Lenny Kravitz – “I’ll Be Waiting”
From the Virgin Records album, It’s Time for a Love Revolution (2/8/08)
Directed by Marc Webb
Link to video on VH1.com

It’s been almost four years since Lenny Kravitz last released an album, which is the longest stretch that the singer’s taken between releases in his entire 19-year career. 2004’s Baptism was well-received but nowhere near as popular as his two previous albums, 5 and Lenny (not to mention the 3x Platinum-selling Greatest Hits compilation that dropped in-between them). Kravitz had originally intended to make Baptism a venture into throwback funk, though that idea was scrapped in favor of what he described as a more straight-up rock sound. How Jay-Z was supposed to have exactly figured into that, most of us are still not sure.

By the sound of the new single, “I’ll Be Waiting,” it seems as if Kravitz is still keeping that funk idea on the back burner, as this is more or less a rock/pop ballad. Yes, it obviously has more cajones than, say, “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter, due to Kravitz’s vocals alone, but it will likely appeal to a lot of the same demographic. Expect it to be covered at least once over the course of the upcoming season of American Idol, though it might also work well in those little vignette pieces that they do. Kravitz himself has been hyping the track, too, lately, performing it during both the American Music Awards and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and it’s been available for purchase on iTunes since November.

Presented as an intimate look into the music-making process, the video for the single is shot in the always alluring grayscale format, though that’s not always necessarily the best decision. In this case, it does work well, as Kravitz is shown playing the piano, singing on the microphone and conducting his own private orchestra. The song itself is a sweet ballad that will have the ladies melting like butter and the guys scooping it up to impress said ladies. And yes, since Baptism, Kravitz has ditched the Jacko hairstyle and is once again rocking he ‘fro. I think we’d all like to the see the dreads back, though, as well as the fantastic, harder blues-rock that propelled singles like “Are You Gonna Go My Way” and “Let Love Rule.” I’m going to continue to ignore and deny that he ever tried to cover “American Woman,” though, because it’s better that way.

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Elvis Presley/Paul Oakenfold – “Rubberneckin’” (Remix CD-SINGLE)
RCA Records (11/09/03)
Rock / Electronic

Elvis Presley’s “Rubberneckin’” single with Paul Oakenfold’s contemporary remix brought Elvis to the dance floors again in 2003, as Oakenfold has had great success remixing Elvis to the masses. Elvis had previously proven that he indeed has staying power with the success of the Junkie XL-revamped “A Little Less Conversation” a year before.

This three-song single includes the original track that Elvis recorded in 1972, as well as the two Oakenfold remixes (12″ extended remix and a radio edit). The extended remix is over five minutes and trumps the three-and-a-half minute radio version. It’s catchy and well-done by Oakenfold, and I’d certainly be interested in hearing more techno-based Elvis remixes in the future.

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Elvis Presley – Heartbreak Hotel EP
RCA Records (1/20/06)
Rock / Oldies

The original version of “Heartbreak Hotel” was released on January 27, 1956, and was such a strong success for Elvis Presley because it was different than anything else out there at the time. It appeared on both the country and pop charts, as well as hitting #1 on Billboard’s Top 100, where it stayed for eight weeks. On the country charts, “Heartbreak Hotel” was number one for 17 weeks and peaked at #3 on the R&B charts, showing that Elvis was truly crossing over all preconceived musical boundaries at the time.

This re-release of the single includes the original “Heartbreak Hotel”, as well as a “Take 6″ version. The track is a sexy blues number where the bass complements Elvis’ commanding pivot between blues and rock-and-roll. Elvis also received co-writing credit on this song, which is important to mention because he rarely wrote any of his songs himself. Sandwiched in the middle is “I Was the One” which was also accompanied in the original release and is a good mid-tempo song to include.

“Heartbreak Hotel” is truly an Elvis signature song because not everyone who has chosen to cover this song can pull it off with the haunting rock and blues voice Elvis is able to give it, along with the perfectly paced bass, rhythm guitar, piano and drums that make this a rock classic.

This re-released single returned to #1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart in 2006, again proving the staying power of Presley, as well as the power of good music from any generation.

