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2. Jay Electronica - "Road to Perdition"
In the rare moments that Jay Electronica chooses to use social media, he writes essays. There are some epic 140-character manifestos in his Twitter feed, but when "Road to Perdition" leaked, he took a more direct approach:
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"Road to Perdition" is Jay Elec going in, straight verses with no hooks. For free. Download here.
6. Mitski - "Francis Forever (Ryan Hemsworth Remix)"
Ryan Hemsworth is a puppeteer, crafting sporadic Secret Songs compilations. When he does show face, however, the Canadian gives all. Turning Mitski's alt-rock into a synthetic lullaby? Hemsworth, you sly dog.
8. Ratking - "Makeitwork"
Ratking has made it clear that they're more focused on making a song that is great from beginning to end rather than just simply having a good hook, but every once in a while make both happen effortlessly. This week they dropped an entire LP for free and their lead, appropriately titled single "Makeitwork" is by far one of the standouts. It's as gritty as it is catchy.
Download via BitTorrent here.
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10. Gravez - "Where We From"
In 2007 you probably couldn't have escaped Enur's hit "Calabria" featuring Natasja even if you tried. It got played so much everywhere that you probably got sick of it. Almost a decade later, Gravez brought it back to life by adding his own touch to the track and making it lovable all over again.
Download the track for free here or donate via Bandcamp if you're feeling extra generous.
12. DJ Durel ft. Migos & Rich The Kid - "Goin Down"
While fans await their forthcoming debut album, Migos decided to drop a new mixtape titled Migo Lingo. And as usual, Migos don't disappoint. On one of the tape's standout tracks "Goin Down," Migos, Rich The Kid and producer Zaytoven rework the chorus of Yung Joc's 2006 hit single "It's Goin' Down" and make it their own.
Download the whole Migo Lingo mixtape here.
14. The Derevolutions - "Outtakes"
If there's one thing you can count on The Derevolutions for, it's fun music. The simply titled "Outtakes" is literally just that. The description on SoundCloud explains that this is an alternate version of "Yell It Out" plus a few outtakes from the past year. But the results sound like a quick, fun mash-up.
16. Kingdom - "No Type (Female Version)"
Rae Sremmurd may have topped charts with "No Type," but it lacked a certain feminine perspective. Justina Valentine and Gemaine Edwards have taken on the task and created a "Female Version" of the hit track with producer Kingdom.
18. Reece - "Ghost"
Reece is an 18-year-old singer from Virginia, and right now he's keeping a low profile with a few songs on SoundCloud and not much else. But "Ghost" is the kind of song that will have listeners taking notice. Creeping, sparse production gives room for his vocals to lead the way, and his voice on this song is one of the most stirring introductions we've heard in a while.
20. Abraham Blue - "Let's Escape (J-Louis Remix)"
LA producer J-Louis stumbled upon an emerging artist Abraham Blue from Belgium and couldn't resist the urge to flip one of his freestyles. The original version of Abraham's "Let's Escape" is sweet and simple R&B track, while J-Louis' remix has enough bass in it to ruin your speakers if you're not careful.
Download here.
22. Feral - "Ceremony"
24. Weekend Money - "Painkiller"
The beat of Weekend Money's "Painkiller" is eerie but there's a quality about it that draws you in, almost in a hypnotic way. The dark production matches the song's difficult subject matter of drug use. While many people continue to make party songs about drugs, this one is a little more real.
26. RAWT - "Lost Cause (Prod. Flying Lotus)"
It's always risky to take on a Flying Lotus instrumental, but RAWT adds some demon-pitched, growling rhymes the spinning harps, and the track sails from there—half dream-state, half nightmare.
28. Shemzy - "Daylight"
Shemzy's "Daylight" is a new direction for the London-based artist. Taken from his forthcoming In The Dark EP, he's moved away from the club beats and towards a more futuristic sound. The song delivers on two levels: Shemzy's raps only begin in the second half, after some silky vocal stylings set the tone.
30. TroyBoi - "Recognise Real"
TroyBoi's "Recognise Real" is fine-tuned for the club, with a thumping beat and that catchy little vocal snippet.
Download here.
32. The Weeknd - "Often (Stellar Remix)"
"Often" transforms from a bedroom standard to a club freakout in Stellar's remix of The Weeknd's hit. The song takes on a menacing edge, one that takes over completely once the beat drops.
Download here.