Drake – “Started from the Bottom”
It’s the new Drake song! It’s pretty much classic Drake (“started from the bottom / now my whole team here”). It’s not produced by Drake’s usual producer 40, and it’s not Drake’s best rapping or the best beat he’s ever rapped over. But it’s Drake, and I’ve got a soft spot for him.
The single from the New York rapper’s debut mixtape Fly Zone. “Coins” has a ridiculously awesome beat and Le1f is a supremely bizarre rapper. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
The brand new single from Mikal Cronin, San Francisco garage / punk / indie rock musician. A frequent Ty Segall collaborator, “Shout It Out” is much less heavy than I expected; it’s a three minute, light hearted, indie rock jam.
Local Natives – “Wooly Mammoth”
Local Natives broke out a little bit with their 2010 debut Gorilla Manor. They returned on January 29th with their second album Hummingbird, and “Wooly Mammoth” is one of my favorite songs off of it.
Fela Kuti – “Water No Get Enemy”
Not exactly new (or even close to it) but you can’t get much better than Fela Kuti. “Water No Get Enemy” is ten minutes of Afrobeat awesomeness.