by Jay-Z ft. Santogold: Pure fire! I heard this and knew I would want to press repeat after the first 10 seconds. A new artist to me, Santogold, is featured on this track. I did not know who this artist was, but after hearing her on this=my new fave track, I had to research her and cop her newly self-titled album. Her sound mixed with Jay is similar to the sound produced by M.I.A. and Jay+others for Swagger Like Us. To add more greatness to the track, my Sample King – also known as Kanye – is the producer. This is reportedly the first single off the Notorious soundtrack that will release January 13. The album should be high quality, as it is in honor of the Notorius B.I.G.’s biographical film that will release January 16. I’m sure Biggie is looking down proud of Jay for reppin their borough with such esteem!

by M.I.A. ft. Jay-Z: Speaking of the cherry on top…Jay is featured on this remix of M.I.A.’s Boyz. The original version was ranked #7 on the Rolling Stone 100 Best Songs of 2007. For the song to be highly ranked, I am surprised that I am just hearing this. I would not have known who M.I.A. is if it had not been for T.I., Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne creating Swagger Like Us. Crazy thing is they sampled her song Paper Planes for Swagger Like Us and I had not heard Paper Planes prior either. So, homegirl has mastered her new strategy: To win big in the States, she MUST have the best artists somehow linked to her songs. Specifically on this track, Jay adds a unique flavor and I like how he doesn’t always perform on tracks that are considered rap. He has proven that he can mix it up with Linkin’ Park and now the British artist who uses the Dappan koothu style of music for this track. Dappan koothu is a musical genre that focuses on traditional dance and folk styles with a major emphasis on percussion instruments. You have just been granted your newly learned fact for the day!

by T.I. ft. Kanye West, Jay-Z, & Lil Wayne: JUST LEAKED! The hottest four in the game! First listen, I think the “swagger like us” needs to be played down a bit. A majority of the time, this overpowers the lyrics of the artists. Hottest verse given to Kanye no doubt! Jay follows as a close second. Listen for yourself…