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Interpol – “The Heinrich Maneuver” (VIDEO)
From the Capitol Records release, Our Love to Admire (7/10/07)
Directed by E. Elias Merhige
Post-punk / Indie rock
Stream it on MTV.com

Interpol’s new album, Our to Love to Admire is set for a July 10 release, and this track has apparently already reached #16 on Billboard’s U.S. Modern Rock chart. While it probably won’t have the same staying power as Modern Rock record-holders “It’s Been Awhile” or “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (because it just doesn’t suck at all, let alone nearly as much as either of those), it’s solid alternative radio hit that was a good selection as a first single off of the new album.

Yes, they still sound like Joy Division and Kitchens of Distinction, but it’s safe to say that while a lot of the sound that made Turn on the Bright Lights such an instant classic is still prevalent, the band is certainly trimming its nails a bit more to appeal to the masses. Paul Banks vocals seem to be devoid of what has now become an almost trademark reverb. Not a bad thing, though, as this is still, in terms of musical quality, light years beyond either of the aforementioned Modern Rock record-holders.

But the video is really what we’re here for, and at first glance I was really irritated that it took so long for the damn thing to unfold. For the first 45 seconds or so, we see a woman staring into a pocket mirror, from her perspective, until finally a man dressed as a busboy is seen emerging from the background, running towards her slowly. And voila, there it is… I’ve only seen about a minute of it and I already know it’s about scorned love. The camera slowly pans out (the entire thing is shot in slo-mo, giving it a dreamy tone) as we see an older man (presumably either an agent or a sugar daddy) and an older woman (presumably a washed-up movie star) standing on either side of the young lady who looks like a Kyra Sedgwick/Kate Bosworth combo. After realizing that he’s no longer wanted there, the busboy slowly shrinks into the background like the insignificant peon that he is, and the video ends abruptly as the smiling woman walks into the street and gets run over by a bus. No, you don’t actually see it happen, but you know it happens.

Upon further research, I uncovered that indeed, this song and video are a dig by Banks at an ex-lover who abandoned him to move out to Hollywood to try and make it big. I’ve been there. It does suck. And the girl getting hit by the bus at the end, while lacking subtlety, is a nice touch. The beginning of the video is shot with a film grain, another nice touch that gives it a vintage Hollywood, Great Gatsby feel (thanks to director E. Elias Merhige, best-known for films Shadow of the Vampire, Suspect Zero and Begotten). Though it might take a few views to soak in, this is actually a pretty damn well-executed video. And the album should be good, too.

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Placebo – “Running Up That Hill” (VIDEO)
From the limited-edition, 2-disc release of Sleeping With Ghosts (11/18/03) and the rerelease of Meds (1/23/07)
Rock / Alternative / Glam
Stream it on MySpace

British alt-glam-rock band Placebo premiered the new video for their cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” on May 15, featuring a video collage of footage submitted by fans. It followed a 20-day program in which the band and their label partnered with Motionbox.com, which offered a free download of the song and collected thousands of submissions within the first week.

While the song has been out for years now, I’ll start by saying that it’s a fantastic cover. The band took an art-rock staple and spun it into an even more melancholy offering with more of a focus on the music itself, replacing a New Wave beat with a dark, pulsating backdrop. It’s a depressing f*cking song but it’s just bee’s knees.

That said, the video consists of hundreds of clips of various shoegazers, goths, hipsters and a lone preschooler mouthing the lyrics of the song. The result ends up falling somewhere in-between an artsy college film and an artsy music video from the ’80s (see, e.g., Depeche Mode, “Never Let Me Down Again”), with a YouTube-camera-phone-video undertone. It’s that undertone that ends up holding this video back. While I find it feasible that most of Placebo’s fans (save for the girl on the beach, the girl with the crazy hair and the aforementioned preschooler) could be found at the local goth bar, I find it offensive that there’s no guy in a wheelchair. If this is supposed to be a comprehensive collection of Placebo fans, are we really to believe that people in wheelchairs don’t like Placebo? Or maybe it’s that people in wheelchairs are too lazy to send in videos of themselves. Are you calling people in wheelchairs lazy, Placebo?

But seriously, folks, while it’s understood that this was supposed to have a blog-like fanfare feel to it, They should have cut out the lo-rez stuff and stuck with the sharper, black-and-white footage. Even the stuff that’s slightly out of focus is okay, but the pixelated stuff comes off as pretty rough. It would have come off a whole lot smoother and much darker as is dictated by the tone of the song. The footage that works absolutely soars, though it’s unfortunately marred by the few camera-phone-type images. With some more editing, I’d gladly throw in another machine gun.

