I basically think every huge technology company is both banal and evil and will accidentally destroy society in the pursuit of profit, but even I can't get mad at today's Google Doodle, which features Fab 5 Freddy chaperoning you through an interactive DJ tutorial that doubles as a history of hip-hop itself. I probably could have spent like five hours fucking around with the thing, but I had to go ahead and write this column. Anyways, after you've had your fun mixing Billy Squier and George Clinton over at the Google homepage, listen to these songs which are not interactive but are still really good.
MF DOOM f. Sean Price – "Notebook 00 – Negus"
The good people over at Adult Swim are releasing new MF DOOM tracks all over the place for the foreseeable future, and they've started out with the enigmatic rapper's collaboration with the dearly departed Sean Price, the realest to ever do it. I think I speak for every single rap nerd when I say, "YESSSSSSS."
Lil Durk and Lil Reese – "Distance"
Lil Durk and Lil Reese, two of the top talents to emerge out of the Chicago drill explosion of a few years ago, have teamed up to release an EP titled Supa Vultures. The two play off each other perfectly: Reese raps in with straight-ahead, dead-eyed intensity, while Durk has a knack for melody that turns everything he spits into a hook.
ONHEL f. Lil Wayne – "Like a Man"
Lil wayne tropical house? Lil Wayne tropical house. Weezy is rarely in top form these days, so hearing him rap his ass off over a beat that sounds like it was left over from the new Justin Bieber album is about as good as we're gonna get these days. Just don't think about it too much, okay?
Soror Dolorosa – "The End"
The phrase "soror dolorosa" is Latin for "grieving sister," which should really tell you all you need to know about this grew of inspiredly dour goths. "The End" is vintage cold wave, perfect for getting pissed off at your parents, locking yourself in your room, and feeling all the feelings.
Ralo – "Calm Me Down"
Flutes have been huge in street-rap lately, and so it only makes sense that at some point, producers would get into the flute-heavy composer Ennio Morricone and start making beats emulating every element of his sound. Atlanta's Ralo spends a good portion of this video in a straight jacket, which is fitting because "Calm Me Down" is crazy as hell.
Berner and Young Dolph f. Gucci Mane – "Knuckles"
The Bay Area rapper-slash-weed magnate Berner has better taste in sweeping, dramatic beats than pretty much any other rapper out there, while Memphis's Young Dolph is one of the most soulful and idiosyncratic southern rappers out. They've combined forces for an upcoming project titled Tracking Numbers, whose newest cut "Knuckles" features a top-notch Gucci Mane verse.
Papayaman – "Margarita"
I don't know much about Papayaman, but I do know that he shot the video for "Margarita" out in Argentina, and the results are the perfect mix between trop-house and the trap house. I'm pretty sure I didn't make that "trop-house and the trap house" joke up, but I have no idea where I stole it from. If you are the first person to make that joke, I'm sorry for stealing it.
REBEL WIZARD – "The Warning of One"
You just know a band with a name like REBEL WIZARD––in all caps, at that––is gonna be fun as hell, and "The Warning of One" doesn't disappoint. This is black metal, but reimagined as something that's supposed to fill a stadium instead of something that's supposed to fill the space in your chest where Satan took out your heart.
Fya Man – Vic Mensa's The Autobiography (Chicago Juke/Footwork Version)
I haven't listened to Vic Mensa's long-awaited debut album The Autobiography, and to be honest with you I probably won't ever listen to it. Nothing against him –– he's clearly a talented and thoughtful guy –– it's just that life's too short to listen to every single album in the universe, and, well, Vic if you're reading this I'm really sorry. BUT, I am totally listening to Vic's fellow Chicagoan Fya Man's juke-centric rework of The Autobiography, which when combined with its source material encompasses a whole hell of a lot of Chicago's rich musical traditions and history.
Wally Badarou – "Fisherman (Theme)"
Though he's worked with everybody from Talking Heads to Sly & Robbie, the synth master Wally Badarou's solo work has far too often remained obscure. Enter the Tokyo label Diskotopia, who's giving Badarou's archives the vinyl treatment, starting on October 13 with the release of the first volume of Badarou's The Unnamed Trilogy. Until then, I expect you to stream the shit out of "Fisherman (Theme)," preferably while smoking weed on the beach.
