Wale - W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.

It's been awhile since I heard a hip-hop artist that stuck out as being head and shoulders above anything else out at the moment*. DC rapper Wale sounds like an artist that desperately wants to be the best at what he does, and after hearing just two of his albums, I'm convinced that he's already there. I'll just leave it at that, but please do yourself a favor and download both The Mixtape About Nothing (an entire album that uses Seinfeld clips/samples, oh yeah) and 100 Miles and Running for free at Wale's myspace. Also, below is Wale rapping over Justice's D.A.N.C.E. Re-adjust your favorite artist lists accordingly.

Mp3: Wale - W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.
Video: Justice - D.A.N.C.E.

*Credit to the music master Willis for the heads-up on this one.

Matt and Kim - Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare

Matt and Kim, the Mates of State in reverse (or at least on reverse instruments), are on the verge of releasing a new album, Grand. The first single from the album, "Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare," features a decidedly less lo-fi sound for the duo, which works great on this track. When you just have a drum set and keyboard to work with, the sound is going to be pretty minimalistic, but the higher level of production here though fills out the sound in a positive way. You can find the track at the Matt & Kim-friendly site below.

Matt and Kim - Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare