Listen: Kanye West – “Clique (feat. Big Sean & Jay-Z) [prod. Hit-Boy]”

We’ve had a bit of a cruel summer waiting for the G.O.O.D. Music crew to finish up their ultra-hyped collaboration. Today, we get a brand new glimpse of the album with the second single to Cruel Summer, due out, ironically, this fall (September 16th to be exact). Kanye West teams up with Big Sean and Jay-Z to jump on some banging Hit Boy production, giving us yet another posse cut from the talented crew. If you enjoyed “Mercy” like most people did considering it already went platinum, you’ll love “Clique”, which pretty much falls in the exact same alley. The three rhymers drop their sixteens, Yeezy and Sean Don take care of the hook, and “N–gas in Paris” producer Hit Boy returns to his familiar position behind the boards for the Kanye-led clique. Oh gawd!

Listen: Hit-Boy – “Old School Caddy (feat. Kid Cudi)”

Hit-Boy‘s second song as a rapper is the long-awaited, often-teased “Old School Caddy” collaboration with G.O.O.D. Music fam Kid Cudi. This time, the producer-turned-rapper got behind the tables himself to churn out his own production, which fits perfectly with Kid Cudi’s energetic Man On The Moon/A Kid Named Cudi era flow. Cudi is actually only on the song for about 36 seconds (one short verse after Hit-Boy spits his two), but his presence is huge, especially since Hit-Boy still sounds like he’s trying to find his voice and lane as a rapper. I’ve heard criticisms about Hit-Boy’s laid-back flow and voice inflection since he appears a bit lazy at times, but I think it works much better on “Old School Caddy” than on his debut “Jay-Z Interview”. The song title is certainly better.

You can download “Old School Caddy” for free below, courtesy of Hit-Boy himself. What do you think? Can Hit-Boy follow in his mentor Kanye‘s shoes or should he just stick to production? On a side note, how about Cudi’s return to rap?

 

Listen: Kanye West & Pusha T – “New God Flow”

G.O.O.D. Music will release their compilation album Cruel Summer on August 7th and the star-studded label is making sure that no one forgets. After premiering their new song on the BET Awards Show last night, the Louis Vuitton don Kanye West and his right-hand-man Pusha T have dropped the official studio version of “New God Flow”, available for streaming now via In Flex We Trust. “New God Flow” is yet another banger from the talented group of rappers, following in the footsteps of recent tracks “Mercy”, “Burn”, “Exodus 23:1”, and the remix of Chief Keef‘s “I Don’t Life”. Check it out below.

Video: Lana Del Rey – “National Anthem”

One of this year’s most anticipated short films (I say one because I’m hoping that Kanye‘s 7-screen short film for Cruel Summer will somehow leave Cannes and see a public release) was just released onto the internet. Directed by Anthony Mandler, the video for Lana Del Rey‘s “National Anthem” clocks in at just under 8 minutes and features the singer masquerading as both Marilyn Manson and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Playing the part of JFK? None other than Harlem upstart A$AP Rocky, who does his best impression of the charismatic President, complete with suits, snapbacks, blunts, and more. It’s all rather surreal and, well, it has to be seen to be believed. It’s also probably going to spark quite a bit of controversy… but that’s another topic entirely.

Watch the full video below.

Video: Frank Ocean – “TV”

Frank Ocean has the whole mysterious vibe down pat. Earlier this morning, the Odd Future-affiliated crooner posted a short snippet of a brand new song onto his Tumblr. He left no comment and from the video, we’re left to guess that the new song is called “TV” and will appear on a new release entitled Channel Orange, out on July 17th. The song features layered vocals and a dark, glitchy synth in the background. The two minute snippet features, unsurprisingly for Ocean, a BMW station wagon. Listen and watch for yourself below.

There’s a good chance that Channel Orange may be Frank Ocean’s first official release with Def Jam, which was previously rumored for release in the summer of 2012. Since releasing his shelved album Nostalgia, Ultra as a mixtape last year, the singer went on to gain internet stardom and two well-received features on Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne. His first official single “Thinking Bout You” was released April 17, 2012 and may also be included on Channel Orange, although details are currently unknown at this time.