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Rick Ross – “We All In” [Rmx f/Money Malc, Dre (from Cool & Dre) and DJ Khaled]
Rap/Hip-hop
Stream: [Windows] :: [Real]

Hi, I’m Good Jeff, and the original version of this track is used in the commercial for the new Converse Wade 2.0 basketball shoe. The beat is essentially a more stripped down version of what The Neptunes did for “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, though the remix is definitely a bit meatier, while having the obligatory cameos by Money Malc and Dre (easy there, Mathan, it’s the guy from Cool & Dre). The track mixes Dirty South, Miami Bass and Crunk with drumline for something that actually is incredibly energetic and four-on-the-floor without coming off as repugnant as some of the aforementioned are known to do. Seriously. I’m usually all about calling out Southern rap as the shit that it is, but I actually dig this.

Hi, I’m Evil Jeff, and I honestly can’t believe that you like this song. Were you paid off, Good Jeff? Did the label send you a Hickory Farms gift basket or something? Because if they did, I got dibs on the strawberry bon-bon. As far as hip-hop goes, I’ve hated everything that’s come out after 1982, except for Sage Francis, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and “The Choice Is Yours” by Black Sheep. Everything else sucks. Everything.

Made Gold: Part One
Made Records (3/27/07)
Trance / Electronic

From the good folks that brought us iiO… comes iiO, and… Nymph, and… iiO, and… Jimmy James, and… more iiO! For those of you who wanted the maxi-single remixes of iiO’s “Is It Love” and “Smooth”, but rather than hunt down both of them separately you wanted them on one disc, this is the compilation for you! But seriously, both incarnations of the techno-heavy “Is It Love” are identical except one is two-and-a-half minutes longer, for when the DJ has to take a dump instead of just going pee. I actually liked the radio edit more just because after three minutes I just wanted a new song. I guess that’s what happens to me for going to so many clubs that refuse to play Dutch trance. Suffice to say that iiO had their big hit with “Rapture”, and it’s going to be tough to top. The Jimmy James tracks are pretty Euro-tastic, The Nymph remixes aren’t bad, either, but this seems like less of a compilation and more of a CliffsNotes for DJs.

And I will build upon Good Jeff’s statement by saying “FOR SHAME” to Made Records; unless you’re pressing this on vinyl, too, you’re killing the movement. Killing it. A DJ’s just not DJ if he doesn’t have to carry around crates. Anyone can carry around a CD booklet. My mother, Jeff’s Evil Mother, has one, and she as far from a DJ as you’ll get, unless you can show me a bar where they play John Mayer and Amy Grant. Once you show me that bar, I will proceed to throw myself into traffic, because at that point I’ll know that it just isn’t worth it anymore.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Baby 81
RCA Records (5/1/07)
Rock

I’ve only heard one album by this band, and it was whichever one came out around 2000. Didn’t really do anything for me, in all honestly, though I am enjoying this new album. Songs like “Took Out a Loan” and “Not What You Wanted” combine Iggy Pop, Fu Manchu, several other stoner rock bands and a nice mix of Southern rock and blues to give us something that’s going to give those shag haircut motherf*ckers something new to be happy about. And yes, that’s with The Ponys running around playing three shows a day. “Weapon of Choice” and “Window” are faster, with a more filtered sound that is reminiscent of a more hard-edged Brit-pop. Sorry guys, had to. Not that that’s a bad thing. In all actuality, this a highly enjoyable album that gets fast and happy and slow and sad at all the right points. Highly recommended.

Who do these guys think they are? Iggy and the Stooges? Actually, this album was much more tolerable than that latest Stooges album, which I tried to return, but those f*ckers at Best Buy wouldn’t do it because it was opened and there’s some sort of copyright bullshit that prevents them from taking back shitty music. Fuck Best Buy. Seriously.

DJ Hardware/Marcelo Castelli – Tribalism 2.0
Regress / Made Records (4/24/07)
House / Electronic

DJ Hardware meets Uruguay’s Marcelo Castelli for a pretty good two-disc tribal house extravaganza, which makes me want to go climb a coconut tree and dance, though the risk of falling out of said tree would be too high. Combine that with the fact that I’ve already made fun of Keith Richards way too much for doing the same thing, and ergo, it wouldn’t be a good idea. I’ve not been to Brazil, though I’d wager a bet that this stuff is huge down there. If anyone out there is Brazilian, please write me and let me know if this presumption is correct. Also, if you are a Brazilian woman, Chicago is beautiful this time of the year, and I have a spare room. Most of the tracks on the mix use a good combination of organic and inorganic elements, and the result is fun and kept me moving; kind of like a kangaroo with a bazooka for an arm. While Castelli’s mix sticks mainly to tribal house, Hardware’s explores dark trance, acid and even big beat. Interesting. The Castelli disc is better in that it’s good for everywhere, while the Hardware disc would probably work much better in a club than on one’s computer.

