Listen: Hoodie Allen – Crew Cuts

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Before he embarks on a 28 city tour, the always-hard-working Hoodie Allen first made sure to drop his new 11-track album Crew Cuts. I say this every time Hoodie releases a new project, but it’s clear that he’s been working hard on polishing his sound, diversifying his style (even adding some doo-whop influences in), and improving on his craft. This time around, the former Googler lines up quite a few of his big-name friends (Chiddy Bang, Chance The Rapper, G-Eazy, Skizzy Mars) to rap all over his melodic, laid-back beats. Oh, and it’s free, so be sure to download the MP3s or stream on Soundcloud below.

DOWNLOAD: Hoodie Allen – Crew Cuts

Listen: The Knocks – “The Feeling”

The Knocks have already brought us huge hits like “Brightside” and “Dancing With The DJ”, and now, they bless us with yet another uplifting summer song. The Knocks are known for releasing catchy songs that are remixed by famous artists around the world and the likes of Madeon, Chiddy Bang, TheFatRat, and Xaphoon Jones have all taken a turn. The version of “The Feeling” below is the original from The Knocks, but I’m sure someone is going to end up remixing it into a club anthem.

“The Feeling” sees The Knocks changing their style a bit compared to their previous song by adding a glitchier sound to the drop, but they still have a catchy beat that we will all enjoy listening to. Check it out for yourself below.

Listen: Ellie Goulding – “High For This (Cover)”

Ellie Goulding, best known for her hit single “Lights” which has been sampled and remixed more times than anyone can count, teamed up with her buddy Xaphoon Jones of Chiddy Bang for an insane cover of The Weeknd‘s “High For This”. I realize that’s a lot to consider in one short sentence so I’ll try and sum it up more clearly: Ellie Goulding + Xaphoon Jones + The Weeknd. One track. Yes.

The pop starlet’s voice meshes perfectly with Xaphoon’s light, twinkling sound to create a cover that actually does justice to Abel’s original version, something that’s arguably very hard to do. You can check it out below or on Ellie’s Soundcloud page here.

MP3: Ellie Goulding – “High For This [Cover] (Prod. Xaphoon Jones)”

Listen: Chiddy Bang – “Swelly Extra Well (feat. Chip Tha Ripper)”

Following up last week’s “By Your Side”, Chiddy Bang have posted another song that won’t make the final cut of the highly-anticipated Breakfast. This time, the track is the synth-heavy “Swelly Extra Well” with a feature from Cleveland’s Chip Tha Ripper, who appears on the hook and in a verse. Both acts have yet to release their debut records, something Chip touches on in his verse: “If my album ever drop, I hope it extra, extra sell.”

“Extra Well” will be released again on Chiddy Bang’s Grab A Plate mixtape, intended to help promote Breakfast, which will be available for purchase on February 28th.

Video: Chiddy Bang – “By Your Side”

Chiddy Bang‘s debut album Breakfast is set for release at the end of this month, and so far, we’ve already heard the poppy lead single “Ray Charles” and a brief snippet from the album’s trailer. As a thank you for all the support they’ve been receiving thus far, Chiddy and Xaph decided to release a video for a brand new song that actually won’t make the album. “By Your Side” features reflective rhymes from Chiddy, all anchored by a soulful, melancholic beat from the extremely talented Xaphoon. If this didn’t make the album, I can’t even begin to imagine what Breakfast will end up sounding like. One thing’s for sure, it’s definitely time for breakfast.