If I told you a OKP-friendly rapper was remaking a classic Michael Jackson track you probably wouldn’t guess Raekwon. And if I asked you to guess which song, you probably would have gone with “Beat It” or maybe an early joint like “Wanna Be Where You Are.” But, no. Him and JD jumped on “Liberian Girl,” the ninth (count them nine) single from his classic 1987 Lp Bad.  But I have to admit, sh*t, as they say, goes. Get a refresher on the original (above) and stream/download “Liberian Girl (Shaolin Cut)” via Okayafrica below:

If you’re not up on HNRL Roll vocalist 1-O.A.K., you gon’ learn today. We’ve been posting about the Bay Area r&b crooner for a minute now, and he just released his debut album today, Special Request. From the first listen to “Me & You” it was clear this was an artist to be checking for, and to get that song + 12 more for free.99 is a deal you can’t beat. You can stream/download the full self-produced LP after the jump, I guarantee you’ll have it on constant repeat for the rest of the day (and then some).

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Yes, Damon Albarn has got his ninjas in London and they goin’ Gorillaz (<—what does that even mean?). In this case his rotating cast of cartoon ninjas includes Andre 3000 and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. This particular Gorilla has been threatening to break out of its cage for a few days now but it is finally streamable and embeddable (CDQ drops tomorrow on Converse website, and the full 12 minute version! drops March 3rd). The track starts out like Hm, and quickly proceeds to Okayy before totally winning you over when Dre 3k jumps on the stop-this-crazy-thing conveyor belt of a beat. Any verse that starts out “New word: onomatapoeia” is going to be a keeper, even if it doesn’t end on a barely audible Dana Dane dis (? –I swear. Open your rap history books to page 5, kids). Coming hot on the heels of “Party” and his cameo in a gillette commercial (after the jump) it kinda smells like an Andre comeback is brewing for 2012. Which may explain why I had a dream about him shaving down a cartoon gorilla last night (<–what does that even mean?)

Not one of these new Spree Wilson songs sound anything like the others, and they all sound great to me. Spree raises the bar once again, with his best leak yet “Rare Moments.” Look for Spree’s new album, The Spark, coming soon.

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I’ve been not so patiently waiting for this Georgia Anne Muldrow x Madlib album, Seeds, since they announced it was going down. We’re just over a month away from its’ release via SomeOthaShip Connect (March 27th), and now one song closer to hearing the full album. Listen to the “Seeds” 7″ b-side, “Husfriend.” The song: “is an ode to the beauty of committing to another soul,” – I’d say GAM and ‘lib are 2/2 so far. Check after the jump for GAM’s upcoming East Coast tour dates with Dudley Perkins.

March 24 @ Le Belmont (Montreal)
March 25 @ Wrongbar (Toronto)
March 26 @ SOBS (New York)
March 27 @ Princeton (New Jersey)
March 28 @ The Arts Garage (Philadelphia)
March 29 @ Liv (DC)

Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, The Ummah and Lucy Pearl (above) and Maseo of De La Soul (below) both sat down with the audience at Red Bull Music Academy’s recent L.A. session while they were in town to recognize Dilla Day West. Our dude Cognito from FroLab goes deep with both rhythmatical scientists and of course touches on the life of the man they were there to honor. You can also hear Maseo and Ali Shaheed’s sets from the Dilla tribute at Boombox via the links after the jump.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad Live at Boombox (via RBMA)

Maseo Live at Boombox (via RBMA)

Before STS‘ new project, GoldRush, drops next week, Slim hits us with one last MPIII produced flip. Accompanied by a nice solo from Black Thought in the beginning (haha) listen to Slim’s take on Coldplay‘s “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” with “Kids They Dance.” Video directed by David Mack. GoldRush drops on the 29th.

Another Dilla exclusive from Waajeed‘s Bling47 site, which is proving to be an invaluable treasure trove of  donuts and related material. This time we get an unreleased original version of “Crushin’” from Ruff Draft, produced by Jeedo himself. Here’s what he said:

Today’s stream is of the original version of, “Crushin” produced by me.  We have J Rocc to thank for this one.  I was DJing with Houseshoes in San Fran with Fran Boogie and DJ Mr. E.  We heard J Rocc was staying in the same hotel and went to holla at him.  We were talking about Dilla rarities when he said that he liked that version of, “Crushin” I did.  I was like what version!?!  He played it and it split my melon!  I did that beat for Dilla circa 2002 for his MCA project – I assumed he never used it when I didn’t hear anything. Turns out it was the original version that he later remixed himself for his then newly founded label, Mummy Records.

This is actually one of my favorite Dilla songs, mostly because it highlights the fact that rap’s most sophisticated, avant guarde producer/composers was also one of it’s greasiest and underrated MC’s. It’s kind of like Beanie Siegel and DJ Premier were the same person–or maybe Ghostface and Madlib? Anyway, Jeedo’s jazzy, static-y beat only amplifies that dual personality feeling, making this an essential addition to the Dilla canon. Listen below and cop Ruff Draft via Stones Throw.

No, not the “House Congressional Republicans Blues,” the actual blues. As in, he joined blues legend B. B. King and Mick Jagger onstage for maybe a bar and a half of the extremely appropriate “Sweet Home Chicago” (watch closely–looks like young dog Gary Clark, Jr. was among the assembled greats, swangin’ axe behind the prez like Geo. Washington chopping up a cherry tree). Then he said “I’m the leader of the free world” and dropped the mic on Jagger’s foot. Not really, but he did make kind of a dramatic exit.

In my mind, this is only acceptable for two reasons: 1) things are not terrible ie our foreign wars are finally winding down and the economy appears to be waking up from a coma–or at least wiggling its toes. If he pulled this shit while the oil spill in the gulf or something was happening, that’s a wrap. 2) He was kind of drafted by B. B. King, who apparently caught feelings that the President sang Al Green‘s song and not his. Which gives me hope that this is not going to become a regular occurence. In related news, Obama dropped an official President’s Day mixtape with Mick Boogie & Terry Urban and set a third quarter (early November) date for his full-length LP. OK, not really. But kind of.

This clip was recorded last night, February 21st at Blues Night at the White House. The full concert will be broadcast on PBS on February 27th.

It looks like BJ The Chicago Kid and Kendrick Lamar have not one but two stellar collaborations on BJ’s new album. Listen as the Chi-town crooner and Cali lyricist give their take on the WAR classic with “The World Is A Ghetto.” BJ’s long awaited album, Pineapple Now-Laters, is out now via iTunes.

Spotted at OS