Who booked this shit? Seriously. Kept you moving, Good Jeff? You could probably rub Ben-Gay on your ballbag, and that would get you moving, too, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. As if I didn’t need yet another thing to give me a headache, there’s this stuff. To think that people would pay money to see someone play this crap for hours on end just astounds me. I’d like to see just how popular these DJs would be if nightclubs didn’t serve alcohol. It’s kind of like beer goggles, but for your ears. Let’s call them beer headphones, though methinks you’d have to drink, snort and/or pop a whole lot more than beer to get into this stuff.

Prodigy (of Mobb Deep) – Return of the Mac
Koch Records (3/27/07)
Hip-hop/Rap

Hi, I’m Jeff, and it’s very good to see that Prodigy still cares about hip-hop, despite the fact that the last few Mobb Deep albums were absolute garbage. For this, his second solo album, he managed to snag The Alchemist for production on the whole thing, and that, ladies and germs, is a damn good start. And it seems as if he knew that was a good way to get back the fan-base that was pissed away with the more recent Mobb Deep albums, since the promo posters brag: “PRODUCED ENTIRELY BY THE ALCHEMIST.” Combine that with the fact that there are virtually no cameos, and this album kicks major ass. “Stuck on You”, the vanguard single, combines the perfect mix of lyrical genius with a fantastic beat, a trend which continues throughout the entire thing. Stone the crows. Hip-hop is alive and well, it appears, after all.

Hi, I’m Jeff’s cat, and seeing as I am neither fat nor bitter, I am not a rip-off of anything. To tell you the truth, ever since I had my nutsack snipped off, I haven’t really been much into rap or hip-hop. Moreover, the bass does terrible things to my bowel, but by the way Jeff is nodding his head, I’m going to guess that it’s good. I really hope that crappy Indian kid gets voted off of American Idol because even though I can’t really understand what’s going on on television programs, I know when something sucks.

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Mélée – Devils & Angels
Warner Bros. (4/3/07)
Rock/Pop

I’m not sure if the name of this band is supposed to be officially set with the diacritics, but since I happen to like diacritics, so be it. From the looks of the album cover, I’d presume that this band would be a Rusted Root wannabe. Not so much. It’s safe, unthreatening pop rock for sorority girls and guys who want to score with them. “Built to Last” is destined… DESTINED, I tells ya, to be included in some scene on One Tree Hill where two teenagers realize that they should have f*cked a long time ago and find each other in a crowded airport, just before one of them was supposed to ship out to join the Peace Corps. It’s not bad, but it isn’t anything particularly thought-provoking.

This album is so non-threatening that the only thing that startled me throughout the entire thing was when Jeff sneezed. This album is kind of like 9Lives Real Flaked Tuna & Cheese Bits in Sauce—not quite as bad as eating the house plants, but not nearly as good as 9Lives Tender Nibbles with Real Salmon & Crab in Gravy.

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The Almost – Southern Weather
Tooth & Nail/Virgin (4/3/07)
Indie rock/Alternative

Christian metal-core/screamo band Underoath’s drummer Aaron Gillespie decided to start his own band, and this one’s luckily a lot less screamy, though the music still has a definite hard edge to it. Similarities to the Foo Fighters have been made, and though I’m not sure if I would have the correlation on my own, I can see it a little. Most of the songs are hard-charging alt-rock pieces, with the obligatory ballad in “Dirty and Left Out”. Meh. This is much more tolerable then most of that emo garbage, and while it certainly has hints of said garbage, nothing is too whiny to make me want to jab my brain with a Q-Tip. As a whole, not bad at all.

TOO LOUD! YEEEOW!!! This scares me, almost as much as the vacuum cleaner, but not as much as the Fourth of July. I do believe I’m going to go hide under the bed now, but not before throwing up on the carpet to show my disdain for loudness.

