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2. The Neighbourhood - "R.I.P. 2 My Youth"
Who should do it: Vince Staples
The Neighbourhood is so West Coast. Vince Staples is so West Coast. The pairing of these two just makes sense. Plus, thanks to a story in California Sunday, we know that Vince is a fan of The Neighbourhood. From the story:
"At the café, Staples was dressed simply, in a black long-sleeve T-shirt with the words R.I.P. YOUTH on the front. He said it wasn’t any kind of statement; he’s just a fan of The Neighbourhood, the Ventura County rock band whose merchandise it is."
3. Jamie Woon - "Sharpness"
Who should do it: Kendrick Lamar
Recently, Kendrick has made a habit of rhyming over complex, chaotic instrumentals. He's broken new ground with the help of mad jazz scientists like Thundercat and Flying Lotus—which is why this is the perfect time to blow everyone's minds with a simple, smooth jam like Jamie Woon's "Sharpness."
4. swell. - "i'm sorry"
Who should do it: Earl Sweatshirt
Earl Sweatshirt has already proven to be a master of the sleepy, nonchalant raps. When it comes to hip-hop perfectly suited for late nights or early mornings in the bedroom, he's the one. But we still haven't heard him completely outside of his comfort zone. In a way, that's respectable—he has an aesthetic and he sticks to it. On the other hand, it would be so interesting to hear Earl go in over something a little cleaner and more welcoming.
This song, built using a gorgeous Vine sample, still falls in that low-key territory where Earl thrives, but it's gentler and less gritty. It's hard to imagine Earl not sounding awesome on it.
5. HEALTH - "NEW COKE"
Who should do it: Pusha T
If you've got a song with the word "coke" in the title and you don't have Pusha on the remix, you're fucking up. Pusha T has been on some dark shit lately, and HEALTH's punishing production would elevate that exponentially. Just listen at the 0:36 mark—can you imagine? Eghck!
6. Grimes - "California"
Who should do it: Childish Gambino
Both of these artists have had their problems with Pitchfork: Grimes openly admitted they were the subject of "California," while Gambino's Camp was publicly disrespected with a 1.6 rating.
Surface similarities aside, however, this is the kind of bouncy, uptempo beat that Gambino routinely destroys (see: "earth: the oldest computer" to "Freaks and Geeks"), and he'd probably find some great harmonies for Grimes' war cry, too.
7. A. Chal - "Round Whippin"
Who should do it: Future
The buzz around A. Chal's "Round Whippin" is still growing, and deservedly so, but a Future remix would really blow up the spot. With mesmerizing production and a smooth vocal performance, the remix would add some grit and debauchery to proceedings. If Future came with "Codeine Crazy" / "Blood On The Money" levels of soul-bearing darkness, this could be special.
8. THEY. - "Bad Habits"
Who should do it: Young Thug
There's not an artist on Earth, or any other planet, who can go from zero to fucking insane as quickly as Young Thug. One second, he's rapping in a hushed, melodic mumble, and the next he's machine gun screeching. He'd be perfect on this song, with its explosive chorus and elastic production.
9. Jeremih - "Impatient"
Who should do it: Cousin Stizz
It's only a matter of time for Boston rapper Cousin Stizz. He's not exactly pop-friendly in an obvious way, but don't sleep on his ability to craft a hook and reel in listeners with unforgettable flows. His Suffolk County mixtape proved as much, but we'd love to hear how he'd fit in among hitmakers Jeremih and Ty Dolla $ign. Our guess? Just fine.
Catch Stizz at our next No Ceilings show in NYC on January 20.
10. The Weeknd - "The Hills"
Who should do it: Travis Scott
"The Hills" is the rawest song from The Weeknd's pop-leaning The Beauty Behind The Madness, and much of that is due to its incredible production, courtesy of Mano and Illangelo. Those ragged synths and the raw bass make this track prime rapper remix material, and after linking up with Travi$ Scott on "Wonderful," maybe its time for Scott to return the favor.
Straight up!
11. M.I.A. - "Borders"
Who should do it: Skepta
You might know Skepta from undeniable bangers like "Shutdown" and "It Ain't Safe." Maybe you've even been in a crowd when he's performed those tracks and seen the kind of mosh pits those songs incite. But if you know Skepta, you know that he can go zero to deep, real quick. The British MC showed this most recently on "Ojuelegba"—while Drake is rapping about screenshots, Skepta drops gems about prejudice at school, self-belief, and perceptions of Africa.
More of the same here could make for a legendary remix.
