Z, Andre 3000, & Drake

Upping the ante on the original, we now have a remix on the "International Player's Anthem,"-aping "I Do." If Jeezy, Hova, and Andre weren't enough, we now have Drizzy along for the ride. Hearing Drake rap over a track this soulful isn't something we hear everyday, but it's as blissful as the sample that buoys the track. It's four disparate voices getting together to talk commitment, warmly embracing their hip-hop brides.