Skrillex continues his collaboration spree with another collabo fan, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley. The reggae influence goes a long way to making this jam listenable. The inclusion of a badass eagle in the video helps too. But nothing tops those two kids faces at 2:35. Oh, and down with the man!
As I’ve been compiling this best songs list I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a great track. Last year I went by play counts to determine what songs I “loved” the most but this year I noticed that the list that came out didn’t really match my perception of my favorites. A lot of my top played songs this year are indeed great songs, but they also happen to be on a great album so they get played by themselves as well as in the course of the album. So I got to thinking about which are the tracks that I seek out, that I crave, that I have to hear every night before bed or every morning to wake up. Those are the songs that make up this list. Songs that for whatever reason hooked me to the point where I need(ed) them in my life this year. Those great albums (and their highlight jams) will get their moment but for now we celebrate the song, or as Read more
Damn. This roundup is huge. I been slippin on my pimpin and sooo many great tracks have piled up. Dive in.
For more jams or by any of these artists use the ‘tags’ links at the bottom of the post!
♫ Oasis – Wonderwall (Questions Version) / Jay-Z fucked up his attempt and Ryan Adams’ cover is beautiful. Now we have this remix to add a little gritty funk to these timeless lyrics. Sweet. Read more
♫ Nas and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley – As We Enter
I don’t really listen to hip hop and I don’t really listen to reggae so you can imagine that I’ve never really listened to Nas nor Damian Marley aside from tracks encountered passively. Well, passivity ends right here. The two heavyweights of their respective genres have teamed up for the collaborative album Distant Relatives that showcases the best of both worlds and I’ll be damned if this isn’t some hot shit. Press play on album opener “As We Enter” (above) and tell me that the pistol-quick lyrical sparring and elastic beat doesn’t immediately put a little swagger in your step. The freshness on this track just doesn’t stop! I gotta be honest, this is the best track on the album but definitely not the only one worth getting pumped for. As Pitchfork griped in their review, the album is a bit glossy and seems aimed at some Grammy action but for me over-produced just means accessible and I’ll take it. Sure the album is freshest when these two masters are spitting fire from the heart (“As We Enter,” “Nah Mean” & and the head turning close of “Strong Will Continue.”) but the more calculated moments still work for me. “Tribal War” is straightforward rallying cry for universal education but it’s strings, tribal drums, and gutteral “UUHH”s are hugely powerful and get me moving for sure.
♫ Nas and Damian Marley – Tribal War Ft. K’naan
Even the album’s most blatant radio bait “My Generation” is still grooveable and I would definitely turn it up if it came on my car radio. So seriously people, even if you are not fans of the genres, get on these tracks and give this album a listen. I am really curious to hear what you all think of these jams! Holler in the comments!
Bury your face in the official website /// Wikipedia too