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Nine Inch Nails – “Me I’m Not”
From the Interscope Records release, Year Zero (4/17/07)
Electronic
Stream it on MySpace

I really hate comparing new Nine Inch Nails song to older Nine Inch Nails songs, but this reminded me a bit of “The Wretched”, from the slow beat to the general pace of the song, though this one never really gets angry at all. And in that respect it successfully differentiates itself from “The Wretched”, which is anger-rific. it does do some stuff that we’ve not heard before from the band, and is an excellent chill-out track. It certainly sounds more like something that Leftfield or FC Kahuna would do featuring Trent Reznor, as opposed to an actual Nine Inch Nails songs. In fact, I would really like to see what a talented stripper could do to this song, as the combination of the tempo and sexy beat is just right.

While I’m not quite intelligent enough to notice subtle nuances and compare this to other songs or genres, I can tell you that it’s actually very soothing, and would be something that I could see myself falling asleep to. Then again, I sleep about 16 hours out of the day, so chances are I could probably fall asleep to anything besides that album by The Almost. I also like to play with string and drink out of the toilet.

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Tila Tequila – “I Love U”
No label (3/14/07)
(available on iTunes and Indie911.com)
(c)Rap
Video on YouTube

I just don’t see what the big deal is about Tila Tequila. Maybe it’s because I’m not really big on Asian girls. Yeah, she’s nice to look at, I guess, but Gong Li is leaps and bounds above her in the respective sexiness and talent departments. Aside from being nice to look at, she’s really got no discernable talents whatsoever. She’s got something like 30 million friends on MySpace, and somehow that means she’s going to be a hit in the music industry? Shouldn’t Tom cut a record then?

I was skeptical from the get-go on this one, and after hearing this song (as well as a few songs from her former band, Jealousy), I can safely say that Paris Hilton is more talented than her. I feel dirty making that statement; it’s not to say Paris Hilton is talented, but like Paris Hilton, Tila Tequila has built herself up with a cult of personality that Stalin would be jealous of, despite the fact that there’s really nothing there aside from a pretty face and set of tits.

While Tila’s background is in rock music, this song falls somewhere in the crunk rap/Southern rap territory—territory which I would liken to walking through a minefield while wearing snowshoes… while having one’s scrotum covered in fire ants. The chorus is more or less Tila shouting, with hints of a Hispanic accent (despite the fact that she’s Vietnamese/French, she apparently did used to hang out with cholos while growing up in Houston) about how the objection of her affection had better not f*ck with her shit, or else she’ll kill him. Ouch. Aside from the chorus, she raps in a flow that’s reminiscent of Trina if she inhaled some helium. This mess includes shouts out to MySpace (as well she f*cking should, like it or not) with, “Who the f*ck is this bitch on your page?”, and rhymes “my nookie” with “those hoochies”. Yikes. This song is so incredibly angry; calling it “I Love U” makes it even more of a joke than it already is. It should be called “I Kill U” or “Super Sucky Song of Suck”.

The video itself is basically three minutes of Tila Tequila writhing around, getting water dumped on her, and writhing around some more while lip-synching to the lyrics. If she were actually hotter, it might be decent, but the song being terrible combined with the video being useless makes for a truly torturous experience.

I guess in the end a pretty face and pair of tits are always going to be marketable, but trying to market shitty music under the guise of softcore pornography should be punishable by death. Tila Tequila should be stripping somewhere in Atlantic City and not polluting the music industry with this shit. I would rather watch Girls Gone Wild: Sri Lanka on mute with Creed playing in the background than have to see or hear this ever again.

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The second video from the excellent album, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco, “Sunday Morning” gets a fun little video package, with the type of production and scenery that would have made Bella Morte’s “Earth Angel” a bit more believable. A lot of it is very smooth, but the ending just kills the f*cking thing dead.

The video starts out with a vignette (very Pleasantville.. at least for first 15 seconds or so) outside of what is presumably a high school, as k-os is informed that his drummer is out of commission, and picks up a street performer to be the fill-in. What a nice guy. We cut between two groups of people dancing: the first being the attendants of prom, who cut it up like professionals (I’m sure they are), as another group of scenesters seem to be dancing in the boiler room below. You can tell that they are scenesters by their stupid haircuts and chic, vintage clothing. I could be wrong about that, but it was a bit confusing. At first I thought that they were all in the same room until I realized that the scenery is completely different. I think the people in the boiler room are actually listening to the thing on the radio. I try to make some sort of logic out of all of this, but instead I get a headache.

