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2. Hucci - "Swerve"
Who should do it: A$AP Rocky
You know, now that this idea is out in the world, it's hard to hear Hucci's "Swerve" and NOT imagine A$AP starting a verse like, "Shopping out in London then we head back to my dungeon/Now her pants zipper is undone and she's suckin' on my Dum Dum." Young Hucci is only 17, but the British producer is rising fast with his massive trap sounds, and it wouldn't be that big of a shock if A$AP Yams nudges Rocky like, "Yo, try this out." Rocky, if you need a verse, I got this great concept called "Dungeon."
3. James Blake - "Retrograde"
Who should do it: Drake
In a recent interview, Drake mentioned that he was a fan of this song. Plus, Drake rhymes with Blake, so clever remix/mash-up names should be easy. But honestly, people will get mad at this suggestion because "Retrograde" is one of the best songs of the year and it's perfect without a rap tacked on, but remember what Drake did with "BTSTU"? If he just flips that haunting vocal loop, it could be powerful stuff. And we need to get over this idea of a song being "ruined." It's 2013 and anyone can remix anything, and they will. If you don't like it, skip it. "Retrograde" can not be ruined.
4. S-Type - "Billboard"
Who should do it: T.I.
This could be like "What You Know" but more glorious. T.I.'s been through a lot, and he needs that one song all about coming out on top. This is it. And when it plays in the club jewels will rain from the ceiling, white doves will fly out of the vents, and for just one moment in time, everyone will be a winner. Thanks T.I. Thanks S-Type.
5. Bok Bok - "Silo Pass"
Who should do it: Lil Wayne
Ideally the good lords of hip-hop would return peak era mixtape Weezy to us, because it was at that point that you could trust him to take on any beat and slaughter it. "Silo Pass" is a strange and beautiful beast, the kind of slightly bizarre, unexpected production that could suit Wayne's hyperactive, syrup-addled wordplay, and that moment when the drop suddenly hits out of nowhere? Show-stopper.
6. The Neighbourhood - "Female Robbery"
Who should do it: J. Cole
J. Cole was built for this kind of track. The Neighbourhood already has the elements of hip-hop built into their sound, and J. Cole knows how to take on a serious, darker tone with a sense of urgency that would make him right at home over "Female Robbery." Tack on a verse right after the first chorus and a J. Cole feature would be perfect on this one.
7. TNGHT - "Higher Ground"
Who should do it: Danny Brown
Danny Brown's forthcoming debut album proper features production from grime upstart Darq E. Freaker and synth loving maximalist Rustie, and Brown has already proven countless times that no beat is too much for him, so it's kind of obvious that he should take on 2012's best known, most balls-out dance beat. The thought of Danny Brown dropping some x-rated knowledge over those epic horns is almost too much - crowds lose their shit to "Higher Ground" already, and with an MC hyping them up even more, this remix would cause a riot.
8. Rustie - "Triadzzz"
Who should do it: Gunplay
Rustie's futuristic, trap-influenced monster combines the colourful synth-work that the Glasweigian producer is best known for with a sub-crushing drop, and it's just the sort of audio carnage that Gunplay would be at home bellowing all over. Sure, the occasional rainbow synth explosion may be a little more upbeat than he's used to, but Gunplay's perfectly placed to rap about his successes in the brighter parts of the track, and his excesses over what sounds like the cacophany of car sirens that accompany the drop around the 55 second mark. And since Rustie's already worked with Danny Brown, a Rustie/Gunplay hook-up isn't even too far from the realms of possibility.
9. Shlohmo & Jeremih - "Bo Peep (Do U Right)"
Who should do it: Juicy J
Shlohmo's got beats on beats that are dripping with dark, sultry atmosphere, and could be put to great use by the right rapper. His whole Laid Out EP would suit the aesthetic of cloud-rap pioneers Main Attrkaionz, but what we'd most like to hear is Juicy J channelling the vibe of "Codeine Cups," or actual Weeknd collab, "One Of Those Nights," on a remix of this Shlohmo/Jeremih sex jam. The slow-moving beat and smooth hook could only benefit from some trippy shit, and if you're looking for said trippy shit, there's really only one man to call.
10. Autre Ne Veut - "Counting"
Who should do it: Kendrick Lamar
This song. It's perfect the way it is, but we can't help but imagine Kendrick tackling it. He's proven himself versatile enough to mold his flows to almost any type of production, but there's a weight to this song too heavy for most MCs. But Kendrick? He could pull this off, balancing intensity with restraint for devestating results.
11. Solange - "Losing You"
Who should do it: Theophilus London
A$AP Rocky laced Jessie Ware with a couple of verses for the "Wildest Moments" remix, and if anything, Solange's '80s tinged jam is even more appropriate for a rapper to hop on and drop some knowledge about love and ladies and the such like. Who better than Theophilus, who has already worked with Solange on "Flying Overseas," and who is not afraid to get emotional on the track. On top of that, they could even make a new video, as the always dapper Mr. London would fit right in with Solange's stylish South Africans.
12. Burial - "Archangel"
Who should do it: Drake
While it may be a bit fast for most rappers, Burial's seminal exercise in bass and vocal sampling "Archangel" would make a fitting addition to hip-hop's expanding sonic landscape and recent preoccupations with emotional honesty and the darkness that lies just behind the limelight. No rapper explores those themes more thoroughly and frequently than Drake and "Archangel" happens to be perfectly within his stylistic wheelhouse, with its enveloping bass and mournful sample laying the sort of foundation fitting for one of his confident confessionals.
13. Mala - "Change (Harmoninimix)"
Who should do it: El-P
At first this may seem a strange combination - dubstep figurehead and DMZ co-founder Mala is best known for his bass-heavy tribal rhythymns, and this James Blake remix would certainly be overwhelmed by El-P's breathless, pissed-off rapping as it is now. If El-P took that haunting vocal sample, though, kept the lurching, uneasy bass crackles, and added some of his dense, propulsive percussion, this would be the kind of soundtrack to a dystopian nightmare that the Brooklyn legend is so good at creating.
14. Lockah - "Goons N Roses"
Who should do it: Pusha T
Just as S-Type (who himself did a fantastic remix of "What Dreams Are Made Of") manages to craft epic beats without ever entering the manic territory of TNGHT, Lockah brings a stately power to his productions, befitting of a king surveying his kingdom. One guy who knows his way around a boast or two is Push, and as long as he made appropriate use of that grandiose melody he'd have the perfect canvas over which to paint his dope dealer success stories.
15. Mele - "Gold Casio"
Who should do it: Waka Flocka Flame
Melé is another of the new wave of British producers who are influenced by hip-hop production as much, if not more, than dance music. The Liverpudlian producer has worked with British MCs like Kano and Slick Don, and he even provided a pretty heavy Gucci Mane remix in 2011, but his biggest, baddest track to date has got to be "Gold Casio." It's just a monster. A fire belching, club wielding, thick skinned monster that Wacka would ride into battle on the back of, dreads blowing in the wind, scattering mere mortals in his path. FLEEEEXXXXXXXX.
16. Daft Punk ft. Pharrell - "Get Lucky"
Who should do it: Kanye West
It's been a minute, but remember fun Kanye? Like, the Kanye on "Alors On Danse" or "I'm The Shit." Let's face it, "Get Lucky" needs no remix. It is absolutely unnecessary, but if someone's going to do it, it's got to be Kanye, and despite grumbles from people who think a rap verse is the last thing that "Get Lucky" needs, put Kanye on this and there's a good chance he could change some minds, and have fun doing it.