12. Kacy Hill - "Foreign Fields (Yung Gud Remix)"
Who should do it: Kanye West
We made this list before Kanye dropped "Real Friends" on Friday, but it makes even more sense after his latest track. Yung Gud's melancholy, creeping rework of Kacy Hill's tender-hearted "Foreign Fields" is ripe for some introspection from 'Ye, and it even has a blast-off point where Kanye can unleash some werewolf howls.
13. J Hus - "Dem Boy Paigon"
Who should do it: Drake
He's done it before, he'll probably do it again. "Dem Boy Paigon" by J Hus would be a perfect song for Drake to remix, and it would fit right in with his love of all types of rap music from London—not to mention his ability to bring some melodic flows to the table. J Hus' standout track is still bubbling in the UK, and the bouncy afrobeats production is the perfect backdrop for a quick verse and a smooth hook from Drake, in line with what he did on Wizkid's "Ojuelegba."
J Hus made his mark in the UK with The 15th Day mixtape in 2015, and this year the rest of the world needs to sit up and pay attention to this talented artist.
14. Sevdaliza - "The Valley"
Who should do it: Little Simz
Little Simz has proved herself a capable rapper over a myriad of beats, from the creeping intensity of "Don't Forget" to the moribund messages of "Dead Body."
Sevdaliza's "The Valley" would make for a challenging beat—it moves from haunting to screeching in the subtlest of ways—but if there's anyone who can find the sweet spot, it's Little Simz.
15. Nao - "Bad Blood"
Who should do it: A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky is one of the smoothest talkers in the game, and while it's only one dimension of his solo work, that smooth seduction often takes center stage on his guest verses, as he's demonstrated on songs with Jessie Ware and Selena Gomez.
Nao, meanwhile, put out one of the smoothest EPs of 2015 and seems prepped to do more of the same on her debut album—"Bad Blood" is the lead single, and it exudes the kind of patient cool that would make Rocky feel right at home.
16. The Internet - "Girl"
Who should do it: DonMonique
The sultry tones of The Internet, and the always excellent Kaytranada's production, are perfectly suited for DonMonique's confident delivery. The song is already just about perfect as it is, but the right verse from Don could be a nice way to mix it up and give us an excuse to put it back in heavy rotation.
17. RJD2 - "Piece of What"
18. The 'Star Wars' Theme Song
Who should do it: Rick Ross
It seems like Rick Ross remixes anything that's trending, whether or not it makes sense. Shit, he even tacked on verses to Lorde's "Royals" and Adele's "Hello." Ross is down for whatever is hot, so it would just make sense that he takes things to a ridiculous extreme and adds a bossy verse to John Williams' main Star Wars theme song.
19. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Can't Keep Checking My Phone"
Who should do it: Big Boi
Few rappers are better suited to tackle rapping on non-hip-hop beats than Big Boi, one of music's most quietly experimental forces both in and out of the confines of his contributions to Outkast. His two solo albums, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty and Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, showcase both his increasingly sharpened ability as an emcee and his ear for sounds beyond the bounds of hip-hop (a sensibility that might readily have been attributed to André 3000 during the duo's active Outkast days).
Unknown Mortal Orchestra's "Can't Keep Checking My Phone" feels perfectly teed up for Big Boi. Lively, funky, and focused around the questions of love, lust, and fidelity central to Big Boi's solo work, the song could track the concerns of an aging player reconciling with the young man responsible for "We Love These Hoes" with the apologetic (though still wandering) father and husband of "She Hates Me." Stylistically and thematically, UMO's polyamorous exploration feels perfectly suited for one of rap's most consistently underrated powers.
20. Leisure - "Got It Bad"
Who should do it: Ghostface Killah
Throughout his career, Ghostface Killah has continued to prove the versatility of his talents by releasing quite a few unexpected collaborations. No matter how surprising they may sound on paper, however, the results have been brilliant more often than not. His remix of Amy Winehouse's single "You Know I'm No Good" in 2006 is case in point.
Ghostface's gritty vocals and smooth delivery create an intriguing balance on their own, but layered over anything other than a hard-hitting beat results in an irresistible juxtaposition—making him seem like the perfect rapper to add a verse to Leisure's single "Got It Bad." The record is smooth, but just funky enough for Ghostface to fit right on tempo to give the track a little more depth.
21. Tirzah - "Make It Up"
Who should do it: GoldLink
If Tirzah didn't already sing beautifully on "Make It Up," you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a GoldLink instrumental. The consistent, heavy beat and quirky tweaks would sound at home on GoldLink's And After That, We Didn't Talk—it's futuristic minimalism that leaves plenty of room for GoldLink's vocal acrobatics.