Also interesting to note… seems as if the two dancing groups are completely segregated by race, as the prom attendants are all black, and the scenesters are, well… yeah. This is an absolute outrage. I’m offended by this and the fact that there’s no Hispanic faction. If we had the equivalent of Jesse Jackson, this would have never happened. Outrage. Not really, I guess… this was pretty realistic, actually. Further confusion ensues when k-os goes outside and is magically transported to a happy, painted outdoor scene that smells a little too much of Bob Ross. I’ve seen some cheesy videos, but this ending part was just lame. The song is really good, but this video is just… odd. He tries to do some interesting things, and needs some credit for that, I guess, but it really doesn’t do the song much justice.

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As I’ve said before, Joss Stone’s new hair color is just the bee’s knees… really, it is. I mean, she was always easy on the eyes, but YOWZAH. And you can’t really go wrong with Raphael Saadiq and/or “The Funky Drummer”. It beats the hell out of trying to make yourself over by hiring Timbaland (you know who you are).

She stays true to her older material, but manages to turn it up just enough where it doesn’t seem contrived (again, you know who you are). Joss and Saadiq chill out in an uncharacteristically well-furnished alley, while she later dances in said alley, as well as up on a stairwell. The video is very aesthetically pleasing, which plenty of sparkly urban/graffito imagery (not particularly realistic, though), a brightly-colored streak theme, and Joss Stone looks better in the video than any other.

As for the song, it’s a solid single which shows that Joss can roll with the R&B heavyweights, and hopefully will be recognized for such. Nothing fancy or groundbreaking here, but it’s a good video that I wanted to watch over and over again. Really. Joss Stone, if you’re out there reading, marry me. I will sprout wings and fly us away to my very own castle in the sky.

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Kanye West, Nas and KRS-One – “Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been)”
Available on iTunes starting 2/20/07
Stream: [Windows] :: [Real]

Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One and Rakim – “Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been)” (DJ Premier Rmx)
Available on iTunes starting 2/20/07
Stream: [Windows] :: [Real]

Twenty-five years ago NIKE released the Air Force 1 to satisfy the demands of the most uncompromising and forceful players in the game of basketball. In 1982, the Air Force 1 became the first basketball shoe to feature NIKE Air technology. The comfort and protective qualities of the AF1 changed the game forever and created a platform that launched NIKE’s long-running legacy in performance basketball.

Embraced and revered by the basketball community the Air Force 1’s impact was felt way beyond its hard court roots. The shoe had something unique about it and was embraced as quickly off the court as it was on. The urban street culture that gave birth to this music scene is the same culture that has supported the Air Force 1 from its inception. In 2006, NIKE commemorated the Air Force 1’s 25th anniversary. As part of these celebrations, NIKE commissioned a stellar cast of artists to record an original track that pays homage to the perseverance of the AF1 and the community that has championed it.

That was an official press release touting this single. Luckily, Nike must have either forgotten about Nelly having already done a song about the Air Force 1, or maybe they just had the good judgment to exclude him from anything that would be used to try and encourage people to do anything but break something over their heads.

Instead, Nike recruited Nas, KRS-One, the second greatest lyricist of all time, and Kanye West who’d probably tell you he’s the greatest everything of all time. The track is produced by rock impresario Rick Rubin, who produced early Def Jam material, had a more recent hit with Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” and is apparently looking to do some more hip-hop work. It has the same rock influence as the Jay-Z track, just not as energetic. All three emcees spit very good verses, as they all should, and the track works pretty well, although it sounds a little too “We Will Rock You” for its own good.

As was probably expected, the Primo mix not only sons Rubin’s, but it also features the addition of the first greatest lyricist of all time. Honestly, Rakim needs to put out some new material sooner than later, because so many fans have no f*cking idea who he is outside of that one Truth Hurts song. Unlike the Rubin-produced track, the Primo beat—which sounds very much like a Primo beat—works a lot better with the group, and seems like a much more natural fit. It also sounds a lot less commercial for some odd reason.

Both tracks are pretty good, but if I had to choose between one, it would be the Primo remix. This song isn’t going to be saving hip-hop anytime soon, but it is a good track for something that was produced with the sole intent of shilling sneakers. Drop the two bucks and pick them both up, since the artists’ proceeds from the iTunes sales go to Nike youth charities.

Rating (Rubin mx):

Rating (DJ Premier mx):